The European Metrology Network Smart Electricity Grids was established in 2018 to provide coordinated support for the solution of metrology and measurement challenges in the transmission and distribution grids that implement digital and communication technologies for the measurement, control and monitoring of the electrical energy (Smart Grids). The Network is composed by 19 EURAMET National Metrology Institutes and two partners from academia and a research centre, who have been collaborating for many years on this topic.
Our energy system, currently dependent on the energy production from fossil fuels, is evolving towards a system largely based on the use of distributed energy resources from renewables with significantly lower greenhouse gas footprint. This transition necessarily entails the electrification of the energy final consumptions.
In this scenario, the electrical energy transmission and distribution grids, integrated by the e-transport grids and by the emerging DC current grids for the charging of e-vehicles, play a crucial role, as they are the “backbone” of our electrical system. In particular, the Smart Grids, which ensure flexibility and interconnection in the different grid operating conditions, are crucial for ensuring the control, quality and efficiency of the electricity supply. To this purpose, accurate and reliable measurements of electrical quantities of grid voltages and currents, frequency and electrical power are needed.
Within this framework, the Network Smart Electricity Grids acts as a single point of contact between the metrology institutes with their partners and the stakeholders’ community, which includes the production, transmission and distribution operators and their associations, the energy end-end users, the measuring system and transducer manufacturers and the test and calibration laboratories.
The network supports the realisation of the needed metrological infrastructure for a full implementation of the Smart Grids in terms of measurement traceability to the international system of units, development of standards, calibration procedures and tests and on-site calibration and measurement. The fields of application presently include revenue metering, power quality, grid monitoring and data analytics, electrical substations, instrument transformers and sensors, high voltage testing, electrical efficiency and DC grids.
The network activities and results are disseminated through scientific conferences, workshops, dedicated training courses and webinars. Joint events associated with open consultations are organised to boost communication and collaboration with stakeholders. Workshops are organised periodically, where stakeholders are invited to present their view on open metrological issues, outlooks and future needs on specific topics (e.g. Challenges on high voltage measurements, DC grids perspectives, etc).
INRiM has taken part in the activities of the network since its establishment. It is a member of the Steering Committee and is one of the six national metrology institutes, which largely contributed to the start-up phase of the network. In this first phase INRiM has contributed to the drafting of the First Strategic Research Agenda of the network, elaborated in strict cooperation with the network Stakeholders, and to the population of the network website. In addition, it has taken care of the surveys collecting knowledge about the network knowledge transfer actions and training activities of the network members.
As a first joint training experience of the network, INRiM took care of the organization the EMN Excellence Course Measurements and metrology for Smart Electricity grids, carried out within the PHD programme at the Politecnico di Torino (Italy). The course was subdivided in 10 modules, concerning both basics of metrology and measurement uncertainty and specific subjects relevant to the Smart Electricity Grids. All the lecturers were from 4 national metrology institutes, which are all members of the network Smart electricity grids.
As a dissemination of the network activities, INRiM has presented objectives, joint strategies and networks running projects as a contribution to the European Green Deal at the 21st International Metrology Congress (CIM 2023). INRiM also coordinated the organisation of the first EURAMET joint booth focused on the European Metrology Networks for the Energy and Environment (Smart Electricity grids, Energy gases, Clean Energy, Climate and ocean Observation, Pollution Monitoring). The booth was set up at the Metrology Village of Global Industry 2023, the large industry exhibition jointly organised with CIM.
INRiM also supports the communications activities by coordinating the network Task Force focused on the identification and planning of the network actions, with a view to their implementation in the next 5-10 years and contributes to the funding task force.
As regards the joint research activities promoted by the network, INRiM is presently involved in 5 European projects, leading 3 of them:
- MetSuperCap, on the metrology for the supercapacitors;
- ADMIT, focused on the characterisation of instrument transformers up to 150 kHz;
- e-TRENY, on the metrology and measurement for the DC supplied electric transport systems.