On May 20th, University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering (UNIZG FER) and Computing presented the HEDGE-IoT project at the special session “Green Transition of the Power System – R&D Projects” organized as a part of the international conference MIPRO 2024 held in Opatija, Croatia. Besides presenting the general idea to the participants of the session, UNIZG FER described their role in developing the solutions that will be used by system operators in the Slovenian demo. The special session was organized by HOPS Croatian Transmission System Operator Plc., who is also one of the partners participating in the HEDGE-IoT project. In the first part of the presentation, Tomislav Antić,

a lead researcher from UNIZG FER gave general information about the HEDGE-IoT project, including the information on all the partners, main goals and objectives of the project. In the second part of the presentation, Tomislav shared more details on the Slovenian demo and explained UNIZG FER’s role in the ensuring the application of HEDGE-IoT solutions in the real-world environment.

One of the main goals of the HEDGE-IoT project is to increase the observability of the power system by deploying IoT assets at different levels of the system and to develop algorithms and solutions that will enhance the planning and operation of transmission and distribution networks. The role of the UNIZG FER team is in line with the project objectives, with the researchers exploiting the measurements and data collected from newly installed IoT devices in network analyses enabled by the solutions developed as part of the project.

The UNIZG FER team plans to develop three algorithms based on ML/AI techniques to enable advanced distribution network analyses from the limited set of data and alleviate the task of distribution system operators. The first tool is a prerequisite for every network analysis and is used to detect and remove anomalies in a specific dataset, ensuring that only correct measurements will be used in decision-making processes. The second algorithm enables detecting the total installed capacity of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as PV power plants or heat pumps in secondary distribution networks just by relying on aggregated substation measurements and data from weather stations. Next to assessing the existing DER capacity, one of the functionalities of the algorithm is to assess the potential of hosting additional DERs considering the dynamic thermal rating of a transformer in substations. The final algorithm developed within the HEDGE-IoT project will enable the forecast and estimation of electrical measurements such as electricity demand and generation. With uncertainties introduced by the continuous increase in the share of DERs, the importance of algorithms with the improved forecasting accuracy is emphasized more than ever.

To move away from the theoretical point of view, the tools will be implemented in the Slovenian pilot locations and tested on real-world electrical measurements and weather data. Furthermore, the DSO will assess the functionality and applicability of developed tools in solving real-world problems and enhancing the planning and operation of distribution networks with a high share of DERs.

The special session was attended by transmission and network system operators, regulators, market operators, balancing groups, and other relevant entities with an important role in energy transition. That way, they were also able to share their opinion on the relevance and potential of the project.  Furthermore, final-year students of the master’s study also attended the event and received important messages on the importance of R&D projects in accelerating energy transition.

After presenting the ideas of HEDGE-IoT and receiving positive feedback, the UNIZG FER team is ready for new challenges and is looking forward to creating solutions and directly participating in the green energy transition.