Present and future are successfully coupled
Managing power supply is a bit like trying to paint a cloud: You have to fix something intangible at least briefly in order to work on it. In power supply, the boundary conditions are constantly changing and the technology is becoming increasingly complex. Especially in sector coupled energy systems, planning and optimization seem almost impossible. This is exactly why the
Project goal achieved
“A system for sector coupled energy systems that enables initial planning and optimization in real time ” – the project’s main goal alone could not be formulated in just a few words. A solution was sought that would integrate the present and the future simultaneously.
In order to optimize the operation of the energy supply system, the task was to integrate algorithms and processes into a cloud-based software and link them with tools for energy system planning – a milestone on the way to digitizing business processes in the power industry. The client, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, had estimated a two-year term for this project. This time was filled with a lot of work and knowledge gain, but in 2021 the goal was achieved. The platform, or a demonstrator for it, is up and ready to be used by energy-intensive companies, municipal utilities, contractors and others. In its first months on the market, the solution has already been well received. Many customers see the potential in cloud-based operations optimization to expand their offerings and offer new products.
The most surprising ally of the project’s success: the zeitgeist.
An important advantage of the solution: the clear structure and principle function with three well-structured user roles – dispatcher, planner and specialist administrator. While the dispatcher is responsible for scheduling a safe and optimal operation, the planner designs changes along technical and economic constraints. The system provides dispatchers and planners with tools that enable them to work flawlessly. The specialist administrator keeps the system running.
A second important success factor of the system is its cloud-based nature. Yet this was not foreseeable at the start of the project. In 2019, there was skepticism in many companies about this form of data storage, as well as about the associated apps. But the zeitgeist has changed – the cloud principle has proven itself and is convincing.
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