UdZ 01.21

SPECTRUM – APPLIED RESEARCH 60 / UdZ 2-2021 FLEMING: TheWorld is Becoming E-Mobile – HowLoaded DistributionGrids Nevertheless Remain Stable Renewable energies and electromobility already have a significant impact on the stability of the electricity distribution grid in Germany. With the continuous expansion of renewable energies and the increasing number of battery-powered electric vehicles, this trend will intensify. This will lead to higher stress on components, especially in the distribution grid. In order to ensure grid stability, distribution grid operators must be able to monitor the condition of the components and remedy impending faults in advance by means of forecasts. An information logistics concept developed as part of the ‘FLEMING’ project lays the foundation for the realization of predictive maintenance for these components, which can also be easily integrated into the distribution grid operators’ existing systems. > T he focus of German climate and energy policy is both on a massive and area-wide integration of renewable energy generation plants 1 and on the integration of charging stations for e-mobility into the existing power grid. The resulting numerous load fluctuations 2 , e.g., due to decentralized solar plants, as well as the temporally and spatially concentrated energy demand due to charging infrastructure (e-mobility) lead to a very large load on electrical equipment and components, up to and including their overload, for example, on switchgear. In order to achieve the goals of the energy and mobility transition while maintaining the same quality of supply, grid operators need an improved understanding of the current status and impending failures of components. At the same time, grid operators, and in particular distribution grid operators, are under increasing efficiency and cost pressure. The goal of the FLEMING research project is therefore to enable continuous function monitoring through increased sensor deployment in distribution grid assets coupled with the use of artificial intelligence (AI) methods. Continuous function monitoring enables 1 Renn and Marshall 2016, p. 224; Schiffer 2019, p. 145 – 147 2 Bundesnetzagentur 2019, p. 28; Goop et al. 2016, p. 273 grid operators to maintain supply quality despite increasing efficiency and cost pressures. The project thus contributes to a successful energy and mobility transition in Germany. The majority of distribution grid operators already work with various information systems to digitally capture and process the available data. The differences in the systems and applications used, as well as their range of functions, vary greatly between the various distribution grid operators. In addition, there are legal and regulatory requirements for the supply security with various processes and procedures that must be observed. Continuous function monitoring must therefore be designed to take the different system environment and regulations into account. As part of the project, workshops were held with distribution grid operators and their processes, procedures, applications and information systems were recorded in order to identify the framework conditions and relevant requirements. After recording the status quo, the results of the workshops were presented in use case diagrams and an