Project description

The aim of the project is to develop a dedicated system capable of addressing two significant challenges facing Distribution System Operators in Poland. The first of these is to reduce electricity losses in the low voltage network. The second is to improve the reliability indicators for electricity supply to customers (SAIDI, SAIFI) on the low voltage network. The solution to these challenges may be the ESRS (Efficient Self-Healing Reconfiguration of Smart Grid) system currently under development. As part of the project, switching equipment will be integrated with protection automation featuring new features; furthermore, an IT module for the dynamic optimisation of the power grid’s operation will be developed. The aforementioned switching equipment will be connected to the computing module via telemechanics devices. Radio connectivity provided by M2M telecommunications operators will be used as the communication medium enabling bidirectional information exchange between the system and devices deep within the network. Additionally, a new device will be developed to monitor the operation of cable joints not equipped with telemechanics. Communication with the device will be carried out using communication modules based on the LoRa standard, which are built into the device. Information from the devices will be transmitted to the SCADA system. ESRS will enable the integration of existing infrastructure with a network optimisation module to perform dynamic reconfiguration of the low-voltage network, allowing for the optimisation of energy losses and the automatic isolation of network sections where a fault has occurred. Furthermore, this system will enable faster fault clearance thanks to a mobile app designed for maintenance crews, which will assist in precisely pinpointing the location of the fault.