Smart grid pilot project to connect 20,000 homes

A smart grid pilot project in Rotterdam that will connect 20,000 homes with renewables and storage facilities has been started by Siemens.

The project will see Siemens collaborate with Dutch grid operator Stedin and utility Lyv Smart Lyving to connect 20,000 ‘smart home solutions’ with local distributed energy generators including solar and onshore wind.

Its aim is to more intelligently control the power generated by renewables to smooth consumption peaks, manage grid demand more effectively and save on distribution costs.

Homes and businesses connected to the smart grid that generate their own power will also benefit from more ‘attractive’ conditions for selling surplus electricity, however there is little detail available on the precise economics of these conditions.

As a result, Siemens said it expected the Rotterdam pilot to stimulate the local economy and allow for new business models involving renewables and energy storage to be introduced.

The first phase of the project will start in the district of Merwe-Vierhavens before being expanded over the course of the next three years.

Siemens also hinted that, if successful, the smart grid could be expanded to surrounding districts and regions outside of Rotterdam, potentially incorporating more than a million additional connections.

Siemens’ Decentralised Energy Management System (DEMS) is to be a core component of the pilot project while Omnetric Group, a joint venture between Siemens and Accenture, will provide IT services.