Pressurised electricity grids require smarter management of electrical energy
As new electricity consumers place increasing pressure on infrastructure, researchers point to smarter management and energy storage as part of the solution.
Europe’s electricity grid is under significant pressure. The electrification of transport and industry, new data centres and energy-intensive power-to-x (PtX) facilities are driving a sharp rise in demand for electrical energy, and many projects are being forced to wait for grid connection because infrastructure cannot keep pace.
- In the energy transition, the priority was expanding electricity generation from wind and solar. Now the focus is on electrifying consumption. Here, power electronics is the connecting bloodstream that brings producers and consumers together, says Jan Cornils from Wirtschaftsförderung und Technologietransfer Schleswig-Holstein.
This is precisely the challenge addressed by the Danish-German Interreg-funded SmartPowerConversion project. Researchers and companies across the border region have developed new solutions for controlling and converting electrical energy that could make the energy system more flexible and efficient.
Researchers have developed and tested new systems in which control functions are placed closer to the physical components that convert electrical energy. This can make systems more compact, reduce energy losses, and contribute to more cost-effective, efficient solutions.
- You could say that power electronics binds the energy system together like a bloodstream. It is the technology that ensures electrical energy is controlled and converted correctly so that we can use it efficiently, says Kasper Mayntz Paasch, Associate Professor and Deputy Head of Section at SDU Centre for Industrial Electronics.
Sønderborg and northern Germany are among the places in Europe where this development is particularly strong, partly due to the region’s early investment in renewable energy and strong research and industrial environments within power electronics.
- Many companies in the Danish-German border region develop products and solutions based on expertise in power electronics and the efficient use of electrical energy. That is why it is important to build new knowledge and stimulate innovation in this field, says Gustav Nebel from Sønderborg Vækstråd.
This could become an important element in an energy system where both flexibility and storage capacity are increasingly vital.
- Improved second-life use of batteries also creates a bridge to the circular economy, which is essential for a sustainable future, says Cornils.
According to Paasch, the combination of intelligent control and energy storage will be crucial as society becomes increasingly electrified.
- We are facing a massive electrification of society. That means we will need both more intelligent management of electricity and greater energy storage, he says.
SmartPowerConversion is funded through the EU’s Interreg Deutschland-Danmark programme and brings together research institutions, companies and innovation environments in Denmark and Germany.
Although the project is approaching its conclusion, partners are already working on the next step to bring these technologies closer to industry and education.
According to Cornils, the significance of projects like this extends far beyond the region.
- We need model projects that demonstrate what is technically possible – and that it can also be done economically. That is crucial for Europe’s green transition.
- In the energy transition, the priority was expanding electricity generation from wind and solar. Now the focus is on electrifying consumption. Here, power electronics is the connecting bloodstream that brings producers and consumers together, says Jan Cornils from Wirtschaftsförderung und Technologietransfer Schleswig-Holstein.
This is precisely the challenge addressed by the Danish-German Interreg-funded SmartPowerConversion project. Researchers and companies across the border region have developed new solutions for controlling and converting electrical energy that could make the energy system more flexible and efficient.
Smarter management can improve the use of electrical energy
A central focus of the project has been power electronics. This technology controls and converts electrical energy in everything from electric vehicles to data centres, industrial systems, building appliances and energy infrastructure.Researchers have developed and tested new systems in which control functions are placed closer to the physical components that convert electrical energy. This can make systems more compact, reduce energy losses, and contribute to more cost-effective, efficient solutions.
- You could say that power electronics binds the energy system together like a bloodstream. It is the technology that ensures electrical energy is controlled and converted correctly so that we can use it efficiently, says Kasper Mayntz Paasch, Associate Professor and Deputy Head of Section at SDU Centre for Industrial Electronics.
Sønderborg and northern Germany are among the places in Europe where this development is particularly strong, partly due to the region’s early investment in renewable energy and strong research and industrial environments within power electronics.
- Many companies in the Danish-German border region develop products and solutions based on expertise in power electronics and the efficient use of electrical energy. That is why it is important to build new knowledge and stimulate innovation in this field, says Gustav Nebel from Sønderborg Vækstråd.
Used batteries could become part of the solution
As part of the SmartPowerConversion project, researchers have also worked with energy storage and the reuse of batteries from, among other sources, the electric ferry Ellen, which operates daily between Als and Ærø. When batteries no longer meet the requirements of their original use, they may still hold value for storing electrical energy.This could become an important element in an energy system where both flexibility and storage capacity are increasingly vital.
- Improved second-life use of batteries also creates a bridge to the circular economy, which is essential for a sustainable future, says Cornils.
According to Paasch, the combination of intelligent control and energy storage will be crucial as society becomes increasingly electrified.
- We are facing a massive electrification of society. That means we will need both more intelligent management of electricity and greater energy storage, he says.
SmartPowerConversion is funded through the EU’s Interreg Deutschland-Danmark programme and brings together research institutions, companies and innovation environments in Denmark and Germany.
Although the project is approaching its conclusion, partners are already working on the next step to bring these technologies closer to industry and education.
According to Cornils, the significance of projects like this extends far beyond the region.
- We need model projects that demonstrate what is technically possible – and that it can also be done economically. That is crucial for Europe’s green transition.