Contributed by Luigi Montana, envelio Inc. CEO
Electrical grids worldwide are underneath rising pressure. The speedy adoption of renewable vitality sources, electrical automobiles, and decentralized energy era has created vital challenges for grid operators. Managing interconnection requests, guaranteeing grid stability, and planning for future vitality demand require superior options that transcend conventional, handbook approaches. Moreover, load development is poised to extend the dynamic. To fulfill these challenges, utilities should embrace digitalization and automation.
Throughout a lot of Europe, utilities are main this transformation by adopting good grid options that improve transparency, enhance effectivity, and speed up decision-making. One firm on the forefront of this shift is envelio, an energy-tech agency that gives complete, digital grid-management options. Its know-how is already utilized in a lot of Europe, masking half of the German distribution grid. Final 12 months, envelio Inc. was shaped to carry these options to U.S. utilities. In mid-2024, Eversource turned envelio’s first U.S. consumer.
This text shares examples of how envelio has helped two vitality firms in Europe – Syna GmbH and Helen Electrical energy Community – deal with the problem concerned with their digital transformation, and helps as an instance how U.S. grid operators might equally profit.
CASE STUDY 1: Accelerating Grid Compatibility Testing at Syna GmbH
Firm Background
Syna GmbH, a regional distribution system operator based mostly in Frankfurt, Germany, is a key participant within the vitality distribution sector. As a subsidiary of the E.ON Group, Syna operates an intensive grid community encompassing roughly 940,000 metered clients throughout distribution and sub-transmission. The corporate is devoted to integrating fashionable digital options to enhance vitality distribution effectivity – guaranteeing dependable energy provide and assembly the evolving calls for of the vitality sector.
Problem
The speedy improve in distributed vitality assets (DERs) – similar to photo voltaic methods, warmth pumps and electrical automobile charging stations – resulted in a major surge in interconnection requests. Historically, these requests had been dealt with manually, requiring as much as eight hours per request attributable to a scarcity of system integration and inadequate calculation capabilities for distribution circuits. This handbook course of led to extended ready instances for purchasers and an elevated threat of grid overloads attributable to restricted visibility into grid capability.
Answer
To handle these challenges, Syna applied envelio’s Clever Grid Platform (IGP), a digital resolution designed to reinforce grid transparency, automate technical evaluations and optimize grid operations. Key options of the Clever Grid Platform embrace:
- On-line Connection Test (OCC): An interactive self-service software to extend challenge completion price and scale back speculative functions by permitting clients to independently decide the optimum possible interconnection factors earlier than making use of.
- Connection Request Software: A digital software to considerably scale back the time required to judge new grid connections by automating the modelling and technical evaluate course of – and integrating seamlessly with current workflow instruments.
- Dynamic Community Mannequin: A repeatedly up to date and validated digital twin of Syna’s distribution system permitting superior simulations, similar to integrating real-time information for correct capability assessments.
Outcomes
- Discount in processing time: Connection request evaluations that beforehand took as much as eight hours can now be accomplished in quarter-hour.
- Enhanced information high quality: The digital twin enabled real-time information validation, enhancing the accuracy of grid capability assessments.
- Elevated automation: The connection request course of was largely automated, lowering handbook effort and accelerating approvals.
- Optimized workload for grid planners: Automation allowed planners to give attention to extra complicated duties, enhancing total operational effectivity.
CASE STUDY 2: Getting ready Helsinki’s Energy Grid for 2030 with Helen Electrical energy Community
Firm Background
Helen Electrical energy Community, a part of the Helen Group, is a serious vitality supplier in Helsinki, Finland. The corporate serves roughly 410,000 clients and is dedicated to sustainable growth, aiming to make Helsinki carbon-neutral by 2030. To realize this, Helen Electrical energy Community is leveraging superior applied sciences and rising the share of renewable vitality in its portfolio.
Problem
Helsinki’s bold local weather objectives, mixed with speedy urbanization, pose vital challenges to the town’s energy grid. The rising adoption of warmth pumps, electrical automobile charging stations and photo voltaic vitality requires a proactive strategy to grid planning. Helen Electrical energy Community wanted to anticipate future grid bottlenecks and develop funding methods to make sure dependable electrical energy provide.
Answer: envelio’s Clever Grid Platform and Grid Examine Software
Helen Electrical energy Community applied envelio’s Clever Grid Platform and its Grid Examine utility to conduct scenario-based planning for future grid calls for. The answer allows the corporate to:
- Assess current community buildings.
- Mannequin future electrification eventualities (5, 10 and 15 years forward).
- Determine grid bottlenecks and capability constraints by operating complicated load movement simulations throughout the whole system.
- Make data-driven funding choices for reinforcement and enlargement.
Implementation & Strategy
Helen adopted a structured strategy to combine the Clever Grid Platform into its system planning and grid modernization processes:
- Pilot challenge: Carried out in chosen distribution system areas to check feasibility.
- Information preparation: Built-in smart-meter information, geospatial info and socio-economic developments to construct a complete community mannequin.
- State of affairs evaluation: Evaluated three future vitality demand eventualities:
- Excessive peak masses with low effectivity;
- Excessive renewable vitality era with excessive effectivity; and
- A balanced mixture of each.
- Full-scale rollout: Created a digital twin of your entire distribution system for detailed future assessments.
- Ongoing updates: Established a steady synchronization course of to make sure research are based mostly on the most recent information.
Outcomes Achieved
Helen Electrical energy Community has efficiently:
- Developed a computational community mannequin for detailed future vitality situation assessments.
- Created a framework for incorporating socio-economic developments into grid evaluation research.
- Recognized potential capability bottlenecks early, enabling proactive funding planning.
- Laid the muse for strategic grid reinforcement and enlargement.
- Enhanced planning for medium- and low-voltage networks to assist elevated electrification.
- Built-in an environment friendly decision-making framework for data-driven funding methods.
Discussing These Improvements at DISTRIBUTECH
Along with envelio exhibiting at DISTRIBUTECH, envelio Inc. CEO Luigi Montana spoke at DistribuTECH on March 26. The session – Classes Realized from a European Strategy to Distribution Grid Interconnections – explored real-world examples (together with a case examine from Glitre Nett AS), and mentioned insights from utilities in Germany, Norway, and the U.S. (Eversource). Sharing the stage had been business consultants Jon Dasvand Vehus (Glitre Nett AS) and Shakir Iqbal (Eversource). The three mentioned how digitalization and automation are remodeling grid interconnections to be extra environment friendly and scalable. The panel, chaired by Thomas Artau of Duke Vitality, coated how revolutionary instruments like internet hosting capability maps and self-service interconnection checks can scale back speculative functions and enhance grid planning.
The adoption of envelio’s Clever Grid Platform has enabled Syna GmbH and Helen Electrical energy Community to considerably improve their grid operations – enhancing effectivity, transparency and automation. These case research spotlight how digital transformation can speed up response instances, scale back workload for grid planners and optimize infrastructure investments. Because the U.S. vitality sector faces comparable challenges, these European examples present a roadmap for grid modernization. By adopting digital twins, automated interconnection research, and self-service connection assessments, utilities can streamline operations and assist a extra resilient and sustainable grid.
Concerning the creator
Luigi Montana is the CEO of envelio Inc., main the group’s operations and technique in North America. envelio is an vitality software program firm based in Germany that gives superior interconnection and grid planning options to greater than 70 utilities worldwide. Earlier than relocating to the US, Luigi held a number of positions at envelio and different firms in Europe – engaged on large-scale IT tasks, complicated funding planning, monetary decision-making, and alter processes. Luigi holds a Grasp’s diploma from HHL Leipzig Graduate Faculty of Administration in Germany and a Bachelor’s diploma from Bocconi College in Milan, Italy.
