The development of renewable energy sources is linked to the expansion of the distribution and transmission network. The expanding electricity grid requires constant monitoring of its functioning, especially in real-time. We talked with Valentin Novakovic, manager from Ampacimon, who presented us with a way to measure the condition of the grid in real-time.
Ampacimon is offering innovative solutions helping entities like distribution and transmission operators to increase and improve their existing grid load and optimization.
“The company’s based in Belgium, and we are offering a new unique system made of a sensor measuring critical information directly on the line, like the temperature, the site and also the wind. These elements are enabling us who provide utilities with increased capacity on the lines information in real-time and in the forecasts. Today the different situations on the distribution and transmission grid are missing some data in real-time, in the forecast, to improve their grid capacity. At the same time these utilities, like the distribution and transmission grids, are in the building of new wind farms which are increasing their current assets, increasing the load. However, they are not able to meet that load. Hence, they need to improve their grids by building new lines or replacing the line conductors with new equipment”, Novakovic said.
He added that this is time taking, and also sources-taking. The Ampacimon system is enabling utilities by installing the solution, made of the sensors and software, to improve the load of the grid lines by 10 to 35 %.
– We can provide this load in real-time, and we can also provide that in the forecast from 1 hour up to 60 hours. Typically what happens is that investors install a farm and suddenly they are facing, what we call, increased load during certain times of the day. Sometimes they need this to cure capacity because their conductors are not able to meet that goal and our system is helping them to increase that load by, like I said, from to up to 30-40%”, he said.
Paweł Wróbel, Managing Director of BalticWind.EU and Valentin Novakovic, manager from Ampacimon, during the Electric City 2021
Grid visor, the latest solution for Ampacimon, is made to address the distribution grid, so the lines up to 70 kV. The purpose is to bring more visibility to the distribution grid by detecting and measuring the electrical faults on the grid, and also mechanical force.
“By mechanical force, I mean the damages due to the strong wind, icing, and snow. We’re able to give information to the distribution, to locate the position where they have issues with the distribution line”, Valentin Novakovic explained.
Read BalticWind.EU Special Report WindEurope ElectricCity 2021
