Intelligent low-voltage grids as the key to the success of the energy transition

Low-voltage electrical grids play a key role in the success of the energy, heat and mobility transition. The increasing number of plants for decentralised energy generation as well as more and more electric vehicles and heat pumps will require active or automated grid management at this grid level in the future. This is where the new research project digiTechNetz - Digitization technologies for the operational management of low-voltage grids comes in, the kick-off event of which took place on 4 October 2022 at the Technische Universität Dresden. The project is coordinated by the Chair of Electric Power Supply at TU Dresden. The project partners are SachsenNetze GmbH, SachsenNetze HS.HD GmbH, Robotron Datenbanken-Software GmbH, F&S Prozessautomation GmbH, DigSILENT GmbH and emsys grid services GmbH.

Over the next three years, scientists from the TU Dresden will work together with project partners from industry and business to develop the transformation requirements for the low-voltage grid level resulting from the energy transition, derive concepts for future operational management and carry out field testing. The explicit goal is to integrate the results of the digiTechNetz project in the future operational management of the low-voltage grids and thus make a fundamental contribution to the digitization of the energy transition.

Real-time monitoring and congestion management

As an important digital system component, a secure, reliable and functionally expandable service platform is being designed and implemented as a pilot setup in the digiTechNetz project. On this basis, tools for operational management in the low-voltage grid are being developed that also enable (partially) automated operation of the grids. In particular, real-time monitoring of the grid status is an essential basic prerequisite for the efficient integration of renewable energies, electric vehicles and heat pumps and forms one of the research focal points. digiTechNetz wants to develop a congestion management system that ensures that critical grid situations do not occur at any time despite the high power demand of these plants. Information from smart meters (intelligent metering systems) and conventional control and metering systems serve as the data basis.

digiTechNetz aims to develop an overall system that will be transferred into practice after the end of the project and will significantly support the operation of low-voltage grids. The development of the system goes through all stages from planning and conception, development of the algorithms, tests in the laboratory to practical testing in real pilot grids.

"The digiTechNetz project is intended to make a decisive contribution to the continued reliable and economical operation of the low-voltage grid and thus provide a solution approach to the current challenges," explains project coordinator Prof. Peter Schegner.

The project has a total volume of 4.7 million euros and will be funded for the next three years with a total of 2.5 million euros from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection.

Project information