22. May 2024
Karlsruhe/Norderney, May 01, 2024 +++ Stadtwerke Norderney is currently equipping all 48 local grid stations on the island with SMIGHT Grid2 in order to achieve transparency in its grid. In 30 stations, the municipal utilities are already able to monitor and evaluate developments in the grid thanks to minute-by-minute, outgoing and phase-specific measurement data. This is because, in addition to the increase in electromobility and PV systems, the municipal utilities experience seasonal fluctuations in the utilization of their grid, primarily due to tourism.
A meshed grid has advantages and disadvantages: On the one hand, the large number of network nodes ensures better security of supply. On the other hand, however, it also requires more effort to monitor these individual grid sections with regard to dynamic load development. For this reason, Tristan Knappe from Stadtwerke Norderney decided to fully equip the SMIGHT Grid2 measurement solution. He is the employee responsible for grid control and telecontrol technology and foreman in the electricity grid operations department.
The main reason for the load development on the island is the strong annual increase in tourism in the summer months. In contrast to many grid areas on the mainland, the load in summer is therefore significantly higher than in the winter months. However, the influence of PV and e-mobility is also continuing to grow on Norderney. In September 2023, the municipal utilities therefore decided to run an eight-week pilot project with SMIGHT Grid2 with ten stations.
“Isolated transformer measurements, grid calculations and empirical values were simply no longer sufficient for this development,” explains Tristan Knappe. “Although the assumptions derived from these have often been confirmed, it is worth taking a second look at the SMIGHT data in individual cases.”
That’s why SMIGHT
Stadtwerke Norderney uses both standard sensors with hinged core transducers and the new Grid2 Sensor Flex, based on Rogowski coils for tight installation situations or thicker cables.
“We were impressed by the complete package consisting of the price-performance ratio and the short delivery time of two weeks,” summarizes Tristan Knappe. “Installation is super straightforward and we assume that we can easily equip all stations with the two sensor variants.”
Stadtwerke initially focused solely on hardware and raw data: In future, the data is to be fed into the existing network analysis software via an interface, among other things. However, Stadtwerke Norderney quickly realized that the SMIGHT solution offered even more advantages. “Any bottlenecks and critical stations are immediately apparent in the SMIGHT IQ Cockpit, which is why we now use the web-based application regularly.”
This is shown by the data
The municipal utilities use the SMIGHT solution for grid operation, grid planning and investment and budget planning. If new buildings are planned on the island, potential bottlenecks in the grid can be identified at an early stage.
The summer can come
30 of 48 stations are now equipped with SMIGHT technology, with the remaining 18 to follow by the beginning of 2025. “We’re looking forward to the summer – because that’s the time when, unlike on the mainland, we have to lift the heaviest loads,” says Tristan Knappe. “But it’s a good feeling to know that we now have to rely on data and no longer just on theory and guesswork.”
