The energy transition is rapidly transforming the power system. The increasing integration of renewable energy sources, the growing deployment of rooftop photovoltaic systems, and the electrification of new uses such as electric mobility and heating are changing the way electricity is generated and consumed. These changes are introducing new challenges for distribution grids, which must now manage increasingly variable and decentralized energy flows.
In this context, grids may experience situations such as congestion an voltage issues, especially in networks with a high share of renewable energy sources.
As a result, new challenges have emerged in the management of the energy system. ranging from maintaining the balance between supply and demand to dealing with grid congestion and voltage issues. These situations can affect the quality of the electricity supply and limit the grid´s ability to integrate new consumers or generators.
Main problems in the electricity distribution network
Distribution network congestion
A high share of renewable generation, data centres and other large loads can saturate the existing infrastructure, limiting the possibility of establishing new connections and even causing operational restrictions or the disconecction of previously connected elements.
Undervoltage
System overloads, equipment demanding large amounts of electricity and/or networks with long supply distances can cause the voltage to fall below acceptable levels.
Overvoltages and voltage spikes
Increases in voltage, even when they occur over very short periods of time, can damage electrical components and electronic equipment connected to the grid.
Distorsions and harmonics
The presence of non-linear loads can distort the electrical waveform, compromising the quality of the power supply.
One of the most effective ways to mitigate these issues is to incorporate flexibility or demand response mechanisms into grid operation. In this context, enabling the system to shift or adjust certain loads can help prevent many of the events that may compromise grid operation.
Regardless of the solution adopted to mitigate these issues, the first step is to detect or anticipate them. For this reason, prediction tools play a key role in this context.
Advanced algorithms for predicting network issues
Within the european project PISTIS, CARTIF has developed a prediction algorithm capable of forecasting grid events such as congestion, undervoltage and overvoltage. The algorithm has been designed as a non-linear optimization problem that answer two key questions: whether an event will occur and whta demand adjustments, and at which nodes, would be required to avoid it.
Among all the solutions that satisfy the constraints of the optimization problem, the algorithm selects the one that implies the smallest possible deviation from the forecasted demand. If, at any node in the network, the required adjustment exceeds a predefined threshold, an event is considered to occur, since the forecasted demand would not be compatible with operating within the established limits.
CARTIF’s solutions for energy flexibility
Apart from the activities carried out within the PISTIS project, CARTIF has also been involved in several initiatives related to energy flexibility and demand response. For example, in theCERFlexproject, CARTIF (together with CUERVA) developed algorithms for the prediction and control of flexible electrical loads in rural energy communities and tools to support peer-to-peer energy exchange. In GeMICE (in collaboration with Ignis), CARTIF contributed to the development of a digital platform for the management of energy communities and the creation of internal energy markets for renewable energy sharing. In the GEDERA project, coordinated by CEMOSA, CARTIF worked together with other entities on a multi-agent architecture for smart grids aimed at the prediction, planning and management of flexible loads in buildings, with a particular focus on the smart charging of electric vehicles. Finally, CARTIF is also involved in the ongoing European projectENFLATE(GA 101075783), which focuses on enabling flexibility provision across different sectors through data-driven services and digital solutions.
The aforementioned solutions are key to improving grid management and adapting electricity networks to the new challenges they face, while facilitating the integration of renewable energy into the energy system. In this context, CARTIF will continue working to support the transition towards more sustainable and efficient energy systems.
Discover CARTIF’s capabilities in optimising electricity grid management and integrating flexibility solutions
It is undeniable that the coming decades will be crucial for both the society and the Earth´ s environmental health, so it will be determined if our Planet is able or not to support all the world population. Nowadays, it seems that the situation is more than complicated, and it is becoming worse day by day.
Taking into account this situation, the creation of new policies focused on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is more than needed, fizing a set of clear objectives from now to 2050. In this sense, the main objective of the Estrategia de Descarbonización a Largo Plazo (ELP 2050) created by the Spanish Government calls for a 905 reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 in relation to 1990, considering that the other 10% will be absorbed by carbon sinks.
Sustainable mobility plays a very important role within all the objectives defined in the aforementiones ELP 2050, so it will be essential to work together to try to change the way we move (specially travelling to and from work). Encouraging the use of electric vehicles and alternative means of transport will be key of achieving a much more sustainable mobility, and it will be also necessary to inform the citizens (e.g. the employees) using the proper information and reasons to do so.
The number of transit journeys on working days surpassed 123 million in 2007, according to the Mobility Survey of the People Resident in Spain of Movilia. Approximately 83% of the Spanish population carries out at least one journey each working day and more than a 16% of these journeys were to go to the workplace. Considering the aforementiones data coming from Movilia (please, note that Movilia does not consider the latests crisis and COVID19 effects due tot he fact that the study was done before), the number ofin itinere transit journeys in 2006-07 was around 37 million out of a total of 123 million (so, around a third), and around a 63% of these in itinere transit journeys were made by private vehicle as indicated in the E-Cosmos project.
As it has been detailed before, in Spain, the labor mobility has a very important influence on collective mobility, according to data from the Observatory of Logistic and Transport in Spain, having a big environmental, social and economic impact specially when those journeys are done by private vehicle.
Additionally, using the private vehicle to go to work is a very important health hazard. In Spain, traffic accidents have become the primary cause of death for accidents at work (around an 11,6% of the accidents at work were related toin itinere traffic accidents according to the Job, Migrations and Social Security Ministery, Spain Government. The amount of sleep time loss to try to avoid traffic jams, the stress caused by driving in peak hours or by being thinking and thinking about being late increases a lot the risk of traffic accident.
To solve these issues, a very good collaboration between companies, public entities and mobility providers (among others) is extremely needed. The establishment of frameworks of collaboration between the aforementioned entities will make possible the creation of real and effective employee´ s sustainable mobility plans taking into account employee´ s needs. These sustainable mobility plans will lead to real and fruitful interventions focused on reducing the amount of in itinere transit journeys done by private car.
Given the great need of encouraging sustainable mobility, from CARTIF we are collaborating with multiple entities with the main aim of developing real sustainable mobility plans. In this sense, we are working with some enterprises (and with all the involved stakeholders) in order to make more sustainable the in itinere transit journeys of their employees.
It is responsibility of everyone to try to take the leap and to actively contribute to Planet decarbonization, so… let´ s fight all together to make an effort to not continue damaging our planet in order to let the new generations to develop themselves in the same (or better) conditions than us.
CARTIF has the know-how to accompany the institutions in thei path to contribute to pur planet decarbonization, and not only concerning sustainable mobility plans, but also in a lot of other actiones that can be carried out in this sense. It´ s now or never.
Blockchain technology has been explained in a previous entry of this Blog, and another entry about Blockchain and the electric market customers is also available. This new entry is again focused on this technology but, in this case, it will be focused on all the opportunities offered by this technology in the environmental and energy sector.
Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs from now on) and, in particular, blockchain technology have the potential of transforming the energy sector. The World Economic Forum released a joint report identifying more than 65 blockchain use cases for the environment, including new business models for energy markets and, even more, moving carbon credits or renewable energy certificates onto the blockchain.
Its defining features are its distributed and immutable ledger and advance cryptography, which enable the transfer of a range of assets among parties securely and inexpensively without third-party intermediaries. Blockchain provides a new, decentralized and global computational infrastructure that is transforming many existing processes in business, governance and society, offering many opportunities to address multiple environmental challenges such al climate change, biodiversity loss and water scarcity.
Due to increasing integration of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), many consumers have become prosumers, who can both generate and consume energy. As generation of DERs can be unpredictable and intermittent, prosumers may decide to store their surplus energy using storage energy devices, or supply others who are in energy deficit. This energy trading is called Peer-to-Peer (P2P) energy trading, and it is a novel paradigm of energy system generation where people can generate their own energy from (Renewable Energy Sources) RES in dwellings, offices and factories, and share it locally with each other. Waste heat and cold can be also traded in a similar way to energy from RES. One of the main contributions of DLTs in the scope of P2P Energy trading is to register all the transactions in a secure and non-mutable way, and to simplify the metering and billing system of the P2P energy trading market.
In the scope of the SO WHAT project, CARTIF has been involved in the definition of the business model linked with the use of Blockchain to exchange waste heat and cold. Besides, CARTIF has worked in a research internal project called OptiGrid which main aim was the development of innovative solutions in the scope of the smart grids. CARTIF is also working in a project called Energy Chain (subcontracted by Alpha Syltec Ingeniería) to jointly develop a platform to allow energy trading between prosumers. Both OptiGrid and Energy Chain are projects financed by the “Instituto de Competitividad e Innovación Empresarial” (ICE) and are focused on the use of blockchain as a driver to deploy platforms devoted to energy trading. In the scope of Energy Chain, Alpha Syltec Ingeniería will also develop machine learning algorithms that will interact with the blockchain platform providing useful data about generation and demand.
The use of blockchain in the scope of SmartCities is clear due to its applicability to transfer information in a secure and immutable way, reducing (and even removing) the amount of intermediaries. Blockchain can be used in multiple ways apart from the aforementioned one: it can push the use of electric vehicle (e.g., P2P Electric Vehicle Charging), it can be used as a driver of public empowerment (e.g., increasing the security level, the transparency and the reliability of elections, online surveys, referenda, etc.)…
Other examples of the use of blockchain is its use as a driver of off-set carbon footprint processes, increasing the transparency and security of the transactions, and its use to improve the traceability and transparency of green energy in relation to the Guarantee of origin (GoO). One example of the use of Blockchain in this sense is ClimateTrade, which main aim is to help companies to achieve carbon neutrality by offering them their carbon offsetting services.
Cities as New York and states as West Virginia have used blockchain to exchange energy or to vote using the mobile phone, Estonia is using it to manage personal data, and Dubai’s Smart City Program has addressed more than 500 blockchain projects that will change the way to interact with the city. Blockchain is a reality, and is here to stay.
