Digitization of Energy Distribution Grids

 

The new assets installed in energy distribution grids for electricity, gas and heat as part of the energy transition lead to increased complexity in its planning and operation.

Fundamentals of safe and efficient operation of future energy systems are digitization, the constant exchange of data and the availability of process data between different stakeholders of the energy supply systems. However, managing the digitization in critical infrastructures requires a differentiated view of several categories. Measurement and control technology is connected to grid control systems by information and communication technology and bundled there. Furthermore, security infrastructure and other use cases are also of great importance.

In the course of the lecture, an overview of digitalization in electrical and other energy distribution networks is given. In the introduction, the basics of power systems and digitalization topics such as measurement and communication technology are given. This content is necessary to understand the application related content of the later lecture blocks.

After the basics, individual topics of digitalization of energy systems are covered in detail. Measurement and control systems are essential for the control of various flexible systems. Here, methods for automated processing of large amounts of data such as edge computing are necessary. Various communication technologies form the backbone of the digitalized grids, while specialized software such as grid control systems provide the necessary human-machine interface. Driven by these developments and current incidents, IT security is also increasingly coming into focus in the digitalization process.

Finally, the topics are linked to application areas. In particular, the topics of grid planning, data analysis and asset management will be considered.