Digitalisation and hybridisation of power grids

Any value proposition that leads to improved infrastructures and brings us closer to a commitment to neutrality will benefit not only companies but also society as a whole. Consequently, the following are worth noting:

• BATTWIN, a digital twin of electric batteries that makes it possible to assess their ageing so as to calculate their useful life and rationalise their use. 

• Georeferenced prospective modelling of energy demand and generation to identify the kinds of grid we will need to meet that demand, and when. 

• SW tools to manage the flexibility we can get from distributed generation and demand, and optimise its use for the grid.

• Solutions to anticipate cybersecurity risks at substations and power grids and protect them from potential cyber-attacks 

The focus in the digital arena will be on applications that are capable of bringing efficiency to operating the power grid. We are talking about digital twins, edge computing, IoT, robotics, advanced human-machine interaction and of course, cybersecurity and the involvement of AI in all processes. 

We will also pay more attention to grid planning, with a more holistic view incorporating a greater degree of uncertainty depending, for example, on the technological developments needed by the industrial and transport sectors to decarbonise.

Lastly, we must not forget the more electrotechnical technologies that will continue to be essential in providing grids with the resilience and security we need: power electronics with the widespread deployment of grid-forming inverters. For example, the incorporation of electrical storage into grid management and hybridisation between DC and AC grids at different voltage levels must also be taken into account.