Enel Distribuzione, the company that runs the Enel distribution grid and Hera, the Italian multi-utility firm that operates in the environmental sector and provides water, gas and electricity services, have reached a partnership agreement to launch a pilot smart-grid project.
The project, lasting two years, will be developed in the Province of Modena on the grid linked to the Pavullo substation. It will involve four distinct technology modules in order to create an automation system for the medium-voltage grid, integrating distributed generation into the monitoring and control system. This will make it easier to detect breakdowns, with the further development of remote control, for better integrating distributed generation from renewable sources such as photovoltaic power, and storage of the energy generated. There will be greater customer involvement, including devices installed in homes to monitor consumption.
Within the framework of this collaboration, the two companies will work together on evaluating the use of battery systems for energy storage and the Smart-Info system that allows customers to have the information recorded by the electronic meter at their fingertips, thus enabling them to optimise their energy consumption, leading to more efficient and sustainable behaviours.