UK research activities on advanced distribution automation

Active network management (ANM) has emerged as the common, collective term in the UK for the automatic management and control of distributed energy resources (DER) in distribution networks. DER is the main driver of research and development in automation in the UK at present but network reliability performance enhancement remains the most common use of automation in power network applications. Power utility industry workgroups, academic/industrial consortia and individual research and manufacturing organizations have initiated major programs of advanced distribution automation investigative activity in recent years. Starting from the main drivers of ANM and progressing through industry wide (government sponsored) activities, this paper summarizes the recently completed and ongoing activities in all phases of research and development in the UK. In addition future directions of advanced distribution automation is discussed. These take account of the extending scope of advanced distribution automation (or ANM) that now encompasses all DER types and several other utility performance and asset management objectives.