To make the management of generation and consumption capacity in the power grid more efficient, the Latvian energy technology startup Engycell, in cooperation with JSC Sadales tīkls, has developed an innovation – a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) algorithm that enables dynamic management of BESS charging and discharging decisions depending on the real-time situation of the distribution transformer in the power grid.
The goal of the pilot project is to find new solutions for using the full network capacity efficiently with digital technologies. The idea focuses on innovative technology that promotes the algorithm’s high-speed performance and response time, thereby ensuring an appropriate power grid protection mechanism.
“In this case, we created a technology that addresses the problems caused by the ever‑increasing demand for capacity. For example, today the network of electric vehicle charging stations is rapidly developing, with high electricity demand in the evenings when EVs are charged most intensively. This creates risks of network overload, so we offer an alternative solution with a battery storage system and our algorithm, which can provide the required capacity without overloading the grid and without rebuilding the existing transformer. This is the most financially advantageous and fastest solution. In the future, we see that this innovation can also be used by any factory or other company facing capacity overloads,” explains Egija Gailuma, one of the founders of the startup Engycell.
“Right now, solutions for managing low-voltage network (0.4 kV) customer assets are only at the very beginning of research. The solution developed is part of JSC Sadales tīkls’ strategy to promote network flexibility by using low-cost, scalable solutions that would allow more efficient management of peak loads, postponing the need to build new transformers as much as possible. With this project, Sadales tīkls also once again confirms its openness to cooperation both with Latvian technology startups and other partners, in order to work together on the development of various innovations,” comments Pēteris Lūsis, Head of Innovation at JSC Sadales tīkls.
The Sadales tīkls and Engycell pilot project is the first step towards dynamic capacity management applicable to the low-voltage network. As part of the project, Engycell installed an autonomous transformer load monitoring solution with an interface to the BESS control module, ensuring that the network peak load does not exceed the transformer’s rated capacity. The algorithm’s average response time was 4–6 seconds, which significantly outperforms European practice, where the operating speed of similar solutions ranges from 30 seconds to 5 minutes, depending on the communication solution.
Across Europe, more and more new connections are being built based on agreements with customers about flexible consumption or generation. This means that at times when there are overload risks in the distribution network, the customer’s consumption or generation capacity can be limited to avoid network overload or increased/decreased voltage. Such limitations typically occur on the coldest winter days or on sunny summer days.
Originally published at https://inc-baltics.com/jauna-tehnologija-palidzes-noverst-elektrotiklu-parslodzi/
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