Marcus Meisel

Smart demand response scenarios

Automated demand response has the potential to be an essential future tool for maintaining the balance of supply and demand in electrical energy systems with a very high density of generation from renewable sources. Although this scenario can become true in the near future, only very few actual implementations of automated demand response can be found in Europe. This paper is tackling this by analyzing current demand response implementations, placing them into a matrix of different aspects and strategies, with the goal to provide a systematical basis of current application scenarios of demand response, highlighting barriers and starting points for further development decisions. Recommendations for important and possible near future application scenarios of demand side energy management concepts in Austria are the result of this analysis by a multidisciplinary team of researchers. This paper describes related and important future work for Austria in demand response in context of a defined scenario kit. Aspects and strategies of each scenario are described in the following subsections.

A comprehensive information platform for the Smart Grid

Smart Grid technology promises to prepare todays energy systems for the challenges of the future such as increasing demand, integration of distributed generation and fulfillment of the climate goals. Numerous Smart Grid applications have been proposed and some are already rolled out. Across these applications different kinds of information are acquired, processed and stored. In this paper a holistic view on the information in a Smart Grid and an approach for the design of a comprehensive information platform fostering integration, user acceptance and profitability of Smart Grids are presented. Security and privacy challenges emerging from this concept are reviewed critically and methods for reaching promising solutions are proposed.

Erfolgsversprechende Demand-Response-Empfehlungen im Energieversorgungssystem 2020

ZusammenfassungAutomatisiertes Lastmanagement hat das Potenzial, in einem zukünftigen, mit Kommunikationsinfrastruktur ausgestattetem Stromnetz durch Verschiebung von elektrischen Lasten trotz einer hohen Dichte an erneuerbarer Erzeugung die Leistungsbalance zu gewährleisten. Dieses Paper stellt eine systematische Herangehensweise vor, die eine umfassende Bewertung und Weiterentwicklung von Lastmanagement-Szenarien ermöglicht. Es wird ein neuer Ansatz zur Integration der Entwicklung und Bewertung solcher Szenarien vorgestellt und vier erfolgsversprechende Modelle von Komponenten zukünftiger elektrischer Energieversorgungssysteme eingehender analysiert. Das Problem fehlender Umsetzungen wird anhand dieser Szenarien beispielhaft für Österreich durch eine interdisziplinäre Betrachtung des Phänomens Lastmanagement hinsichtlich technischer, sozialer, ökonomischer und ökologischer Aspekte untersucht. Ergebnis dieser Betrachtung sind neben Analyseergebnissen eine Bewertung der Szenarien und die daraus gewonnenen Empfehlungen für neue Rahmensetzer und die Forschungsförderung.

Preparations for demand response on a municipal level

The balance of supply and demand in the electric grid is easier to manage with electricity storages built into the system, in Austria, typically pumped storage hydro power stations are used for this purpose. This article discusses necessary preparations for implementing an alternative to conventional electricity storages, by using private, public, and commercial infrastructure of a rural municipality in Lower Austria. The water supply system, waste water system, thermal-, and pumping processes are prepared to being managed as one virtual energy storage, while maintaining user comfort for inhabitants. Implementing this proposed system is the first attempt to analyze the effectiveness and the user acceptance of automated demand response in Austria. Possible targets for demand side management have been identified, measured, modeled, and equipped with demand response technology. The proposed system aims to show that successful demand response is possible with little investment and without compromising the customer comfort.

ICT emulation platform setup demonstration of smart grid component prototype examples

The shift towards massively distributed energy generation demands more decentralized flexibility to meet strict power quality constraints of the electric grid. A cyber-physical system such as a smart grid can provide increased flexibility by utilizing additional information and communication technologies to better monitor the medium and low voltage distribution networks and to actively control grid-connected resources, ranging from loads to distributed generation, to electric mobility but at the cost of increased complexity. Essential future functionalities such as dynamic management of line use, fault detection and fast service restoration are only possible with appropriate sensors and actuators in place. These missing sensors and actuators on the distribution level are being developed today. This paper presents a standards based, low cost, open source, ICT emulation platform setup to test necessary networking concepts of these smart grid component prototypes already in various stages of development. Preliminary development results of the first example applications chosen: Customer Energy Management System, Smart Breaker, and Smart Meter, are shown in this work in progress paper.

Smart energy grids in Austria - innovative solutions and concepts

Through the increasing electricity generation from renewable energy sources the power infrastructure not only in Europe received new stimuli to find unique and novel solutions. Especially the integration of information exchange into the infrastructure lead to the definition of the actual research topic of smart grids. Austrian researchers and industry alike have built a strong community over the years that brought quite a number of interesting and innovative approaches and solutions to very different challenges the smart grid still has to face. This work will give an overview on the Austrian solutions and concepts for a smart energy grid.

The RASSA Initiative --- Defining a Reference Architecture for Secure Smart Grids in Austria

The goal of the Reference Architecture for Secure Smart Grids in Austria RASSA initiative is to design and establish a technical reference architecture specification in coordination with all relevant stakeholders. This goal is realized across multiple projects. This paper first motivates the need for developing a coordinated smart grids reference architecture for Austria involving all relevant actors, such as infrastructure operators, manufacturers, and public agencies. After a description of most prominent international reference architecture efforts, first results on how to develop a reference architecture serving as a blueprint for further smart grids solutions is described. Necessary coordination and communication efforts to achieve a nationally accepted and internationally aligned process are described. The paper closes with an outlook on a practical application of the principles defined in order to meet stakeholder requirements through target-group-specific involvement.

Demo Abstract: Demonstration of new sensor and actuator equipment for distributed grids

Changes in the energy domain have created a high demand for new equipment and strategies to face its new challenges. To this end, stronger coordination between producers and consumers, as well as distributed control gain importance. This demonstration intends to show how developments from the project iniGrid can contribute towards this goal, by utilizing newly developed smart breakers to meet grid sided usage restrictions. The described demonstration system allows energy consumers more control over their usage and provides aggregators and energy suppliers as well as distribution system operators with additional means to improve grid stability and ways to counteract imminent catastrophic failures.

Local intelligence for a customer energy management system equipped with smart breakers

The electricity grid of the future needs to be smart to react to the currently changing production landscape caused by increasing generation of renewable energy at customer sites and the increased energy demands, driven by technological evolvement in consumer technology, e.g., heat pumps or electric vehicles. This paper tries to provide insights into first results of a work in progress creating a customer energy management system that utilizes the benefit of novel switchable breakers for customers and offers independent system operators, or distribution grid operators, some local intelligence which they can influence and use as predictable resources in their forecasts. These demand side management capabilities are only the first use cases under consideration.

Smart grid architecture model standardization and the applicability of domain language specific modeling tools

In order to satisfy the increasing demand for electricity and to meet this demand with renewable energies, the present electrical grid has to adapt. The EU has already initiated measures to standardize and support a European Smart Grid development to facilitate communication amongst experts of different domains. Hence, this requires a mutual harmonization of terminologies as well as tools to strengthen its bearing. This paper compares the DISCERN toolbox and the SGAM toolbox. Both address the issue of a standardized modeling solutions in the domain of Smart Grids. For both toolboxes the availability, requirements, and ease of use are examined and validated based on practical use case examples. Finally, the applicability for smart grid model driven development is discussed, open development issues indicated and suggestions for further improvements provided.