05/23/2023
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
Network operators face huge challenges in expanding their infrastructure. With standardization Bayernwerk tries it.
The energy transition requires billions of investments in the distribution and transmission networks. The number of solar areas alone that want to be integrated is gigantic: in the Bayernwerk area, 36,000 PV systems and 23,000 storage units were connected last year, and 1,300 kilometers of new power cables were laid. The total of decentralized feed-in plants, estimates CEO Egon Leo Westphal, should soon reach the 400,000 mark.
And it continues unabated: after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, citizens' desire for greater energy independence has picked up speed once again.
680 million euros was Bayernwerk's grid budget last year, and 850 million euros a year is planned from 2025. But it's not just about money: implementing everything technically alone is a challenge, especially against a backdrop of supply bottlenecks and staff shortages. That's why new ideas are needed. Digitization is one magic word. For example, in the future - at Bayernwerk as with other network operators - only digital local network stations will be built, so that the already existing network capacities can be better utilized.
300 new substations for the energy turnaround
It also makes sense that the envisaged 300 new substations, which will probably be required in the course of the energy turnaround, cannot all be individually planned and built from scratch as before. Here, Bayernwerk is relying on an off-the-shelf solution, so to speak. The project description: "Energy transition on wheels - mobile 123 kV switchgear in container design". This can speed up the construction of substations and make them more efficient, it is hoped.
The substation container is to be used specifically in urban and sprawling areas. It offers the possibility, for example, of demolishing old substations more quickly and replacing them with new buildings. The container thus also serves as an interim solution.
Gas-insulated components are used inside the plant, which saves up to 80 percent space compared with conventional plants. Finally, the encapsulation also means greater safety because service personnel cannot touch live elements. The use of a double busbar and the connection of several power lines ensures fail-safety according to the n-1 principle and enables continued operation even in the event of a fault. In addition, the mobile container can also be used as a fast and self-sufficient fault clearance solution in the event of complete substation failures.
According to Bayernwerk, the container switchgear will contain non-conventional transformers in addition to conventional current and voltage transformers. These so-called LPIT (low power instrument transformers) are considered the next generation of transformers and will be used for testing and measurement purposes. New communication protocols will also be tested and evaluated. Two containers have already been ordered, and tenders are underway for two more.
Author: Günter Drewnitzky
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