Successful completion of the Demonstration of Integrated Energy Management project
Together with a consortium of partners, Petrol has successfully carried out the Demonstration of Integrated Energy Management (DEUP) development project. This resulted in a system for efficient management of the water supply system of the KP Ptuj and KP Idrija networks, a demonstration platform for consumption management in the steel industry, a tool for optimal use of flexibility and a modern energy system for energy management in the industrial environment. According to the participants, this and similar projects will be crucial if we want to solve the challenges posed by energy management trends in a cost-effective manner.
When applying for the project in 2017, the DEUP project partners recognised the importance of flexibility for the development of the electricity market and the need for efficient monitoring and management of consumption in both industry and water infrastructure managers. "Projects such as DEUP are an exceptional opportunity to develop new business solutions, which Petrol has largely taken advantage of in this particular case. As part of the project goals, we implemented the twin hydraulic supply systems and the Tango IoT platform in the Aquis software environment and developed the WPECO application. With the implemented solutions, the managers of the water supply systems of Idrija and Ptuj were given tools that enable them a comprehensive overview of the operation of the water supply system and the possibility of quick, proactive action, with the aim of energy optimisation and reducing electricity consumption," said dr. Janez Žlak, Executive Director of Energy and Environmental Systems at Petrol.
Mag. Samo Ceferin, head of the Energy Systems program at Kolektor Sisteh, also confirmed the positive outcome of the project: "As one of the project partners, Kolektor Sisteh participated in the integrated energy management and energy optimisation of water supply systems. Over the course of the project, we developed solutions and knowledge that are of strategic importance to us, and we offer them both domestically and internationally. Cooperation with partners has brought us important knowledge in the field of integrated and sustainable solutions in energy and water management. The most important achievement on the project, as we see it, is the comprehensive connection of the partners with technical and technological solutions, which we finally completed by integration into the joint TANGO platform on the part of Petrol's leading partner. We also see the achievements of this project in further mutual cooperation and potential new market opportunities."
Consortium of DEUP project partners:
• Petrol d.d., Ljubljana (lead partner);
• Kolektor Sisteh d.o.o.;
• Iskratel d.o.o.;
• Smartis, informacijski sistemi, d.o.o.;
• Javno podjetje Komunala Idrija d.o.o.;
• Komunalno podjetje Ptuj d.d.;
• Institute for Water;
• Solvera Lynx d.o.o.;
• Slovenska industrija jekla d.d..
The company Smartis, informacijski sistemi, also played an extremely important role in the project, particularly in development and integration. "In our opinion, the most important achievement of the project is the development of an advanced integrated interdisciplinary solution, which is lacking in Slovenia," said dr. Blaž Peternel, Head of Research and Development at Smartis, informacijski sistemi. The solution is not only technological but also economically justified. According to Tomaž Buh, Head of Software Solutions Development at Solvera Lynx, this is one of the most important achievements of the project: "As part of the DEUP project, by using the solution STEELFLEX, we automated the process of calculating and using flexibility that is economically justified without jeopardising the production process. We also defined the technical parameters under which we can use adaptive energy."
Results of the DEUP project
• Demonstration platform for consumption management in the steel industry – Steelflex (locations SIJ Acroni and SIJ Ravne na Koroškem), which enables market use of more than 20MW of flexibility in each direction.
• A tool for optimal use of flexibility, which, on the basis of predictive models and price signals from trading platforms (energy exchanges) and available flexibility, proposes optimised use of flexibility in different segments of the electricity market (day-ahead trading, intraday trading, balancing market and system services). With the help of an automated system and developed tools, the aggregator and the included flexibility providers (local optimizers) are enabled to generate new revenues in the amount of 3 €/MWh of available flexibility.
• The active FEMS ("Factory energy management system"), which is a modern energy management system for the industrial environment, and its operation takes into account aspects of energy saving, energy efficiency and adjustment of consumption according to current electricity prices on the market.
• System for efficient management of the water system of the KP Ptuj and KP Idrija networks, which facilitates network operators' control of the network (faster detection of errors through the introduction of hydraulic models) and technical economic optimisation of the operation of the water system through optimisation of pressure conditions in pipelines. The implemented measures reduced water losses in water supply systems by more than 5%.
The DEUP project was implemented from July 2017 to August 2020. It also confirmed the already known need for the introduction of local systems for the control and management of consumption, which, in addition to effective monitoring of energy consumption in individual processes, also enable a rapid response to perceived anomalies in energy consumption. In addition to local governance, the project also made it possible to use flexibility directly through a connection to energy markets. The market utilisation of adaptability in short-term markets is becoming increasingly interesting for both existing and new market players due to changes in the electricity system, which today result mainly from a rapid increase in the share of dispersed and volatile electricity production from RES, and in the future the introduction of e-mobility will have a major impact on the network. The need for flexibility will thus increase. The achieved results of the DEUP project show that the introduction of management systems is not only technologically interesting but also economically justified.
The role of national and European demonstration programs, which enable a multidisciplinary approach and the testing of developed solutions in practice, has been and will continue to be crucial for finding cost-effective solutions to challenges posed by these trends. "We are most proud of the confirmation of the concept of the WPECO application, as it represents a new approach and role of water supply systems in balancing the operation of the power network and at the same time reducing both environmental impacts and the cost of the water supply," concluded dr. Žlak.
*The Demonstration of Integrated Energy Management project (DEUP) was selected in a public tender of the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology and SPIRIT Slovenia, public agency "Pilot/Demonstration Projects - set I: energy conversion, distribution and management" for co-financing the operation "Demonstration of integrated energy management" with decision no. 303-7-4/2016/7, partly financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology and SPIRIT Slovenia, public agency.
