Tauron has launched and will test a small network in Bytom

The microgrid, i.e. a small power grid that can guarantee power supply regardless of the distribution network, was launched and tested in Bytom by Tauron. The mini-grid, based on renewable sources, and built in the post-mining area, provides power to more than 50 recipients.

As reported by Tauron representatives at the press conference Thursday at Bytom, the project’s goals were to check the technical possibilities of building such a network, test it, and then, based on experience: actions for changes in the law that allow the solution to be deployed, as well as present it as a product to recipients.

“We want to test this solution so that we can ensure the safety and smooth delivery of energy to our customers,” said Adam Warzucha, Vice President of Tauron. As he assessed, from the current Russian aggression against Ukraine, there is also an indication that “the prerequisite for security today is ensuring energy security.”

The head of Tauron Wytwarzanie, Sebastian Gulla, confirmed that the installation created at Bytom is not of a laboratory nature, it is based on real network elements and provides power to 54 recipients in neighboring homes, especially single-family homes. It can operate in a network, but can also be separated from the network, working on an island basis.

The installation consists of two PV farms with a capacity of approximately 200 kW, five vertical shaft wind turbines with a total capacity of about 50 kW, and – to stabilize the operation of the grid – a 32 kW gas engine. Gas storage and energy storage with a capacity of 200 kW and a capacity of 200 kWh.

The heart of the installation is the Microgrid management system, which coordinates the work of all elements. It is also responsible for maintaining proper power balance and power parameters during off-grid operation, i.e. off-grid power. The management system locally simulates the operation of the entire power system, in the immediate vicinity of the micro-grid generation sources.

“We are entering the stage of tests and trials. Its goal is to check whether it is possible to create a mixture of production and consumption in real conditions, which will allow to improve energy production and, thanks to energy storage, to improve what is possible revenue from the sale of energy to the grid. We also want to test the situation. Run Al Jazeera and a smooth transition to cooperation with the network “- explained Gula.

As he pointed out, the results of the test, which will last about 10 months, will also be an argument and the basis for changes to the regulations that currently apply to the operation of the island and the connection of the RES to the network. “These experiments will allow us to identify some technical data that will be the starting point for the development of this type of installation across the country,” explained President Tauron Wytwarzanie.

Currently, the Distribution Network Operation and Maintenance Manual prohibits the implementation of island operation using the Distribution Network Operator’s network infrastructure. Tauron’s goal is to establish principles of cooperation between the concurrent network and subregions capable of operating the island in such a way that these prohibitions become standards for off-grid operation.

“We would like a real, tailor-made product to appear at the end of this development project, which Tauron Sprzedaż will offer to municipalities, energy groups or industrial recipients” – noted Gola.

The company sees the use of such a product in areas that require large investments in long radial networks at the ends of the distribution system, for example in municipalities or towns very far from large centers or transportation networks. It can also be a good solution for energy groups using available renewable energy or existing industrial customers for this type of energy.

Torun’s Director of Innovation and Development, Bowie Bonita, told PAP that in preparing the project, about 60 sites were analyzed, mainly in terms of network configuration. He emphasized that the concern eventually wants to offer small networks that are scalable, but only run on low voltage.

Bonita noted that the genesis of the microgrid concept comes from the United States: the assumption of energy independence for US military bases scattered around the world. From this the use of microgrids developed in special facilities or areas – for safety reasons (hospitals, emergency services, etc.).

Small networks may also be useful in places with high RES saturation, due to their potential as a distribution network stabilizer. They can also provide services related to resilience – in accordance with European regulations that oblige distribution system operators to contract for resilience services, i.e. sign contracts with entities that are able to return or receive power.

Tauron representatives note that their Bytom project is the first of this scale in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. It is part of the so-called Tauron Green Yield, which meets the criteria for the use of renewable energy, as well as the development of distributed and smart energy, allowing for flexible management of energy production and transmission. Its location in Bytom made it possible to reuse the degraded area of ​​the closed Szombierki mine.

The project is implemented in cooperation with several Torun companies and using the Foundation’s funds, as well as with the support of the National Research and Development Center from European funds.

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