SMIGHT adds the SMIGHT Grid2 Voltage Sensor to its portfolio

SMIGHT_Grid2_Voltage_Sensor
Three-phase voltage measurement up to the cable distribution board

Karlsruhe, February 6, 2025 – With another new development – the SMIGHT Grid2 Voltage Sensor – SMIGHT GmbH will enable three-phase voltage measurement, particularly in cable distribution cabinets (CDCs). The strong growth of PV systems in the low-voltage grid makes it increasingly necessary to monitor the voltage outside the local grid station. Seamlessly integrated into the overall SMIGHT solution, the product extension enables distribution grid operators to record and evaluate the grid status in the low voltage even more comprehensively using live measurement data.

Photovoltaic systems are already feeding over 60 GW of power into the German grid. This amount is set to almost double in a few years. This leads to a high feed-in power with high simultaneity – which is increasing rapidly. The further away the feed-in point, i.e. the PV system, is from the transformer, the more the voltage in the cable increases. Three-phase voltage measurement is becoming increasingly important, especially in cable distribution cabinets, in order to recognize this development in the grid and to be able to initiate countermeasures at an early stage in the event of an imminent violation of the voltage band.

Three-phase voltage, active and apparent power

This is precisely where the SMIGHT Grid2 Voltage Sensor product extension comes in: the device not only enables the monitoring of the voltage curve of all three phases, but also the calculation of the active and apparent power of the outgoing circuits and transformers under consideration. The information about the voltage is provided in the SMIGHT IQ Cockpit in addition to the outgoing current values with direction of flow, which are recorded in 4 phases and every minute. This gives grid operators a clear picture of their low-voltage grid.

The voltage sensor: a retrofittable multitool

The device establishes the connection to all three phase conductors using the CONLOX® connection system from Laniol. This only takes a few minutes. The Voltage Sensor integrates perfectly into the SMIGHT Grid2 plug-and-play measurement solution: it can be easily retrofitted into existing installations and is also used to supply power to the SMIGHT Grid2 Sensor Flex.

“With the SMIGHT Grid2 Voltage Sensor, we are taking intelligent grid monitoring to the next level,” says Oliver Deuschle, Managing Director of SMIGHT GmbH. “The Voltage Sensor is technologically a unique multi-tool that gives grid operators the opportunity to be flexible in its application and to analyze the grid status in even greater detail.”

Availability of the Voltage Sensor

The SMIGHT Grid2 Voltage Sensor can be ordered from E-world. A webinar on the Voltage Sensor will take place on February 26 at 11 a.m. Registration: SMIGHT Webinar zum Voltage Sensor

The Voltage Sensor will be presented live for the first time at E-world Energy & Water (February 11-13, 2025, Hall 5, Stand E112).

 

More SMIGHT, more products: more at the E-world

csm_EW_2025_Signetvorlagen_Hochformat_transparent_907c51f885

SMIGHT GmbH is on course for growth and will be demonstrating this at E-world energy & water (11-13.2.2025, Essen) with hardware innovations and new data products. The leading provider of a comprehensive solution for measurement technology and grid monitoring now also enables data-based load management in accordance with §14a EnWG. But there is also news on the hardware side. In addition to an expansion module for transformer measurements, the Karlsruhe-based company will also be presenting another new product at E-world.

SMIGHT GmbH can look back on a successful year: with stable growth and numerous new customers using SMIGHT Grid2 for greater transparency, grid security and stability. A total of more than 35,000 low-voltage feeders are now recorded on a minute-by-minute basis, enabling distribution system operators to master their day-to-day grid operations and the upcoming energy transition issues: in grid operation, grid planning and asset management.

“Oour solution is constantly evolving in close cooperation with our customers. The increasing demand in the market for grid transparency and load management shows us that the energy transition is now taking place in the distribution grid and grid operators are relying on digitalization to efficiently plan the necessary investments,” says Oliver Deuschle, Managing Director of SMIGHT GmbH. “For this reason, we are constantly developing ourselves and our portfolio in line with these needs.”

Data-based load management with the SMIGHT IQ Copilot
The SMIGHT IQ Copilot offers distribution grid operators a secure solution for implementing the legal requirements in accordance with §14a EnWG. The load manager has been successfully tested under realistic conditions and maps the entire process chain: from the recorded and reported overload to the triggering of a dimming command via BDEW-WebAPI to the relevant controllable consumption devices (SteuVE). The SMIGHT IQ Copilot also enables documentation in accordance with BNetzA and VDE FNN specifications.

SMIGHT Grid2 Connect UMG: Expansion module for transformer measurements
Another innovation for 2025 is the SMIGHT Grid2 Connect UMG. This allows third-party measurement devices to be integrated into the SMIGHT ecosystem. The adapter connects devices from the Janitza UMG 96-PQ-L series to a SMIGHT Grid2 gateway in just a few minutes without any wiring work. Information about the three-phase voltage and transformer utilization can thus be stored and displayed.

Visit us at the E-world 2024
SMIGHT invites all interested parties to get to know these and other new products at E-world 2025 in Essen.
Visit us from February 11 to 13, 2025 at our (new) stand 5E112. Further information

Enabling DSOs to identify and deploy flexibility at the Low Voltage level

Bild Hände halten Glühbirne hoch

SMIGHT has joined NODES’ NODESconnect™ partnership programme. NODES and SMIGHT both believe that flexibility is crucial for us, as a society, to achieve the energy transition. A crucial part of enabling flexibility is for network operators to identify where, when, and to what extent they need it – this is what SMIGHT wants to enhance on the NODES flexibility market.

NODESconnect™ is a partnership program for participants of the digital flexibility value chain. The program aims to further collaboration between participants in building a more efficient, automated and transparent flexibility market.

Flexibility is the term used to describe the ability of any assets to adjust their behaviour to shift electricity grid loads. Flexibility is used to reduce peaks in demand or supply to avoid the expensive consequences of these high loads such as network damage, large price fluctuations, and the long-term need for over dimensioned infrastructure. Flexibility is also widely used to maintain grid stability before reinforcement work can be carried out.

The need for flexibility has been born out of the energy transition leading to much more volatile network loads and a rate of load growth which is outstripping network operators’ capacities to keep up with network build-out i.e. a network operator might know that it needs to reinforce a section of its network, and it might well have the funds to do it, however is constrained in terms of its supply chain and/or personnel resources. To prevent blackouts, the network operator can deploy flexibility to reduce loads at times of high demand.

NODES is a Norwegian technology company which is paving the way for a more sustainable future. NODES award-winning market design and technology platform is helping speed up the energy transition by unlocking the value of flexibility within the electricity network. NODES uses this technology and market design to operate flexibility markets as an Independent Market Operator.

SMIGHT, based in Germany, is a provider of a market leading Low Voltage Grid Monitoring and Control solution to over 125 DSOs in central Europe. NODES and SMIGHT share a common background of both having been established as solutions to large utilities’ problems (In NODES’ case from Å Energi, and in SMIGHT’s case from Netze BW) and a common view of the role that smart grids can play in our current, and future Net Zero, world.

The Venn Diagram of where the two companies’ interests overlap is in the enablement of flexibility out on the low voltage grids. SMIGHT’s solution enables DSOs to identify and predict where, when, and to what extent flexibility is required in their Low Voltage networks. NODES then enables the marketing of this flex requirement to Flexibility Service Providers (FSPs). Without live monitoring of the low voltage grid, DSOs must estimate at a wider scale the level of flexibility that is required. This has two potentially negative consequences:

  1. That DSOs need to precure more flex than they really need, this means that either it costs more or that flex providers get paid less than they otherwise would, which in turn means they are more reluctant to participate in the market.
  2. The network operators can inadvertently end up causing grid congestion. This happens when demand turn up is procured without consideration for network capacity.

“NODES are pleased to welcome SMIGHT in to the NODESconnect program. We believe that the acceleration of the energy transition, can only happen through the creation of a more digital and integrated value chain. Companies like SMIGHT are able to integrate their solutions to the NODES flexibility trading platform and offer the availability of different assets connected to the LV network, enabling the utility to secure flexibility when and where they need it and alleviate congestion issues” says Richard Sarti, CEO NODES.

“Here at SMIGHT we are really excited to join NODES’ family of partner organisations and with this to start helping DSOs access and realise far greater levels of highly ‘granular’ flexibility which are to be found out on the LV Networks in the form of home EV chargers, heat pumps, and domestic battery systems”, says Dirk ter Haar – International Business Development Manager at SMIGHT.

HORIZONTE Group Webinar: Grid Cockpit & Copilot for low voltage

Horizonte

The distribution grid of the future is digital, transparent and controllable. But grid operators need to lay the foundations for this today. This is precisely where SMIGHT comes in: with a comprehensive solution that has been specially developed to record and analyze the complex information from the low-voltage grid and to act quickly if necessary.

In our webinar, Robin Rudat and Rainer Sträter from SMIGHT present the holistic solution approach: Hands-on, practical and simple.

Am 28. November um 11 Uhr

You can find the recording on Youtube here.

Practical: Metered data-based load management in accordance with §14a EnWG

Labor_Copilot

SMIGHT GmbH has successfully tested and implemented its 14a load manager under realistic conditions. This enables the company to map the entire process chain with the SMIGHT IQ Copilot: from the recorded and reported overload to the triggering of a dimming command via BDEW-WebAPI to the relevant controllable consumption devices (SteuVE). The SMIGHT IQ Copilot also enables documentation in accordance with BNetzA and VDE FNN specifications.

The SMIGHT IQ Copilot offers distribution grid operators a secure solution for implementing the legal requirements in accordance with §14a EnWG. In view of the growing number of electric cars, heat pumps and storage systems, grid operators must be able to reliably detect bottlenecks and temporarily dim connected controllable load devices. The load manager supplements the SMIGHT IQ Cockpit for low voltage used by over 120 distribution grid operators with two automatic monitoring and control functions for critical grid areas. To test these, SMIGHT successfully tested and implemented the entire process chain in the EnQS GmbH test laboratory under realistic conditions: from triggering an overload to controlling a wallbox

Load management without a calculable grid model
The SMIGHT Copilot does not require a calculable grid model. Grid bottlenecks are precisely detected by SMIGHT sensor technology with a precise output and minute accuracy. In the event of a critical load, for example close to the fuse value, a dimming command is triggered in the system. If there is no longer an overload, the command is canceled again.

The generated dimming commands are transmitted to the relevant control units via the BDEW Web API. These can be assigned to the previously created local network stations and cable distribution cabinets in just a few steps in a map view. The process is then documented in accordance with BNetzA and VDE FNN specifications. The solution thus fulfills current regulatory and ISMS requirements and can be quickly adapted to future requirements.

If real-time measurement data is not yet available for a grid area, preventive time windows for dimming can be specified manually for the areas at risk. This ensures stability for all grid areas immediately.

“First and foremost, digitalization must ensure that the grid is under control with foresight,” explains Oliver Deuschle, Managing Director of SMIGHT GmbH. “However, if control is unavoidable, it must be seamless. The combination of easy-to-install measurement technology, web-based visualization and automated control makes our overall solution ready for immediate use without additional IT effort and contributes directly to grid stability.”

A webinar on our implementation of measurement data-based load management in accordance with §14a EnWG will take place on 7.11.2024 at 11 a.m. Registration via: https://smight.com/webinar-messdatenbasiertes-lastmanagement/

SMIGHT integrates Janitza measured values

Modul_and_device_96_PTS_60_Connect_UMG_klein

SMIGHT GmbH now also enables the data integration of transformer measurements. With the SMIGHT Grid2 Connect UMG, third-party measuring devices can be integrated into the SMIGHT ecosystem, thereby supplementing the monitoring of over 33,000 measured low-voltage outgoing circuits. The adapter connects devices from the Janitza UMG 96-PQ-L series to a SMIGHT Grid2 gateway in just a few minutes without any wiring work. Information about the three-phase voltage and transformer utilization can thus be stored and displayed. With the Connect UMG, the existing measurement infrastructure can be easily integrated and the monitoring of the grid status can be quickly and efficiently expanded to include the transformer level.

More transparency – more knowledge: With this guiding principle, SMIGHT GmbH is constantly working to give distribution grid operators maximum control over their low-voltage grid. In addition to the four-phase measurement of outgoing circuits in local network substations, basic information on the status and utilization of a transformer can now also be displayed in the SMIGHT IQ low-voltage cockpit.

The new expansion module from SMIGHT fits into the existing expansion slot of the UMG 96-PA and UMG 96-PQ-L series network analyzers developed by Janitza electronics GmbH. Configuration is carried out in SMIGHT’s usual simple way using a QR code. After installation, the current, voltage and power measurement values of the Janitza measurement device used are displayed in the SMIGHT IQ low-voltage cockpit. This means that the use of the measuring device remains unrestricted.

“Our hardware and software are already established on the market as a comprehensive overall solution and, more importantly, our low-voltage cockpit allows distribution system operators to use the recorded data directly for grid operation and grid planning,” explains Oliver Deuschle, Managing Director of SMIGHT GmbH. “Now we are going one step further and linking our cockpit with external data – for even more insights into what is happening in the grid.”

“We are delighted that SMIGHT is opening up its proprietary ecosystem to us as an established manufacturer of power quality measurement devices, making the additional data obtained from the transformer secondary side easy to use for its customers,” adds Marcel Karell, Account Manager for energy suppliers at Janitza electronics GmbH.

Availability SMIGHT GRID2 Connect UMG
The SMIGHT Grid2 Connect UMG can be ordered now and will be available from January 2025. In addition, a variant of the Janitza UMG 96-PQ-L in SMIGHT design can be ordered directly from SMIGHT as a complete set with a Connect UMG.

A webinar on the topic of “Data integration of transformer measurements” will take place on 22.10.2024 at 11 a.m. Registration via: https://smight.com/webinar-connect-umg

Even better understanding of the distribution grid thanks to a database

Stadtwerke Frankenthal setzen auf SMIGHT

To enable Stadtwerke Frankenthal GmbH to assess its distribution grid even better in future, it is relying on measurement data from SMIGHT GmbH. After just a few weeks of implementation, the company is already using SMIGHT Grid2 to measure and evaluate low-voltage feeders in many areas of the company: from grid monitoring and evaluation to grid planning and expansion. In order to master all further challenges in a dynamic distribution grid, the company plans to continuously expand the measurement solutions in its grid – for greater clarity and an overview.

With the rapid expansion of PV systems, wall boxes and heat pumps over the last four years, it is becoming increasingly important for Stadtwerke Frankenthal to detect overloads in the electricity grids at an early stage. Thanks to the employees’ many years of experience and indications from the grid control center, Stadtwerke has been able to assess the low-voltage grid well and narrow down the causes of faults. “In the meantime, however, the change is making itself felt with the first peaks in the grid – it was immediately clear to us that we wanted to act on the basis of collected data,” explains Vladyslav Scherbak, Technical Management Electronic Grids at Stadtwerke Frankenthal.

More clarity in the low-voltage grid

In order to prevent critical situations from arising in the future and to be able to plan based on data, the municipal utilities were looking for a pragmatic, practicable solution that would provide them with the best possible support in everyday life and for future challenges.

Selection guide

Within the Thüga Group and in discussions with other municipal utilities, the Frankenthal-based company became aware of SMIGHT’s plug-and-play retrofit solution for local network stations and cable distribution cabinets. During the selection process, they evaluated both the functionality and the experience of other municipal utilities. Even before the end of the eight-week pilot project, they were convinced that they had found the right tool to get started with SMIGHT Grid2.

“It is particularly important to us that the required data can be transmitted quickly and reliably,” says Andreas Gabriel, Head of Technology at Stadtwerke Frankenthal. “Our experience with SMIGHT Grid2 has been positive and we can use the data prepared in the cockpit directly for our day-to-day grid operations.”

Use of the data

After just a few weeks, the SMIGHT data is already being used in various areas of the company. This data collection and the resulting grid assessment will identify any needs that could be incorporated into grid planning and expansion or result in grid modernization. With the same data, municipal utilities will also be able to carry out grid compatibility checks much more precisely and quickly in the future.

Outlook for load management

SMIGHT will also become an important cogwheel in the grid management of controllable devices in accordance with Section 14a EnWG.

Andreas Gabriel summarizes: “SMIGHT is an important building block for our digitalization strategy in the context of the energy transition we are striving for across Europe. This will enable us to better plan future investment requirements, ensure grid stability and guarantee our customers a very high level of supply security despite growing grid requirements.”

SMIGHT GmbH achieves ISO 27001 certification for information security

Haende_mit_ISO_en

SMIGHT GmbH has received ISO 27001 certification for information security management. This certification underlines the company’s commitment to the highest standards of data security and the protection of customer information, operating predominantly in the critical infrastructure (KRITIS) sector.

More than 120 distribution network operators now use SMIGHT GmbH’s plug-and-play retrofit solution for measuring low-voltage outgoing circuits. Like all grid operators, they work in one of the most sensitive infrastructures and must meet special legal requirements in terms of information security. SMIGHT GmbH has now undergone the ISO 27001:2022 certification process in order to continue to provide these companies with the trust and necessary security as a supplier of hardware and software.

ISO 27001 is a globally recognized standard that defines the requirements for an information security management system (ISMS). It was developed to help organizations of all sizes and industries to protect their information systematically and cost-effectively by implementing an ISMS.

“The confidentiality, integrity and availability of customer data has always been a top priority for us,” says Oliver Deuschle, one of the two Managing Directors at SMIGHT. “The ISO 27001 certification attests to our holistic security concept and now also makes secure data processing explicitly transparent.”

To achieve the certification, SMIGHT underwent a comprehensive audit process carried out by TÜV SÜD Management GmbH, an independent and recognized provider of audit and certification services. This process included a detailed assessment of the IT infrastructure, business processes and company policy with regard to information security.

The ISO 27001 certification is part of SMIGHT’s ongoing efforts to keep this process alive and to continuously invest in improving information security.

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.”