EDF / 2018 Reference document

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PRESENTATION OF EDF GROUP Research & development, patents and licences

another focus of R&D work is the impact of developing direct current for the ■ incorporation of renewable energies in terms of hybridisation of large alternative synchronous electricity systems, recognising that this development may profoundly change the fundamental technical and economic dynamics of electricity systems with the increased use of intermittent renewable energies. The third category of work aims to manage the transition of the electricity system to smart grids through the integration of intermittent renewable energies and new distributed resources such as energy storage and electric vehicle charging infrastructure: R&D work forms part of the joint European H2020 research programmes aimed ■ at developing solutions to integrate a high proportion of intermittent renewable energies in the European interconnected system. EDF's R&D is involved in the EU-SysFlex project aiming to build a flexibility roadmap for Europe together with EirGrid and 32 other European partners; the Plan4Res project aiming to develop an integrated modelling of the European energy system to produce an end-to-end planning and operational tool; and the TDX-ASSIST project aiming to facilitate data exchange between transmission and distribution system operators in the European electricity market. R&D is working on and taking part in demonstrations of new distribution network management functionalities in a distributed generation model. This innovative coordination method makes it possible to maintain voltage on the high-voltage grid within its contractual range, on the basis of a grid status estimate, even when decentralised production resources are used; R&D is developing advanced tools to forecast intermittent renewable energy ■ consumption and production on various territorial scales. It is working in partnership with weather forecasting organisations in order to develop meteorological benchmarks for the management of electricity systems; R&D is pursuing work on the development of predictive network management ■ tools in the presence of intermittent renewable energy generation. Predictive management enables power flow arbitrations, generation injected by renewable energy installations and the unavailability of installations on the grids to be predicted. The functions developed for HVA grids are currently being extended to low-voltage grids; R&D is accelerating development of its entire range of solutions to make it easier ■ to make electric mobility part of the grid. This involves analysing the impact of electric vehicles at their connection points with the distribution network, namely the impact of the load profile on the power drawn and the impact on the stability and safety of the electrical current. Other areas of research include modelling mobility across time and space so as to estimate the impact on the grid. R&D is also working on new technology, materials, software and modes of communication to facilitate the seamless integration of charging stations into the grid; R&D provides technical support for some of the certification tests carried out on ■ metering equipment (including Linky meters) and helps to develop grid equipment; R&D is also experimenting with electricity use coordination systems based on the ■ Linky infrastructure. In particular, these experiments are making it possible to demonstrate the feasibility of load management and the new types of flexibility offered by the electric vehicle, distributed storage facilities and self-consumption solutions; R&D is also working towards the optimal integration of decentralised renewable ■ resources in small-scale grids with the objective of facilitating a transition to a local low-carbon electricity mix. Microgrid prototypes worked successfully in a variety of applications, such as the integration by EDF SEI of renewable energy generation and storage into island network microgrids on the island of Sein and at Mafate on the island of Réunion, and the functional contribution of microgrids to the interconnected Nice Grid resulting in improved grid resilience and support. In October 2018 EDF R&D successfully brought a microgrid prototype into service in Singapore, proving its ability to provide competitively-priced electricity to parts of Southeast Asia through low-carbon, reliable and replicable systems of this type; moreover, R&D is working on innovative solutions for the management of ■ production and consumption portfolios, and the associated risks. This involves anticipating the consequences of the development of new means of production and/or new decentralised uses for the management of energy systems and developing tools to aggregate the local flexibilities of distributed energy systems.

The activities in the second and third categories for the benefit of Enedis are performed under a services agreement entered into by the R&D Divisions of EDF and Enedis. Research into electricity systems uses extensive test facilities: laboratories for high-voltage electrical testing enabling a very wide range of ■ qualification and investigation tests for all types of electrical equipment to be carried out: high power, mechanical and climatic endurance, dielectric materials, “high power” long term and aging; the high power testing laboratory benefited from a major renovation program in 2017 and 2018; system management test facilities, communicating devices and systems, metering ■ equipment, power-line communication and electric vehicle smart charging; Concept Grid testing facility: Concept Grid is a scaled-down electricity network ■ for the purpose of trialling and testing the installation of the innovative hardware and “intelligent” systems that together make up a smart grid, prior to them being installed on the grid itself. Consolidating and developing 1.6.2.3 competitive low-carbon production mixes In the field of nuclear, hydro and fossil-fired power generation, EDF R&D is developing tools and methods to improve the safety of production resources, optimise their operational lifespan, and increase their performance in terms of output and environmental impact. There are three key priority goals: ensuring the Group maintains its advantage in terms of nuclear power over the long term, developing renewable energies while reducing their cost and increasing the extent to which they are used in electricity systems, while improving the environmental acceptability of our generation facilities. To secure the Group’s advantage in nuclear power generation in the long term, R&D is working to protect EDF’s assets through actions in line with its policy to improve the safety of facilities, particularly with regard to enhanced performance and extended operating lifespan. In 2018, for example, R&D carried out further tests on the VeRcors concrete containment model located in the Renardières R&D centre. This VeRcors model is a one-third scale, double-walled concrete containment structure representative of a 1,300MW reactor building. The results of the containment test carried out in March 2018 are being used to strengthen the digital twin of this containment building which serves to predict the ageing phenomenons of the concrete and therefore the building's operating lifespan. A containment test is programmed every year, and thus after 5 tests (given that the thickness of the VeRcors wall is one third weaker than for an actual containment building), the digital twin will be able to predict with a reasonable level of confidence the ageing of the building beyond a 40-year lifespan. More broadly, the EDF group (EDF and Framatome) works on R&D with the CEA as part of the Institut Tripartite (which also includes AREVA). In 2017 the three partners launched the Nuclear Plan of Tomorrow Initiative comprising technological building blocks for existing plants and nuclear new build. The aim of several of these technological building blocks is to gain actionable knowledge of the ageing mechanisms of components having an impact on the operating lifespan of the EDF group's nuclear units. This knowledge is used to help reduce common interruptions and optimise the maintenance, upgrade or replacement of equipment and structures to ensure safety and availability. More immediately, it contributes to making units more efficient. Moreover, initiatives in the field of nuclear power also concern issues relating to the fuel cycle. They include the design of new power plants, in particular fourth-generation plants and Small Modular Reactors (SMR). Furthermore, R&D actions contribute to improved knowledge and better control of the impact of facilities on the environment, and, at the same time, to ensuring that greater attention is paid to the environmental risks for industrial facilities. For instance, R&D is studying how water resource availability may change in the future as a result of changes in climate and physical geography. R&D research also contributes to understanding the possible risks and consequences for the power generation plants (availability of a heat sink, scope for modulation and location optimisation). To support these programmes, R&D is developing digital simulation tools and experimental test resources, as well as tools that are capable of handling the fresh challenges raised by the increase in large sets of digital data, IT security, and new information and communication technologies. In 2017, EDF launched ConnexLab in

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I Reference Document 2018