E-Energy

A growing demand for energy and depleting fossilbased resources are spurring us on to develop new energy solutions. In particular, we must strive to increase energy efficiency, develop renewable energies and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The complex nature of energy solutions demands, first and foremost, networks for the exchange of information and smart systems for analysing and processing data. Information and communication technologies (ICT), which furnish the main tools required in the area of energy supply, have not yet received due attention. This is a mistake because latest studies and expert opinions make it clear that any further development of the energy industry will not be possible without fully drawing on the potential of digital intelligence and networking. The German Federal Government has acknowledged this shortcoming and launched the beacon project "E-Energy: ICT-based Energy System of the Future" while new activities have been initiated by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi).

E-Energy stands for the:

• Comprehensive digital interconnection
• Computer-based control
• Computer-based monitoring of the entire system

In the E-Energy project, model regions will demonstrate how the tremendous potential for optimisation presented by information and communication technologies (ICT) can be best tapped to achieve greater efficiency, supply security and environmental compatibility (cornerstones of energy and climate policy) in power supply. Furthermore, the information and energy industry will be invigorated to develop new jobs and markets. In this regard, standards will be developed and the new E-Energy solutions from the model regions will be transferred to other energy supply systems. To enable the capacities to span various industries, numerous research institutes, power companies, and businesses are participating in the beacon project.

New solutions for the electricity sector

The electricity sector is the first area to be addressed by the project. The challenges in this area are particularly high. The generation and retail markets are opening up with the progressive liberalisation and decentralisation of power generation and distribution, thus resulting in greater competition and more complex market relations. Decentralised electricity producers of varying sizes and different functions with fluctuating power feed-in are increasingly important. The one-way system of transferring energy from a large-scale power station to the consumer will soon be a thing of the past. The future lies in crossborder integrated networks with two-way power traffic and decentralised, fluctuating power feed-in. The challenge is to develop an ICT-based system that constantly strikes a balance between power generation and consumption and also minimises losses. Such a system can also balance consumption with fluctuating power generation, all without compromising on convenience. Furthermore, consumption and load curves are adjusted accordingly and evened out. In an effort to accelerate innovation developments, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) announced an E-Energy technology competition for the development of integral ideas and system concepts for an "Internet of Energy" in April 2007.

Six model regions have been chosen to actively demonstrate how the "Internet of Energy" can be used to:

• Facilitate secure and efficient electronic legal transactions and business dealings between all market participants
• Intelligently monitor, control and regulate the technical components and infrastructure of the overall electricity system
• Facilitate online linking of the electronic energy marketplace to the digitally inter-connected technical system

Ultimately, its purpose is to achieve efficient, prompt and transparent co-ordination of the energy supply, energy demand and complementary services in and between all areas of the power supply system. This not only necessitates technological progress but also the adjustment of organisational structures and general frameworks. As part of the ancillary research supporting these projects, the knowledge and experiences acquired from all model regions will be summarised, edited and published. This will accelerate the further development and large-scale transfer of E-Energy solutions.

Convenience cannot be compromised

Intelligent power meters known as "smart meters", which act as an interface between the digital data network and the power grid, play a pivotal role here. In future, this basic module of E-Energy systems will perform important control functions for producers and consumers alike.

The new power meters boast a wide range of capabilities such as:

• Individual rate storage
• Load profiling
• Easy remote reading and control
• Connection to in-house software

The meters also act as an interface between the end customer and the grid network operators, suppliers and measuring point operators. This enables E-Energy solutions to intelligently combine and co-ordinate energy sources, optimise their integration into the grid, and strike a highly-efficient balance between production and consumption, all without compromising on convenience, energy supply security and quality.

All of this clearly demonstrates that E-Energy:

• Reduces transaction costs and increases transparency in business processes
• Facilitates the economic development of renewable energy resources
• Makes better use of existing grid capacities
• Evens out load curves and reduces costly control energy needs

Our competition to establish E-Energy model regions received a large number of entries. An independent jury  had the unenviable task of selecting the six winning projects, namely:

• E-DeMa, Ruhr area model region: Use of an "intelligent" gateway to control energy supply and consumption
• eTelligence, Cuxhaven model region: Use of an intelligent energy management system to strike a balance between the supply and consumption of electricity that is generated locally
• MEREGIO, Baden model region: Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through digitally inter-connected "smart metering" in the overall electricity supply system
• Mannheim model city, Rhine-Neckar model region: New energy services as well as variable prices and rates that are based on a digitally inter-connected "Energy Butler" system
• RegModHarz, Harz model region: Provision of clean energy by the combined renewable energy power plant and the use of electrical mobility to store and regulate energy in the power grid
• SmartW@TTS, Aachen model region: Use of a webbased "trading floor" to counterbalance fluctuations in renewable energy

For more information, please refer to the E-Energy brochure, which is available for download at: www.bmwi.de