Case study

EPFL Smartgrid Campus Project

The Challenges

Dispatching renewable distributed energy to match demand:
Many electricity distributors (DSO), such as Romande Energie, face the challenge of integrating an increasing share of intermittent renewable energies. The grid operator bears the risk of imbalance between production and consumption, leading to grid instability. Creating a Smart-Grid architecture:
Another major challenge is to manage the energy flows at a smart-grid level, with numerous energy sources.

The Solution

The solution shall :

  • Integrate intermittent renewable energies
  • Provide a seamless and reliable power system
  • Smoothen short term variations in the energy production due to rapid changes in weather conditions
  • Simulate an off-grid electrical system including solar PV and storage system

Did you know…

The EPFL installed a total of 2.2MWh of solar PV with five different technologies. With the addition of a containerized battery energy storage system and a dedicated grid, EPFL became a major energy center to experiment and monitor the future of energy distribution.

Download (PDF)
Other case studies
  • Damen Amherst Islander II & Wolfe Islander IV

      The Challenges The electrification of transportation is expanding at a fast pace and that includes the maritime sector where a growing list of countries are requiring the electrification of ferries. Fully electric ferries reduce emissions – and noise (especially important within the harbor) – as well as operational costs. Passenger ferries, which travel relatively […]
  • Romande Energie, Aigle

    As known, the intermittent nature of renewable energy resources, such as wind and solar, can force electrical grids to operate in unfeasible conditions. In order to evaluate the best possible way to overcome this challenge and develop innovative grid solutions, the country founded the Swiss Competence Center of Electrical Infrastructure (SCCER-FURIES).
  • Basin

    Major cities and regions, such as Toronto, Ontario, are facing the increasingly difficult challenge of generating more clean and efficient power for their growing population centers while maintaining the reliability of the grid.