A smart grid pilot project in Rotterdam will connect 20,000 homes with renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar PV plants, and storage systems by the year 2020. The aims of the project include providing intelligent control of power generation and consumption in order to even out consumption peaks, avoiding grid overloads, saving energy and distribution costs, and encouraging investment in renewable energy sources and energy storage systems. The smart grid will also offer companies and households that generate power attractive conditions for marketing surplus electricity, turning those consumers into ‘prosumers’.
“In this way the Rotterdam smart grid is also expected to stimulate the local economy and smooth the way for innovations and new business possibilities,” a Siemens spokesperson said. “The mix of large and small port-related companies as well as private homes in Rotterdam will provide a suitable test environment for the smart grid pilot project.”
The project is a partnership between Siemens, the city of Rotterdam, Dutch grid operator Stedin, and Dutch energy service provider Lyv Smart Lyving. Siemens’ decentralised energy management system (DEMS) is to be a platform for the smart electricity grid – balancing the fluctuations of generation and loads and compensating for power peaks in the grid – while Omnetric Group, a joint venture between Siemens and Accenture, will provide IT services.
After successful completion of this test phase in the district of Merwe-Vierhavens of Rotterdam, the partners are planning to extend the smart grid to other districts in the area and later to the surrounding region outside Rotterdam with one million additional connections.
