Start-up challenge:
Planning new electricity grid scenarios
How can we guarantee the long-term capacity of the electricity grid?
We are looking for digital solutions to help us model new demand and generation scenarios to better forecast the grid’s operation.
Decarbonisation in our society implies the electrification of many energy-consuming industries and the integration of renewable power generation technologies. This distributed generation requires stable and flexible operation of the electricity grid, which implies significant new investments to guarantee long-term capacity. Grid management in a scenario of high integration of renewable generation, self-consumption and storage, together with the electrification of industrial processes and new demands, is evolving towards a Distribution System Operator (DSO) model. This model requires increasingly complex proactive management to optimise the capacity of its regulated assets.
The DSO needs to plan and operate a flexible grid access system using new technological tools and smart grid data to better forecast electricity flows. This requires modernising electricity demand forecasting processes. Improved grid planning seeks to develop updated methodologies to generate net demand cases in scenarios of energy uncertainty, relying on advanced artificial intelligence techniques and new analysis and calculation tools based on deep learning.
Description of the challenge
Through our PERSEO Start-up programme, we seek digital solutions that enable us to model new demand and generation scenarios in the grid, with self-consumption, storage and access flexibility, to forecast their operation and then plan their investments to guarantee the grid’s capacity, assuming a reasonable demand for electricity distribution on a five to ten year horizon.
These scenarios should take into account the evolution and geolocation of:
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Current electricity demand and generation and self-consumption
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Electrical storage (domestic, industrial, utilities, BESS, etc.)
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New emerging demands (short term): electric mobility, heating and cooling, decarbonisation of current industrial processes, etc.
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New demands in the medium and long term: digital electrification, new consumption and generation associated with technological developments and/or emerging business models (e.g. artificial intelligence, e-fuels, green hydrogen, etc.).
Solutions that do the following will be assessed favourably:
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Propose automatic learning methods or algorithms to generate and validate medium/long-term scenarios to plan network needs based on forecasted demands with different levels of granularity, foreseeing that the data from the real network operation will, in turn, allow feeding into the information system to use predictive models.
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Apply these algorithms to current simulations, based on historical data, and to simulations with predictive models, including parameterisation based on existing and public economic, industrial, sustainability, administrative factors as well as others.
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Analyse the additional geo-referenced network capacity needed at different levels of granularity, as well as the best use of existing capacity with the available flexibility.
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Identify other relevant data that is not being captured, in addition to the grid’s current state of digitisation, ranging from smart meters to the control of primary and secondary substations (LV transformer substations).
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Quantify the necessary investments in the distribution network in the different scenarios and their probability in terms of necessary infrastructures and their cost, introducing a cost–benefit type evaluation or analysis.
Start-up challenge:
Planning new electricity grid scenarios
- june
- july
- september
- january
june
5 June
Launch of the challenge
Call for proposals
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Sending the applications received on a weekly basis -
Screening of proposals by business -
Interaction with an external supplier for doubt-solving
july
15 July
Analysis and selection of winners
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Analysis of the proposals received on the basis of the information in the form and the evaluation criteria -
Clarification meetings with start-ups -
Shortlisting -
Selection of the winner -
Announcement of winners on Iberdrola.com and other media
january
January
Start of definition of pilots and implementation process
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Definition of scope and location - Offer preparation and issuing of the order
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Kick Off Meeting (KOM) and Proof of Concept (PoC) launch -
Analysis of results -
Investment analysis and trade relations
The prize
The prize will consist of signing a collaboration and testing agreement with PERSEO or any other company in the group, which will assume the costs of those activities and provide the winner with the technical support they need, as well as a real environment and data to test the solution with, giving access to equipment, teams, infrastructures, high-tech sites and shared workspaces. The winning project will be developed in collaboration with technical specialists from Iberdrola España's Networks area.
In addition, they will be directly included in the process of joining the Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub, as an additional collaborator that will be able to benefit from the services, activities and resources made available in the GSGI Hub.
If the trial or proof of concept is successful, Iberdrola España may offer the participant the opportunity to scale the solution up by adopting it through commercial agreements. PERSEO may also consider investing in the participating company and/or in the winning solution of the challenge.
Any questions about the project?
What is the GSGI Hub?
This challenge is launched under the framework of the new smart grid innovation centre, the Global Smart Grids Innovation Hub. Iberdrola España will make the Hub a global benchmark in smart grids, through open collaboration and co-working between i-DE specialists, suppliers, start-ups and different organisations from around the world.
Why are Iberdrola España and Perseo the right partners for my company?
Iberdrola España is no stranger to working with start-ups and emerging companies: in the last two years, the Group has launched more than 22 Start-up Challenges to address urgent problems facing today's power grids.
Working with Iberdrola España is a unique opportunity: winning this Challenge will reward you with the signing of a collaboration agreement to develop a Proof of Concept (PoC). The PoC will be carried out in collaboration with our Networks technical specialists. In addition, PERSEO covers the costs of the pilot and provides you with the technical support you might need, giving you access to real infrastructures and data to test your solution. Last but not least, PERSEO might consider investing in your solution!
What are the key benefits of the challenge for me?
- Collaboration Agreement and Pilot Test: The prize for the winner consists of a collaboration and test agreement with PERSEO or any other company of the Iberdrola España group. The group will cover the cost of the pilot.
- Access to all areas: Iberdrola España will provide the winner with all necessary technical support, as well as a site and real data to test the solution. This includes access to equipment, hardware, infrastructure, high-tech sites and shared work spaces.
- Scale up your technology: If the pilot is successful, Iberdrola España may offer the winner the opportunity to scale up the solution by adapting it through commercial agreements.
- Investment: PERSEO will also consider investing in the participating company and/or the winner of the challenge.
Who will judge the proposals?
The team of experts from Iberdrola's Networks business will be responsible for selecting the innovative solution or solutions, or the creation of a specific strategic alliance that contributes to accelerating the launch of new initiatives linked to the prediction of net electricity demand over planned grid capacity in the context of the energy transition.
How will registrations be evaluated?
In evaluating its proposals, Iberdrola España will consider, among other things, the following value propositions:
- The maturity, reliability and scalability of the solution.
- The simplicity of maintaining the scenario generation methodology based on publicly available and verifiable information.
- Integration with existing monitoring systems.
- The total cost, both upfront and recurring.
- Additional uses that can be made of the technology employed.
Who can participate in the challenge?
Entrepreneurs, start-ups, researchers, specialists and innovators able to scale up their solutions and negotiate partnerships and commercial contracts together with a company with global reach.
Can I send in more than one proposal?
You are welcome to submit more than one proposal, just be sure to submit one application form for each.
Who should I contact if I have any questions that are not listed here or for further information?
Send an email directly to IberdrolaChallenge@iberdrola.es.