CONNECT investigates new concepts and technologies for power conversion that will be specifically developed for bidirectional power exchange with the grid and thus supports the extended integration of local storage and renewables such as PV. High efficiency, low-cost, low-weight, and compact high-power density converters with embedded communication capabilities will be developed for different application levels of the grid. Power quality optimization will be explored in order to avoid unnecessary energy flows in the grid.

The enhanced capabilities of the power conversion fit seamlessly to the smart energy management systems researched in CONNECT applicable for single/multiple buildings and quarters. Monitoring approaches and advanced control algorithms will be developed which take into account renewable energy sources, local storage and electric vehicles for peak demand reduction and optimization of local generation, consumption and storage.

In order to fully exploit the advantages of the aforementioned technologies it is necessary to enhance the data transmission capacity of the smart grid communication infrastructure. For this purpose CONNECT will develop solutions for high interoperable, high data rate local and wide area communication in the grid with enhanced security in order to protect this critical infrastructure against attacks. Particular effort is spend to minimize the power consumption of the developed solutions.

Objectives

The key objective of the CONNECT project is the reduction of the peak power demand by at least a factor of two. This objective will include techniques for the reduction of power fluctuations of the grid over time and for reduction of power consumption and losses. This top-level objective can be achieved through the development of innovative solutions for three research challenges at the technical level; A) power conversion, B) smart energy management, and, C) communication infrastructure. For each one of these challenges, specific objectives have been introduced:

• Objective A1: to design DC-Dc and AC-DC power converters with improved efficiency and reduced power consumption.
• Objective A2: to develop converters that optimally control and coordinate the reactive power output of inverter-interfaced distributed generators and distributed storage units.
• Objective B1: to reduce the power demand by providing consumption/generation data to the users, by developing advanced smart metering and sensing approaches.
• Objective B2: to reduce the peak demand through efficient energy management schemes that target to achieve optimal load scheduling through building cooperation, and through DC micro-grids.
• Objective C1: to increase smart grid current measurement performance, by developing high-efficient and low-power consumption sensors.
• Objective C2: to increase the performance of smart grid communications by developing zero-power stand-by consumption wakeup receivers and high data rate power-line communications.
• Objective C3: to introduce advanced security measures for smart grid communications with advanced hardware- and software-based features.

CONNECT’s objective will be also implement key test-bed modules/components that will be integratded as an outcome of the proof-of-concept phase to demonstrate teh ability of the smart grid insfrastructure to significantly reduce the peak demands.

Work packages

The structure of the project has been split into 5 complementary and well-balanced technical Work Packages (WPs). Furthermore, two WPs are defined for the dissemination, exploitation, and standardization of the results, as well as for the project management. The high-expertise of the WP leaders will guarantee the cooperation and the interoperability of the work of the participants.