Endesa tests voltage control for more low-voltage self-consumption

At midday, a low-voltage network can face too much electricity from photovoltaic generation. Later, a demand peak can pull voltage down. Endesa’s distribution arm, E-distribución, is now testing the LV Line Manager, a system designed to monitor and control those changes in real time.

The pilot will run on networks in Aragon and the Balearic Islands, where the system will be assessed under changing generation and demand. It continuously measures electrical parameters including voltage and current, then can automatically intervene to correct imbalances and keep network conditions within operating limits.

The pressure is growing with Spain’s distributed generation. E-distribución’s network already serves more than 438,500 connected self-consumption installations, including around 45,000 collective systems. Because these users can generate as well as consume electricity, power flows can move in both directions instead of following a single path from a central plant to customers.

The practical promise is capacity. If the pilot works as intended, operators could make greater use of existing networks while connecting additional renewable-energy systems and electric-vehicle charging infrastructure. That could reduce voltage-quality problems and allow operators to make greater use of existing infrastructure, although the test still has to establish how well the system performs in real operating conditions.

The LV Line Manager emerged from an Enel Group innovation project involving grid environments in Italy and Spain. Enel selected it through its Open Innovability platform from market-ready solutions for testing under real-world grid conditions.