FlexChain follows on seamlessly from the Designetz research project and continues the topic of controlling flexible energy demand and ecological, fluctuating energy generation. The focus is on the potential of flexibly controllable energy consumption in the private sector, such as via heat pumps or home storage systems.
1
2
The mobilization of micro-flexibilities offers an attractive opportunity to avoid local congestion situations in the grid. To leverage this potential, a system is needed that combines energy generation from decentralized plants with possible and flexible energy consumption.
3
Complex contract and settlement processes associated with the practical trading of flexibilities are to be automated with the help of smart contracts.
Your contact
Dr. Anna Vocke
eMail: anna.vocke@aws-institut.de
Phone: +49 681 93511 349
In a nutshell
What?
The goal of FlexChain is to create a user-friendly, decentrally organized ICT system that, on the one hand, enables prosumers (especially households that produce and consume electricity) and even encourages them to make their own flexibilities available for grid-serving use. At the same time, it is a possible alternative to conventional grid reinforcement to counteract potential congestion situations. In particular, it is intended to make an important contribution to the local stabilization of distribution grids in the low-voltage range.
How?
First, the trading processes are designed and implemented in order to map small-scale flexibility transactions between households and network operators. The transaction processes are represented by means of smart contracts. A prerequisite for the acceptance of the system by private households as well as the practical usability of small-scale flexibilities for grid stabilization by the grid operator is the secure and efficient mapping of the transaction processes. The expertise of the August-Wilhelm Scheer Institute in the field of flexibility management is to be used for the conceptual description of possible trading processes as well as their implementation in the blockchain (concatenated sequence of data blocks that is further updated over time and stored in a decentralized manner). In addition, an algorithm is to be developed for optimizing network planning that enables optimal matching of flexibility supply and demand.
Initial situation
Until today, electrical energy has mainly been produced centrally by a few large generators, such as coal-fired and nuclear power plants, and transmitted to end consumers via an electricity grid. But structural change is bringing about far-reaching changes in the energy sector. On the one hand, electricity production is becoming increasingly decentralized and fluctuating in line with weather conditions. On the other hand, the change from a few large producers facing many consumers to so-called prosumers, who both consume and produce electricity, is inevitable. Due to the expansion of small generation plants and increased electromobility, the risk of voltage band violations caused by local bottlenecks in the low-voltage grid continues to increase.
All this has consequences for the distribution networks, which have to cope with decentralized and more dynamic power generation. In this context, flexibility stands for a central instrument to dynamically adjust generation and consumption behavior. However, the flexibility potential of households and micro enterprises has so far only been used to a limited extent.
The August-Wilhelm Scheer Institute develops two essential components:
Design and implementation of smart contracts. The August-Wilhelm Scheer Institute is responsible for the conceptual design of the trading processes between households and network operators, the investigation and definition of the necessary data basis and IT architecture, and the implementation of the transaction processes using smart contracts. A decentralized blockchain network is to be implemented in order to process transactions in a forgery-proof and transparent manner. In this way, a largely complete automation of the transactions is achieved, which enables a practicable as well as economically reasonable use of small flexibility potentials.
Development of a matching algorithm. The imbalance between generation and consumption is to be optimally matched. Crucial for this is the ability to efficiently identify one or more matching flexibility offers for a forecasted demand in the grid. The development of an appropriate matching algorithm should ensure this. Relevant grid parameters, flexibility characteristics and economic aspects have to be taken into account.
Press releases
How widespread are smart grid technologies in low voltage? What challenges do grid operators see and how do they assess the potential of micro-flexibilities? As part of the FlexChain research project, the August-Wilhelm Scheer Institute surveyed German distribution grid operators on this issue and presented the results in the article “Towards the Smart Grid?
50,2, 22. März 2022
Partners
FUNDING NOTICE
The FlexChain project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.