ERDF and Schneider Electric consolidate their smart grid partnership

As part of a partnership launched over a year ago, ERDF and Schneider Electric have joined forces to develop and test innovative software and solutions for medium- and low-voltage grid management, for the design and monitoring of substations of the future and to facilitate the increase in renewable generation.

The increasing integration of variable renewable energies in addition to load management initiated by external operators can have a major technical impact on ERDF’s grid operations, resulting in additional costs of energy transmission and distribution. New information and active resource management technologies are needed to meet the requirements of managing both supply-demand balancing and network capacity. This technology allows external operators to control such resources while giving ErDF visibility of this flexibility, enabling them to adjust the distribution network accordingly and make the grid more reliable.

These flexibility resources come from small-scale decentralised production facilities (<10 MW) connected directly to the distribution network (eg, wind or solar energy), from electricity storage, but also load management activities initiated by external operators. Such resources are aggregated to provide the necessary power to meet demand. ERDF and Schneider Electric already collaborate in a number of smart grid projects and will strengthen their cooperation with this flexibility application for distribution network operators (ERDF, public electricity companies, etc) through its implementation in Lyon, as part of the Greenlys project.

Philippe Monloubou, chairman of the ERDF board, says: “Continuing to upgrade and automate the grid, particularly at lower voltages, will encourage renewable energy development whilst boosting service quality. It is thanks to close relationships with our partners, such as Schneider Electric, that we have succeeded in demonstrating the effectiveness of smart grids for the benefit of customers and the French industrial sector as a whole. This latest milestone enables ErDF to equip itself with tools to support load management whilst strengthening its quality of services.”

StruxureWare Flexible Resources Operation will be rolled out by the end of 2014 and operated by ERDF in Lyon.

The solutions developed under this partnership will enable ERDF and Schneider Electric to consolidate the leading position they hold in their respective areas of activity and their commitment to developing smart grids both in France and abroad.