The increasing integration of renewable energies is driving the transformation of the power grid in Germany. Renewable energy sources, which are mostly allocated in distribution grids, are replacing fossil power plants, that are mostly applied in the transport grid. This shift to more renewable energies entails the expansion of the power transport capacities in the distribution grid. The conventional expansion of the power grid in Germany is, however, proceeding slowly, due to the delay in the authorization procedures. Therefore, new solutions that enable a higher utilization of the existing grid must be adopted besides the classical grid expansion in order to achieve the planned energy transition goals. This research work presents a new grid planning method which applies innovative technologies, in addition to the conventional planning instruments with overhead lines and cables, to optimize and expand the existing grid. The innovative planning instruments considered are battery storage systems and dynamic power curtailment. The proposed approach has been implemented in a time series based framework as an automated planning algorithm. Based on the selected planning instruments, the planning algorithm determines for a given distribution grid the tailored and most cost-efficient measures to prevent prognosticated grid congestion.

Ouafa Laribi: Ouafa Laribi received in 2015 her M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. From 2016 to 2021, she worked as academic researcher at the Institute of Power Transmission and High Voltage Technology (IEH) in the University of Stuttgart in the field of grid integration of renewable energies and large-scale storage systems. In 2022, she obtained her PhD degree at the University of Stuttgart with her thesis entitled "Optimized Planning of Distribution Power Grids considering Conventional Grid Expansion, Battery Systems and Dynamic Power Curtailment".