Smart n-grid energy management with an open UPQC

In the last years, in the new smart grid framework, the need of enabling and managing the interaction between final users and the main grid has become mandatory. The effective level of interaction depends on the real flexibility of the consumer power demand with respect to the main grid and this level can be increased in case of nano-grids (n-grids), like those of LV domestic customers, via the application of special devices, like the Open Unified Power Quality Conditioner (Open UPQC). Even if this device has been designed for different tasks (PQ, back-up, etc.), the paper is focused on its application in domestic n-grids, with the chief functions of peak-shaving and load-levelling, aimed mainly to reduce the costs of electricity delivery for LV domestic customers. As a consequence, it becomes a tool to support the interaction with the main grid. To assess the advantage of its application, a wide survey on domestic appliances included in a real w-grid has been made, to know the effective power profile, the real peak and average value, basing on which the contractual power is chosen. The analysis of monitoring data shows the potentiality of the application.