PGE Systemy (part of the PGE Group) has received the decision of the Polish Office of Electronic Communications about reservation of the radio resources in the 450MHz band. The creation of a digital communication network is one of the key elements on the way to make the energy grid intelligent. The LTE450 wireless network will allow for faster and more efficient power recovery during extreme summer and winter weather conditions.
The construction of the nationwide mobile network dedicated for the energy industry is aligned with the PGE Group’s business strategy, according to which the primary goal of the company is to improve the reliability of electricity supply. The project will be carried out together with other interested utility groups and the project implementation and supervision will be coordinated with the Ministry of Energy.
LTE450 wireless connectivity will facilitate the work of power grid dispatchers, allow for automation of power distribution boards, reduce the costs of locating power grid failures and finally enable electricity end-users to use smart devices.
A similar solution, based on the mobile broadband technology, was launched in March this year in the USA under the name FirstNet. In Europe, advanced implementations of similar solutions are already under way in Spain, Finland, Austria and Germany. Also, Poland needs a modern and technically integrated energy sector. We take up this challenge because we want to responsibly build Poland’s energy future using new technologies – says Michal Kot, vice president of the management board of PGE Systemy.
On August 7, 2018, on the initiative of PGE Systemy, a series of presentations about dedicated mobile communication solutions in the 450 MHz band for the energy industry began. During these meetings, providers of various solutions based on the modern telecommunication technologies had the opportunity to present their proposals for the implementation of this ambitious undertaking to energy sector entities.
We have a very complex task ahead of us, because all stakeholders in the industry must agree to implement one consistent solution and become actively involved in the implementation of the project. I am convinced that accurate market analysis in terms of available technologies in this field will help us all in making the right choice – says Andrzej Piotrowski, vice-president of the PGE Systemy management board, responsible for the project on the PGE side.
The 450 MHz network offers following benefits for energy industry and its customers:
• For the dispatchers – 450 MHz network allows very precise monitoring of the power grid operation in real time. The dispatcher is able to track the network operation parameters even broken down into small sections, and in the event of a failure, it can be determined with a high accuracy where to send a team of electricians.
• Switching station – 450 MHz network allows for more precise and safer operation of the SCADA system, which in the event of a network failure automatically performs the switching, to quickly restore the power supply.
• Place of failure – LTE450 will enable voice communication for field services and its employees, with much lower expenses than in case of the older systems. In addition to voice communication, it will be possible to use image transfer, video and the use of AR techniques (the so-called Augmented Reality).
• End recipient – in the future, it will be possible to connect home devices adapted to work in an intelligent network to the 450 MHz network. This will allow, for example, to remotely switch on devices when the demand for energy and the price of electricity are the lowest.
Source: Polish Energy Group, https://www.gkpge.pl/Biuro-Prasowe/Komunikaty-prasowe/korporacyjne/PGE-zbuduje-lacznosc-bezprzewodowa-LTE-450-dla-energetyki