TREFOR Power Grid Living Lab

About the Living Lab:

The TREFOR living lab will incorporate load values for consumers in the Triangle Area. The main focus of the living lab is how to reduce the load on the grid by introducing flexibility.

Progress so far:

Two suitable test areas for the TREFOR Living Lab were appointed: Nr. Bjert and Strib. Both areas include transformer stations, several feeders and switchboxes. Furthermore, a data warehouse solution was established, ensuring the right setup for data transfer to Center Denmark.  

A collaboration with the hardware and software company Linc was established. Together with TREFOR, substation monitoring has been installed to monitor transformer and temperature load. The installation in substations incorporates GSM for communication and temperature sensors for the transformer and ambient readings. The objective is to profile thermal response under peak load conditions. The next step is to install 20 Linc kits for grid monitor at fuse box nodes. In collaboration with FED-partner Enfor and DTU Compute, TREFOR will test load forecast models to gain an overview of the possibilities of flexibility in the grid.

Furthermore, together with FED-partner FlexShape, the TREFOR Living Lab has planned a pilot. The overall aim is to evaluate the following two aspects:

1. How a number of cheap off-the-shelf smart-plugs (WiFi-connected, customer self-installed) can be used to monitor voltages in the distribution grid and how the smart plugin compares to expensive specialized grid monitoring solutions.
2. How households in the TREFOR Living Lab react to momentary CO2 emission levels of generated electricity in Denmark, when the level is conveyed a colour of ambient lighting (in common and private spaces) utilizing remote-controlled smart bulbs.

The pilot is planned to start in 2021.