The project, which runs through December 2015, has three overall objectives: 1) cost efficiently increase the hosting capacity for wind power in an existing distribution system; 2) show that novel technology can improve the power quality in a rural grid with large quantities of installed wind power; and 3) create possibilities for demand-side participation in the electricity market, in order to shift load from peak load hours to peak production hours.
As part of the initiative, Ventyx will deploy a comprehensive 'Distribution System Optimization' solution encompassing network control, demand response management, demand forecasting and business analytics to support the project. According to Ventyx, the technology enables large quantities of wind and other renewable and distributed energy sources to be integrated into the grid, while maintaining reliability and providing better operational performance.
Ventyx (an ABB company), supplies industrial enterprise software for essential industries such as energy, mining and public infrastructure. For this project, the company is working with several partners, including Gotlands Energi AB (GEAB), the utility serving the Swedish island of Gotland. GEAB is 75 per cent owned by Vattenfall, one of Europe's largest generators of electricity, which is also a major partner in the effort.
"The Gotland Smart Grid project is one of the world's most innovative and significant smart grid initiatives in demonstrating how modernizing electricity networks can support a greater variety of renewable energy sources while at the same time improving power reliability and customer control," said Jens Birgersson, head of the Network Management business at ABB, which acquired Ventyx in 2010. "It is a significant step forward in the development of a modern, sustainable society with the potential for it to serve as an international model for intelligent electricity networks."
The distribution management system (DMS) software by Ventyx, integrated with ABB hardware, will be used to address bottlenecks in the distribution network that may restrict the flow from the wind turbines to consumers.
"Wind power is produced out in the distribution grid and, like solar energy, is highly variable, presenting challenges when it comes to power quality, surveillance and control of the grid," Veijo Huusko, Head of R&D Portfolio Management, Vattenfall Nordic, explained. "Using industry-leading network management software from Ventyx to create a more intelligent and efficient grid, we can increase the use of renewable energy sources, improve power quality and create added cost-savings for customers over conventional grid technology."
Ventyx Network Manager SCADA systems will cover one of the island's substations and its associated network – managing daily operations and helping to reduce the duration and frequency of outages through the use of smart meters and other equipment in the field. The Ventyx business analytics solution will analyze data from the SCADA/DMS/OMS system, and potentially other sources to help boost operational efficiency and reliability while reducing costs.
The Smart Grid Gotland project was initiated in response to the European Union's climate change target to reduce carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. Sweden plans to increase its renewable electricity production primarily through wind power, as generated on the Island of Gotland – the largest island in the Baltic Sea 90 km from the Swedish mainland – providing customers with low carbon, sustainable power supplies. After this Gotland pilot, the solutions and ideas could be transferred to larger-scale projects on the Swedish mainland and in other European countries, providing citizens with more reliable power and an opportunity to control their energy consumption and costs.
Smart Grid Gotland is a cooperation project between Vattenfall, ABB, GEAB, Svenska Kraftnat, Schneider Electric and KTH, and is partly financed by the Swedish Energy Agency.