Research Project SWARM
Electric cars networking for tomorrow`s stable energy system
Research focus: Sustainable Engineering and Energy
Electric cars are more than just a means of transportation, and their charging stations are more than just power stations for the vehicles. This has been proven by the recently completed research project SWARM, in which the FZI participated. In the InvestBW-funded project, the POWERGrid Cloud was developed as a platform for decentralized energy management. It turns charging stations, and thus electric vehicles, into active players in the smart energy system of tomorrow, ensuring a stable power grid with renewable energy sources. Decentralized charging stations form a swarm that utilizes intelligent coordination procedures to ensure reliable primary control power is provided to the power grid through a distributed pool of electric vehicles.
One in five new cars registered in Germany is now an electric vehicle, and this figure is rising. Electric cars and their charging infrastructure can therefore play a key role in the energy transition. Via the charging technology the electricity can not only ‘refuel’ the vehicle, but the car’s battery can also temporarily store electricity in the battery, which can then be released when needed (Vehicle-to-Grid use case). As a decentralized component, the battery can helps to secure the stability of the power grid.
Charging stations communicate with each other to secure primary control power
In the two-year SWARM research project, POWERJames GmbH and the FZI Research Center for Information Technology, as transfer partners, have taken on the topic of power grid stabilization via decentralized control structures, focusing on primary control power, also known as Frequency Containment Reserve (FCR), which is the fastest control reserve in the power grid. This system service ensures that the supply and demand of electricity remain balanced and stable throughout the entire European interconnected grid. Grid frequency serves as an indicator to determine the current status of the grid and maintain a constant balance between generation and load at 50 hertz.
In the past, FCR was primarily provided by fossil fuel power plants and pumped storage power plants. In the future, however, flexible systems such as battery storage will also take on this function. In the SWARM research project, the FZI has developed algorithms that enable charging stations and electric cars to be used to provide FCR. An essential premise for grid stability was also taken into account: FCR provision still works even if, for example, the communication network fails and communication between the charging station and a central control center, such as a grid operator, is no longer possible.
POWERJames’ open-source software-based POWERGrid cloud utilizes the flexible charging and storage capacity of connected charging stations for electric cars. Jointly, these stations use intelligent, distributed algorithms to form an autonomous swarm intelligence that performs decentralized energy management tasks to provide FCR. These special control mechanisms enable the reliable provision of FCR for grid stabilization using a pool of electric vehicles.
The swarm automatically and autonomously distributes the total capacity of the entire pool based on swarm rules, eliminating the need for a primary node. The wallboxes dynamically coordinate their individual contribution per charging station.
The approach is also highly scalable and modular: both individual self-sufficient wallboxes and a large number of nodes – for example, in a parking garage or a city district – can be efficiently integrated into the system.
Swarm system: successfully tested and obstacles discovered
Decentralized FCR provision was tested in a field trial under realistic conditions. Seven charging stations were installed at five locations for this purpose: three at two FZI sites in Karlsruhe, two at POWERJames in Mannheim, and one each in Frankfurt and Seckenheim. This test enabled the consortium to assess the effectiveness of the developed systems and algorithms in real-world scenarios involving a range of electric vehicles, yielding valuable insights.
An important finding that researchers and employees at the FZI and POWERJames made during the course of the trial concerned the different characteristics of electric vehicles and wallboxes from various manufacturers. A key requirement for FCR provision is the ability to adjust power in response to frequency changes rapidly. During the field test, it was found that electric vehicles and charging stations from different manufacturers, especially when combined, sometimes differ considerably in terms of response speed and accuracy of power specification. For the practical application of the approach, it is therefore essential to consider this aspect and, in particular, conduct further investigations with larger vehicle pools.
Key requirement: predicting vehicle availability
To provide FCR with a pool of electric vehicles, it must be determined in advance how much electrical power capacity can be supplied as FCR. Electric cars are mobile: they are not connected to a charging station at all times. For this reason, a prediction algorithm was developed that takes into account the availability of electric vehicles based on data and thus determines the FCR capacity to be offered with a safety margin.
Project partners and network
The leading project partner of the FZI Research Center for Information Technology in the SWARM research project is POWERJames GmbH, headquartered in Mannheim, whose mission is to drive forward digitalization in the field of electromobility. The core business of POWERJames GmbH is the development and sale of charging stations for electric vehicles, as well as related services.
As part of the SWARM research project, POWERJames has collaborated with other partners such as the Dachverband des baden-württembergischen Handwerks Handwerk BW (Umbrella Association of Baden-Württemberg Crafts BW) and Marc König Unternehmensberatung to develop a prototype operating and operator model. The latter focuses in particular on connecting with the craft trades and investigating user acceptance among relevant stakeholders.
What is investBW?
investBW is the most extensive funding program in the state of Baden-Württemberg for supporting innovation and investment in companies and research institutions. The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs has commissioned VDI/VDE-IT to administer the funding program. The aim is to strengthen Baden-Württemberg as a business location with its innovations.
About the FZI
The FZI Research Center for Information Technology, headquartered in Karlsruhe with a branch office in Berlin, is a non-profit institution dedicated to research in information technology applications and technology transfer. It delivers the latest scientific findings in information technology to companies and public institutions. It qualifies individuals for academic and business careers, as well as for the leap into self-employment. Supervised by professors from various faculties, the research groups at the FZI develop interdisciplinary concepts, software, hardware, and system solutions for their clients and implement the solutions found as prototypes. The FZI House of Living Labs offers a distinctive research environment for applied research. The FZI is an innovation partner of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and a strategic partner of the German Informatics Society (GI).
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