Loyola University performs remote control and real-time supervision of European electricity grids to improve their efficiency.
LOYOLATECH, the Institute of Science and Technology of Loyola University, has recently participated in the fifth plenary meeting of FLEXITRANSTORE, a European project of 24 partners in which Loyola University participates and which aims to increase the flexibility of power transmission systems creating high levels of interconnection in the European electricity system. With this, the project aims to facilitate the increase in renewable energy sources, thus solving the current main problem for the massive installation of renewable energy in Europe.
The role of Loyola University and the team headed by Pedro Rodríguez Cortés, Professor in Electrical Engineering, is the development of intelligent monitoring systems and, at present, remote control is already being carried out from LOYOLATECH laboratories to supervise the operation of two test nodes spread across Europe, specifically those located in Greece and Cyprus.
The project held virtually its fifth plenary meeting of the partners coinciding with the achievement by scientists of this important advance in monitoring systems being developed at Loyola University. The researchers have already completed the monitoring, control and data acquisition systems, SCADA, which will be installed in the project's demonstrators.
Real-time data reading
SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) is a system developed to remotely monitor and control an installation, allowing real-time reading of data. Furthermore, by implementing sophisticated optimization algorithms, it is possible to plan some days in advance the operation of the complete system of batteries, converters, connections, etc. located in the project facilities. The SCADA developed will be installed in two of the project's pilots, both consisting of a battery energy storage system (BESS) and located in Greece and Cyprus.
Power systems and conventional power grids have little flexibility. Taking into account the incorporation of renewable energies and that the increase in demand continues to grow, it can lead to problems such as overloads, power fluctuations, little possibility of control, slow response to problems such as loss of generation. That is why this project tries to provide flexibility to the power grid, so that the system adapts to the conditions of variability and uncertainty in generation and demand. Thanks to these applications, the continuous remote control will be able to offer a continuous service in the face of variations and demand, and at the same time facilitate the increase in renewable energy.
In this way, the developed systems allow to increase the flexibility of the grid regions that are electrically close to the demonstrators, optimizing at the same time the use of the systems placed in the test nodes. In addition, the SCADAs will allow the monitoring and evaluation of the demonstrators' performance during the last stages of the project, by contrasting the data collected from the demonstrator with the virtual environment developed in Loyola University facilities. This period of design of the supervision, control and data acquisition systems to be installed in the demonstrators in Greece and Cyprus has been addressed together with Abengoa and Jema, and some relevant partners such as Schneider.
FLEXITRANSTORE Project (An Integrated Platform for Increased FLEXIbility in smart TRANSmission grids with STORage Entities and large penetration of Renewable Energy Sources), with a duration of four years, aims to contribute to the evolution towards a pan-European transmission grid with high flexibility and high levels of interconnection. This makes it one of the benchmark projects financed under the H2020 program in the field of modernization of energy systems and in which Loyola University has the largest budget participation.
Comply with the 2030 Agenda
Aware of the challenge and the responsibility that the incorporation of the 2030 Agenda entails, Loyola University, through the Development Commission, formulated in 2019 a proposal for the incorporation of the 2030 agenda in the university, which implies addressing it in a transversal way in university policies, as well as integrating the Agenda in the different fields of action of the university: training, research and university extension.
The 2030 Agenda contemplates in its 17 Sustainable Development Goals Goal number 7 related to 'Increase considerably the proportion of renewable energy in all energy sources', so this project is aligned with this global action plan in favour of people, planet and prosperity.
June 30, 2020
