A Catalan consortium that includes the IREC and Electra Caldense have developed a pilot plant to validate and demonstrate a smart electricity grid. IREC researchers have developed management tools that integrate new sensorization technologies into the Caldes de Montbui (Barcelona) distribution network, which will allow the company to have a controllable and measurable electrical network.
The objective is to increase the efficiency of the electrical network, improve the quality of the service, detect faults quickly and offer an immediate response.
This initiative is part of the NAenCAT project, including Electra Caldense (leader), IREC, iGrid, ZIV and Ormazábal, which aims to provide innovative sensorization, remote control and automation systems distributed to the electrical network of Catalonia and become smarter.
Today is the World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development, and the head of the Power Systems group at IREC, José Luis Domínguez-García, highlighted that “a smart grid presents multiple and transversal advantages to society, since that impacts both the network operator and citizens”, because “it provides a much more important volume of information and data for decision-making, improves the process and operation of the network, and, in addition, offers transparency and knowledge to the user of what is happening, giving control”.
You may find a related press-release (in Catalan and Spanish) in the following link:
NAenCAT was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union in the framework of the ERDF Operational Programme Catalonia 2014-2020 and the support of ACCIÓ.
