Challenge yourself - Open Innovation Programme TenneT

Heavy EV chargers and battery systems in the grid

TenneT is investigating solutions which help to use the grid to its full potential. An example is the research into direct connections of (heavy-)EV chargers and battery systems to the high voltage transmission grid. This research is ongoing and focuses on two main solutions;

A direct connection to an overhead line via an innovative concept called SPEED-E (introduced and patented by the Portuguese TSO REN). This solution uses already existing overhead line infrastructure to their advantage, and promises relatively easy permitting and installation. Next to that, this infrastructure is often close to highways which is the ideal location for EV chargers.
A direct connection to an existing TenneT substation in an industrial zone. This solution exploits the location where many substations of TenneT are already present, namely within industrial zones. By building high-power EV chargers in these locations a great impulse can be provided to the facilitation of heavy transport EV.

Both of these solutions allow TenneT to combine new smart technology with the existing grid to operate it as efficiently as possible. In addition, the research looks into possibilities of combining battery systems to the aforementioned solutions, to help with congestion management and flexibility. Therefore, 4 different configurations are currently being examined. With regard to their potential implementation, all configurations will be assessed based on their added value to society and TenneT, and their regulatory, financial and technical feasibilities.

Project example

BIM-Event in Berlin

Am 20. und 21. April fand in Berlin eine zweitägige Veranstaltung zum Austausch und Diskussion aller TenneT internen Stakeholder zu den relevantesten Themen der BIM-Implementierung statt.
Die Teilnehmenden hatten mit VR-Brillen die Möglichkeit, das 3D-Modell mit hinterlegten Metadaten „zu erkunden“.

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Submit your solution here

Why join the Open Innovation Programme?

As a team of participants (e.g., start-up, supplier, customer, market player), you’ll work closely with TenneT accelerators and mentors to refine your solution and explore options for future collaboration. The Open Innovation Programme offers you the chance to:

Build partnerships and grow networks
Receive dedicated Management Board attention and support with getting the final solution up to scale, even if the solution is out of TenneT’s own scope
Monetary prize to bring the solution to the next level
Test solutions and develop pilots
Connect with TenneT, Alliander, Enexis and Stedin content professionals and coaches
Get in touch with the distribution system operators
Gain exposure
Understand the functioning of the energy system and current challenges

Why are we launching this Open Innovation Programme?

Part of our task as one of Europe’s largest TSOs is to design and develop a grid that can support our goals for a climate-neutral society. By 2030, we want to create a reliable backbone for our target grid, with transport capacities matching the decarbonisation and electrification plans of industry, households and transport. We have to design our projects to be future-proof, building grids with extra capacity factored in ahead of time to ensure a secure (green) electricity supply for all sectors of the economy.

Establishing a monitoring scheme
to grasp how and to what extent particular solutions contribute to security of supply towards 2030 and beyond. This requires insights into existing and future potential at the level of companies and regional clusters.

Understanding of business cases
for de-risking technology, demonstrating viability, offering insight on finance (CO2 price, price levels for electricity, grid tariffs) and enhance confidence of market parties. Currently, insights into the earning potential of market parties is missing, resulting in missed opportunities to unlock value.

Implementation or assessment of technologies contributing to this challenge in terms of market readiness, cost, scalability and potential. The market can help industries identify their technical potential and collaborate in achieving it.

Active engagement with stakeholders and governments, to ensure sufficient awareness of existing opportunities to unlock the available flexible power needed. Widespread market activation within the sector is required.

What are we looking for?

Work with a valid work authorisation when required

I am authorised to perform the work and when required, I have a valid work permit
I have been instructed on the hazards and safety measures
I understand and follow the safety rules stated in the permit
I have confirmed that hazards are controlled, and it is safe to start
I stop and reassess the risks if conditions change

With the Open Innovation Programme we welcome collaborative solutions that can help us address one or more of the current challenges. We like to be surprised and look forward to unexpected ideas: all proposals are welcome that lead to more opportunities for connecting customers and/or require less connection capacity.

Your solution might cover one or several of the listed areas below, making a big impact by overcoming existing hurdles to an optimised grid-connection system. To inspire you, you can find a non-exhaustive overview of such areas below. These are just some examples of the existing areas the energy sector needs to take into account when addressing such a complex challenge.

Proposals might include smart technological solutions, more flexibility in the grid, managing grid congestion, informing customers (including educating and training them), adapting laws and regulations or adjusting tariffs.

To this end, TenneT needs to accelerate its infrastructure readiness over the next three years to prepare for the major milestones of the energy transition. The Ukraine crisis has put even more emphasis on energy independence, highlighting the importance of optimising existing solutions and accelerating energy efficiency in the short-term. This includes identifying smart and flexible solutions that can help us act quickly, while working towards our long-term goals.

For this to happen, we need to work closely with partners in the value chain and market parties that wish to contribute to shaping the network of the future. We are pleased to announce that distribution network companies Alliander, Enexis and Stedin are collaborating with us in this programme, as common challenges require a joint effort to guarantee a future-proof network. Collaboration is key to unlocking the potential of the existing grid and accommodating future needs. To this end, we’re launching our first Open Innovation Programme to address the question “How can we make optimal use of the transport capacity and connection points to the electricity grid?”