Smarter Grid Solutions Expands Into Europe

SCOTTISH software specialist Smarter Grid Solutions (SGS) is
expanding into Europe after completing successful trials with a utility company
in Germany.

SGS's German trial demonstrated “dynamic curtailment”, where
very small amounts of electricity produced by renewable energy generators like
wind farms or solar parks is reduced if too much power is pumped into the grid.

Taking a dynamic curtailment approach can double the hosting
capacity for renewable energy and vastly reduces the amount of curtailment
required by existing dispatch methods.

As well as reducing curtailment, SGS's DERMS technology
allows DSOs to reduce connection times and the requirement for grid upgrades,
which in turn improves customer service, increases efficiency and reduces
customer bills.

The same technology can also now be applied across Europe
thanks to regulatory changes introduced by the European Union's (EU's) Clean
Energy Package.

SGS is seeking to capitalize on its success and ensure the
same benefits can be offered to other German and EU DSOs.

Alan Gooding, co-founder of SGS, will lead the expansion as
European general manager, in addition to his responsibilities as UK general
manager and EVP of channel and partners.

Mr Gooding said: “The time is right for the move: the need
exists, regulation is enabling it, the technology is mature and proven, and -
most importantly - we see customer pull.

“Only last week we hosted a European DSO in the UK, running
through the use cases that can be supported by our products and how they
deliver value to DSOs.”

The firm will work with distribution system operators (DSOs)
moving from passive grid operation as an asset operator to actively managing
their network using Distributed Energy Resources (DER).

In the past, large coal and gas-fired power stations were
connected to the main national transmission network, with their electricity
then fed down into local distribution networks.

Now, many renewable energy generators are connected to
distribution networks, meaning power flows in both directions on the grid and
triggering the need for DSOs to implement new forms of control and system
flexibility.

As well as adding more renewables to the grid, SGS's DERMS
software can also be used to control other distributed energy resources that
are connected to distribution grids, such as batteries to store energy and
machinery that can be turned on or off to match periods of peak demand or low
power generation.

SGS's Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS)
software is already adding around 1.3GW of renewable energy, battery storage
and flexibility services to global electricity grids.

The company has a strong presence in the UK through its
offices in Glasgow, and in the United States with its bases in New York and San
Francisco