VKW-Netz AG, Austria
In close partnership with VKW, an Austrian utility, we are developing the “DG DemoGrid” project in the biosphere park “Großes Walsertal”. The goal is to adjust the power grid to the special local requirements, without big additional extension of the grid. In the biosphere park “Großes Walsertal” today the current flow direction changes depending on the season, a situation caused by the increasing number of decentralized energy generators. In winter ski tourism needs lots of energy, in spring and summer snowmelt and rainfalls cause a surplus of energy generated by decentralized hydropower stations. Therefore, the energy needs to be transported in both directions – into and out of the valley. At the same time, the voltage level has to remain stable so that more hydropower stations can be connected to the grid. In this project PPC provides the communications infrastructure which enables the required grid control. Siemens RTUs measure and transfer the data. Depending on the current and voltage, the system automatically regulates the line voltage of the 36kv grid. PPC's medium voltage couplers and modems enable the needed real-time measurement and the transfer of the data over the powerline itself by IEC 60870 protocol.
In a demonstration project now the concept of the active distribution grid will be installed and proved, based on the encouraging results of three years research and simulations in the project „DG DemoGrid”. The new technology can then also be used in other regions. As a side effect 10 to 15% more generation capacity can be installed in the same grid, without the need of any grid extension.
illwerke vkw – A Brief Portrait
Vorarlberg’s history of electric industry began more than a century ago. Due to the abounding watercourses and the good geographical conditions, Vorarlberg presented the ideal prerequisites for an economically important development of hydro power. Founded as early as in 1901 as a private company, the Vorarlberger Kraftwerke AG (VKW) became in 1929 a province-owned company that covered the public demand of electricity. The Vorarlberger Illwerke AG (Illwerke) was founded in 1924 in view of the production of peak and control energy for its partners in the European grid.
In the course of the liberalization of the European electricity market the companies merged on January 1st, 2001 as illwerke vkw and have now a common management. The distribution of duties and responsibilities was reorganized within illwerke vkw. The core business of Illwerke concentrates on the production of energy and the operation of VKW power plants. The VKW concentrates on the distribution of energy in Vorarlberg and in the neighbouring Western Allgäu and acts as electricity distributor. The VKW-Netz AG concentrates on the transportation of electricity and the operation of a distributing grid thus assuring a secure electricity supply in Vorarlberg.