{"id":1005,"date":"2019-09-30T18:36:08","date_gmt":"2019-09-30T16:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smartsim.energy\/?page_id=1005"},"modified":"2019-10-09T16:51:51","modified_gmt":"2019-10-09T14:51:51","slug":"digitization-in-the-energy-sector","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.smartsim.energy\/en\/digitization-in-the-energy-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"Digitization in the energy sector"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"text-large-section alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"section-dot\"><\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"section-title\">\n\t\t\t<h2>Topics<\/h2>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<h1>Digitization in the energy sector<\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"large-text-block\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"text\">\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Prof. Dr.-Ing. Joachim Schenk, Munich University of Applied Sciences<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">&#8220;Digitization&#8221; is a megatrend that impacts almost all areas of daily life. Handling both the opportunities and risks of digitization will pose a significant challenge for the future. Digitization can, for example, permanently alter \u2013 and in some cases even entirely replace \u2013 established processes and structures.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"text-right-section\">\r\n\t<div class=\"row\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-6\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"text\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The energy sector is currently facing its biggest challenge: the energy transition, i.e. the decarbonisation of our energy supply. One key to overcoming this challenge is digitization: already today, digitization enables energy generation and load control over very wide geographic areas, allowing several consumers to be interconnected to form one virtual consumer (known as &#8220;demand response aggregator&#8221;) or small producers to be combined to form one &#8220;virtual power plant&#8221;. The simultaneous use of new technologies such as Power2Heat and Power2Gas also enables load distribution across different sectors.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">According to the German Federal Statistics Office, some 900 TWh of energy was taken from the gas grid in 2018, more than twice as much as from the electricity grid (around 440 TWh). For this reason, the gas industry is of paramount importance for the success of the energy transition. <\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-6\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Digitization in the literal sense describes the temporal sampling and subsequent value quantisation of analogue (measurement) values. The data digitized in this way can be stored, duplicated, transmitted and, above all, processed with the aid of digital computers.\t<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"inline-slideshow\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow-item\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.smartsim.energy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Digitalisierung-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"img-fluid\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"text-right-section\">\r\n\t<div class=\"row\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-6\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"videoWrapper\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"SmartSim T\u00dcV S\u00fcd Innovationspreis 2019\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tfq-WN-ztAE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-6\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"text\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The SmartSim method represents a major step towards digitization in the energy sector. It uses various <i>digitally<\/i> available data, processes them and in this way allows renewables to be integrated into the existing gas grid, for example. For the process itself it is irrelevant whether the gas fed into the pipeline grid is biogas from fermenters, hydrogen from Power2Gas plants or methanized hydrogen. With digitization, calibrated measuring equipment can be made available virtually \u2013 i.e. by calculation \u2013 at all points of the grid. The Monte Carlo method can also be used digitally to check the uncertainty of the readings collected. This avoids the need for complex measurements at the exit points or even calorific value adjustments. In practice, digitization provides a number of distinct advantages:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">The absence of conditioning systems and the reduction of measurement infrastructure increases operational safety and availability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">The costs for grid operators are effectively reduced.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">The grid capacity is increased by not admixing gases that raise the calorific value.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Digitization allows the injection of renewable hydrogen in the first place.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">At the same time, digitization also necessitates structural changes on the grid operators\u2019 side: (digital) interfaces must be adapted, employees must be trained to use the relevant software and operational reliability is no longer needs ensured at the hardware level but at the software level. Thanks to this small digital revolution, around 90000t of CO<\/span><span class=\"s2\"><sub>2<\/sub><\/span><span class=\"s1\"> have been already been saved across Europe so far.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">For this innovative use of digitization, the SmartSim method received the &#8220;T\u00dcV S\u00fcd Innovation Award&#8221; (2nd place) in 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"text-right-section\">\r\n\t<div class=\"row\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-6\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"text\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Another digital abstraction of the gas grid is currently being investigated in a joint research project with Munich University of Applied Sciences. In &#8220;SmartSens&#8221;, the gas grid is modelled as a digital signal processing system (see figure). This way, the <\/span><span class=\"s2\">travel times and volumetric fraction of gas properties<\/span><span class=\"s1\"> (composition, standard density, calorific values, etc.) \u2013 measured at the entry and exit points \u2013 can be determined by digital signal processing using sensors without knowing the topological parameters of the pipeline grid (pipe lengths and diameters, branches, controllers, etc.). This allows the validation of gas quality tracking systems such as SmartSim even under complicated hydraulic conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Conclusion: Digitization can make a contribution to the energy transition \u2013 with SmartSim and the associated projects, this is already happening today.<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-6\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>The gas grid as a digital signal processing system: The input signals (e.g. calorific values at the entry points) are mapped to the output signals (e.g. calorific values at the exit points) by suitable filtering. If the filter coefficients are known, this assignment can be performed efficiently on the computer.<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"inline-slideshow\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"slideshow-item\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.smartsim.energy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Zeichenfla\u0308che-1-Kopie.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"img-fluid\">\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"reference-list-section\">\r\n\t\t<h2>References<\/h2>\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"reference-list-table\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"reference-list-item\">\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hm.edu\/allgemein\/aktuelles\/news\/newsdetail_168192.de.html\" target=\"_blank\">[1] T\u00dcV S\u00fcd Innovationspreis 2019<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"reference-list-item\">\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurasip.org\/Proceedings\/Eusipco\/Eusipco2018\/papers\/1570437545.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">[2] A. Alexiou, J. Schenk \u201eSpecies Related Gas Tracking in Distribution Grids\u201c, IEEE 2018<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"reference-list-item\">\r\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007%2Fs12667-019-00329-z\" target=\"_blank\">[3] A. Alexiou, J. Schenk \u201eSensor-based gas tracking\u201c, Springer 2018<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":41,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1005","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smartsim.energy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smartsim.energy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smartsim.energy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smartsim.energy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smartsim.energy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1005"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.smartsim.energy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1005\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1169,"href":"https:\/\/www.smartsim.energy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1005\/revisions\/1169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smartsim.energy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}