Telvent Solutions Selected for Scandinavian Smart Grid Development
Utilities and customers will see significant benefits in Swedish smart grid demonstration project
Telvent GIT, S.A. announced that it has been selected to participate in the Smart Grid Gotland project, a large-scale, pioneer smart grid technology demonstration project in a rural area of Gotland, Sweden, partly financed by the Swedish Energy Agency. The project is expected to carry out research and development in fields that will affect the quality of electricity supply, as well as market application for integration of renewable sources.
The project, with a proposed budget of 25 million euros ($32 million), will demonstrate how new smart grid technologies can improve the electrical quality of large rural grids by utilizing large quantities of distributed power generation and advanced load management strategies. Telvent’s smart meter technology will be used to greatly increase the involvement of the end-customer in the management of their electricity use, providing them an opportunity to reduce their energy costs through informed decisions and improving access to cheaper power from renewable sources.
“Gotland's electrical grid already receives a large portion of its electricity from renewable sources. We are hopeful the project and expected results can be easily scaled up and used in other parts of Sweden, or internationally,” says Håkan Gustavsson, project manager for Vattenfall, a partner on the project.
The demonstration will provide new levels in understanding of how Telvent smart grid solutions can be utilized to improve the planning, operation and maintenance of the grid, resulting in an even greater capacity to assist utilities in cutting operational costs and improving service levels.
According to Telvent's Chairman and CEO, Ignacio Gonzalez, “Telvent is proud to be a part of the ground breaking Smart Grid Gotland project. Our strong standing in Scandinavia and industry leading solutions has positioned us to be on the forefront of smart grid development both in this region and throughout the world.”
The Smart Grid Gotland project is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2012 and run until 2015. It is a collaboration between a number of entities, including Telvent, Vattenfall, Gotland Energy, ABB, the Swedish National Grid, and the Royal Institute of Technology.