VIVAVIS Funded Projects

We shape the future

Our VIVAVIS Funded Projects

Our mission is DECODING THE FUTURE – this means that we are pioneers in shaping the future of digital infrastructures. For this purpose, we implement and monitor funding and research projects which are of interest not only for the present projects and applications, but also for technologies of the future. With these projects we promote innovative ideas around the energy transition and cooperate with our partners from industry and commerce in various projects in the fields of digitisation, Smart Grid, control optimisation, low-voltage grids and power grid optimisation. The funding of our projects enables us to achieve rapid progress and to create a basis for new technological developments.

The following chapters provide an overview of our currently funded projects and introduces the people in charge of them at VIVAVIS AG.

Funding project AGenC

What does AGenC stand for?

Automatic generation of models for prediction, testing, and monitoring of cyber-physical systems.

What is AGenC about?

Almost all fields of application in information technology, from mobility to logistics and mechanical engineering to energy technology, are dominated by cyber-physical systems. CPS are networked computer systems (“cyber”) that interact directly with the environment (“physical”) via sensors and actuators. To check complex CPS during design and operation (testing), to monitor them during use (monitoring) or to predict the system behavior (prediction) is extremely time-consuming. For all these applications, valid models of the systems are needed. However, subcomponents or even entire subsystems of modern CPS are often only available as a black box whose internal realization is not known or only known to a limited extent. In this case, models must first be created at great expense, which is often done manually or not at all. Likewise, there is a lack of quality metrics for the use and transferability of models in their applications as well as for the selection and comparison of different model types. So far, the necessary steps for modeling are only poorly automated, so that testing, monitoring and prediction increasingly cause bottlenecks in the design.

What is our goal with AGenC?

The goal of the AGenC project is to develop a toolbox with uniformly usable methods and interoperable technology solutions for CPS from different application areas. Specifically, a framework of novel software methods and tools that create models for CPS will be realized. Therefore, generalized interfaces for use in diverse application domains will be created first. Furthermore, novel model learners based on Adversarial Resilience Learning on the one hand and combining discrete and continuous models on the other hand will be developed to address relevant aspects from interpretability to accuracy of the models simultaneously. To evaluate the model quality, criteria and metrics for comparison and extension of different models will be defined. Overall, test case generators, system monitors and predictors that function on the basis of models are to be implemented. Thereby, the models in the applications are modular, i.e. interchangeable, comparative or complementary.

What are the main areas of VIVAVIS’ work?

VIVAVIS contributes to the project its experience and competence in the field of infrastructure, in particular energy systems and network control technology. Concrete focal points of the work are contributions to the following aspects:

Definition of requirements and system architecture
Implementation of concrete interfaces for the interaction of the network control system with the AGenC framework
Design, implementation and validation of a tool that monitors the behavior of a CPS during runtime and detects undesired system states
Design and implementation of a power system demonstrator

Who are our project partners?

Who sponsors AGenC?

Funding project CACTUS

What does CACTUS stand for?

Connect, Assist & Control: Transparency and system stability for smart energy systems.

What is CACTUS about?

The challenge for the decarbonization of the energy system is an increasing electrification and system-serving on-site supply of customer facilities, neighborhoods and charging clusters. In this context, on-site supply, for example through the targeted use of local solar power or electricity and heat from combined heat and power plants, must be coordinated with the grid and energy market. In this way, grid bottlenecks can be reduced and the total supply of electrical energy can be optimally used and distributed regionally and over time. The controllability of the distribution grid currently offers only very limited possibilities on the market side, so algorithms for optimizing grid operation and the market are being developed in this project. In addition, interfaces are being developed so that the participants in the energy market can communicate.

What is the goal of CACTUS?

The goal of the CACTUS project is to optimize grid utilization and energy use in the distribution grid by leveraging flexibility potentials using the example of charging clusters and neighborhoods. The core element is incentives in the form of (virtual) price signals that are made available to decentralized automated systems. On the one hand, this should make it possible to purchase electricity more cheaply, and on the other hand, using the example of charging clusters, it should be possible to release higher connected loads without expanding the grid. By means of targeted communication (Connect), network operators are supported (Assist), firstly to check and confirm the approval of additional systems, taking into account their flexibility in the network, and secondly to visualize forecast network bottlenecks and resolve them by means of suitable (virtual) price signals (Control). The algorithm adapts (virtual) price signals accordingly, so that with a high degree of probability the grid limits are adhered to for all fluctuations in generation and consumption behavior and thus §13.2 measures (disconnections in the red light phase) are avoided. Customer plants are free to react to these (virtual) price signals or not.

What are the main areas of work for VIVAVIS?

VIVAVIS contributes to the project its experience and competence in the field of infrastructure, especially energy systems and network control technology. Concrete focal points of work are contributions to the following aspects:

Prototypical connection of a CPO via the OpenADR protocol to the network control technology of VIVAVIS.
Prototypical connection of forecast information via the CIM protocol to the VIVAVIS network control system
Output of control signals or schedule values to the iMSYS infrastructure from the VIVAVIS network control system
Support of the control room personnel by sample implementations of an assistance system in the network control technology of VIVAVIS

Who are our project partners?

Who funds CACTUS?

Optinetz funding project – Bosbüll

What does Optinetz – Bosbüll stand for?

Optimization of the operation of the heating network including the use of electricity from renewable sources and waste heat from hydrogen production in Bosbüll.

What is Optinetz – Bosbüll about?

Successful decarbonization in the heating sector depends on efficiency measures in the building envelope and systems engineering, as well as increased integration of renewable energy (RE). In particular, cross-sectoral (electricity and heat sector) operational management of local district heating networks is becoming increasingly important for decarbonization of the heat sector and expansion of renewables. In a local power system with high shares of RES, the number of hours when supply exceeds demand is steadily increasing. The flexibility reserves of the heat supply are available during times when electricity consumption is lower than the amount of renewable energy fed into the grid. Instead of shutting down generation plants, the electricity can then be stored or used in the operation of a heating network, thus ensuring grid stability. For this purpose, the system flexibility from heat generation to heat distribution to heat transfer in buildings should be used optimally. However, in the mostly heat-led operation of heating networks, individual system components are not actively integrated into the optimization of the overall system. For a cross-system optimization, potentials of predictive control with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) are to be tapped.

What is our goal with Optinetz – Bosbüll?

The focus of Optinetz – Bosbüll is on the implementation of optimized operating strategies. This is to be carried out with the help of AI-based predictive control, taking into account technical, economic and regulatory-legal aspects. The basic technical aspects include the simulation-based development of an AI- and prediction-based operation management for the heating network to maximize the use of the own locally generated electricity from PV and wind power plants and the revenue-optimized marketing in the electricity market. In addition, the integration of waste heat from hydrogen production into the heating network and the use of thermal storage units in load management are to be taken into account. This should enable an increase in the overall efficiency of hydrogen production through the integration of waste heat into the heat network.

In addition to the technical aspects, economic and regulatory legal aspects, especially the economic operation of local PV and wind power plants after the expiration of the EEG compensation and the approach of motivating tariff models are investigated. The detailed analysis of the operation strategies with the help of the comprehensive monitoring within the lighthouse project leads to a suitable data basis for the transferability to other similar projects. The implementation of the described project can enable a nearly climate-neutral heat supply in Bosbüll.

What are the main areas of work for VIVAVIS?

Connecting the partners via interfaces to the software platform of VIVAVIS. The different data of the various domains are to be normalized via the software platform.
This data will then be made available to all project stakeholders, including the VIVAVIS subsidiary eoda, in order to perform AI-based evaluations and forecasts in the area of operations management. The return flow of data and resulting operational optimizations are standardized and made available via the VIVAVIS system independently of individual, possibly manufacturer-specific interfaces.
Quality assurance for a profitability analysis, (supporting eoda) as well as measurement and monitoring concepts.
In addition, VIVAVIS will analyze the transferability of the knowledge gained in the project to other fields of application and name possible business models together with the partners. Thus, the project serves as a pilot for similar use cases.

Who are the project partners?

Who funds Optinetz – Bosbüll?

Funding project RESIGENT

What does RESIGENT stand for?

Power market and grid-oriented energy management of flexible consumption devices based on resilient control functions in the context of decentralized, agent-based algorithms.

What is RESIGENT about?

The current developments in electromobility and the energy transition are already having a direct impact on the electricity market and the power grid. For example, there is a significant increase in grid loads with high simultaneity and long service life. In contrast, there are the interests of electromobility customers for availability at all times and thus of the energy market as a whole. The controllability of the distribution grid currently offers only very limited opportunities on the market side to incentivize grid-serving switching or preventive grid behavior. It is therefore clear that holistically integrated system concepts, interfaces and market models are needed.

What is the goal of RESIGENT?

The RESIGENT project pursues the overarching goal of enabling optimized circuits and charging processes at a novel charging station via decentralized agent-based algorithms, so that system-serving functions can be provided by the non-regulated electricity market.

This should increase the resilience of the grids in terms of higher supply security as well as the departure security (electric vehicles) of EV users. According to current (2’2023) regulatory requirements, the intelligent metering system (iMSys) will be used here and a market-oriented load management will be possible dynamically, intelligently and flexibly for electric mobility.

The solutions developed in the RESIGENT project will be tested and evaluated in two network sections of the project partner Stadtwerke Haßfurt in real scenarios in connection with a flexible electricity tariff. The results will be used as a solution in the development of the innovative VIVAVIS products. For example, the connection of the VIVAVIS control box to a HEMS (Home Energy Management System) with standardized bidirectional communication according to VDE-AR E 2829-6 (EEBUS) with market extensions is a project goal. The results are to be incorporated into the standardization process.

What are the main areas of work for VIVAVIS?

Connection of a HEMS of the partner Hager via the protocol EEBUS to the FNN-compliant control box of VIVAVIS with new tariff-oriented use-cases
Integration of these new use cases into the iMSYS system landscape of VIVAVIS via the IEC 61850 protocol
Connection of a transparent CLS channel from iMSYS to the existing system landscape of VIVAVIS to use the MQTT protocol
Exit of the MQTT protocol from the system landscape of VIVAVIS to any market participant (in the project: to the project partner Hager and Uni Siegen)

To achieve these goals, VIVAVIS will bring various existing products into the project and further develop existing solutions for the project goal.