COVER STORY
Smart grid – making intelligent energy supply possible
EBV Elektronik talks to CIE editor, Amy Wallington, about their solutions to the change in energy supply models
C
onnectivity is the core functionality of smart grids. By using them, it is possible to network equipment, systems and devices anywhere via the internet. If these systems and components can quickly and safely communicate with each other, it is possible to bring them together to form virtual power plants and control them according to demand. New services can therefore be created, which in turn, can form the basis of new business models. With its “smart grid” vertical market segment, EBV Elektronik is specifically targeting this growth market. The leading electronics distributor has divided the segment into the four core areas of energy generation, energy transmission and distribution, performance implementation, and the measuring and trading of energy, focussing on smart meters, energy storage units, adjustable transformers, generators for renewable energy, charging infrastructures for electric vehicles, and reliable, secure communications solutions for the smart grid.
Smart grids: at the heart of decentralised energy supply
The energy sector is faced with fundamental changes. The evidence of this is not only the ongoing phase-out of nuclear energy, but also the first ever electrical flat rate to be used in Germany. What has long been the rule for internet connections and mobile telephone contracts, will soon be implemented in the energy market. How? Via the smart grid. The intelligent energy network uses the progressive digitalisation of the components involved. However, in order to achieve this trend towards more decentralised and resource-efficient energy production and distribution, as well as the intelligent, energy-efficient use of energy, the various companies involved will need to radically rethink their approach.
Let us take the example of SonnenFlat. Established in Allgäu, energy system manufacturer Sonnen GmbH offers flat-rate electric based on a community approach. Members invest in photovoltaic (PV) systems and home storage. Their batteries are networked digitally with one another and the resulting virtual storage can absorb energy from the power grid and return it at a later point. It therefore provides primary control energy, which can help compensate for fluctuations in demand, thereby stabilising the network. By marketing primary control energy, the provider earns money that is used to refinance the electricity flat rate. This model assumes that members cover approximately 75 per cent of their own electricity needs, while the remainder is supplied free-of- charge by the provider.
It looks like this could be just the beginning for flat rate offers.
Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Maubach, former board member at E.ON SE, is certain that ‘flat-rate, unlimited use’ offers will prevail in the long-term in the energy sector. This example illustrates the trend towards a more locally- oriented energy supply. There is a vast spectrum of options for generating electricity, ranging from wind or solar systems and cogeneration or tri-generation plants, through to linking up decentralised producers in virtual power stations and the direct marketing of renewable energy.
Decentralised energy supply concepts can help to reduce the cost of network expansion. Because the electricity is produced and consumed on a local basis, there is no need to transport it over long distances. The logical expansion of this concept is controllable local network stations. Using these new transformers, the power can be fed from the low-voltage grid to the medium- voltage grid; an example usage for this might be utilising PV systems to supply an industrial area with energy produced in a neighbouring residential area. The basis of virtual power plants and virtual storage is the smart grid. Only if the various units and components can communicate with each other securely and in real-time, are you able to link them together and control them. M2M communication takes place via the internet. Established energy suppliers need to adapt to this change or risk going under. Consequently, they are already in the process of re- establishing themselves. The companies have split off their conventional energy supply sectors – coal, gas, and nuclear power – and are shifting their focus towards sustainable technologies and renewable energy.
Smart meters: the basis for intelligent network and resource management
Smart meters, in combination with smart meter gateways (SMGW), form the backbone of intelligent network and resource management in the energy sector. The devices can serve electricity, gas, water, or heat meters. But their functionality goes far beyond that of meters that can be read at a distance. In Germany, smart meters have been provided to major customers since the 1990s, and since 2010 they have also been
8 November 2017 Components in Electronics
www.cieonline.co.uk
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