Research projects by devolo

C/sells is a large-scale showcase in the model region ‘Solarbogen Süddeutschland’ (Solar Arc Southern Germany). The project demonstrates how intelligent grids can be used to ensure the supply of solar energy and other renewable energies in a cost-effective, secure, environmentally friendly and participatory manner.

With a project volume of €100 million, more than 60 partners from industry, the energy sector and science want to implement a cellular energy system in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Hesse. devolo AG is actively involved in this project as a project partner. C/sells follows the guiding principle of bringing together many individual players to form a broad movement to jointly advance the energy transition.

devolo's contribution to the project: Implementation and demonstration of the control box functionality and associated expansion developments on the components. Interoperability with the components involved (sensors, GWA, CLS). Connection of the smart metering system to the C/sells-specific infrastructure information system (IIS).

The WindNODE showcase region covers the network area of transmission system operator 50Hertz and serves as a real-world laboratory for a complete energy system. WindNODE's central goal is to set standards for the networked energy system of the future.

As a pioneer in renewable energies, the WindNODE region already meets the German government's expansion targets for 2025, with 45 per cent of its electricity consumption coming from renewable sources. Regionally, the German government's targets for 2050 (80 per cent renewable energy share of electricity consumption) are even exceeded.

With over 70 partners, the consortium is firmly anchored in politics, business and society and receives prominent support from the heads of government of all six participating federal states.

The WindNODE project aims to: integrate large amounts of renewable electricity into the energy system while maintaining the stability of the electricity grids. create standardised interfaces ensure data protection and data security in an increasingly decentralised energy system.

WindNODE is the showcase for the German capital region and north-east Germany, where the energy transition made in Germany is vividly presented to national and international audiences. Innovative, user-oriented products and services from Industry 4.0 are tested here in a large-scale real-world laboratory in order to mature for the mass market and export.

devolos project contribution

• Development and provision of G3 PLC technology and broadband PLC
• Integration of SMGWs and powerline technology into the distribution network level
• Creation of concepts for connecting end consumers to smart metering systems
• Equipping end consumers with home control products and connecting them to smart metering systems

The large-scale enera project (involving 75 renowned companies, institutes and political actors from the model region) aims to significantly advance the successful integration of the steadily growing number of decentralised and fluctuating wind and solar power plants through the large-scale development of smart grids.

The use of intelligent technologies (and in particular the interaction between the energy and information and communications infrastructure in a smart grid) will make the future energy system significantly more efficient. Renewable energies will thus be able to play an even greater role in the energy mix, paving the way for a sustainable energy industry.

devolos project contribution

• Development of multiple-input multiple-output broadband powerline communication (MIMO BPL modem) as part of the enera funding project.
• Development of a process for the rollout of intelligent metering systems (iMsys)
• Provision of smart meter gateways in accordance with enera-specific requirements
• Connection of the smart meter gateway to the end consumer's smart home system
• Connection of flexible energy sources (including biogas plants, combined heat and power plants, water storage facilities, photovoltaic systems) to the smart meter gateway

Powerline research: The funded project ‘Smart Technology Planning’ (STeP) researches and designs new approaches to planning network expansion measures. Using a model-based powerline communication (PLC) planning methodology, a practical communication solution for the smart energy grid is being developed.

The objectives of the project are

• the development of planning tools for holistic network planning,
• improved network status detection,
• the development of measurement technology for the optimal utilisation of existing network capacities,
• and the development of secure information and communication technologies for networking operating resources.

The developments are accompanied by targeted field and laboratory tests to ensure that they are practical and realistic.

devolos project contribution

• Development of PLC simulation environments for use in network planning to minimise costs associated with PLC installation and planning.

MEDIT - Methoden für Energienetzakteure zur Prävention, Detektion und Reaktion bei IT-Angriffen und -Ausfällen (Methods for energy network operators for prevention, detection and response to IT attacks and failures)

The energy transition and the accompanying digitalisation pose major challenges for the electricity supply. Among other things, specially adapted IT security technologies are needed. Fraunhofer FIT, Fraunhofer FKIE, Schleswig-Holstein Netz AG, devolo AG, P3 group GmbH, KISTERS AG, RWTH Aachen University and Bremen University of Applied Sciences are therefore developing methods for energy network operators to detect, prevent and respond to IT attacks and IT failures as part of the BMWi project ‘MEDIT’.

devolos project contribution

• Development of a catalogue of scenarios with future information flows, actors, information and communication technology, and risks in order to adequately protect devolos products against security threats in daily operation.

CONNECT develops concepts, technologies and components that support improved integration of renewable energies and storage systems in combination with intelligent energy flow management, thereby reducing primary energy demand, cutting carbon dioxide emissions and enabling a decentralised energy infrastructure.

A total of 21 companies from Germany, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy are participating in the European research project, led by Infineon AG as consortium leader.

CONNECT is funded by the Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership Joint Undertaking (ECSEL JU). The Joint Undertaking is supported by the EU's Horizon 2020 funding programme and by funds from Germany, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. The project is also funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

devolos project contribution

• As a hardware manufacturer, devolo AG contributes its PLC expertise and is specifically researching fast data transmission in smart grids using MIMO-BPL.
• It is also investigating how the BSI concept for secure data transmission in energy networks can be transferred to the European context.

SiDaFab – Sicherheitslösungen und sichere Datenkommunikation für die Industrie der Zukunft

The aim of the SiDaFab research project is to develop a new IT security solution for the Industry 4.0 environment. This solution is intended to significantly increase protection against data theft and manipulation through both hardware- and software-based security components.

The Callia project examines the extent to which direct load balancing between neighbouring distribution networks in two countries facilitates the integration of renewable energies.

Local balancing of renewable energies at distribution grid level could minimise the curtailment of renewable energy plants, reduce the load on the transfer points between transmission and distribution grids, and simplify the balancing between local distribution grids and higher-level transmission grids. In addition, energy losses are reduced because local generation and consumption in border regions can be balanced without having to pass through all voltage levels in an ‘up-over-down’ trajectory. The result would be more efficient integration of decentralised energies and stabilisation of the pan-European energy grid.

The increasing integration of decentralised feeders and loads, particularly at the distribution network level, poses new challenges for network operation and planning.

In future, it will be necessary to network and communicate a large number of energy technology components from the areas of status detection, control and regulation. In order to ensure secure and reliable grid operation, it is imperative that communication interfaces and structures with reduced physical access protection (e.g. in generation plants owned by end customers) in particular do not allow external interference in grid operation.

The SEnCom project aims to identify security and reliability challenges associated with the integration of communication infrastructure into distribution networks and to analyse both the possibility of external interference with communication systems and its impact on network operation.

The analysis will be based on current work by devolo, RheinMain University of Applied Sciences, Bremen University of Applied Sciences, RWTH Aachen University and the P3 Group.

In the joint project ‘Real-time recording of low-voltage grid status variables’ (ENERGIE), devolo is collaborating with Stadtwerke Krefeld Netze GmbH, Janitza electronics GmbH and academic partners Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences and Duisburg-Essen University to research the application of G3-PLC technology at the distribution grid level. The overarching goal is to use sensors to determine the grid status only at strategically important points on the low-voltage side and to use this data for grid planning and operational matters relating to grid management. This approach differs from previous concepts, which envisaged the widespread installation of smart meters, and is unique to date. Mathematical methods (e.g. state estimation) will be used to calculate the grid status in real time in relation to location and time. The results and findings from this project will be examined for their practical relevance and statistically evaluated in a real-world field test.

The SmartLive project focuses on the user-friendliness of smart home systems. The active involvement of end users ensures that the solutions developed meet the needs of users.

devolo is supplying hardware and software (devolo Home Control) for this project and is using the research findings to optimise its smart home solution. As a powerline pioneer, devolo is also contributing valuable experience in the field of home networking and smart grids. The future integration of electricity meter data and flexible electricity tariffs into the smart home is an essential part of devolo's research. This also includes the development of a control box that enables the control of heat pumps, photovoltaic systems or electric vehicles, for example, and thus integrates them into the smart home.

Smart energy grids require secure communication. Due to the processing and consolidation of personal consumption data in metering systems, the legal requirements regarding data protection and data security are particularly high and are specified by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) within the framework of so-called protection profiles and technical guidelines. As part of the joint project ‘Secure Powerline Data Communication in Smart Energy Networks’ (SPIDER), leading companies, research institutions and universities are researching and developing concepts for secure powerline-based data transmission in future smart energy networks. Innovative approaches such as Trusted Network Connect, continuous integrity measurements and a secure boot process are hallmarks of the prototypes developed. In close cooperation with renowned providers of relevant administration software, the project partners are ensuring integration into a higher-level backend infrastructure. The project will conclude with real-world field tests and their evaluation.

As part of the Eureka/Celtic+ initiative, the EU-funded ACEMIND (Advanced Convergent and Easily Manageable Innovative Networks Design) research project aims to simplify the installation and use of smart home components, regardless of the underlying communication technology. ACEMIND also wants to offer specific end devices that are already equipped with the network's improved self-management capabilities; in addition, these products should also enable convenient remote management for network operators. The German participants, devolo and IHP, have also organised themselves within the ‘AUTOCONFIG2.5’ project as part of the ‘Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM)’ funding programme of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), thus laying the foundation for even closer cooperation among themselves and within the ACEMIND project.

In collaboration with the University of Duisburg-Essen, devolo has developed an e-mobility charging box that, in addition to the pure charging process, also enables bidirectional data communication between electric vehicles and charging stations. Powerline GreenPHY technology was used for this purpose, enabling IP-based broadband data exchange, as required, for example, for the transmission of entertainment data or updates to navigation devices.

FINESCE (Future INternet Smart Utility ServiCEs) is a project from the EU's 7th Framework Programme. Demonstration projects in the field of smart energy are being carried out at various locations in Europe through Future Internet - Public Private Partnerships (FI-PPP). The aim of these demonstration projects is to meet the growing demands of decentralisation and the volatility of the electricity grid caused by wind and solar energy. Powerline communication plays an essential role here and is one of the key technologies for the smart grid.

The UUIS research project ‘Ubiquitous Environmental Information Systems’ focuses on holistic energy management solutions based on new information and communication technologies. New technical solutions are developed in close cooperation with future users in a ‘living lab’, i.e. very close to practical application. The aim of the project is to combine the requirements for operational information systems for the management, collection and processing of environmental data with new smart energy technologies and real-time systems. Based on powerline communication, the near-real-time collection of environmental and energy data and its visual presentation make a decisive contribution to optimising the control and management of energy consumption.

The European electricity grid will be smart in the future. The StromKOM funding project is contributing to this. The aim of the project was to develop a smart electricity meter with integrated G3 powerline technology.

From September 2013 to the end of November 2015, project partners devolo, the University of Duisburg-Essen, Maxim integrated and Terranova developed a prototype smart electricity meter. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy funded the project through the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM).

During the development of the 3-phase electricity meter with integrated powerline technology, the focus was on meeting the high data security requirements of the BSI (Federal Office for Information Security). In addition, the aim was to achieve high EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) and high robustness against inverter interference.