The smart grid agreement will not just be a tech. breakthrough, but will also solve number of other issues of development in Russia a 21 century electric power supply
An agreement between the Skolkovo Foundation and the Federal Grid Company of the Unified Energy System of Russia (FSK EES), was signed at the end of the last week at World trade Center in Moscow. The agreement signifies that on the territory of the Skolkovo Innovation City a full-scale construction works of the very first Russian local, city-size smart grid is on the way.
A complex of cutting edge integrated innovative solutions, which has never been previously applied on the Russian territory in such a scale. Among them are several underground state of the art sub-stations, new types of energy storage devices, intellectual monitoring and management, which reaches every user. Alternative energy supply (solar batteries, and a grid of electric cars fast and slow charge units, integrated into the city grid will also be installed.
The project also envisages new types of tariffs, a so called consumers’ “active behavior”. All of these innovations can stimulate growth in all related spheres of innovations, as old tariffs policy will simply become outdated.
Vasily Belov, director of the Cleantech Cluster of the Skolkovo Foundation, who opened the event, agreed with this viewpoint, saying on the backstage of the event that the project might lead to changes in domestic standards and that the main goal of the project is exactly to test the smart grid in real life.
The Skolkovo Foundation President Viktor Vekselberg, who, together with Oleg Budarguin, chairman of the board of the FSK EES signed the agreement, said that this project is very innovative to Russia, not just by its technological advance, but also as it implies very brave, modern solutions in general.
“If we succeed in this project, it will signify a serious step towards new standards of management of tomorrow from the point of view of intellectual networks, like smart grids”, Viktor Vekselberg
“If we succeed in this project, it will signify a serious step towards new standards of management of tomorrow from the point of view of intellectual networks, like smart grids”,
Viktor Vekselberg
And already now, as Skolkovo Foundation President said, the project has significantly improved the Skolkovo landscape. Two power substations, which already supply Skolkovo buildings, have been already made underground Skolkovo (the opening ceremony of one of them was held on December 22).
They have also managed to dismantle air power lines, and thanks to it more than 180 hectares of expensive Moscow region land was set free for business and residential buildings as well as for natural landscape design and development.
Oleg Budarguin also mentioned that Skolkovo for them is a “serious big site”.
One of the key advantages for us at Skolkovo is that we can work here from the greenfield. This place doesn’t have any serious (inherited) power grid problems and we are ready, together with our foreign partners, to execute the project with maximum effectiveness and with zero losses,” Oleg Budarguin
One of the key advantages for us at Skolkovo is that we can work here from the greenfield. This place doesn’t have any serious (inherited) power grid problems and we are ready, together with our foreign partners, to execute the project with maximum effectiveness and with zero losses,”
Oleg Budarguin
Answering the Sk.ru correspondent question, Budarguin said that his company is examining now several technologies, currently researched by startups, small innovation ventures and teams of scientists, including:
“What these enterprises need, and this is exactly what Skolkovo does for them, is a warm-house, comfortable conditions, and through our R&D center at Skolkovo we’’ be creating such conditions,”
Head of the Russian Federal Grid System
“Within the framework of this project our companies will get an opportunity to offer their solutions, ideas and researches. Our doors are opened and if there is a need and opportunity, our startups will get a chance to take part in this developments. We have a lot of projects in our Energy efficiency cluster, and I am sure that part of them will be used during our common work”, Viktor Vekselberg
“Within the framework of this project our companies will get an opportunity to offer their solutions, ideas and researches. Our doors are opened and if there is a need and opportunity, our startups will get a chance to take part in this developments. We have a lot of projects in our Energy efficiency cluster, and I am sure that part of them will be used during our common work”,
It’s worth mentioning in this context that couple of months before Viktor Vekselberg at a session for the governmental Council on modernization openly addressed the Federal Grid leader and the Russian premier with a request to activate participation of startups in smart grid developments. And Dmitry Medvedev then replied: “I heard you”.
Top managers of key Skolkovo partners from international corporations, who will be actually building the grid, made their presentations at the ceremony. Among them was Konstantin Komissarov, deputy general director on energy markets of Shneider Electric (which became Skolkovo resident). Another speaker was Mikhail Akimov, head of strategic development of ABB Russia. They mentioned that the Skolkovo territory is a perfect base for development of smart grid solutions and told about their plans to build modern equipment factories in Russia. The global trend is such that the smart grid systems is a driver of the market for electric energy technology now, they said. Its driven by such technologies, as micro-grids, electric cars, solutions for active customers, alternative energy. They can significantly change the basis of the markets of generation, delivery and exchange of the energy on a global scale.