Aeven and Schneider Electric deliver stability solution for Danish Grid
Wed 30 Aug 2023
Schneider Electric has delivered a stabilisation project to support the Danish power grid, in collaboration with Aeven, a provider of adaptive digital and data centre solutions.
Danish grid authorities have stabilise grid supplied, as dependence on renewables grows combined with a challenging macroeconomic environment.
Due to the topography of Denmark, parts of the country’s grid are struggling with a significant increase in peak demand, resulting in authorities turning to large-scale energy consumers to provide short and long-term relief.
In response the Danish Transmission System Operator, Energinet, developed a Fast Frequency Reserve (FFR) pool. This is where data centres and other energy-intensive industries can support the grid with frequency stabilisation services.
By working with Schneider Electric’s research and development team in Kolding and its Services counterparts in Paris, Aeven built a customised Galaxy VX uninterruptible power supply (UPS) solution to deliver FFR and stabilise the local energy grid.
A electrifying first for Denmark
In 2022, technical experts at Aeven committed 1MW of capacity from one of its Danish data centres to support this critical project.
Having first purchased Schneider Electric’s Galaxy VX UPS’ in 2017, Aeven utilised its patented eConversion technology and EcoStruxure Microgrid Advisor software to create a dedicated FFR solution, which would help stabilise the grid during peak demand.
From inception, the project took 12 months to test, validate, and commission. It significantly increased the operational efficiency of Aeven’s existing pool of Galaxy VX UPS’s.
“As a business, our mission is to be our customers partner for sustainability and efficiency, and through a relentless pursuit of sustainable innovation, Aeven and Schneider have achieved something ground-breaking for the Danish industry,” said Marc Garner, SVP for the Secure Power Division at Schneider Electric in Europe.
By utilizing the company’s eConversion operating mode, which offers up-to 99% efficiency without compromising availability, Aeven reduced energy waste in the UPS by 68% per year, without sacrificing the data centre’s stability.
Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Microgrid Advisor, a cloud-based demand-side software platform, enabled companies to dynamically control and automate on-site energy resources. The solution used predictive algorithms to seamlessly connect to decentralized energy as and when required.
“By listening to the needs of the local energy suppliers, and closely collaborating with Aeven, we’ve helped create a solution which, if adopted at-scale, can benefit communities not only in Denmark, but globally,” added Garner.
Aeven envisions future of sustainable innovation
Aeven is planning to expand the scope to include multi-MW power capabilities from more of its data centres, demonstrating the significant value that the industry can play in generating renewable energy and in building a more sustainable and resilient future.
“Innovation is a critical part of Aeven’s ethos, but to innovate successfully, we must collaborate with like-minded partners where there is a mutual understanding of each other’s businesses.
“Schneider Electric understands the need for sustainability and resiliency to go hand-in-hand. This project has enabled us to work together to create a national first, using innovation to help stabilize the grid and make a positive difference to the environment,” said Peter Kristian Soegaard, Data Centre Manager for Aeven
Recently separated from NNIT, Aeven has three decades of experience within the digital infrastructure industry. As an independent company, Aeven is headquartered in Denmark with a presence in the Phillipines and the Czech Republic, providing robust and secure digital and data centre services for customers across the public sector, AI, life sciences, and regulated markets such as finance.
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