NEDO is a three-year smart grid project whose principal partners are NEDO and its authorised contractor Hitachi, and the ELES company. Alongside ELES, a large number of stakeholders from Slovenia will participate in the project, which is why it can rightfully be called a national project and the only one of its kind in Europe. Similar projects across Europe are focused on narrower areas or communities, whereas in our case we can actually speak of the implementation of a smart grid on the national level by means of integrated and centrally managed cloud solutions. ELES is managing and coordinating the project, while activities will be carried out on the infrastructure of all owners of the electricity grid (besides ELES also five other electricity distribution companies) in Slovenia and foreseeably two municipal communities. NEDO is contributing the modern equipment of Japanese and Slovenian solution providers, while ELES is financing the development of advanced functionalities that will comprise, together with the equipment, the advanced infrastructure of smart grids.
From the aspect of the electricity system, the benefits of the project are in the use of advanced solutions that can respond to the challenges of modern electricity systems in the light of sustainable development by means of environment-friendly solutions. Instead of investing in grid expansion, the use of advanced secondary equipment, information and communication technologies and cloud solutions will enable better exploitation of the existing grid. Part of ELES's system services, which are primarily provided by coal- and gas-fired power plants, will be provided from electricity storage systems. Consumers will receive a higher quality of electricity supply and the option of actively participating in electricity markets and system services. By informing consumers and utilising advanced electricity management systems, the focus shall be on the efficient use of electricity.
The key equipment to be contributed by the Japanese partner includes electricity storage systems, advanced distribution management systems (DMS), advanced tools for optimisation of electricity consumption in local communities and buildings (EMS – energy management system), and a platform for the inclusion of consumption in system services. It will also be necessary to provide a number of missing passive (measurements) and active (circuit-breakers, regulation transformers) elements in the grid that will enable the implementation of advanced functionalities of coordinated voltage control, conservative voltage reduction, automatic localisation of defects and grid selection, closed loop operation, inclusion of reactive sources on the SN and NN levels for the needs of the transmission system operator, short-term forecasting of consumption and local generation, and advanced functionalities of optimised electricity consumption in local communities.
The outcome of the project will be advanced infrastructure that will contribute to ELES's fulfilment of legally required obligations and ensure higher-quality services for electricity consumers by means of sustainable and environment-friendly solutions.
Project Profile
- Duration: 2016 – 2021
- Project value: EUR 37 million
- Value of ELES's activities: EUR 17 million
- Source of (co)funding: Japanese agency
- Partners: NEDO, Hitachi, ELES
- Owners of infrastructure: AquafilSLO, BTC, Elektro Celje, Elektro Ljubljana, Elektro Maribor, Elektro Primorska, Municipality Idrija
- Solution providers: Altens, Elektroinštitut Milan Vidmar, Elpros, Fakulteta za elektrotehniko Univerze v Ljubljani, Fakulteta za elektrotehniko, računalništvo in informatiko Univerze v Mariboru, GDB, Iskratel, Kolektor Igin, Kolektor Sisteh, Korona, LEA Spodnje Podravje, Sipronika, Solvera Lynx, Stelkom, TECES
- Participating countries: Slovenia, Japan
- ELES's role: owner and project coordinator