Pioneering project for the development of a "Smart Energy District"
New forms of decentralized electricity production and changing consumer habits are putting distribution grids under pressure. In view of these challenges, the HES-SO is currently developing a pilot project for a "Smart Energy District": a research and testing infrastructure that aims to produce solutions that can be adopted by the various players in the energy sector.
The increasing number of private photovoltaic systems and heat pumps, ever-growing electromobility, the emergence of new services and players such as aggregators and energy communities, as well as the development of the legal framework, are radically changing the Swiss energy landscape.
Four universities from the Engineering and Architecture faculty of the HES-SO (Fribourg, Geneva, Vaud and Valais) are committed to this transition, which is part of the federal government's Energy Strategy 2050, and are pooling their expertise as part of the "Exposition" project. The aim of this project is to plan, develop and implement a "Smart Energy District" - an intelligent urban district equipped with a digital platform that enables the monitoring and control of electrical systems and devices. The aim is to study and propose practical and reliable solutions for the various players in the field of electrical energy.
A life-size laboratory
The choice of a pilot site in western Switzerland is currently being examined in collaboration with the project's industrial and public partners. The "Smart Energy District" will provide the opportunity to test technical solutions on site before they are adopted in other contexts and environments. These systems must in particular allow access to consumption and production information (monitoring) and the control of electric vehicles, heat pumps, batteries, etc. in order to optimize the management of the distribution network.
Ultimately, the aim is to develop solutions that are highly standardized and interoperable, secure, flexible and resilient and enable the various players to offer their services using the same infrastructure and connect sectors such as networks, heating and mobility. The project, which has a budget of CHF 1.5 million, started in January 2024 and will run until 2027.
"Exposure" at the Energissima
The "Exposition" project was presented at the Energissima trade fair in Bulle as part of a panel discussion. The panel discussion, which took place on April 18, 2024 at 3.30 p.m., was entitled "The transition to a smart, secure and resilient electricity grid" and was moderated by Jonas Schneiter.
Source: www.hes-so.ch
