Future Customer Pillar
Future Customer
Empowering and Supporting Customers and the Economy: This pillar focuses on delivering the innovation that will meet the requirements of future customers in a cost-effective manner. For example, enabling active energy citizens to provide flexibility for system services to support the operation of the electricity system. The following outlines a selection of the projects undertaken by ESB Networks under the Future Customer pillar. The latest progress reports and close-out reports are available to view here also.
Servo
The SERVO (System-wide Energy Resource and Voltage Optimisation) project was delivered in collaboration with the Telecommunications Software and Systems Group (TSSG) at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT). This report details delivery of the SERVO Live & Flex modules, in support of the Dingle Electrification Project, which had two aims: To develop the technical infrastructure to enable secure collection, storage and reporting of data collected from IOT devices deployed on the electricity network; to develop a secure application programme interface (API) to securely enable access to this IOT data set held within the Microsoft Azure Cloud database.
StoreNet
Led by IERC, the StoreNet project comprised of a consortium of partners which includes ESB Networks, SMS plc (previously Solo Energy) and Electric Ireland. The project aim was to develop and deploy an intelligent Virtual Power Plant (VPP) consisting of distributed energy storage (batteries) installed at residential settings on the distribution network with the intention of maximising learnings on the potential benefits from the energy storage system.
SERVO Modeller
The aim of the SERVO Modeller project is two-fold. Firstly, to develop a sandbox data lake to allow research projects that generate data, a single location for data storage in a uniform and structured way. This then enables dashboards & reporting on the data for trial evaluation. Secondly, to use SERVO as a testbed software platform to deliver use cases on networks data and evaluate the DSO requirements for interconnected data sources into the future.
RESERVE
In this EU H2020 funded project ESB Networks developed solutions focused on enabling 100% renewable generation on electricity networks. The project demonstrated that a Voltage Control solution can be implemented in real world scenarios utilising multiple types of DER technologies, is inherently scalable and is capable of positively contributing towards the resolution of constraints encountered by the distribution network.
Planning Future LV Networks for Electrified Heat and Transport
Central to the electrification of heat and transport is to ensure the Low Voltage (LV) network can support and enable the increasing electrical demands from customers’ low carbon technologies. The project delivered new and consistent design approaches for new and existing LV networks. This will support the economic integration of customers’ low carbon technologies and distribution energy resources such as electric vehicles, solar PV and heat pumps.
Superhomes 2.0
ESB Networks engaged in the IERC Co-ordinated Superhomes 2.0 project with four Irish based consortium partners in order to develop an understanding of the impact on the distribution network and electrical demand in general of ASHPs in newly retrofitted residential dwellings. We installed Advanced Metering Infrastructure at 20 diverse premises located throughout the country and leveraged this technology to gain an in-depth understanding of the seasonal and climate factors that impacted these premises’ energy requirements.
Real Value
Real Value was a H2020 project to investigate the impact of controllable electric heating to provide a more flexible network and a solution to Demand-Side Management (DSM) at Low Voltage (LV) level. This allowed energy users of all kinds to act as “virtual power plants”. The project was completed in collaboration with Glen Dimplex, EirGrid, Intel, SSE, UCD and Oxford University and included physical demonstrations in Ireland, Germany and Latvia where the Smart Electric Thermal Storage (SETS) units were installed into 1,250 homes.
Dingle Electrification Project
Launched in April 2018, the Dingle Project is a highly innovative 3-year project that has seen the deployment of a range of new technologies to assist in the development of a smart, resilient, low-carbon electricity network. The findings of this project will allow ESB Networks to build, maintain and operate the electricity network of the future for our customers and the whole of Ireland.
