Zurich gets new grid control system.
30 October 2024
KISTERS control system controls, monitors and analyses the power grid of ewz – Zurich’s electricity utility.
Press release: Aachen, Germany / Zurich, Switzerland, 30 October 2024.
A modern and intelligent metering and grid infrastructure is crucial for security of supply today and in the future. It not only serves to maintain quality of life, but is also the basis for further digitalisation and the intelligent coordination of generation and consumption. In order to ensure the future viability of their grids, grid operators must, among other things, forecast the energy demand in the areas supplied, operate the grid infrastructure accordingly and, if necessary, expand it, as well as drive forward innovations, particularly for monitoring and controlling their grids in the sense of automated smart grids.
As the largest municipal utility in Switzerland, ewz – Zurich’s electricity utility – now relies on the ControlStar control system from Aachen-based IT provider for the energy industry KISTERS to control, monitor and plan the electricity grid of the city of Zurich and parts of the canton of Graubünden. The new control system replaces several legacy systems and offers extensive functionalities, particularly for grid security calculations, load flow calculations and control energy. The automated evaluation of mass data is also part of the new solution and supports ewz in areas such as fault detection and preventative avoidance of power outages, as well as the balancing of feed-in and consumption. ‘With the KISTERS control system, we have put the supply of electricity to the city of Zurich on a secure footing,’ says Andri J. Casura, Head of High-Voltage Systems in the Grids division at ewz, with conviction. ‘In particular, the fast and highly automated control of the machines in the context of control energy provision is a prerequisite for acting very quickly on the relevant markets,’ adds Timur Aka, Head of Trading and Management in the Energy division at ewz.
‘We are delighted to be able to support ewz with its very consistent focus on energy efficiency, sustainability and the continuous expansion of renewable energies. The intensive collaboration has resulted in several enhancements to our control system, which are now also benefiting other customers,’ says Dr Markus Probst, Head of the Energy division at KISTERS.
Grid security calculations including data from the transmission grid
The extended functionalities for grid security and load flow calculations, such as optimal power flow, state estimation and n-1 security, incorporate data from the transmission grid operator Swissgrid and therefore provide very realistic and reliable results. These support ewz employees in locating faults, recognising short circuits and planning switching operations, among other things.
Control energy
To enable ewz to participate in the control power market and offer flexibly available power, ControlStar handles the complex, time-critical online processes relating to control energy fully automatically in a matter of seconds – from the transfer of planning and contract data to process data acquisition and processing, online monitoring and control, through to the system-specific provision of the necessary data for billing.
Analysing and archiving big data
ewz uses the KiBiD big data solution from KISTERS to draw the right conclusions from the data collected in the network and to analyse and archive mass data. It uses pattern recognition and trend analyses to help prevent power outages, among other things.
High availability and network security
ControlStar runs on premises at ewz. ewz achieves high availability and network security through two dual computer systems, redundant design at the two sites in Zurich and Sils im Domleschg (Graubünden), as well as segmentation, encryption and authentication.
Efficiency and convenience
The new KISTERS control system at ewz ensures, among other things, standardised and therefore faster and more convenient operation, particularly in central functions such as checking and executing switching requests and creating switching reports. The web views provide a quick overview of selected grid statuses, even for authorised persons who do not have direct access to the ControlStar system.
About KISTERS
Making greater use of renewable energies, advancing the energy transition, mitigating the effects of climate change – that is our passion and our motivation. As a pioneer in the intelligent use of renewable energy, we develop digital solutions with more than 750 employees to help us use our planet’s resources more responsibly. Our portfolio for the energy industry includes market-proven software for energy data and portfolio management, metering and metering point operation, energy trading and sales, forecasting, virtual power plants and smart grids/control technology. More than 750 companies from the energy sector and industry rely on KISTERS software.
About ewz
ewz is a service division of the Department of Industrial Operations of the City of Zurich. ewz is one of the ten highest-selling energy service companies in Switzerland and supplies the city of Zurich and parts of the canton of Graubünden with electricity. We implement ecologically and economically sensible energy supply systems for complex site and large-scale projects as well as energy networks for neighbourhoods and municipalities. We also operate a nationwide, non-discriminatory fibre optic network in the city of Zurich. Our 1,200 employees work for 234,000 customers. We also manage the public lighting and public clocks in the city of Zurich.
Further press information is available from KISTERS AG at
www.kisters.de/news
Please send me a specimen copy in case of publication.
Press contact energy market
KISTERS AG
Astrid Beckers
Wetterkreuz 13a
91058 Erlangen
Phone: 09131 480096 39
Fax: 09131 480096 55
astrid.beckers@kisters.de
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