About a third of European grids are over 40 years old. A rapid physical overhaul would be impossible, so the addition of a layer of digital technologies is the key to preparing them for the distributed and intermittent generation from renewable sources, the increased electricity demand from transportation, heat pumps and other sectors, and for ensuring energy efficiency at all levels. It’s why the EC expects about €584bn of investment in Europe’s electricity grid between 2020 and 2030, out of which a sizeable €170bn will go to digitalisation. Here, Gridspertise (part of the Enel Group) lays out the EU ambitions and policies before explaining how their range of proven digitalisation solutions can play their role in supporting Europe’s DSOs. They cover everything from smart meters, automated grid management, field services and more. [Promoted by Gridspertise]
The next decade will see a quick acceleration in the application of digital technologies for electricity grids in Europe. The geopolitical situation is making it even more urgent to fully decarbonise the electricty generation sector and increase the overall efficiency of the energy system, also by adding new flexible energy sources and invest in smart digital grids. Now a new action plan on “Digitalising the energy system”, presented by the European Commission in October[1], defines a long-term strategy for investments and coordinated European policies toward a complete digital overhaul of the energy system.
The European Commission foresees a quick growth of renewables, in order to meet the climate targets and to reduce dependancy on Russian fossil fuels. The goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% and reaching a share of 45% renewables in 2030 requires among other actions that solar panels are installed on roofs of all commercial and public buildings by 2027 and on all new residential buildings by 2029. Furthermore, over 10 million heat pumps will have to be added over the next 5 years and electric vehicles will have to replace 30 million of internal combustion cars by 2030. But all of these require an energy infrastructure that is ready and future-proof[2].
European grids need a technological transformation
Current electricity grids, mostly designed and built decades ago in a completely different technical scenario, are not ready for such a radical change. About one third of European grids are over 40 years old, and by 2030 more than half of them could be beyond that age[3]. While a physical overhaul would be impossible, the addition of a layer of digital technologies is the key to preparing them for the distributed and intermittent generation from renewable sources, the increased electricity demand from transportation and other sectors, and for ensuring energy efficiency at all levels. That is why the European Commission expects about EUR 584 billion of investment in the electricity grid in Europe between 2020 and 2030, out of which a large share (EUR 170 billion) will go to digitalisation[4].
The newly-launched European plan will focus on several lines of actions[5], including promoting connectivity, interoperability and secure exchange of energy data, boosting investments in the smart electricity grid, using digital services to engage consumers in the energy transition.
Among the key actions, a coordinated European framework for sharing and using energy data will be created by 2024, to allow the participation of new energy actors on the wholesale market and facilitate the addition of flexible generation capacity. The framework will be accompanied by the creation of a “digital twin” of the European electricity grid, a virtual model that will allow the enhancement of the efficiency and smartness of the distribution system, and that will increase and improve data exchange between Transmission System Operators and Distribution System Operators[6]. Furthermore, it will require constant investments in tools to observe and control the grid, in infrastructure and network planning, in simulation tools, active system management and forecasting.
Many of these areas will involve Distribution System Operators (DSOs), in particular the creation of the digital twin, that will be coordinated by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) and the EU DSO Entity. The Commission foresees new investments by DSOs and aims to support them through the Horizon Europe framework program and other instruments[7].
Gridspertise: a trusted partner for European DSOs providing end-to-end solutions for the digital transformation of power grids
Gridspertise, founded in 2021 to offer cutting-edge sustainable solutions for the transformation of electricity networks, is ready to accompany European DSOs in the journey toward this new scenario. The tech company builds on the 20-year experience in smart grids of its parent company Enel, which pioneered in Italy and Spain the first country-wide smart meter deployment in Europe and among the first globally, and today counts 75.9 million connection points in eight different countries and more than 2.3 million km of electricity grids. Thanks to the Enel group’s Italian roots, and to its historic presence in Spain and other European countries, Gridpsertise is already a trusted partner for the digitalisation of distribution grids in Europe,
The recent signing agreement between Enel and private equity fund CVC Capital Partners to acquire a 50 percent stake in Gridspertise will enable the company to further expand its business and portfolio of solutions.
Smart meters solutions
Smart meters solutions are the first step in the digitalisation of the grid, providing benefits to all the stakeholders in the energy ecosystem: DSOs, end customers, regulators and electricity market operators.
In fact, they enable DSOs to effectively manage electricity demand through real-time data monitoring while optimising billing and cash collection. At the same time, the solutions strenghten the role of the customer in the energy transition, increasing awareness on energy consumption, facilitating distributed renewable energy integration and enabling more sustainable habits as well as cost savings. Innovative data services, apps, energy management and demand response systems have a large untapped potential for energy users. To support these developments, the Commission will formally re-establish the existing Smart Grids Task Force.
Gridspertise has been a pioneer in the development of smart meters since the early 2000s and in Europe has delivered massive roll outs of over 40 million devices, the majority of them in Italy and Spain. The company goes beyond the mere supply of technology, offering end-to-end interoperable meters developed by Gridspertise and selected partners, Head End & Meter Data Management systems, as well as services to provide support throughout the entire process.
With strong experience in solutions based on Power Line Communication (PLC) protocol, Gridspertise is expanding its portfolio with interoperable hybrid devices based on G3-PLC standards, which include both PLC and radio-frequency technology in a single solution, automatically selecting the best network available overcoming all possible disturbances such as radio interferences, screening from buildings and vegetation, or electrical noise in the network. For this reason, Gridpsertise has recently joined the G3-PLC Alliance, a leading industry group on powerline communication in smart grid applications.
Automated grid management
As for automated grid management, Gridspertise has developed the QEd – Quantum Edge® device. This digital substation platform enables DSOs to run key grid functionalities directly on the edge, virtualise key network automation functions through customisable applications and reduce the amount of equipment in secondary substations. This revolutionary device also helps ensure the stability of the grid while managing generation from distributed energy resources and growing energy demand. Moreover, it enables the adding of new applications over time – a key requirement in an evolving, open technology scenario like the one envisioned by the EU action plan. Furthermore, QEd allows power quality analysis to monitor the quality of service thanks to its embedded advanced algorithms.
Gridpsertise has also pioneered the technology of grid digital twins with its Digital Asset and Vegetation Intelligence. Leveraging on a virtual replica of the entire electricity infrastructure and the environment surrounding it – generated by acquiring and processing data from laser scanner, photography and sensors – the solution enables the identification of vegetation and other elements that can interfere with distribution networks in advance as well as performing predictive maintenance through asset detection and AI-based anomaly recognition. The system is an important tool to improve service quality and optimise Operation & Maintenance costs as well as safety for field workers, by reducing the need for land-based patrols. In Europe alone, about 210,000 km of grids are currently monitored by this system in Italy, Spain and Romania, corresponding to 63% of the combined grid extension in the three countries.
Digital technologies and services that can improve field operations
Finally, Gridspertise also provides digital technologies and services that can improve field operations and make them safer, such as its Enhanced Workforce solution – a digital toolbox with a set of applications based on augmented and virtual reality as well as artificial intelligence, to allow training of employees and a safe and rapid response in case of environmental disasters. These apps bring several advantaged to DSOs, such as reducing the time and transportation costs needed for on-site verifications. They increase the ability to intervene in extreme conditions, for example by projecting an electric grid in augmented reality over the external world, thus letting operators visualise the grid’s topology, the salient data and the current status of its elements even when the grid is not directly visible due to its structure or because of a catastrophic event. Enhanced Workforce Solutions have been extensively deployed in Italy – where they are allowing to save at least EUR 8 million per year – and in Spain.
Showcasing new solutions at Enlit Europe
By providing end-to-end digital platforms for metering, grid management and field operations, and by advising DSOs in their investment choices, Gridspertise contributes to the transformation of networks into sustainable and reliable smart grids. Its worldwide network of innovation labs allows the company to constantly improve and expand its products and services and to adapt to changing market scenarios. It offers a diverse and flexible range of solutions that can be tailored to the needs of different operators, regions and markets. The company today delivers its technologies based on a significant intellectual property portfolio of field-proven solutions to dozens of DSOs of different sizes and in different geographies.
From November 29th to December 1st Gridspertise showcased these and other cutting-edge solutions and devices at Enlit 2022, one of the biggest European events dedicated to the energy world, in the booth 12.1.F110 shared with Enel Grids, the Enel business line focused on power distribution networks. It was a chance to engage in a coordinated action with tech companies, power grid operators, policy makers, regulators, and end users, accelerating Europe’s digital and electric future.
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REFERENCES:
- European Commission: “Digitalising the energy system – EU Action plan”. 18 October 2022. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022DC0552&qid=1666369684560 ↑
- European Commission: “Digitalising the energy system – EU Action plan”. 18 October 2022. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022DC0552&qid=1666369684560. Page 1. ↑
- Monitor Deloitte, EDSO, Eurelectric: Connecting the dots: Distribution grid investment to power the energy transition. January 2021. https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ch/Documents/energy-resources/deloitte-ch-en-eurelectric-connecting-the-dots-study.pdf . Page 19. ↑
- European Commission: “Digitalising the energy system – EU Action plan”. 18 October 2022. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022DC0552&qid=1666369684560. Page 1. ↑
- European Commission: “Digitalising the energy system – EU Action plan”. 18 October 2022. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022DC0552&qid=1666369684560. Page 2. ↑
- European Commission: “Digitalising the energy system – EU Action plan”. 18 October 2022. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022DC0552&qid=1666369684560. Pages 7-8, 21. ↑
- European Commission: “Digitalising the energy system – EU Action plan”. 18 October 2022. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022DC0552&qid=1666369684560. Page 7. ↑