The SMIGHT IQ Copilot: Efficient load management in accordance with §14a EnWG

SMIGHT IQ Copilot Abgangsdetailseite

At E-world energy & water (20.-22.2.2024), SMIGHT GmbH will be presenting the SMIGHT IQ Copilot: a web-based application that expands SMIGHT’s range of services to include the mapping of requirements in accordance with §14a EnWG. The SMIGHT IQ Copilot offers small and medium-sized distribution grid operators in particular the opportunity to identify and manage bottlenecks in the low-voltage grid.

With the increasing number of consumers such as wallboxes and heat pumps, grid operators must expect temporary bottlenecks in their low-voltage grids in future. The new regulation in Section 14a EnWG enables distribution grid operators to prevent actual overloads by dimming consumers for short periods.

SMIGHT IQ Copilot as a supplement to the SMIGHT IQ Cockpit

Distribution grid operators already have the option of detecting emerging bottlenecks on outgoing cables by recording measured values that are accurate to the minute. The proven retrofit measurement solution SMIGHT Grid2 already provides data from over 3,500 local network substations and 25,000 low-voltage outgoing circuits. In the SMIGHT IQ Cockpit, the values from local grid stations and cable distributors are processed in such a way that critical conditions and developments in the grid are immediately visible. This is precisely where the SMIGHT IQ Copilot comes in and offers the option of solving highly critical conditions by temporarily dimming.

“However, the best intervention according to §14a is still the one that doesn’t take place in the first place,” explains Oliver Deuschle, Managing Director of SMIGHT. “With our solution, we create the necessary transparency for grid operators to react before the grid reaches a critical state. If action is unavoidable, we offer a pragmatic way to do this with the SMIGHT IQ Copilot: for the first time without introducing a complex digital grid model and expensive software.”

In the intuitive user interface, grid operators can activate the co-pilot function for individual low-voltage outgoing circuits with a single click. A list of grid locations can be imported and assigned to the affected grid line via a map view. Under the “preventive control” specifications, time windows with particularly high utilization can be selected and dimming of the connected controllable loads can be planned, executed and documented. This process can be automated step by step so that the system can perform fully automatic, “dynamic control” when required.

“Our aim is to ensure that the digitalization of the distribution grid can be implemented pragmatically for our customers,” emphasizes Oliver Deuschle. “Unfortunately, there are currently hardly any solutions on the market that enable distribution grid operators to gradually move towards a smart grid. We will close this gap with the SMIGHT IQ Copilot.”

The solution presented will be piloted with the first grid operators in the coming months. It is aimed in particular at small and medium-sized distribution grid operators, for whom the constantly growing demands on digital processes and systems are associated with major challenges. The SMIGHT IQ Copilot enables a fast and efficient implementation that builds on the existing system landscape – without the need for a major overhaul. At the same time, the solution gives network operators time to push ahead with digitalization and the development of digital models and systems in the long term.

SMIGHT GmbH is organizing a webinar on 14.3.2024 at 11 a.m. entitled “SMIGHT IQ Copilot – Load management according to §14a EnWG -“. Registration via: https://smight.com/copilot

Stadtwerke Baiersdorf brings necessary clarity to its distribution network

Stadtwerke Baiersdorf

Stadtwerke Baiersdorf is currently equipping 20 of a total of 45 transformer stations with the SMIGHT Grid2 grid monitoring solution. The aim is to achieve the necessary transparency in the low-voltage grid. When choosing the right system, the Baiersdorf-based company paid particular attention to the visualization and evaluation of the data in order to be able to process tasks such as connection requests, grid planning and general operational tasks on the basis of valid data.

Trailing indicators and empirical values have always helped Stadtwerke Baiersdorf to assess its low-voltage grid. It became clear that this information would no longer be sufficient in the long term when a new development area was to be developed in 2023. Patrick Nass, CEO of Stadtwerke Baiersdorf, and his team set out to find a grid monitoring solution to permanently observe the two affected stations and assess the effects of the additional load on the grid. In the search for a system that not only provides data but also processes it in a user-friendly way, the company came across SMIGHT Grid2. This was followed by an eight-week pilot project.

“The simple and quick installation is an advantage – but the decisive factor in choosing SMIGHT was the visualization of the data in the SMIGHT IQ Cockpit and a detailed analysis of the data presented after the pilot phase,” explains Patrick Nass, CEO of Stadtwerke Baiersdorf. “This analysis showed us what we can read from the data and how we can work with it. That’s exactly what I needed.”

What the data tell us

Even during the construction phase, there were clear effects, particularly on an outgoing circuit that is used for construction site electricity and a road train. Current peaks of over 180 amperes were seen on the 160 ampere fused outgoing circuit, caused by the start-up peaks of two work cranes. “The permanent measurement gives us a good feeling because we can act before it becomes critical,” explains Patrick Nass. In the case of the two transformer stations, Stadtwerke Baiersdorf therefore decided on a planned grid expansion in order to relieve the grid.

Support in many areas

In future, SMIGHT Grid2 will also support employees with connection inquiries, among other things. The municipal utilities had to process 128 private inquiries for PV systems alone: a threefold increase compared to the previous year. Employees can now assess at a glance whether the station or the outgoing feeders can cope with the new feeders or not. “A neighboring municipality actually had major problems due to the high PV feed-in and had to retrofit at short notice – I don’t want to let it get that far.”

Ready for the future

Over the next few weeks, Stadtwerke Baiersdorf will be equipping over 44% of its transformer stations with SMIGHT Grid2 and hopes that this will give it the transparency it needs to meet future challenges. It is also more important than ever to know the grid and act with foresight with regard to the implementation of §14a EnWG. Patrick Nass summarizes: “My goal is to use SMIGHT Grid2 to keep my grid under control so that I don’t have to take action in the first place.”

Everything in view: SMIGHT IQ becomes a low-voltage cockpit

SMIGHT IQ Cockpit Quadrat

With the latest version of its web-based SMIGHT IQ software, Karlsruhe-based measurement solution provider SMIGHT is now offering distribution grid operators a ready-to-use low-voltage cockpit – without the need for a complex IT project. The minute-by-minute values measured in local network substations and cable distributors are processed in such a way that critical conditions and developments in the network are immediately visible. Numerous enhancements and improvements make SMIGHT IQ an intelligent cockpit that assists users in making data-based strategic and operational decisions: both in network operation and in network planning.

With the latest software version of SMIGHT IQ, grid operators who rely on SMIGHT Grid2 to measure low-voltage outgoing circuits now have a powerful and easy-to-use tool for monitoring their grids.

A quick glance is enough

The new network overview provides network planners and operations managers with an all-round view of all measured local network stations, feeders and phases: for any configurable period of time.

“Instead of time-consuming analyses of measurement series, a maximum of five minutes is all it takes to identify all critical incidents and conspicuous changes in the grid: no matter how large the grid is,” explains Oliver Deuschle, Managing Director of SMIGHT GmbH. “SMIGHT IQ becomes a low-voltage cockpit and can be used by users both for acute needs and as a trend barometer.”

Traffic light colors indicate how high the capacity utilization is in order to draw attention to imminent and existing bottlenecks. One click on the event is all it takes to access a detailed view of the measurement series for a transformer or outgoing circuit – even down to phase level and in one-minute resolution. This allows precise, quick and easy statements to be made about the utilization of individual feeders, stations or grid areas.

Regardless of the amount of data retrieved or the user’s location: the required information is available in milliseconds and optimized on the mobile device, even in the field.

Deployment without IT project effort – equipped for the future

No IT project is required to introduce the web-based SMIGHT Grid2 complete solution. Just 15 minutes after the measurement technology, consisting of sensors and gateway, has been installed in local network stations and cable distributors, users can access the data company-wide.

“Even if there is currently sufficient capacity in most grids due to the forward-looking grid expansion of recent decades, the ramp-up of electromobility and heat pumps will very soon lead to local and selective bottlenecks – for every grid operator,” explains Oliver Deuschle, Managing Director of SMIGHT GmbH. “The SMIGHT solution consisting of our sensor technology and the SMIGHT IQ Cockpit is also the ideal basis for identifying bottlenecks with regard to Section 14a EnWG – ideally before action is required.”

Progress on all levels

SMIGHT is constantly developing its hardware and software to meet the new legal and market challenges. Back in November, the Karlsruhe-based company presented a new supplementary sensor for difficult installation situations, the Grid2 Sensor Flex. The aim is to enable distribution grid operators to expand grid monitoring across the board and on a mass scale.

Experience SMIGHT IQ live
Customers and interested parties have the opportunity to get to know the new SMIGHT IQ live. In our webinar “SMIGHT IQ – Your cockpit for low voltage” on January 25, 2024 at 11 a.m.

Flexible sensor added to SMIGHT Grid2 grid monitoring solution

Sensor Flex Einbau

SMIGHT GmbH has added the new Grid2 Sensor Flex to its plug-and-play retrofit solution for measuring low-voltage outgoing circuits. The sensor has flexible Rogowski coils for phase-sharp measurement and is primarily used in difficult installation situations in local network substations and in cable distribution cabinets. This addition completes the Karlsruhe-based company’s portfolio and enables a comprehensive and mass-compatible expansion of grid monitoring.

The new Grid2 Sensor Flex is a product addition to the overall SMIGHT Grid2 grid monitoring solution, which is already installed in over 3,000 local grid stations, where it measures the current and voltage on around 24,000 outgoing cables with phase accuracy every minute.

To retrofit stations, the SMIGHT Grid2 Gateway and the current sensors with hinged core transformers can be combined with the new sensor type. The Grid2 Sensor Flex has four Rogowski coils, which are placed around the insulated conductors of the power cable according to the labeling (L1, L2, L3, PEN). Thanks to the flexible nature of the coils, installation is possible even in very tight installation situations. Even conductor cross-sections of up to 300 mm² are no problem for the Grid2 Sensor Flex.

In contrast to sensors with hinged core transducers, which generate the energy required for operation via energy harvesting, the Grid2 Sensor Flex has a power supply unit. This is connected directly to a load switching strip via CONLOX terminals in the low-voltage distribution board. The terminals are equipped with a fuse with a rated current of 6 A and a breaking capacity of 70 kA. The data is transmitted wirelessly as usual to the gateway and from there via mobile radio to the SMIGHT IQ web platform, where the data is processed and visualized.

“With the Grid2 Sensor Flex, we have closed the gap that we were missing in order to guarantee almost 100% installation success. We now have a complete solution that is suitable for all station types, cable distributors and cross-sections,” explains Oliver Deuschle, Managing Director of SMIGHT GmbH. “It was particularly important to us that we remained true to our motto: Simple to install, ingenious to implement.”

Data is the key

In the overall SMIGHT Grid2 solution, the hardware components for generating measured values are supplemented by operating services and, above all, meaningful data evaluations. The aim is to use the live data obtained from the grid to efficiently manage the existing processes of grid planning, grid operation and asset management. SMIGHT Grid2 measures, visualizes and analyses the available data so that distribution grid operators can cope with all the new variables of the energy and heat transition in the low-voltage grid and remain capable of acting.

Availability and product presentation

The Flex sensor can be ordered now and will be available from February 2024. At E-world energy & water (20-22.02.2024 in Essen, Hall 5, Stand 5D104), SMIGHT GmbH will present the Flex sensor to a wide audience, along with other innovations in the software.

Stadtwerke Metzingen: Economic network planning with real-time data

SW Metzingen ONS

Metzingen/Karlsruhe, 1 August 2023 – Where is optimization possible and where is grid expansion necessary? To answer these questions, Stadtwerke Metzingen is relying on the  SMIGHT Grid2 IoT solution from SMIGHT GmbH. In recent months, the municipal utility has seen a significant increase in load across the entire low-voltage grid due to photovoltaics, electromobility and heat pumps. These increasing variables complicate grid planning, which has so far only been based on empirical values and planning assumptions and leads to high investments on the part of the grid operator. With SMIGHT Grid2, municipal utilities can now act not only more precisely but also more economically on the basis of real-time data.

Stadtwerke Metzingen has already equipped ten local grid stations out of a total of 150 with the IoT solution from SMIGHT GmbH. These were selected based on the calculated load. Immediately after installation, it became clear that theory and practice do not always match. Daniel Jungel, Head of the Electricity, Street Lighting, Broadband, Water and Metering Department at Stadtwerke Metzingen, explains: “There were load centers that were actually not as critical as assumed. In concrete terms, this saved costs for new transformer stations.”

SMIGHT Grid2 is installed directly in the local grid station and measures the current with the direction of flow and phase angle (cos phi) for each phase and feeder. The data obtained now flows directly into Netze BW’s grid planning via an interface. The company works as a grid planning service provider for Stadtwerke Metzingen. Before using the SMIGHT solution, the condition of the grid could only be assumed using experience-based and calculated values. Now the employees are able to work with the exact and relevant measured values, which enables better and more effective network planning. The municipal utilities also receive additional information on the stations via a monthly report. This shows the load development and identifies trends in the grid areas.

“Using SMIGHT has enabled us to better plan and deploy our financial resources, as we can now use the real-time data to determine where there is the most urgent need for action in the network,” says Daniel Jungel. “This allows us to optimize network planning, especially with regard to our finances.”

Fast installation, fast effect

The start with the SMIGHT solution was also easy for Stadtwerke Metzingen. The goods were delivered within two weeks of ordering and installation and commissioning also went smoothly. Daniel Jungel and his team needed less than two hours per station before the first data was entered into the web portal. SMIGHT employees were and continue to be on hand at all times to answer any questions. Daniel Jungel: “We not only receive data from SMIGHT, but can also work with it immediately thanks to the processing and visualization in the web portal. In addition, the expert customer advice helps us to understand and interpret the data even better.”

Measurement data in the application: from the phase to the grid area

Neue Funktionen im SMIGHT IQ

Making distribution grid operators fit for the future. SMIGHT GmbH has set itself this task. In addition to quick and easy installation of the measurement solution, this also includes processing the data obtained from the local network station directly so that it can be used immediately in daily operations. New functionalities in SMIGHT IQ make it possible to identify emerging or existing bottlenecks or problems in the low-voltage grid even faster. To this end, those responsible receive targeted and meaningfully prepared information across all levels: from the substation, including the outgoing circuits and individual phases, to the entire grid area.

Over 2,000 local network stations at over 50 distribution network operators are already equipped with SMIGHT sensors. That’s 14,000 outlets that record measurement data every 15 minutes: 5.4 million data points a day. However, this data must be read and interpreted in order to derive meaningful measures from it. Information directly from the web portal and reports prepared by SMIGHT provide the necessary transparency.

More clarity at a glance

How busy is the local substation and what role do reactive or feed-in power play? With just a few clicks, SMIGHT IQ provides users with useful information about the status of the entire substation and they can then – as usual – take a closer look at and evaluate the status down to the individual outgoing circuits and phases. This is ensured by a new display with aggregated information that provides an upper estimate of the utilization of the feeders within the station. Also new and available with just one click is a display of the transformer load curve. The reactive and feed-in power can be evaluated using these two views in order to determine cable loads. And this in turn is the basis for well-founded, data-based action planning.

Advantages for network operation, planning and expansion

The new functionalities and options offer added value for various areas of work relating to the low-voltage grid. In day-to-day grid operation, the data obtained provides important insights for carrying out, evaluating and monitoring switching measures in a targeted manner.

In grid planning, SMIGHT helps to validate key figures from the literature for your own grid. Heavy and light load cases can be determined at station, feeder and phase level and the characteristics of e-mobility, photovoltaics, combined heat and power plants and heat pumps can be identified.

The data is also a good basis for further expansion or renewal planning in the low-voltage grid in order to monitor load development, including seasonality, and to correctly prioritize renewal measures.

Effects on the grid area

Starting in February, SMIGHT users will receive a monthly e-mail with important key figures of all measured stations and feeders in their network areas summarized on one page as a PDF. Among other things, the monthly report shows them the development of the utilization of their feeders over the last few months as well as the maximum values of individual feeders or stations. As usual, all data can of course be linked directly to other systems, such as grid simulation, via a convenient interface in real time.

“The status of each individual station has an impact on the entire grid area,” emphasizes Oliver Deuschle, Managing Director of SMIGHT GmbH. “It is therefore essential and very important to us to provide grid operators at all levels – from the phase to the grid area – with information from the grid. And in such a way that the data can be used directly and concrete measures can be derived.”

Stadtwerke Völklingen Netz GmbH: No more surprises on the grid

Stadtwerke_Voelklingen_Netz_Sensor01

The occurrence of an unbalanced load or load overruns are just two scenarios that Stadtwerke Völklingen Netz GmbH has identified and rectified at an early stage thanks to SMIGHT Grid2. The IoT technology developed by SMIGHT GmbH, consisting of sensors, folding converters and a gateway, measures outgoing and phase-sharp directly in the local grid station and supports employees in mastering daily grid operations. SMIGHT Grid2 is also an important component of the future digitalization strategy in Völklingen with regard to the effects of electromobility and the heating transition in the low-voltage grid.

Stadtwerke Völklingen Netz GmbH has its low-voltage grid firmly under control. “Thanks to SMIGHT, we know that we have not yet reached the limits of our capacity – that is a reassuring feeling, especially as we can foresee that higher loads will be placed on the grids in the foreseeable future,” explains Dr. Karsten Wünsche, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Völklingen Netz GmbH.

The company has already been working intensively on the digitalization of its distribution network for several years – especially in the local network stations. The SMIGHT solution was particularly convincing due to its fast and flexible rollout and uncomplicated installation. It took less than an hour to equip a station and the first data can be seen on the web platform after 15 minutes. Michael Trautwein, Head of Grid Operations, was able to identify the need for action in some areas of the grid. For example, single-phase PV systems, which were predominantly connected to one phase, caused a significant unbalanced load in the grid.

In the area of a waterworks, the starting currents of several pumps switched on at the same time caused the limit values of the protection devices used to be exceeded, which could be detected and rectified before a possible failure thanks to SMIGHT Grid2.

SMIGHT technology has also become an integral part of forward-looking grid planning in Völklingen. In order to determine the actual number of charging stations in the grid, the data from the KFW subsidy was evaluated and compared with the measurement data from the local grid station. The result: “Many of the installed charging points are not yet in use,” explains Michael Trautwein. “But that will come – the only question is when. With the use of SMIGHT technology, we are prepared for this.”

Prepared for the future

Stadtwerke Völklingen Netz knows that it needs to think holistically in order to master future challenges: the rollout of the intelligent metering system (iMSys), increasing electromobility, the heating transition, but also the legal requirements of the Energy Industry Act (controllable consumption devices according to EnWG§14a).
Dr Karsten Wünsche sums up: “Combining the data from the GIS, the iMSys and the load comparison measurements and using it specifically for control and regulation tasks by means of dynamic grid calculation – that will be the major challenge for our digitalization strategy in the coming years. And SMIGHT is an important building block for this project.”

Photo: SMIGHT Grid2 in use at Stadtwerke Völklingen Netz GmbH. Source: Stadtwerke Völklingen Netz GmbH

Plan and decide with real-time data from the low voltage

Einbau in Ludwigsburg

Stadtwerke Ludwigsburg-Kornwestheim relies on IoT solution from SMIGHT for greater transparency.

Stadtwerke Ludwigsburg-Kornwestheim is currently in the process of equipping its grid stations with SMIGHT technology. The IoT solution measures outgoing and in-phase power and provides real-time data and analyses from the distribution grid. Following a successful pilot project, 100 additional stations are now to be equipped with intelligent sensor technology over the next few months in order to make the conditions in the low-voltage grid visible through measurement data.

After many wallbox applications last year, interest in heat pumps is currently increasing among customers of Stadtwerke Ludwigsburg-Kornwestheim (SWLB) PV installations and thus feed-in are also continuing to increase. Like many other grid operators, SWLB was faced with the challenge of keeping an eye on these variables in the low voltage and thus keeping them under control. With SMIGHT Grid2 they found a solution that was implemented in just a few days and now continuously supplies data from the grid as a sound basis for planning and decision-making.

After SWLB had already carried out several more or less complex system tests, they started an eight-week pilot phase with SMIGHT Grid2 at five selected stations in March 2022. First, the five stations and users were created in the management tool, then the technicians installed sensors, converters and gateways on site. The app is used to connect the sensor to the backend and the stations created there by scanning and reading the QR code on the sensor. Visualized and available in SMIGHT IQ after 15 minutes.

Let the data speak for itself

Not only Jürgen Blank and his team use the data to keep an eye on the grid, but also their colleagues in grid planning: especially with regard to the reverse current from the installed PV systems or time-limited loads from the wallboxes and charging stations. “Selective measurement doesn’t help at all. With SMIGHT Grid2, we now have a permanent solution that we can rely on,” says Jürgen Blank, Group Manager Substations and Station Technology. “Our grid is currently in the green zone. To keep it that way, we have created the necessary transparency. And we have a clear basis for sound grid planning.”

The fact that theory and practice do not always coincide is particularly evident at one station that was classified as non-critical but had very high peak loads. The exact cause is still not entirely clear, but one thing is certain: without permanent measurement, this phenomenon would probably have remained undetected.

The further expansion now plans to equip 100 stations with SMIGHT Grid2 over the next few months. A further 100 are to follow in 2024.

The technology behind it

At the heart of the SMIGHT solution are the sensors. They supply themselves with energy via the magnetic core converters and take up very little space. The gateway – the central unit – only requires a 230 V supply and measures the single-phase rail voltage. It records the sensor data via mobile radio and transmits it as 15-minute values to the SMIGHT IQ IoT platform.

Photo: Stadtwerke Ludwigsburg-Kornwestheim installing the new stations. Source: SWLB

Stadtwerke Bad Wildbad keeps a close eye on the distribution grid

Stadtwerke Bad Wildbad digitalisieren ihr Verteilnetz

Smart electricity grid sensors from SMIGHT are now continuously collecting data in the local distribution grid of the spa town of Bad Wildbad. This means that the municipal utility is always informed about the load in the grid and can detect changes at an early stage. The grid operator is thus optimally prepared for the challenges of the energy transition and can derive measures if necessary.

The impetus for the project came from a meeting with managing directors of other grid operators in Baden-Württemberg. During the exchange, Peter Buhl, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Bad Wildbad GmbH & Co. KG, learned about the SMIGHT solution and how other municipal utilities are already using it in their distribution grids.

Power grid under pressure

Bad Wildbad is also observing the increase in e-mobility in the country and discussing the challenges facing grid operators as a result of the energy, mobility and heating transition. The question of the actual grid load and the effects of an increasing number of e-vehicles, heat pumps and PV systems has not yet been answered.

“We don’t want to take any unnecessary risks here and want to maintain the high level of security of supply we have enjoyed so far,” says Peter Buhl, “That’s why we are already using SMIGHT Grid at this early stage of the energy transition to digitalize our grid and collect meaningful data.” The SMIGHT Grid IoT solution includes patented sensor technology that measures the current strength of low-voltage cables. The installation takes less than an hour per transformer station and was carried out by our own staff.

Data provides security

The measurement data is transmitted wirelessly from the station to an IoT platform using a gateway. SMIGHT takes care of this process step and the monitoring of the installed devices so that Stadtwerke Bad Wildbad can concentrate on analyzing and using the data. This data is available to the network operator in graphical form and can be accessed at any time via a secure web portal.

“The data we receive from 15 selected transformer stations gives us more certainty,” explains Peter Buhl. The measurements show that the load in the grid is currently still within the normal range. “We now have a very good insight into our grid, can recognize changes at an early stage and react accordingly.” Bad Wildbad feels well equipped for the future and can plan and operate the distribution grid with foresight thanks to this digitalization step.

Photo : The spa town of Bad Wildbad collects data from the distribution grid using smart electricity grid sensors from SMIGHT. Source: Stadtwerke Bad Wildbad

 

Stadtwerke Fellbach uses SMIGHT Grid to digitalize the distribution grid

Installation SMIGHT Grid2

In order to be even better equipped for the increase in e-mobility and renewable energies, Stadtwerke Fellbach is digitalizing its electricity grid. To this end, they are equipping 50 local grid stations with innovative electricity grid sensors from EnBW’s SMIGHT business unit. The rollout of the IoT solution is scheduled to last three years and will provide the grid operator with real-time data that can be used to record the status of the grids and develop important strategies for the future.

Enabling e-mobility with brains instead of excavators

The current KfW subsidy for private charging stations for e-vehicles has resulted in 300,000 charging points being applied for to date (as of 25.02.2021). The enormous demand has led to an increase in funding by a further 100 million euros and provides an outlook on the future load on the electricity grids. In order to be prepared for this development, Stadtwerke Fellbach is working on the necessary measures and solutions that can provide efficient and rapid support. There was no question from the outset that these solutions would have to be digital. “We need more brains in our network instead of more excavators, because we can’t simply lay more cables throughout the city to create charging options for e-vehicles everywhere. We can only get more grip with digital solutions,” explains Gerhard Ammon, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Fellbach GmbH.

Initially, the focus was on creating transparency in the low-voltage distribution grid. In order to enable e-mobility and process grid connection issues quickly, it must be clear how much air there is in the grid. Grid expansion should also be targeted and data-based. The grid operator opted for the SMIGHT Grid IoT solution from EnBW’s SMIGHT business unit. Using patented sensor technology, which is installed in existing local grid stations, real-time data is collected from the low voltage. The installation can be carried out by the company’s own personnel and during ongoing operations. “I was really impressed by the simplicity and speed of the installation. After just one hour, a station was equipped and the data was already flowing,” comments Torsten Lempe, electricity network manager at Stadtwerke Fellbach..

Understanding the web with data

The data is transmitted wirelessly to the SMIGHT IQ IoT platform with the help of a gateway. Network operators can then view this processed data in a web portal. “The user doesn’t have to worry about anything when it comes to data communication and device monitoring. It’s all included in the overall package,” explains Christoph Grün from SMIGHT. During a pilot project in the fall of 2020, Fellbach was able to see the reliability of the system for itself and has now decided to roll it out across the board over three years. The aim of systematic data collection is to obtain a meaningful overall picture of the network status. This will make it possible to know in good time where the network needs to be expanded and where it may be sufficient to intervene.

“I am convinced that we are taking a huge step forward with SMIGHT Grid to better understand our grid and prepare ourselves for the future. Now we can actually see what is happening in our grid and can react appropriately,” says Gerhard Ammon and adds: “In an urban distribution grid in particular, it is important to make optimum use of the existing infrastructure. With SMIGHT Grid, we have the ideal tools for this.” Stadtwerke Fellbach has been one of the major drivers of the energy transition in the Stuttgart region for years. With the digital view into the distribution grid, they are now creating important conditions for a climate-friendly energy and transport transition.

*** joint press release Stadtwerke Fellbach & SMIGHT***

Photo: Installation of SMIGHT Grid in a local network station in Fellbach. Source: Stadtwerke Fellbach/Peter Hartung