What is the Zaphiro Smart Grid Project?
Zaphiro Technologies presents a cutting-edge smart grid solution designed to power the energy transition. Enabling the energy transition with a breakthrough smart grid solution, the project showcases SynchroGuard – a premier monitoring and automation solution that helps power utilities integrate more clean energy technologies into their grids. Building smart grids is a steppingstone for the sustainable development of society, and SynchroGuard is at the heart of this evolution. With a sleek logo and an online portal at zaphiro.ch, the project emphasizes how real-time information can help utilities grow in this new energy world. It is a system that not only monitors grid performance but also optimizes system costs, ensuring both high quality of service for customers and a smoother integration of renewables.
Main Benefits of the Project
At its core, the project provides significant advantages that make grid management efficient and reliable. The key figures and facts include:
- Automated Fault Location: Accurate fault location in less than 1 second for every grid and fault type, including incipient faults – minimizing or even preventing power outages.
- Efficient Renewable Integration: Automated control of grid resources like renewables, EVs, and batteries that avoids costly grid reinforcements through real-time voltage control and congestion management.
- Reduced Costs: Significant reductions in CapEx and OpEx achieved through automated grid operation, optimized grid planning, enhanced asset lifetime, and the minimal installation cost of clamp-on current sensors based on Rogowski coil technology.
- Real-Time Grid Monitoring: Immediate visualization of data in SCADA systems or dedicated interfaces with advanced grid analytics to support optimal asset utilization and predictive maintenance.
- Fastest Installation: A streamlined installation process that minimizes both time and cost.
- Proven Solution: International power utilities have already turned to SynchroGuard for gaining valuable insight from field data, underscoring its reliability.
Powerful Software Modules to Improve Grid Performance
SynchroGuard’s software modules transform raw data into meaningful information, providing power utilities with tools to improve grid efficiency, reliability, and resiliency. The modular suite includes:
• Real-time grid monitoring,
• Automated FLISR (Fault Location, Isolation, and Service Restoration),
• Real-time control of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) – like renewables, EV charging stations, and battery storage,
• Grid analytics for detailed post-event analysis and predictive maintenance.
The combination of proprietary and third-party device data with advanced processing ensures high data quality, helping asset managers optimize grid planning and boosting overall grid performance. It’s technology that works fast, without fuss – a must-have for modern utilities.
Advanced Data Processing and Integration
One of the most impressive aspects of this project is its ability to generate and process 200x more data than conventional solutions. SynchroGuard is the first smart grid solution designed to harness accurate, 200x more frequent, and time-synchronized measurements from Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs). This innovative approach provides outstanding visibility into grid behavior, enabling utilities to dramatically improve monitoring and control performance. The technology integrates various data sources, ensuring that every detail captured by proprietary or third-party devices contributes to a comprehensive view of the grid’s status.
Real-Time Grid Monitoring and Automated Fault Location
The real-time grid monitoring module boosts an operator’s visibility of the grid state, significantly reducing the reaction time when faced with hazardous situations. Measurements and alarms are displayed in real time via SCADA/DMS systems and dedicated interfaces, making it easier to visualize voltage and power flows that are updated more than 200 times faster than conventional devices. Plus, automated fault location – using an innovative patented method – cuts downtime dramatically by pinpointing faults in less than 1 second. It is a dynamic solution that can even prevent outages, helping utilities achieve up to an 80% reduction in SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index). It’s almost like having an extra set of eyes that never sleeps.
Project Impact and SDGs
- SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 13: Climate Action
Future Opportunities in the Energy Sector
In a rapidly evolving energy landscape, the breakthrough solutions provided by Zaphiro Technologies are paving the way for future opportunities in grid management. By harnessing the power of accurate, high-frequency data and advanced analytics, the SynchroGuard system offers a glimpse into how utilities can take a proactive approach toward grid optimization. This approach not only maximizes the beneficial integration of distributed energy resources but also minimizes the need for expensive reinforcements, thereby reducing overall operational costs and ensuring a sustainable grid for the future. With such significant improvements in fault location, system reliability, and real-time monitoring, utilities are being equipped with the tools they need to lead the charge in building smarter, more resilient infrastructure. This revolution in grid management is playing a pivotal role in the energy transition, fostering innovation and driving reductions in energy-related carbon footprints – an evolution that is energizing the industry and offering huge potential for progress.
