In the face of ever-increasing energy demand and integration of renewable energy sources, our power grid is being pushed to its limits. The need for new capacity within our existing electricity infrastructure has never been more pressing. Building new power lines to alleviate this congestion is a complex and time-consuming endeavor. It involves navigating regulatory approvals, environmental concerns, land acquisition issues, and significant financial investments. Innovative solutions are essential to modernize the grid, expand capacity, and ensure reliable electricity delivery while minimizing congestion​s. 

 Currently, most transmission and distribution system operators (TSO’s and DSO’s) adhere to the Static Rating philosophy. This approach considers the worst-case weather scenario to determine the maximum electrical currents that an operator can safely manage. While this time-tested theory is effective, it often leaves a sizable portion of the existing capacity unused. As the name suggests, this limit is predicated on the assumption that weather conditions are perpetually unfavorable, which, in the context of operators, translates to minimal wind and scorching hot days.

Enter the world of Dynamic Rating – a transformative approach in the power industry. Operato’s SUMO Dynamic Rating System not only considers the static properties of the power grid’s device, like overhead power lines, transformers, etc., but also the dynamic and ever-changing weather conditions. These factors are crucial in determining the actual capacity of the power grid. By considering real-time and forecasted weather data, Dynamic Rating allows for a more efficient utilization of the grid, unlocking capacity potential that was previously left untapped due to conservative estimates. This marks a significant shift in how we manage and optimize our power infrastructure.

While the current SUMO Dynamic Rating System represents a significant advancement, it still has room for improvement. As it stands, the Dynamic Rating calculations are performed on a centralized server for every span in the power grid. This centralized approach means that as the power grid expands, the calculations become increasingly resource and time intensive, especially to some special cases where fast dynamic rating is needed. Furthermore, this centralization creates a single point of failure – the server where all the calculations are run.

The aim of Operato in the HedgeIoT project is to address these shortcomings by shifting these calculations to an embedded edge device. This distributed computing approach significantly reduces the workload for a single node, as it needs to perform less calculation and then communicate it to the central server. This allows the calculations to be made in a significantly shorter time, providing a more up-to-date estimate of the actual capacity of the grid allowing for adoption of new Remedial Action Schemes.

In addition to these benefits, edge computing brings several other advantages to the table. Firstly, it enhances system resilience. By distributing the computational load across multiple nodes, the system becomes less vulnerable to single-point failures. If one node fails, others can continue to operate, ensuring uninterrupted service.

Edge computing is also inherently scalable. As the power grid expands, new edge devices can be easily added to manage the increased computational load. This scalability makes it an ideal solution for the ever-evolving power industry.

By adopting a cloud-edge approach, the HEDGE-IoT project promises to enhance the efficiency, resilience, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of the SUMO Dynamic Rating System, paving the way for a more robust and responsive power grid. This shift towards edge computing represents a significant step forward in our quest to optimize our power infrastructure and meet the growing energy demands of the future.

We’ll test this edge-computing approach in two HEDGE-IoT use cases. The first involves ELES (Slovenia’s national TSO), integrating the SUMO edge with a protection relay system allowing for fast Dynamic Line Rating calculations in case of advanced remedial actions. The second demo, with Elektro Gorenjska (DSO of the Gorenjska region), integrates the edge solution with secondary substation equipment addressing the Dynamic Power Transformer Rating and congestions on the MV/LV grid.

Stay tuned for updates on both demos in the coming months!