24. October 2022
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
