rid edge is an evolving term

but today, generally refers to

the numerous technologies

between the grid and the demand

side. Driven by renewables and dis-

tributed energy resources (DERs), it

is an area where, arguably, the great-

est activity in the electricity sector is

taking place.

Certainly all grid edge technolo-

gies are essential in realising the en-

ergy transition but there are three el-

ements that are seen as key.

Maxine Ghavi, Head of Grid edge

Solutions at Hitachi ABB Power

Grids, commented: “In terms of spe-

cic technologies there are three

key areas that we focus on and be-

lieve are key enablers of the grid

edge. First, is power – battery stor-

age, for example. Next is automation

– for exibility applications: how

you optimise the asset; how you max-

imise its value; how you manage the

different types and increasing num-

ber of DERs. And third, is digital:

things such as data analytics and ar-

ticial intelligence, and applications,

especially the cloud applications –

these have an impact from a technol-

ogy perspective and also have an im-

pact on the economics of an asset

and maximising its performance.”

These three components not only

help the grid operators and utilities

to address the challenges they are

seeing on the network as a result of

more renewables and DERs, but also

help them to maximise customer val-

ue, improve customer retention and

create new business opportunities.

“As you bring on more renewables

you need a much more exible sys-

tem, so exibility is key. And as you

bring on more assets, the next level

is optimisation,” she noted. “To have

exibility and optimisation, you can-

not look at any single challenge in

silo because you are now part of a

much bigger network.

This means that as renewables and

DERs grow, a much more complete

view of the electricity system is

needed. Ghavi explained: “Grid edge

technologies can be what happens at

the edge of the grid, what can hap-

pen behind the utility meter, or in

front of the meter. But because of the

way the transition is happening,

what happens behind the meter can

no longer stay behind the meter;

what happens at the edge can no lon-

ger stay there, so there has to be a

much more holistic view of looking

at the grid infrastructure and the ca-

pabilities we need to enable.”

While this does not call for a fun-

damental change in grid edge tech-

nologies in the near to medium term,

Ghavi believes existing technologies

will likely need to evolve and ex-

pand. “The physical assets layer is

going to become more complicated.

Today when we talk about electric

vehicles, the penetration is still very

small. And when you talk about en-

ergy storage and the global deploy-

ment of renewables, it’s still small.

But as those physical assets continue

to build up, the challenges will in-

crease. Plus you also have a growing

number of prosumers at the residen-

tial and commercial/industrial levels

making the system more dynamic,”

she said.

“So as this complexity increases, a

more comprehensive approach to

solving those problems becomes

more necessary. The power, automa-

tion and digital capabilities not only

help to address the challenges in the

network but also help utilities and

grid operators realise new business

opportunities.”

Looking at power specically,

Ghavi says the true value of grid

edge technologies such as smart bat-

teries, automation and energy man-

agement, however, is not necessarily

recognised if each of the enablers are

taken in isolation. It is when they are

integrated that the new possibilities

are realised.

Ghavi noted: “When solar was

[rst] deployed, it was about install-

ing it for self-consumption, and sell-

ing excess back to the grid. That has

evolved, especially when you bring

storage into play.”

She pointed to a project, which Hi-

tachi ABB Power Grids executed in

collaboration with Skagerak Energi

at Skagerak Arena in Skien, Norway,

as a good example of how grid edge

technologies such as solar and smart

batteries are being stacked to offer

new possibilities. The arena is home

to Odds football club, which initially

had the idea to use the roof of its sta-

dium “for something useful”. The

idea grew into a project that has seen

the soccer club become the greenest

soccer club in Europe.

As part of the ‘Skagerak Energi-

lab’, the entire rooftop of the stadi-

um was covered with 5700 m

of so-

lar modules, with a nominal power

of 800 kWp. An 800 kW/1MWh

PowerStore battery and energy man-

agement system ensures maximum

use of renewable power even when

there is low light to power the stadi-

um’s oodlights. But the soccer club

has gone further. It is combining its

solar and storage technology with a

microgrid to participate in the elec-

tricity market. And in addition to

providing the neighbourhood with

electricity, the project also allows

Skagerak Energi to collect insights

into how a prosumer system – where

consumers both produce and con-

sume electricity – operates under dif-

ferent conditions.

Ghavi added that the project is

also set up to use EVs in vehicle-to-

grid (V2G) applications. “It’s about

taking that value stacking to the next

level,” she said. With EV charging

becoming more of a requirement,

she also noted that this also has an

impact on the electricity system’s

complexity and reliability.

“Utilities are evolving and looking

at ways to retain customers by en-

abling services. But as the grid infra-

structure becomes more complex,

the expectation is that they still pro-

vide the same reliability and resilien-

cy. This is where exibility comes

in,” said Ghavi.

She cited the Energy Storage for

Commercial Renewables Integra-

tion, South Australia (ESCRI-SA)

Project, which the company execut-

ed for ElectraNet. Here the deploy-

ment of a PowerStore battery and e-

mesh control system reduced

outages from eight hours down to

30 minutes in the rst six months of

operation. It also improved network

reliability, reduced renewables cur-

tailment and lowered operating

costs.

If utilities are to accelerate the de-

ployment of these grid edge solu-

tions, continued policy support will

be crucial. Ghavi believes energy

storage is a game-changer – even

though it is no longer seen as a new

component – and says that the recog-

nition it is now beginning to receive

from policymakers will be “really

important”.

She said: “Deregulation of electric-

ity markets and increased penetra-

tion of variable renewables creates

an environment that is prime for the

accelerated deployment of storage.

So there has to be enabling policies

for both deregulation and renew-

ables. There also has to be enabling

policies that recognise storage as a

network asset that utilities can de-

ploy and leverage.”

Although the approach to policy

and the uptake of grid edge technol-

ogies varies from country to coun-

try, all are generally travelling in

the same direction. “Some are mov-

ing faster than others,” said Ghavi.

“Part of that is due to their local dy-

namics and needs, and the challeng-

es they are facing.”

Using the UK as an example, she

explained: “The UK is leading the

way in the energy transition be-

cause if you look at the increased

penetration of renewables, the UK

is doing fantastic. And there is a de-

regulated electricity market. This

has created a perfect environment

where a lot of companies – whether

technology companies, utilities or

service providers – see the UK as a

huge opportunity.”

North America and Australia were

cited as other examples where, al-

though the dynamics and grid infra-

structures are different, market de-

regulation and renewables are

driving storage.

Looking forward, Ghavi said that

while the energy sector will contin-

ue to build on existing solutions to

address the challenges and opportu-

nities of the energy transition, there

will be further innovation in the

grid edge space, especially in other

sectors.

“If you look at the electrication of

transport because of EVs, the electri-

cation of industry driven by heating

and process conversion, and the

electrication of buildings, they will

require additional innovation,” said

Ghavi. “There will also be additional

innovation around energy optimisa-

tion and digital. It’s about the future

being electric and this is nally be-

ing recognised. And as these three

sectors are electried and converge,

they will drive innovation in the

overall power systems.”

“There will also be innovation in

storage media, where technologies

that have been around for a long

time could become economically

viable in the mid- to long-term. But

no matter what is deployed in terms

of physical assets, things that we

are working on – for example in our

e-mesh portfolio and e-mesh appli-

cations – will still be relevant to

technologies that are coming down

the pipe.”

The move from centralised systems to a more decentralised set-up calls for innovation at the grid edge – where the

energy supply side, the grid, meets the demand side. Junior Isles speaks to Hitachi ABB Power Grid’s

Maxine Ghavi about what the key developments will be in the near to mid-term and the challenges that remain.

Developing the edge

THE ENERGY INDUSTRY TIMES - MARCH 2021

Industry Perspective

Ghavi: It’s about the future

being electric and this is

nally being recognised