EDG West & DATA CELLAR transforming Bankya’s Energy Landscape
Electrodistribution Grid West EAD (EDG West) is the largest of four Distribution System Operators (DSOs) in Bulgaria. EDG West operates 110 kV, MV, and LV networks and is the entity responsible for network management and energy distribution in ten regions of Western Bulgaria – Sofia city, Sofia region, Pernik, Kyustendil, Blagoevgrad, Pleven, Lovech, Vratsa, Montana and Vidin. The company distributes electricity in a territory with an area of 40,000 square km, maintains and develops 58,000 km of network, and serves over 2,100,000 consumers. It is also responsible for the construction of new electricity distribution and metering systems and maintenance of the operating facilities and equipment. The activities are executed in line with energy legislation and the related legal provisions.
Which is the role of EDG West in DATA CELLAR?
The role of EDG West is to provide expertise regarding electricity networks and energy systems while supporting the implementation of the validation case in Bankya.
Among the specific activities that will be carried on during the project are planning and forecasting energy supply and demand, optimising energy production and consumption, managing energy supply and demand, and complying with regulatory requirements while producing reports on energy use and production.
Why is EDG West important for the DATA CELLAR project?
The Validation Case that EDG West is supporting during the project is the optimization of operations in Bankya town’s distribution network, using the functionalities of DATA CELLAR Energy Data Space.
Bankya is a small town located on the outskirts of Sofia in western Bulgaria. It is administratively part of Greater Sofia. The population is 11,893 inhabitants. The district is famous for the mineral springs and baths that have been used for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. In 1969 the village of Bankya was proclaimed a town, and in 1979 it became part of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
Currently, the town of Bankya is not considered an Energy Community, however, it could certainly valorise the outcome of the DATA CELLAR project and contemplate a valuable testbed to enhance citizen participation in energy services. More specifically, it will be a means for improving energy efficiency; increasing self-consumption, possible participation in flexibility markets and/or P2P local trading; improving energy forecasting accuracy to make better investment planning; and influencing the price of electricity to lower energy bills.
The features and services envisioned to mobilise and further exploit by DATA CELLAR are:
- Acquire a community-tailored Digital Twin for future optimal decision-making.
- Acquire AI-based libraries for exploiting and taking advantage of the gathered data, and therefore develop energy profiles for prosumers and inform them of their end-user performance indicators.
- Facilitate the cost management and environmental footprint monitoring of the town via the LCC and LCA developed under DATA CELLAR, thus, influencing the economic life of the area.
- Security and transparency of the community’s energy data.
- To facilitate the conversion of homes and other buildings to more sustainable in the boundaries of energy use.
- Enhance the R&D in the field of sustainability and green energy.
Read all the Validation Cases here.
