Enabling DSOs to identify and deploy flexibility at the Low Voltage level

NODESconnect™ is a partnership program for participants of the digital flexibility value chain. The program aims to further collaboration between participants in building a more efficient, automated and transparent flexibility market.

Flexibility is the term used to describe the ability of any assets to adjust their behaviour to shift electricity grid loads. Flexibility is used to reduce peaks in demand or supply to avoid the expensive consequences of these high loads such as network damage, large price fluctuations, and the long-term need for over dimensioned infrastructure. Flexibility is also widely used to maintain grid stability before reinforcement work can be carried out.

The need for flexibility has been born out of the energy transition leading to much more volatile network loads and a rate of load growth which is outstripping network operators’ capacities to keep up with network build-out i.e. a network operator might know that it needs to reinforce a section of its network, and it might well have the funds to do it, however is constrained in terms of its supply chain and/or personnel resources. To prevent blackouts, the network operator can deploy flexibility to reduce loads at times of high demand.

NODES is a Norwegian technology company which is paving the way for a more sustainable future. NODES award-winning market design and technology platform is helping speed up the energy transition by unlocking the value of flexibility within the electricity network. NODES uses this technology and market design to operate flexibility markets as an Independent Market Operator.

SMIGHT, based in Germany, is a provider of a market leading Low Voltage Grid Monitoring and Control solution to over 125 DSOs in central Europe. NODES and SMIGHT share a common background of both having been established as solutions to large utilities’ problems (In NODES’ case from Å Energi, and in SMIGHT’s case from Netze BW) and a common view of the role that smart grids can play in our current, and future Net Zero, world.

The Venn Diagram of where the two companies’ interests overlap is in the enablement of flexibility out on the low voltage grids. SMIGHT’s solution enables DSOs to identify and predict where, when, and to what extent flexibility is required in their Low Voltage networks. NODES then enables the marketing of this flex requirement to Flexibility Service Providers (FSPs). Without live monitoring of the low voltage grid, DSOs must estimate at a wider scale the level of flexibility that is required. This has two potentially negative consequences:

1. That DSOs need to precure more flex than they really need, this means that either it costs more or that flex providers get paid less than they otherwise would, which in turn means they are more reluctant to participate in the market.
2. The network operators can inadvertently end up causing grid congestion. This happens when demand turn up is procured without consideration for network capacity.

“NODES are pleased to welcome SMIGHT in to the NODESconnect program. We believe that the acceleration of the energy transition, can only happen through the creation of a more digital and integrated value chain. Companies like SMIGHT are able to integrate their solutions to the NODES flexibility trading platform and offer the availability of different assets connected to the LV network, enabling the utility to secure flexibility when and where they need it and alleviate congestion issues” says Richard Sarti, CEO NODES.

“Here at SMIGHT we are really excited to join NODES’ family of partner organisations and with this to start helping DSOs access and realise far greater levels of highly ‘granular’ flexibility which are to be found out on the LV Networks in the form of home EV chargers, heat pumps, and domestic battery systems”, says Dirk ter Haar – International Business Develop Manager.