Networks, storage and smart meters - Tauron's energy plans.
Thursday, November 2, 2023
Tauron Group - with a big advantage over the competition – is a national leader in supplying electricity to customers. Taurons market share in energy distribution to customers is almost 40 percent. The group want to keep this position in the coming years by conducting an investment program worth PLN 24 billion. The money will go toward modernizing the network, developing energy storage and customer solutions.
In the coming years, the largest financial stream - nearly PLN 24 billion - will be directed to investments in distribution infrastructure, enabling, among other things, the connection of new consumers and RES sources, the modernization, automation and digitization of electricity networks.
- We have a most modern distribution network located in a heavily urbanized area of southern Poland, and the indicators of the quality of energy supplied are maintained at the highest level in Poland. Today, we have more than 40 percent of our medium-voltage networks wired, and this is the highest percentage level of wiring among the large DSOs - explains Paweł Szczeszek, president of the TAURON Group.
Running power lines underground reduces the impact of atmospheric conditions on network operation and failure rates and improves the security of energy supply to customers. By 2040, Tauron aims to achieve 75 percent of its medium-voltage lines cabled.
Warehouses and local security
The company is also behind the launch of its first industrial energy storage facility, which was built at the Cieszanowice Distribution Substation. This substation is tasked with transmitting electricity generated at the nearby Lipniki wind farm to the network.
- Renewable Energy Sources are characterized by a high level of uncontrollability. The power industry has been trying to face this challenge for many years. The task of the storage facility is to manage more efficiently the energy received from the Lipniki wind farm, improve energy parameters and stabilize the operation of the power grid, explains Pawel Szczeszek. - The warehouse is one of the elements of our activities in the area of developing energy storage technologies. In this case, the location is the most advantageous, as the station cooperates with the Lipniki wind farm, also owned by the Tauron Group, located 7.5 km away - the Tauron president adds.
The Cieszanowice Distribution Substation was built using LTO (lithium titanium) battery technology. It is the largest energy storage facility of its kind in Poland, with a number of different functionalities, including the ability to operate at significant overloads.
The energy leader is also developing other solutions that allow it to guarantee, even in extreme situations, the supply of electricity to customers connected to it. An example is the microgrid in Bytom. The system has wind power, photovoltaic panels, as well as an energy storage and gas agragate to stabilize the system. The microgrid has the unique ability to operate on and off grid.
- We see considerable potential in the development of large and small energy storage facilities and active involvement in the development of local energy communities. We already have positive experience as the only energy company in the country in this regard thanks to the microgrid operating in Bytom - the TAURON president added.
Smart meters for all
TAURON's customers already have one million meters read remotely. Implementing remote reading meters on a massive scale will give the company the ability to more effectively monitor the status and operation of the network in real time.
- As early as 2030, all our customers will have smart meters, which, on the one hand, will allow consumers to use electricity more rationally, and on the other hand, this solution will enable the company to offer new products and services - Szczeszek says.
The benefits for customers are primarily the possibility of billing based on actual data, no visits from collectors, access in the app to data on consumption and consumption patterns of a particular household, and the ability to function as a prosumer without having to replace the meter with a new one.
- We will gain automated knowledge of the parameters of energy consumption and grid operation without the need for collectors to take readings - explains Pawel Szczeszek. - Our customers will also gain access to a large package of knowledge about their energy use pattern, and thus the ability to manage their electricity consumption, he adds
Replacing the device with a smart one will also allow for improvements in day-to-day customer service, including reduced turnaround time for changes and requests, such as changing tariff groups, connecting after a shutdown, or checking energy consumption.
TAURON is one of the largest business entities in Poland with 20,000 employees. For the past three years, the corporation has been implementing the “Zielony Zwrot” (Green Turnaround), which means the company's deep transformation towards renewable energy sources through investments in wind farms, photovoltaic power plants and electricity grids.
The company currently has nine wind farms with 182 wind turbines generating electricity, three photovoltaic power plants and 34 hydroelectric power plants. By 2030, TAURON aims to increase its installed capacity in renewable energy sources sixfold and reduce its carbon footprint by almost 80 percent.
TAURON WAS AN ENERGY PARTNER OF THE SILESIA 2030 CONFERENCE AT THE 13TH ECSME.
