Digital ants for better power grids

The digital ants learn to distinguish good connections from bad ones. Partial solutions that are found to be good are reinforced and incorporated into the next optimization cycle – the result is continuously improved. “Filtering out the best possible network variants from thousands is a typical optimization task that we solve in many areas of automotive engineering,” says Schollmeyer. IAV has packed this know-how into its new software for the energy industry.

IAV Optera graphically displays the calculated variants. The network planner can compare them, modify them manually and thus design an optimum network structure. Initial tests in regular operation have already been successful at the partner LEW Verteilnetz GmbH (LVN) in Augsburg. Network planner Stephan Fettke: “By automating work steps and offering a high degree of flexibility in parameterization, IAV Optera software offers great potential for efficient and realistic target grid planning based on topographic maps. Our testing of the software shows that it is a very helpful tool in mastering our current planning tasks.”

A case from practice: In a rural distribution grid with regional load centers and many solar installations, several lines are already reaching their limits; in addition, the operator forecasts a load increase due to electric vehicles. Ergo: some network areas will be overloaded in many switching states. The operator wants to take countermeasures.

For their target grid study, the planner used various optimization functions from IAV Optera in addition to the current grid analysis: This can be used, for example, to place branch-joint or increase cable cross-sections. Route optimization transforms network designs based on air-line distances into routes along roads. Based on geodata, highways, rivers, railroad lines and nature reserves are avoided or crossings are financially taken into account.

The obvious solution in the case of the rural distribution grid: replace 8.5 kilometers of overloaded lines with new cables and additionally reinforce the substation feeders. IAV Optera proposes an alternative: two new connections in the western service area and a short new line in the southeast. Thanks to IAV Optera, the grid operator thus gets by with only 6.9 kilometers of new lines – and saves 20 percent of the investment costs compared to the intuitive solution.

“The software does everything automatically, but it never replaces the network planner. On the contrary, its many years of expertise enhance IAV Optera’s good results,” emphasizes Schollmeyer. The planner not only defines the input parameters and selects the optimization functions; they also use an editing function to incorporate their detailed knowledge of the network characteristics into the study.

IAV Optera is offered as a software-as-a-service. This eliminates the need for installation and integration into the IT landscape at the distribution system operator. Planners operate the software via a web front end that communicates with the server via an encrypted connection. Its location in Germany and an IT security concept guarantee confidentiality and data security. IAV stores the network data only for the duration of the calculation. Full control over your own data and an optimized distribution grid – IAV Optera achieves both.

The article was published in automotion 01/2021, the automotive engineering magazine of IAV. Here you can order the automotion free of charge.