After about four months of running, we want to give you here again info and especially an update on our project CoMap. You can find more information in the article about the consortium meeting in January.
Energiewende – Renewable Energies – Stustainability.
These are terms that are steadily coming to the fore. More and more wind turbines are dominating the landscape. At the same time, more and more photovoltaic systems are finding their way into the cityscape. And that’s a good thing, because we can’t master the energy transition or ensure a sustainable future any other way. Because these so-called “decentralized plants” generate so much energy that coal-fired power plants, which are harmful to health and the climate, can gradually be shut down.
But what sounds like a simple solution at first has a lot of challenges associated with it. There are many areas that are being investigated in research in order to get the energy turnaround safely on track. So that electricity will still reach our homes or offices in the future.
Because this is precisely where the crux lies. The more decentralized systems are installed in the electrical grid, the more the grid operator, e.g. the local municipal utility, has to deal with issues of grid stability. This is because generation facilities in the form of large power plants are now no longer connected exclusively to the overlying grid, i.e., the transmission grid. Now, energy is also produced in their own distribution grid and must be distributed in a sensible manner. What was previously the task of the transmission system operators is now also the task of the distribution system operators.
The role of CoMap
☝🏼 This is precisely where the CoMap research project funded by the BMWK comes in. We want to provide distribution network operators with a tool that enables them to analyze their own distribution network in real time. To this end, we are working with our project partners to digitally map the electrical grid – as a so-called “digital twin”.
This enables us to record the network in detail and perform analyses at any time. The aim is for the distribution network operator to always have an overview of the condition of his network and to be able to act accordingly if critical situations arise. For example, if a cable or a transformer is overloaded. The challenge here is that often only a fraction of the network is equipped with measurements. In order to nevertheless be able to map the network status, analysis methods are used which literally shed light on the situation. 💡
With the CoMap Control Center, we want to provide the user with a web app that maps the network status. This tool is intended to support both network operation and network planning. The user should be able to create scenarios, for example, to simulate an additional photovoltaic system in live operation, which is planned in the near or distant future. Together with the user, we collect use cases and set ourselves the goal of serving these requirements with our solution.
Meeting the challenges of decentralized feed-in together and thus mastering the energy transition. That is what we want to achieve with CoMap.
Current status
Of course, we also want to give you an update on the CoMap project. 🤓
At the moment, we are in the preparatory phase. In the process, we are preparing the digital twin mentioned above and working out the use cases with the network operator. Dr. Marvin Albrecht and Fabian Reindl as well as Timo Johann are currently busy with this.
Look forward to further updates on this and other projects.
Your Es-geht! Team