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The Digital Energy Transition with High-Tech Controllers

The expansion of renewable energies can only succeed if the fluctuating supplies from solar and wind arrays are compensated by flexible electrical consumers and batteries. Digital technology can help to solve this problem: Intelligent systems convert the analog electrical network into a communicative smart grid and pave the way for linking virtual power plants, generators and consumers.

There are troubles ahead for wind energy. Although wind turbines are supposed to provide the lion’s share of the electrical supply in the long term, the federal government wants to put the brakes on new construction in northern Germany to a significant degree. Since 2017, Bremen, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the northern parts of Lower Saxony have only been permitted a maximum new wind output of 902 megawatts – this is not even 60 % of the output that is currently available. This is because the electrical lines in the stormy coastal regions have reached their capacity limits. Wind turbines are increasingly switched off as part of so-called supply management, because the large amounts of green energy could damage network stability.

The Energy Transition Goes Digital – Here’s How WAGO Supports You:

  • WAGO’s controllers ensure secure communication and control.
  • The new VHReady communication standard facilitates the interplay of decentralized systems.
  • Data encryption and specially secured connections defend against unauthorized access.
More about the 750 Series Controllers

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The digitization of the energy transition is the prerequisite for managing a decentralized energy market.
Tobias Kurth, Energy Brainpool

Heat and Fuel from Electricity

Power-to-heat and power-to-gas systems offer additional options for flexibility. They convert green energy into heat, using electric boilers, or into hydrogen and then methane through electrolysis. The heat can be supplied to a local district heating network; the gas can be stored for longer periods in the existing natural gas network that supplies residential areas, power plants and fuel stations. Thus, power-to-heat and power-to-gas both reduce the load on the electrical grid and also incorporate the heating and mobility sectors, which have previously played a subordinate role in the energy transition. “We could use northern Germany as a gigantic test lab for sector linkages. A few possibilities include: gas or heat generation using excess wind energy, local subsidy programs for heat pumps or e-vehicles and test routes for electric trucks or buses using overhead lines. This would also enable the quick expansion of the wind energy sector,” says Volker Quaschning, Professor in renewable energy technologies at the University of Applied Sciences Berlin.

However, the development of options for flexibility, such as batteries, is not the only challenge. Batteries must also be networked with the decentralized generators and consumers. The energy originates in a system built from thousands of producers, dominated by solar arrays and wind turbines, and flows in many combinations in several directions; it is comparable to data on the Internet. Therefore, intelligent, digital systems are necessary to measure the complex energy flows and to control and monitor the production systems according to the network situation. In addition, the systems must enable absolutely secure communication between the production level and the control technology; hacker attacks on power plants and the electrical grid are common and can endanger the supply network. “The digitization of the energy transition is the prerequisite for managing a decentralized energy market,” says Kurth.

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From the field into the gas tank: Excess solar energy could be used on a large scale as “fuel” for eVehicles.

Easily Managing Complex Energy Flows

Intelligent local network stations (iLNS) can also play an important role in digitization of the network. Earlier transformers were passive elements that stepped down the electrical voltage from the medium-voltage network to the lower voltage used by the local supply network using a fixed ratio. An iLNS, in contrast, records various measurement kinds of data in the medium-voltage network and offers the option of reading these values out remotely. This allows the network operators to adjust the voltage levels at any time. For example, if, on a sunny day, a lot of solar power is supplied, which increases the voltage, an iLNS can quickly compensate for this. This increases the accommodation capacity of the network and prevents bottlenecks, which can ultimately put the brakes on the expansion of renewables. WAGO’s developments help promote the digitization of the energy supply. In order to convert conventional local network stations into intelligent ones, it is essential to synchronize the primary and secondary components in a reliable way that conforms to standards.

In conjunction with their project partners, WAGO has already created a corresponding system and completely equipped it with automation technology. The station uses a PFC200 XTR Controller for the medium voltage, a PFC200 Controller for low voltage, an e!DISPLAY panel for visualizing the measurement and control data directly at the LNS and completely automated connection technology. The WAGO Controllers, which are freely programmable via CODESYS, collect all data from the substation’s various systems via digital and analog signals (e.g., via Modbus RTU). These controllers then translate the data into supplier-required communication protocols (IEC 60870-5-101/-104 or IEC 61850) and transmit the data to the control center via data lines. In the opposite direction, the control center can access the substation’s systems, such as the medium-voltage control cabinet, protective devices or measurement systems from different manufacturers, using the WAGO Controllers.

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Small building, big benefit: the intelligent local network station (iLNS) is a powerful alternative to network expansion.

Text: Heiko Tautor, WAGO

Photo: Manfred H. Vogel | vor-ort-foto.de, iStockphoto.com

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