ROTTERDAM, Netherlands and ZUG, Switzerland, March 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Energy Web, the non-profit building operating systems for energy grids, and Stedin, the Dutch distribution system operator (DSO), announced a partnership today to deploy a future-proofed solution for managing energy assets. This would include DSO-native devices, such as smart meters and distribution automation devices, and consumer/prosumer devices, commonly referred to as distributed energy resources (DERs).
As part of the collaboration, Energy Web and Stedin will work together on a decentralized asset management system, which will initially be tested on intelligent electronic devices for substation automation. Through the initial tests, the project partners hope to gain valuable insights into how decentralization can help with the management of future grid assets. Moreover, the project will test the ability of grid operators to maintain grid security without requiring hardware changes.
In the face of an evolving energy market, modern DSOs are experiencing increasing challenges as a result of the decentralization of the distribution network. Technology that was previously located within physical substations, including monitoring equipment, is now spread across the distribution network as the number of DERs, including wind, photovoltaics (PV), and electric vehicles (EVs), increases.
The joint Energy Web-Stedin solution currently comprises a management system which assigns each distribution asset a secure digital identity, anchored on the pre-existing SIM card in each asset. Cryptographically signed information and control signals and commands from the DSO can then be sent to and from the asset, enabling a decentralized managed system by ensuring that each asset operates as an independent point of encrypted security. The solution leverages Energy Web’s operating system (EW-DOS) with no additional hardware or swapping-out required.
“Put simply, the old way of running energy grids is no longer fit for purpose,” said Jesse Morris, CEO of Energy Web. “This is partially because the nature of the assets deployed on the grid is changing, as we move from a ‘top-down’ energy system to a much more distributed one. As energy generation becomes less centralized, we need to adapt by dispersing computational power from the center of the grid, to increase security and asset visibility. This decentralization creates new efficiencies and creates simpler routes for renewable energy sources to integrate with the traditional grid system.”
The solution will in the future enable new avenues for consumers to offer services to the grid as issuing digital identities to consumer DERs, making it possible for aggregations of consumers/prosumers to engage in ancillary services, such as selling energy back to the grid from a home energy storage system or EV while maintaining the utmost level of cybersecurity. With numerous possibilities and programs which could be powered by Energy Web’s decentralized architecture, the integration with Stedin has the potential to transform the Netherlands’ electricity market and local economy.
The solution has already undergone several proof-of-concept tests, with development work on the platform beginning in October 2021. On its way to mainstream deployment, the product is currently undergoing rigorous testing within a sandbox environment, utilizing real energy assets. It is expected that this sandbox will run for the duration of Q1 before the solution goes live later this year. In the future, the project can be adapted for any other energy grid in partnership with other national DSOs to improve asset security & management.
Commenting on the partnership, Arjen Zuijderduijn, Innovation lead at Stedin, said: “Energy grids worldwide are undergoing profound changes at a rapid pace. Utility providers, grid operators, and consumers face previously unseen challenges to grid security given the rise of decentralized assets and the integration of renewables — but equally, there are opportunities to build more efficient, future-proofed, and profitable systems. Stedin has been a longtime advocate of innovation across the grid, and decentralization forms a central part of our strategy to modernize the national grid system. We’re excited to work with Energy Web and to progress towards deploying this solution across our information and operational technology systems.”
Energy Web’s partnership with Stedin marks its fourth partnership with a major grid operator focused on the future of energy grid performance, including the digitization and integration of distributed energy resources into the wider energy market. In addition to its partnership with Stedin, Energy Web is currently engaged in enterprise deployments of its technology, with the Australian government’s Project EDGE and California’s grid operator (CAISO), as well as Elia E-Mobility Dashboard in Germany.
About Energy Web
Energy Web is a global, member-driven non-profit accelerating the low-carbon, customer-centric energy transition by unleashing the potential of open-source, digital technologies. Our Energy Web Decentralized Operating System (EW-DOS) enables any energy asset, owned by any customer, to participate in any energy market. The Energy Web Chain — the world’s first enterprise-grade, public blockchain tailored to the energy sector — anchors the EW-DOS tech stack. The Energy Web ecosystem comprises leading utilities, grid operators, renewable energy developers, corporate energy buyers, IoT / telecom leaders, and others.
About Stedin
Stedin Group, headed by Stedin Holding N.V., consists of the electricity and gas grid managers Stedin and Enduris that operate in a large part of the province of South Holland, in the provinces of Utrecht and Zeeland and in parts of North Holland and Friesland. In addition, the group offers services in the field of electricity and gas infrastructure under the name DNWG Infra. Together we ensure that all our customers have access to (sustainable) energy to live, work and do business.
Media contact
Gavin Cahill
Sillion
Gavin.cahill@sillion.co.uk
+44 20 3858 7800
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e5bc871a-8607-47aa-982b-1d33092fe66c
