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“The digitalization of energy networks and energy infrastructure as a whole, both electricity and gas, is a very closely related topic to what it means to adopt as much green energy as possible. The unstable nature of green energy production, whether photovoltaic or wind, brings some challenges to the functioning of the networks, because consumption has a certain kind of continuity and needs optimization,” Corneliu Bodea told AGERPRES.

In his opinion, for the largest possible production of green energy, a way must be found to manage the networks so that renewable energy is admitted in the first place, and this cannot be done without reaching a level of digitization and computerization of the operation of the networks.

“This may mean starting from the smart meter – which is also a form of digitization, of computerization of the energy infrastructure – which transmits consumption data in real time. In this way, the entire energy system can be managed in a much more efficient way,” Bodea explained.

He added that there are other methods to increase the flexibility of the energy infrastructure, namely through software, maybe even artificial intelligence, as well as other IT solutions that make the networks able to work in an intelligent way, respectively through the Smart Grid.

“Recently, it was negotiated that in 2030 the target for final consumption of renewable energy will be 42.5%. To achieve such objectives, we must invest in the digitization of infrastructure. It is a subject that must be included in the network development strategy and that must be taken into account by ANRE (National Energy Regulatory Authority) in order to direct energy distributors, the energy carrier, in order to increase investments in digital solutions,” said Corneliu Bodea.

He also referred to smart meters and stressed that there are still problems with reading due to the communication infrastructure that transfers the data.

“At the moment, the problem is not the lack of an automatic reading system, of retrieving data from the meter. The problems are related to the communication infrastructure that transfers the data from the smart meter to the central system that should centralize all the readings. Why? Because the most financially efficient method to transfer data is the use of energy infrastructure. In some situations, due to outdated networks or networks that have certain problems, an electronic network noise, the signal (meter information) transmitted over the power line does not reach or reaches an insufficient quality to be interpreted. As in any technology, there are some steps to reach the desired efficiency. In principle, more than 95% of installed smart meters should be able to transmit data. Today there are indeed systems that only provide 70-75% of the meters and then we have such situations in which, in the case of a consumer, although he has a smart meter, the data does not arrive. (…)

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