The Digitalization of the Energy Systems: from the electrons to the cloud

Prof. Dr. Antonello Monti, RWTH Aachen

The energy system is facing an unprecedented transformation mostly driven by the process of decarbonization making renewable energy sources the new main player. At the same time, the transformation of other sectors is bringing relevant changes also on the load side (e.g. electric vehicles, heat pumps).

In this process, digitalization is emerging as a key enabler. It can actually be stated
that digitalization is not an option but a necessity. The power system is consequently becoming a large, programmable cyber physical infrastructure with a high level of complexity. This complexity can be addressed with a hierarchical architecture replicating in the IT solutions the topological structure of the power network from the local systems to the regional and up to the transnational level. The classical top-down automation of the power network is then substituted with a bottom-up approach based on a process of aggregation.

The presentation will address this complexity by analyzing solutions that are currently under development for the different levels of the infrastructure. Rethinking the whole architecture means reconsider the basic principles of operation of the new power system but also the corresponding IT systems. In a nutshell it is necessary to provide an answer to the following questions: what does it mean to run a digital grid? Will we be able to build a digital grid that is as reliable as the current infrastructure?

The presentation will not only propose solutions but also support the approaches thanks to concrete experiences mostly developed within the framework of large European research projects.

Prof. Dr. Antonello Monti received his “laurea” and PhD in Electrical Engineering from Politecnico di Milano in Italy. He started his career in industry developing advanced digital electrical drives for Ansaldo Industria, a large Italian electromechanical company. In 1995 he became Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering in Politecnico di Milano while continuing research in the field of electrical drives. During the year 2000, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of South Carolina in the USA. There he was performing research on the modeling and automation of electrical systems on board of future All Electric Ships. In 2006 he was tenured and in 2008 was promoted to Full Professor. In the same year, he moved to Germany to start the Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems at the E.ON Energy Research Center, RWTH Aachen University. Since 2019 he also has a joined appointment at Fraunhofer FIT where he is leading a research group within the Center for Digital Energy. Prof. Monti has been involved in several large international projects and he is currently serving as coordinators of someof the most relevant European projects in the field such as OneNet, TwinEU and int:net. All in all he coordinates a research group with about 50 full time scientists performing research at the border between Energy and ICT. His research work has been recognized with some prestigious awards such as the IEEE Field Medal Award for Innovation in Public Infrastructures and the NRW Innovationpreis.