Special Issue Information

Many governments have set promising renewable targets. One of the main technologies available to fulfil these targets is rooftop and ground-mounted solar PV plants connected to the distribution network. However, their high penetration is hindered by technical issues such as voltage, line loading, protection, and power quality violations against the utility practices and relevant standards; as well as social issues such as poor acceptance, fear of changing operational paradigms, lack of awareness of the benefits of using PV, and ineffective communication between involved parties. This call is for original contributions to the following areas.

On the technical front:
The impact of higher penetration of solar PV plants on distribution networks;
Mitigation measures to minimize network impacts;
Standards and good practices in place to plan and operate distribution networks with a high penetration of solar PV;
Centralized and decentralized controllers for overcoming grid impacts;
IoT-based control strategies available for coordinated control of assets connected to the distribution network;
Enabling technologies: EV G2V and V2G operation, demand-side management, power electronic devices, energy storage.

On the social front:
Reasons for varying the consumer adoption of PV under different social settings;
Drives and barriers for PV-based community energy systems;
Resistance to change for new technology.

Prof. Dr. Janaka Ekanayake
Dr. Helder Leite
Dr. Meghdad Fazeli

Special Issue Information

The decarbonization of the power system, a target part of the Paris Agreement's ambitious environmental goals, is contributing to a substantial increase in the energy generation mix, where renewable sources, storage and massive dissemination of electrical mobility and vehicles are playing important roles.
Thus, electrical power systems are become increasingly complex and geographically widely distributed, generating increasingly larger volumes of data and more heterogeneous sources of energy.
A review of management and control architectures designed for distribution systems is therefore mandatory to ensure the stability, reliability, and resilience of electrical power systems and, at the same time, reconcile the economic targets of the utilities and quality of services made available to their consumers.
This Special Issue of Energies will provide a forum for the latest breakthrough developments in distributed optimization, control, and estimation for integrating sustainable and distributed infrastructures into electrical power systems.

Prof. Dr. Fernando L. Pereira
Dr. Helder Leite
Guest Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The implications of the global sanitary-economic crisis, combined with society demands for environmental protection, a low-carbon economy, and sustainable development are provoking unprecedented uncertain and unstable times. In response to this scenario, the energy sector has to be able to provide more secure and high-quality energy supply to customers and to continue to integrate renewable generation, electric vehicles, and storage. An integrated grid needs to be sufficiently intelligent and flexible to operate reliably with intermittent generation technologies and simultaneously address challenges like reliability, security, cost, and environment.

The development of modern science and technology promoted the development of digital technology in areas such as materials, components, and the manufacturing process of the hardware structure of device and infrastructures. At the same time, significant theoretical progress has been made in the software, algorithms, and communications. Thus, due to these developments, the acceptance and level of technologies have advanced quickly. Nonetheless, the broad deployment of digital power systems still has several obstacles to be addressed, such as concerns about making the power systems resilient, dependable, and secure, as well as issues of ease of replacement and transition. However, digitalisation of power systems provides an opportunity for further developments and innovation of protection and control.

Dr. Helder Leite
Guest Editor