Cooperations and innovations

G4-EUS-DMA Demand-Side Management

50Hertz is lead coordinator of the WindNODE joint project, in which over 70 project partners in the northeast German model region are working for four years in total on common solutions for integrating even larger amounts of renewables into the power system as efficiently as possible. The list of participants includes energy supply companies, grid operators and high-tech specialists, but also companies from the automotive industry, the supply and disposal sector, housing and retail enterprises, as well as universities and research institutions in the region. WindNODE encompasses all six northeast German states including Berlin and is under the auspices of the six state premiers and the mayor of Berlin. The companies Siemens and Stromnetz Berlin, as well as economic development agencies Berlin Partner, Energy Saxony and ZukunftsAgentur Brandenburg join 50Hertz in the strategic control of WindNODE. The flexibility platform, an integral part of the project, was trialled in November 2018. This digital purchasing platform enables electricity consumers, electricity producers and storage operators to offer services that are appropriate for the region and flexible in terms of when they are rendered, which ensures that less renewable energy has to be restricted during grid bottlenecks.

A scientific council was established for the purpose of regular exchanges between science and practice. The volunteer committee currently consists of 16 professors from the fields of energy technology, energy industry, energy law and energy policy. The council meets once or twice a year to discuss and assess current topics and future issues relevant to 50Hertz. In 2018, both half-yearly meetings focused on the issues “optimisation of existing grids” and “innovative technologies for the energy transition”. An important aspect of its work is the initiation and execution of joint research and development projects and studies, as well as the supervision of dissertations, bachelor’s and master’s theses. There are also plans to integrate sustainability topics in this dialogue in future.

For 50Hertz, active lead management and participation in research and development projects are an integral part of innovation management. In diverse cooperations with academic and industry partners, focus is largely placed on activities in the areas of new technology, energy markets and system security, the integration of renewable energies and the required development of the electrical system. Overall, around EUR 2m (prior year: around EUR 3m) was spent on research and development projects in 2018. This was counterbalanced by EUR 0.15m (prior year: around EUR 0.25m) that 50Hertz received in public non-repayable subsidies.

Together with various European environmental associations and other transmission system operators, 50Hertz has founded the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI), which supports grid expansion for the effective integration of renewable energies across Europe, driving forward the dissemination of innovative consultation practices in the process (for further information see "Memberships").

Testing high-temperature low sagconductors (HTLS)

One longer-term project concerns higher utilisation of the existing grid through high-temperature low sag conductors (HTLS). Convential overhead lines heat up. The more electricity flowing through the lines, the hotter they get and this can lead to lines sagging. If they sag too much, we are not allowed to operate them. To combat this problem, Elia and 50Hertz are aiming to introduce new conductors, which can cope with a higher flow of electricity. Eight new conductors have been developed by different producers and have been put through a one-year, rigorous testing period. Twenty years of operations were simulated in just a year. We will now decide which high temperature conductors are suitable for future projects.