Voltage Regulating Distribution Transformers as new Grid Asset

Since 2012 voltage regulation distribution transformers (VRDT), that is distribution transformers equipped with on-load tap-changers, have become a new grid asset in frequent use. While initially started as a means to facilitate the economic integration of renewable energies into public power grids, it has become apparent that there is a multitude of use cases for VRDTs beyond renewables integration and that the technology is not limited to public grids but can also find applications in industrial grids and become part of generation units. The primary driver behind these new found fields of application for distribution transformers with on-load tap-changers is a new generation of such tap-changers which is much more compact and much more economical than traditional tap-changers.