Autor: Agnieszka Prochowicz-Kobryń

The #MESH4U project is entering its final phase. And the latest tests prove that we have done a really good job over the last months of the project!

Last week in Bialystok, we conducted tests of the energy storage using controlled loading with active power and reactive power. A unique feature of the energy storage is that it features an additional unidirectional inverter module to ensure uninterruptible power supply and therefore the safety of the production facility.

Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, a representative of the #energy storage manufacturer and Electrum Concreo took part in the tests.

An adjustable resistive-inductive load bank of 2400 kW were used for testing. The tests employed the possibility of software load regulation. The purpose was to test the charging and discharging characteristics of the battery storage, control algorithms and the energy storage supervisory system module in EMACS.

The entire process was controlled by the #EMACS platform.

Today, we are thrilled to announce the achievement of the first #blockchain-tracked manufacturing process! As part of the Fraunhofer IFF internal Project 'Blockchain for Net-Zero Energy Factories,’ my colleagues Hannes Wasser Sandeep Mattepu Bartlomiej Arendarski Marc Richter Prof. Dr. Przemyslaw Komarnicki and I have successfully tested the developed solutions to track material and energy flows within the manufacturing processes of aRTE Möbel GmbH, a carpentry company based in Magdeburg. These solutions are based on the advancements made in the ERA-Net Smart Energy Systems Project MESH4U.

The machine operators have already started manufacturing two chairs, with one of them being fully powered by renewable energy. To ensure this, we have implemented three flexibility options:

Re-scheduling the process using decision tree algorithms,

Utilizing two Li-Ion batteries for charging and discharging,

Incorporating a charging station and electric vehicle (EV) as mobility storage systems.

With these innovative solutions in place, aRTE Möbel will operate as a Net-Zero Energy Factory, transparently showcasing the energetic sustainability of the manufacturing process through the power of blockchain technology.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates coming soon!

 

Last week we had a meeting of the MESH4U consortium. Partners from Poland (Electrum Concreo, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology), Germany (Fraunhofer IFF), Italy (University of Rome Tor Vergata) and Switzerland (EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) met in Magdeburg to talk about the project and spend some quality time together.

In addition to presenting an update of the work of demonstrators in each country, we had the opportunity to visit Fraunhofer IFF, Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal – universities supporting the development of energy storage technology and the German demonstrators themselves. We also went on a tour of the furniture factory, Arte – Möbel – where one of the German demonstrators is located. We’ll talk more about this in a later post.

At last, we had the chance to get to know each other better. This is an important aspect of any important cooperation, so we will see each other again soon. This time in Poland, at the final meeting in #Electrum Concreo headquarters.
We are so looking forward to it!

Researchers from Fraunhofer IFF and carpenters from aRTEMöbel are optimizing the energy management system at the furniture factory in Magdeburg, which is a part of the Mesh4U project demonstrator in Germany.

Multi-stationary battery energy storage system (40 kW, 56 kWh) and mobile energy storage in electric cars are the central components of the Mesh4U infrastructure. By coordinating loads of the production machines, generation from own renewable source (129 kWp PV) and energy storage facilities, it is possible to save energy costs, reduce the carbon footprint and operate the enterprise as a Net-Zero-Energy Factory.

The monitoring and coordination of all assets are based on model predictive control algorithms developed by scientists from Fraunhofer IFF and the University of TorVergata in Italy. We are looking forward to the results of long-term field tests and feedback from system users.

 

Great news from the Alu-Frost factory in Poland. Last Friday we successfully commissioned and tested the energystorage installed as part of the #MESH4U project!
For the duration of the commissioning tests, the power supply at the factory was turned off, and the storage successfully transmitted energy during this time, ensuring uninterrupted operation of the plant.

This is not the end of our work, as we will be conducting further tests of various scenarios over the next few weeks to optimize the energystorage operation to the #maximum.

 

The general aim of the Swiss demonstrator is to investigate and enhance the grid operation of a renewable-supplied power distribution grid in the presence of MW-class battery storage and EV charging stations for multiple objectives by using their controllable power electronics converters.

Therefore the fast charging station installed at the EPFL in the frame of the project not only charges electric vehicles, but also collects invaluable information and enables the enhancement of a battery energy storage system (BESS) control framework for the provision of grid services.

What do we learn from this framework? It consists of two layers: one for the estimation of the BESS usage the day ahead and one for the BESS optimal control in real-time to provide various grid services. This control framework includes an advanced forecast algorithm of the EV users’ behavior in terms of (i) the number of sessions per day, (ii) the arrival and departure times, (iii) the initial and final, SoCs (iv) the battery capacities, and (v) the minimum and maximum active power injections (imposed by either the EVCSs’ converters limits or by the EV on-board controller). The first experimental results at the EPFL demonstrate that the real-time control algorithm can accurately track the day-ahead plan.

The profitability of various services provided by the BESS was analyzed for Aigle too and it came up that peak power shaving (PPS) and backup energy storage provision alone, without participating in the frequency containment reserve (FCR) does not justify the purchase of the BESS. The increasing number of EV charging stations impacts the BESS Return on Investment (RoI) due to the fixed transformer size limit while upgrading the transformer will generate cost that needs to be taken into consideration in the BESS viability analysis.

On the basis of the demonstrator, user behavior has also been studied – based on a survey undertaken in the frame of the project, in Switzerland the EV owners are willing to extend their charging time in order to support the energy transition. They do so while the charging time is the more important decision factor for (61% of) them than the cost and the state of charge, i.e., how much their battery is charged. 30% of all participants in the survey would do it even without any compensation while 40% with a price discount

At MESH4U, the industry partner is able to confidently plan scheduling of the load demand through deep learning based uncertain hour ahead forecasts. The interval forecasts gives flexibility to the user to prepare for the worst case and the best case scenario and adopt a strategy of their liking. This leads to considerable annual energy savings and promote sustainability as the generation from renewable sources of energy is forecasted.  Below is an example of its functioning on different days of different seasons in a year. Find more at: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9921296.

We encourage you to read the latest article created under the auspices of ERA-Net Smart Energy Systems’.

On a day-to-day basis, we work on the #project in our own countries. However, discussing the #progress of MESH4U at regular meetings among the entire consortium brings opportunities to share experiences and stimulates even more creative solutions. This was also the case during last week’s session.
We have entered the intensive phase of the project related to the testing of #energystorage operation scenarios. This means that we are in the final phase of MESH4U.

Soon we will take you to Switzerland, where we will have a close look at the results of the work on energy storage adapted to #electricvehicles charging stations.

The pilot tests of fast-charging stations are being conducted as part of the MESH4U project in Lausanne. A team of EPFL engineers, in association with local businesses and authorities, are testing novel algorithms for the deployment of greener EV fast-charging stations.

Thanks to technologies being developed at the School of Engineering’s Distributed Electrical Systems Laboratory (DESL) and, its spin-off GridSteer, users will soon be able to charge their car fast and on a greener way. A new fast-charging station is installed on EPFL’s Lausanne campus, in collaboration with the EV charging stations operator GOFAST, with both stations’ charging slots open to the public. The main idea behind the station is to try out an innovative solution being developed at DESL and GridSteer and investigate new business models for electrifying Switzerland’s transportation sector. Once those solutions are validated at the EPFL, activities will be moved to a larger demonstration site in Aigle joining forces with the local utility company Romande Energie and the Community of Aigle.

In an effort to smooth the load on power grids and help operators efficiently manage fluctuations in supply and demand, DESL and GridSteer engineers are conducting research that pools their skills in three directions: day-ahead power generation and demand forecast, day-ahead planning, and real-time control for power grids incorporating renewable energy and fast charging stations. The project is being led by DESL head Mario Paolone and supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy through its Pilot, and Demonstration program.