Automatic Control Laboratory: smart grid solution powers Swiss energy future
At a time when energy shortages threaten countries worldwide, researchers of the Automatic Control Laboratory (IfA) at D-ITET and NCCR Automation have developed a low-cost, high-impact software solution to improve energy providers' resilience and efficiency. This innovative approach enables providers to optimize decentralized energy resources, such as photovoltaic systems, through flexible, responsive, and data-driven operation.
Their solution, called Online Feedback Optimization, calculates updated setpoints for photovoltaic inverters based on grid data and sends commands to optimize operation, improve responsiveness, and increase resilience without laying more power cables. A successful pilot implementation showed excellent results in controlling the reactive power generation of a single solar plant, pointing to its potential significant impact if deployed more widely.
Working with AEW Energie AG, which provides energy to Canton Aargau, PhD student Lukas Ortmann used advanced algorithms and real-time measurements to remotely control solar inverters in the grid. This technology stabilizes voltage, deploys more renewable generators, and increases network capacity without causing environmental disruption or high costs in the long run.