cable routing, selection & optimisation

MPE can route and select cables for your application based on technical requirements and cost impact of CAPEX and OPEX of the system. This can range from checking cable ampacity, voltage drop and short-circuit withstand to ensure compliance with applicable codes, through to optimisation of cable sizes based on installed cost, annualised losses for time-varying loads, and calculation of net present value of losses (OPEX) vs. CAPEX.

Our engineers have experience with a range of cable installation methods and voltage levels from LV to HV, and for AC and DC cabling.
We can deliver desktop and onsite surveys of cable routes using high precision GPS with RTX-correction, and a GIS (Geographic Information System)-software. Crossing of other cables, roads, and gas pipes can be considered, and alternative routes proposed as required.
We have developed an in-house tool for ampacity (temperature) calculations for unconventional cable environments and laying arrangements , e.g. for submarine cables and inhomogeneous cable groups. Our tool has additionally been extended to consider a time varying ampacity calculation. This allows us to assess the ampacity even for load profiles which are not covered by standards, e.g. load profiles of wind or PV farms.

short-circuit / fault studies (including ER G74)

Short circuit studies allow assessment of equipment rating (e.g. switchgear, cables, and generation), and provides input into other studies such as protection coordination or earthing design. MPE can perform these studies to any published standard (e.g. IEC 60909 (2016) or ER G74) using a range of software including DIgSILENT PowerFactory, PSS/E, ETAP, or MPE's in house short circuit calculation tool, which can be adjusted to any standard or non-standard fault current calculation method.

Until recently fault current contribution from inverter based equipment (e.g. DFIG and full converter wind generation, PV generation, and HVDC) was neglected in the standards. Given the rise of this type of generation the latest IEC standard now caters for its controllable contribution to fault current. For similar reasons, the UK standard G74 has been recently updated. MPE was the lead technical consultant for this update, on behalf of the Energy Networks Association, to study and propose suitable options to the working group.

operating reserve assessments / operational reserve tool (ORT)

MPE has extensive experience in calculating reserve requirements in Power Systems with high shares of variable renewable energy. That experience has been translated into a dedicated software tool which allows MPE and their clients to calculate reserve requirements for primary, secondary and tertiary reserve considering:

Forecast errors of demand and VRE generation
Variability/Ramping of demand and VRE generation
Reliability of conventional generation

The tool applies probabilistic and deterministic methods to calculate the combined reserve requirements, and provides an input into our production cost optimisation tool. If you would like to discuss this tool further then please say hello

production cost optimisation tool

The production cost optimisation model has been developed by MPE and is based on a MILP (Mixed Integer Linear Programming) model using IBM/CPLEX as solver. The production cost optimisation model balances flexibility requirements and flexibility resource and calculates overall production cost over a period of one year while respecting all constraints, including flexibility constraints and grid constraints. By having our own in-house tool we can add / modify / remove constraints as required for different power systems and generation technologies as required. If you would like to discuss this tool further, then please say hello

Costs include:
Cost of fuel
Cost of start-ups and shut-downs
Cost of significant load ramps

techno-economic studies

Power system or project development is not simply a matter of meeting technical requirements. It is essential that different options are compared to ensure that solutions are delivered considering optimised CAPEX and OPEX. Therefore economic aspects must be considered in most projects. MPE can assist you by performing the following:

Net present value calculations of losses vs. different CAPEX options
Assessment of increased flexibility costs due to variable generation
Assessment of different reinforcement options vs. curtailment
Levelised cost of energy (LCOE) calcuations