Dynamic management of the electricity distribution network
We test and implement advanced technologies and smart systems to make the distribution network more responsive, efficient, and resilient so as to tackle the challenges of integrating renewable energy and new consumption patterns.
To balance electricity supply and demand without resorting systematically to major investments, ORES is experimenting through the Pic@u project, a local flexibility market platform. Various flexibility products and mechanisms will be assessed to determine their potential and relevance in Wallonia.
This project, which will be implemented from 2025 to 2027, is intended to make the most of local resources by encouraging high-voltage electricity consumers and producers to adapt their consumption or production according to network requirements. ORES can avail itself of this platform to purchase and activate flexibility (such as consumption shifting or energy injection) to prevent congestion, stabilise the grid, and optimise costs.
This initiative supports the energy transition while offering local economic stakeholders new opportunities to leverage their energy flexibility.
In 2025, Ores, in cooperation with Eneco, will launch a specific project focused on the residential charging of electric vehicles. This initiative has a dual main objective, namely to test sub-metering and charging power modulation based on network conditions.
Sub-metering is used to track electricity consumption relating to EV charging separately, making billing more transparent, thereby facilitating reimbursements by employers or dedicated contract offers.
Power modulation adjusts charging power depending on network conditions, thereby preventing voltage drops caused by the growing demand for EV charging.
The purpose of the Reactive Power Market is to test an auxiliary service that compensates for reactive power within the ORES network. Unlike active power, which performs useful work, reactive power supports electromagnetic fields that are essential for operating electrical equipment. For instance, an electric motor requires reactive power to create the magnetic fields needed for it to function.
Maintaining adequate levels of reactive power is crucial for network stability and efficiency, as excessive or insufficient amounts can lead to power losses and make the system less efficient, thereby affecting the transformers and transmission lines. Often connected via underground cables, wind turbines can disturb the network by introducing excess reactive power.
Conducted in Luxembourg Province with Luminus and Elia, the Reactive Power Market project tests a solution to counteract this excess reactive power using four Luminus wind turbines as a compensatory measure. The impact on the local infrastructure and facilities will be monitored, and an assessment will be conducted by the end of 2024 to determine whether this approach reduces reactive power management costs.
As part of the Solormax project, we are conducting tests with some twenty volunteer prosumers in the municipalities of Marche-en-Famenne and Flobecq.
The objective is to regulate their photovoltaic production so as to prevent voltage surges on the grid and inverter shutdowns. Specialised equipment is being installed at the homes of participants and a real-time electrical grid status calculator is being implemented so as to mitigate voltage risks, which will be to the benefit of all neighbourhood residents with photovoltaic systems.
We are improving energy flow management in order to maximise collective energy generation.
The project currently focuses on studying the technical means and resources required to implement this approach and attain satisfactory results.
The increasing number of renewable energy sources, such as residential photovoltaics and wind power, heightens the risk of grid congestion for both low and high voltage.
The Secondary Congestion Option Platform Exchange or SCOPE project addresses congestion caused by wind power generation at the distribution network and high-voltage substations. It is intended to optimise wind energy generation capacity and reduce grid constraints by establishing a dynamic "secondary" market for flexibility in electricity consumption, sourced from an existing industrial process or a battery system.
Project partners include Haulogy, OakTree Power, CE+T, the ULB (French-language Free University of Brussels), and the University of Liège. Currently under study, the project is scheduled to launch in January 2025 and run for four years.
Sensa is an innovative project launched to engage consumers in the sustainable and cost-effective management of the electricity grid.
Designed within the IO.Energy ecosystem, it aims to develop real-time pricing, encouraging users to adjust their consumption according to system requirements.
Between October 2019 and March 2020, Sensa was tested in a laboratory with an electric boiler and various technical solutions. The results showed that energy bills were reduced through optimised consumption based on daily rates. Although the initial cost of the devices is high, mass production could make the economic model viable.
The project was carried out in cooperation with Engie, Engie Laborelec, Elia, N-SIDE, Automation, One Smart Control, and NRB.
The ODESA Clustering initiative is an innovative project led by ORES.
Its goal is to improve energy network management by developing an algorithmic model capable of forecasting energy consumption based on past “representative days.”
ORES leverages these forecasts to anticipate congestion risks and make optimal real-time decisions, particularly as regards energy pricing.
This predictive tool has been integrated into various ORES projects since 2021, facilitating congestion forecasting and strategic network planning.
Conducted between 2013 and 2016 in Wallonia, GREDOR was intended to improve electricity grid management by integrating renewable energy and optimising energy flows.
Initiated by the Commission Wallonne pour l’Énergie (CWaPE) [Walloon Energy Commission] in 2011, the project focused on reactive power management, loss reduction, and real-time network optimisation.
ORES utilised the tools developed to monitor and adjust energy flows, anticipate problems, and maintain grid stability. Several partners, including the University of Liège, the University of Mons, Resa, EDF Luminus, Elia, and Tractebel Engineering S.A., took part in the project.