ERDF A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMART GRIDS

Transcription

1 ERDF A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMART GRIDS PRESS KIT

2 contents FACTSHEET 1 FROM THE PRODUCER TO THE CONSUMER, 5 MAJOR PLAYERS TO IDENTIFY ERDF, THE LEADING EUROPEAN ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTOR FACTSHEET 2 ERDF, A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMART GRIDS FACTSHEET 3 RENEWABLE ENERGIES, A FRESH CHALLENGE FOR ERDF PHOTOVOLTAIC & WIND INSTALLATION-PRODUCTION CONNECTED TO THE NETWORK MANAGED BY ERDF FACTSHEET 4 SUPPORT THE BOOM IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A FRESH CHALLENGE FOR ERDF THE DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES FACTSHEET 5 ERDF IS PREPARING TOMORROW'S NETWORK TO STRENGTHEN ITS PUBLIC SERVICE MISSION A LOW VOLTAGE NETWORK SHORTLY GOING SMART FACTSHEET 6 THE ERDF SMART GRID PROGRAMME SMART GRID PROJECTS WHICH PREPARE THE FUTURE FACTSHEET 7 GRID4EU: A EUROPEAN PROJECT MANAGED BY ERDF FOCUS ON THE FRENCH NICEGRID DEMONSTRATOR APPENDIX THE BENEFITS OF SMART GRIDS Press contact: EDRF is also present on Youtube and Facebook

3 FROM THE PRODUCER TO THE CONSUMER, 5 MAJOR PLAYERS TO IDENTIFY Regulated activities Competing activities Competing activities DISTRIBUTION PRODUCTION TRANSMISSION SUPPLY OF ELECTRICITY ERDF fulfils its public service mission by distributing electricity to all consumers via two voltage scales: high voltage A(1) and low voltage (2). ERDF ensures the operation, development and maintenance of high voltage A (HTA) and low voltage (BT),networks.. The production of electricity is founded on different energy sources (nuclear, thermal, hydraulic, wind, solar). RTE Electricity transmission on the national level is ensured by RTE (the electricity transmission network) at 400,000 volts. On the regional level, transmission is ensured at 225,000, 90,000 and 63,000 volts. CUSTOMERS Fully opened up to competition since 1 July FACTSHEET 1 (1) HTA: high voltage A (20,000 V) (2) BT: low voltage (230 V/400 V)

4 FACTSHEET 1 ERDF, THE LEADING EUROPEAN ELECTRICITY DISTRIBUTOR ERDF (Electricity Distribution Network in France) manages the public electricity distribution network covering 95% of mainland France. A wholly-owned subsidiary of the EDF group, ERDF was created on 1 January 2008 in the context of the opening up of the electricity market to competition. 11 million interventions in 2011 ERDF is a public service company with 1,047 sites established throughout France. In particular, the company is responsible for the continuity and quality of electricity distribution, as well as non-discriminatory access to the distribution network. Every day, its 35,000 employees oversee the operation, maintenance and development of almost 1.3 million kilometres of electrical lines at the service of 35 million customers. This makes EDRF the leading European distributor of electricity. The network belongs to the concessionary authorities (municipalities or groups of municipalities) which entrust it with management by means of a public service delegation. Within this framework, the company performs numerous interventions on the network, such as connections, entries into service, repairs and changes of supplier. In 2012, ERDF invested 3 billion euros across France. As the administrator of the public electricity network, ERDF is charged with ensuring access to the network in line with the expectations of the different stakeholders. In a market open to the competition, the continuity of the public electricity distribution network is at the heart of a system which requires the ERDF company to interface with the public authorities, the CRE (the French energy regulatory commission), local authorities, concessionary authorities and network users (customers, suppliers, producers). PUBLIC SERVICE MISSIONS Operate and modernise the network Connect customers up to the network Support local authority projects Run and manage the network remotely Ensure metering of consumption for energy suppliers Ensure repairs on 24/7 basis whatever the weather

5 FACTSHEET 2 ERDF, A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SMART GRIDS Previously exclusively tasked with distributing electricity, the distribution network must now be capable of analysing and anticipating new types of use. It has to adapt to the boom in renewable energies (wind, photovoltaic, etc.), the development of electric vehicles and changes in electricity consumption patterns. These changes require the development of tools which are capable of continually optimising the balance between the electricity network's supply and demand at local level. ERDF has opted for new technologies in meeting these fresh challenges. To prepare the ground for this major technological shift, ERDF is already investing in numerous projects in France and elsewhere in Europe. These are preparing the networks of tomorrow or smart grids, an alliance between the world of electricity and that of NICTs. The Linky smart meter represents the "first brick" in this new system. Smart grids, modernised networks at the service of the customer SMART GRIDS? To keep pace with changes in the energy landscape, the electricity system must be modernised. The French and European context within which electricity networks have developed has led to a focus on the deployment of smart grid technologies rather than the replacement and wide-scale reinforcement of networks. Incorporating new information and communication technologies into networks will allow them to communicate and will make it possible to factor in the actions of players in the electricity system, while ensuring delivery of electricity which is more effective, economically viable and secure. This way, the electricity system will be managed more flexibly in order to handle constraints such as the intermittent nature of renewable energies and the development of new uses such as electric vehicles. These constraints will also give rise to a shift away from the current system, where the real-time balance is ensured by tailoring production to consumption, towards one where adjustment will be more demanddriven, so making the consumer a key player. Website source : smartgrids-cre.fr Smart grids offer consumers key benefits such as the guarantee of a secure supply of electricity, more detailed energy consumption information, simplified home interventions and easier use of electric vehicles. Some believe that they are paving the way for a revolution on the electricity sector comparable to that undergone by telecommunications. In fact, smart grids will not only make it possible to intervene remotely to manage the network but also: to intervene directly on the consumer's behalf; to perform remote diagnoses and handling of service breakdowns; to perform automated processing of data for invoicing; to offer customers the possibility of tracking their consumption more closely; to develop complementary services offered by energy suppliers in order to help customers optimise management of their energy use. With the development of smart grids, customers will enjoy better service quality. Calling on its know-how and new information technologies, ERDF is anticipating change and deploying its resources in order to ensure a successful switch from the conventional electricity distribution network to smart grids.

6 FACTSHEET 2 Despite the best efforts of manufacturers to produce less energy-intensive equipment, the French are consuming more and more electricity due to the plethora of computers, digital pads, telephones and televisions, not to mention all the servers and relays which manage them. To support this growth, the electricity network is upgraded with each passing year: in 2012, ERDF invested 3 billion euros in distribution networks (i.e. a 10% rise on 2011). Transformers need to be more powerful and electrical cables bigger; it is essential to be able to distribute more electricity. At 7pm on Wednesday 8 February 2012, France experienced a new peak in consumption with 102,098 MW of instantaneous power*. The previous records were 100,655 MW* at 7pm on 7 February 2012 and 96,710 MW* at 7pm on 15 December * Values for the highest instantaneous power required to meet consumption in France (excluding Corsica) at the daily peak. (RTE data) FACTHEET 3 Smart grids: new benefits for consumers: better informed, equipped with management tools, possibly electricity producers themselves, consumers will become key players who can actively participate in management of the network.

7 FACTSHEET 3 RENEWABLE ENERGIES: A FRESH CHALLENGE FOR ERDF The challenge facing ERDF every day is to integrate renewable energies under better conditions. Yet, this question immediately raises technical problems since one of the characteristics of renewable energies is their intermittent and random nature: for instance, solar production varies from one minute to the next during the day. ERDF has a mission to distribute electricity to all of its customers with optimum quality. This mission, which is central to its public service role, is even more complicated in areas with a high concentration of renewable energy. In fact, the injection of electricity directly into the distribution network at multiple points disrupts the voltage level with all the risks which that entails for customers' electrical appliances. The presence of electricity "circulating in both directions" within the distribution network, in consumption and in production, is a new aspect which ERDF has to factor in. Today, there are numerous producers of renewable energy, and particularly photovoltaic sources. Virtually non-existent 5 years ago, photovoltaic producers currently connected to the local low voltage network number more than 300,000. Growing at the rate of 100,000 p.a., they will number 1 million in % of renewable energies are connected up to the distribution network. France is the European nation witnessing the sharpest growth in photovoltaic and wind energy. This recent phenomenon is a groundbreaking development in the history of the electricity infrastructure. In fact, the electricity distribution network is also becoming a collection network since this new production is directly hooked up to it. Power stations YESTERDAY Consumers The current networks were initially designed to transport electricity in a single direction, from power stations to consumers. TODAY The smart grid has to allow electricity to circulate in both directions, for better integration of electricity produced by renewable sources Smart grids must also enable the development of new uses for electricity such as the electric vehicle Production of electricity from decentralised production sources (renewable energies) Electricity originating from power stations (nuclear, thermal, etc.)

8 51 MW MW MW MW MW 264 MW MW MW 36.9 MW MW MW MW MW MW MW MW

9 FACTSHEET 4 SUPPORT THE BOOM IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES: A FRESH CHALLENGE FOR ERDF Two million electric vehicles could be on the roads in France by ERDF therefore has to work with local authorities to anticipate the consolidation and modernisation of the electricity distribution network in order to manage this new type of use and help develop the city of tomorrow. ERDF's commitment to smart grids and trials with the Linky smart meter are key steps in this process of change. Recap of the electric vehicle Published in April 2011, the green paper on infrastructures for recharging electric vehicles aimed to foster their deployment on the public highway and support the marketing of such vehicles in France. French cities are already actively involved in this strategy. For instance, Paris has set up the Autolib' electric car-share service. The number of cars made available is rising weekly. The timetable for this initiative provides for 1,740 cars, 1,100 stations and places and almost 5,000 recharge terminals by June How does the development of electric vehicles concern electricity networks? As with the development of renewable energies, the growth of electric vehicles represents a key challenge for ERDF related to recharge mobility. Today, it seems perfectly normal to be able to recharge your mobile phone when and where you want. Customers using an electric car will naturally expect the same flexibility of service. Drivers will want to charge up at home but also at the office, in the street, in a car park. It is therefore a question of identifying how the network might respond to this kind of demand. If customers charge their vehicles when they get home at night, they will raise the consumption peak which generally occurs around 7pm (in winter). If they charge them elsewhere, they will do so in an unpredictable manner on networks which are unable to provide the expected power without adaptation. In this context, what everyone expects from ERDF is: connecting up of new charging installations for these vehicles; a guarantee of the network's capacity to provide customers with the necessary power and quality of electricity. ERDF is liaising with all key players in the development of the electric vehicle, government departments, industrialists and local authorities, to help define an appropriate recharge infrastructure. ERDF is therefore working with local authorities on planning this development according to the transport needs identified in local plans and their regional development policy. The company is also contributing its expertise in electricity networks in order to meet the needs of motorists while minimising costs and the environmental impact. Car-share recharge terminal Public recharge terminal

10 FACTSHEET 4 THE DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES: In the context of its environmental commitments, ERDF has decided to actively contribute to the development of electric vehicles. Two key projects have been initiated to this end since 2010: the use of the new Linky smart meter to enable exchanges between the various service operators and customers, as well as the development of a recharge terminal plan. ERDF assists local authorities with their programmes for deployment of recharge terminals. It helps them to control connection costs and ensure that their expenditure decisions are consistent with other innovations being prepared on the network. In an environment where the various items of equipment must increasingly be able to inter-communicate, questions of interoperability and standardisation must be tackled at a very early stage. The involvement of a major national player is key to facilitating adoption of rules shared on the French and European scales. Car-share recharge terminal Public recharge terminal Recharge terminal for public or private car park Underground distribution ERDF's mission is to connect up the new recharge installations for these vehicles and guarantee the network's capacity to provide customers with the necessary power and quality of electricity. ERDF supports local authorities in their projects The dialogue-based initiative currently being conducted by ERDF with local authorities is fundamental since they have a precise idea of what they want to undertake for their conurbations or municipalities. Depending on their projects, ERDF aims to work hand in hand so as to optimise the networks and anticipate future uses. A noteworthy example concerns projects to set up recharge terminals for electric vehicles. In fact, given the impact of such installations on the electricity network, a prior concertation with ERDF enables determination of those zones most conducive to installation of recharge terminals.

11 FACTSHEET 5 EDRF IS PREPARING TOMORROW'S NETWORKS TO STRENGTHEN ITS PUBLIC SERVICE MISSION Every day ERDF ensures the operation, maintenance and development of almost 1.3 million kms of electrical lines 685,400 kms BT (low voltage) and 608,000 kms HTA (medium voltage), at the service of 35 million customers. To prepare for the future, ERDF must assume new capacities for measurement and intervention in order to manage the random and intermittent nature of renewable energies and keep pace with new uses such as the development of electric vehicles. A medium voltage network which is already smart Remote intervention and measurement tools have already improved the reliability of electricity networks in the past twenty years. At the end of the 1980s, each French citizen suffered power outages for an average of 400 minutes per year. In 2011, this figure had dropped to 73 minutes (average annual power outage time by customer whatever the reason). This is the result of a committed policy of investment aimed at interconnecting the main networks and the medium voltage networks while also equipping them with detectors and automatic control systems. These days, when an incident occurs on the medium voltage network, automatic control systems can establish power for 70% of customers cut off in less than 2 minutes, before any human intervention. These processes - known as advanced management functions and self-healing systems - enable automatic and remote restoration of the electricity supply. These terms offer a graphic description of the new properties of an electricity network, capable of reconfiguring itself in record time, often without the customers realising, in order to maintain the quality of electricity distribution. The challenge which ERDF now intends to meet is to advance on the low voltage (BT) network which is witnessing the arrival of photovoltaic production and electric vehicles able to generate imbalances which have to be dealt with effectively. ACRs (regional control agencies) VISION REMOTE INTERVENTION THE MEDIUM VOLTAGE NETWORK (HTA) THE LOW VOLTAGE NETWORK (BT) 1 2,200 source substations in France 24/7 REAL-TIME MONITORING OF THE MEDIUM VOLTAGE NETWORK 2 105,000 remote control units on the 500 specialists, "electricity air traffic network and providing solutions within ERDF network controllers", are present in 31 ACRs minutes of an incident. (regional control agencies). These These functions enable automatic and veritable ERDF control towers oversee In the past 10 years, ERDF has extensively therefore high speed, location of an management of the networks. ERDF automated medium voltage networks. This incident, isolation of the faulty part of has modernised almost 600,000 kms of automation of networks helped restore supply lines which are now equipped with over the network and reconfiguration of the to 93% of customers within 1 hour during the 100,000 remote controlled devices and network to limit the power outage time Quinten storm in 2009, whereas it took 10 managed by these 31 control towers for customers days to achieve the same result in tasked with 24/7 real time monitoring of the state of the medium voltage 3 750,000 distribution substations

12 FACTSHEET 5 A LOW VOLTAGE NETWORK SHORTLY GOING SMART The low voltage network is the last link in the electricity chain through to the customer. Contrary to the medium voltage network, it is not equipped with a detector nor any automatic controls enabling remote management. Today, for instance, when a failure occurs, it is up to the customer to notify the ERDF service breakdown call centre which will send out a team. It is clear that the challenge represented by the development of renewable energies and electric vehicles requires significant adaptation of the low voltage network. THE LOW VOLTAGE (BT) NETWORK A customer contacts the ERDF's CAD (service breakdown call centre). The CAD sends out an ERDF team The characteristics of the BT network It starts in the public distribution substations where the electrical voltage generally switches from 20,000 volts to 230 volts (single phase)/400 volts (three phase), the voltage level at which electricity is routed to consumers. There are almost two million low voltage "departures". These leave from an electric transformer (located in a public distribution substation) and supply a customer or group of customers with electricity. If an incident, such as a falling tree, disrupts a low voltage departure, it only generally impacts the customers served by this departure. And in this case, contrary to medium voltage networks, no detector enables ERDF to be alerted for restoration of the supply without delay. To do so, the customer has to call the service breakdown department and in all cases a team needs to be sent out to deal with the incident. WITH THE NEW LINKY SMART METER Intervention by ERDF The first requirement in adapting the low voltage network concerns observability. It is vital to be able to "see" the network remotely to closely monitor its state: "What is the voltage level like?" "How are decentralised production points changing?", "What is happening with consumption?". On the basis of these observation data, it will be possible to react in order to offset imbalances detected. In this perspective, ERDF has conducted in-depth research to come up with a tool capable of remotely measuring and acting on the low voltage network: the smart meter dubbed Linky. ELIMINATION In the event that excessive consumption is observed in relation to production capacities, it would be possible, with the customer's agreement, to temporarily halt certain equipment. This is known as "elimination". These measures help ensure the local balance of the network.

13 FACTSHEET 6 THE ERDF SMART GRIDS PROGRAMME To prepare the ground for this major technological shift, ERDF is already investing in numerous projects in France and elsewhere in Europe. These are preparing tomorrow's networks which represent the coming together of two sectors, electricity and NICTs (New Information and Communication Technologies). With its communicating capacities, the Linky meter is the first stage in this new system. Previously exclusively tasked with distributing electricity, the network must now be capable of analysing and anticipating new types of use. It has to adapt to the boom in renewable energies (wind, photovoltaic, etc.), the development of electric vehicles and changes in electricity consumption patterns. These changes require the development of tools which are capable of continually optimising the balance between the electricity network's supply and demand at local level. Linky, the first brick in the network of tomorrow Linky is first and foremost the name of the smart meter developed and trialled by ERDF from 2010 to Tested with 300,000 customers in the department of Indre-et-Loire and the Lyon conurbation, it met all of its targets. This highly successful trial ended on 31 March 2011 and was successively approved by the CRE and by the public authorities in summer "The trial was successful and ERDF has the technical capacity to roll out 35 million smart meters. The company has made every effort to ensure that this trial, the biggest in the world in terms of the number of meters installed, matches every point in the specifications drawn up by the regulator, as well as the expectations of the stakeholders concerned and, in particular, the customer." Michèle Bellon, president of the ERDF executive board ERDF is now ready to roll out the Linky smart meter for its 35 million customers by Linky is also the name of the system developed by ERDF to manage all of its new meters. This will not only enable gathering of standard metering information (consumption index for invoicing) but also new information on the state of the network (voltage level, for instance). The same system will also be capable of giving meters instructions. For instance, to avoid a black-out during a peak in electricity consumption, it will be possible to offset functioning of certain equipment by using a signal corresponding to a change in rate. It is merely a question of previously connecting certain "energy-intensive" items of equipment to the meter (clothes dryer, electric heater, etc.) so that they start or stop. This method known as "elimination" will be applied with the customer's agreement, as is already the case in a simplified manner with peak rates / off-peak rates for hot water boilers in the homes of 12 million customers. Due to its "bidirectional" capacity, in other words its capacity to retrieve information in one direction and send instructions in the other, Linky represents the first stage in building tomorrow's networks. THE LINKY SMART METER OFFERS THE CUSTOMER NUMEROUS ADVANTAGES: Many interventions performed remotely which no longer require the customer to be present (meter reading, change of power, entry into service, etc.) "You no longer have to wait for ERDF and maybe take half a day off work". An invoice which can be calculated on the basis of their actual consumption rather than an estimation. "You pay for precisely what you consume without any intermediary estimation". Intervention times cut from 5 days to less than 24 hours. Better monitoring of electricity consumption for better control of the energy spend. In the event of a failure on the network, diagnosis is facilitated and the supply of electricity to customers is restored faster. Installation of the smart meter is not invoiced to the customer. All consumption data are encrypted at source. That way, ERDF guarantees the protection of this personal information belonging to the customer. ERDF works closely with the CNIL (French data protection authority) and the CRE to guarantee full respect of privacy for the customer. A special Linky press kit is available at the website erdfdistribution.fr. It details all aspects of the project

14 SMART GRID PROJECTS WHICH PREPARE THE FUTURE In France and in Europe, ERDF is playing a key role in the development of smart grids. In collaboration with its industrial, university and R&D partners, around one hundred players in all, ERDF is involved in around a dozen projects focused on these topics. These projects will make it possible to prepare the necessary modernisation of the network in light of environmental concerns and changes to energy production means. Overseen by a consortium, the project concerns 1,500 customers in Issy-les-Moulineaux and covers a series of tertiary buildings and a residential neighbourhood. It aims to be the first "demonstrator" - optimising the energy performance of electricity production and consumption from the environmental and economic viewpoint. IssyGrid gathers together the principal components of the eco-neighbourhoods of the Smart Cities of tomorrow: software platform for consumption/production, electric vehicles, photovoltaic production, cogeneration, electricity storage means, Linky smart meter, etc. 3 Linky trial The Linky smart meter was trialled by ERDF from 2010 to Tested among almost 300,000 customers in the department of Indre-et-Loire and in the conurbation of Lyon, it has met all of its targets. This trial concluded on 31 March 2011 and was successively approved by the CRE (commission for energy regulation) and by the public authorities in the summer of Ile de Houat and Ile This concerns a project to secure the power supply on two islands located off the coast of Morbihan, via an underwater cable and calling on a generator set not dimensioned to peak periods. The demonstrator consists in resupplying geographically isolated areas whose medium voltage (HTA) supply has been cut off. 2 Smart Grid Vendée The project aims to show that better factoring in of local constraints in managing public distribution networks (in addition to management of the balance and the national peak) helps ensure greater overall energy efficiency, by better integration of renewable energies into the distribution networks while controlling their development costs and strengthening them. 11 Chip 2 Grid In order to improve "real time" management of medium voltage distribution networks, this project aims to develop the components of a "PLC" communication chain. The demonstrator is centred on use of PLC to strengthen the networks' observability and "commandability" capacities. 4 Issy Grid 9 Nice Grid As a technological showcase for expertise in digital source substations, the "Smart Substations" project is intended to optimise the interface between ERDF and RTE in terms of source substations in order to reinforce the safety of the electrical system. In particular, the project will test a digital interface with an open standard at the level of source substations between the respective control-commands of RTE and ERDF in order to speed up exchanges, and repatriate new data to the centralised information systems in full security A smart solar neighbourhood. concerning 1,500 customers in Nice - Located in the Aube, a department which has the highest concentration of medium and high power wind turbines in France, the Venteea project will investigate the capacities for automatic reconfiguration of the network in order to turn renewable energy production to full account by direct integration of wind turbine production into the medium voltage network. The Greenlys, project in the Rhône-Alpes region, will be founded on the Linky system for more extensive trials of the smart meter's potential for the network and customers. It concerns 1,000 customers in Lyon and Grenoble. An overall vision of a new smart electric system. The project is aimed at trialling customer service offerings thanks to Linky. The project's objectives are firstly to test the various "smart systems", innovative and attractive solutions, among almost 10,000 consumers in Lyon in order to favour the flexibility of their electricity consumption in response to rate signals carried by the Linky communicating system. The project is aimed at implementing innovative technologies for the management of electric vehicles (fast and slow recharge terminals for a fleet of around 40 vehicles), buildings, as well as development of the use of photovoltaic panels on the buildings of a selected block. The Nice Grid project will study a solar neighbourhood comprising a significant concentration of decentralised photovoltaic production which can be partially disconnected from the regional network when the latter is saturated. Nice Grid is also "Linky inside". This trial is part of the broader European Grid4EU project (see themed factsheet below). 5 Smart substations 6 - Venteea 7 - Greenlys 8 Smart Electric Lyon 10 Lyon Confluence PROGRESS OF PROJECTS Completed Under way Design stage FACTSHEET 6

15 FACTSHEET 7 GRID4EU: A EUROPEAN PROJECT MANAGED BY ERDF Initiated in the context of a call for projects by the European Commission, the GRID4EU project, coordinated by ERDF, brings together six European electricity distributors in order to pave the way for tomorrow's electricity networks. This project provides for the set-up of six demonstrators in different European countries, so fostering complementarity of cross-cutting research actions as well as the sharing of results throughout Europe. Funded to the tune of 25m by the European Commission, this project costing an estimated 54m is the biggest European Union smart grid project in financing terms. Testing new technologies, studying their widespread rollout, fixing standards and communicating on best practices, these were the missions entrusted to ERDF by the European Union as part of GRID4EU, a project intended to respond to the European research programme on smart grids (FP7: Seventh Framework Programme of the EU). This project provides for the setup of six demonstrators in various European countries. The programme fosters the complementarity of the various projects present in each country in the consortium and particularly cross-cutting research actions as well as the sharing of results throughout Europe. This 54m project, funded to the tune of 25m by the European Union, brings together 6 electricity distributors (ERDF, ENEL, Iberdrola, CEZ, Vattenfall and RWE) representing over half of the energy distributed in Europe. It is the biggest smart grid project funded by the European Union. It will cover all fields from integration of renewable energies, development of electric vehicles, automation of networks, storage of energy and energy efficiency, through to the involvement of consumers in management of charging. GRID4EU is founded on six demonstrators which will be tested for four years in each country represented in the consortium. It concerns complementary demonstrators: the heart of the project being a guarantee of coordination of the various demonstrators. This programme will therefore favour the effectiveness of a shared approach between the different projects with, in particular, crosscutting actions and pooling of results between the various distributors concerned. GRID4EU also calls on the skills of other industrial and scientific partners and so unites around thirty partners from ten or so EU countries. The GRID4EU project will enable electricity distributors to move forward together by means of their demonstrators in areas related to smart grids the emergence of smart grids incorporating production sources based on renewable energies; automation and securement of the electricity network; effective participation of customers in the management of their consumption; support for the development of electric vehicles and introduction of electricity storage solutions. More info:

16 FACTSHEET 7 FOCUS ON THE FRENCH NICEGRID DEMONSTRATOR The NiceGrid project located in Carros, in the Plaine du Var, on the territory of the urban community of Nice-Côte d Azur, is aimed at setting up a demonstrator for a "smart" solar neighbourhood. This town with 12,000 inhabitants will host one of France's biggest smart grid projects. Financed in the context of the Grand Emprunt national loan and European funds within the GRID4EU project, NiceGrid is a project for a smart grid demonstrator. This project will cover several zones, with a residential part, social housing and an industrial part and will involve 1,500 residential and public customers equipped with Linky meters. The NiceGrid project will tackle problem sets related to the concept of smart grids: Optimised operation of a medium and low voltage network incorporating massive production of decentralised and intermittent renewable energy (primarily photovoltaic); Study of the behaviour of customers in terms of their management of production and consumption of electricity; "Islanding" or how to develop an autonomous neighbourhood isolated from the principal electricity distribution network and producing its own energy and benefiting from its own energy storage facilities (customers able to temporarily disconnect from upstream networks while retaining a power supply); Energy storage in batteries. With the NiceGrid demonstrator, ERDF is investigating how a smart grid contributes to the electricity supply/demand balance in a region which is an electricity peninsula. ERDF will focus on optimising operation of a distribution network and the behaviour of customers who will become players in their consumption. The NiceGrid demonstrator will also make it possible to study integration of a large number of photovoltaic producers and the functioning of "islanding" in a neighbourhood, combining local production, energy storage and management of customers' equipment.

17 annex THE BENEFITS OF SMART GRIDS INTERVENE REMOTELY THANKS TO THE NEW SMART METER Electricity consumption readings Remote operations BALANCE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION AT LOCAL LEVEL PRODUCERS CONSUMERS FASTER INTERVENTION ON THE NETWORK Detection - diagnosis Self-healing Intervention BETTER TARGETING OF EXPENDITURE ON NETWORKS Thanks to the Linky meter s data collection and analysis. system. Anticipation and optimisation of maintenance and development of the network Risk management and predictive maintenance policy.

18 The ERDF'S national press department has set up a 24/7 hotline to respond to queries from journalists. The number to call is The press department is headed up by philippe gluck and comprised of two press officers, Alexandra Pons and Alizée Gervais, together with an assistant, Clotilde Pascal. Press releases and press kits are available on line at the website in the "Media" section. The "register" section at the bottom of the website's home page allows you to receive an alert every time an ERDF news item is posted on the site. Thanks to the Linky meter's data collection and analysis system.

19 Creation/production: rougecactus.fr illustrations médiathèque ERDF Rouge Cactus Photos médiathèque ERDF William Beaucardet Romain Boutillier Mathieu Colin Damien Charfeddine François Chevreau Jean-Lionel Dias Cédric Helsly Lionel Roux Alexandre Sargos ERDF Electricité Réseau Distribution France Tour Winterthur Paris-la Défense Cedex ERDF, SA (public limited company) with an executive board and a supervisory board with capital of 270,037,000 euros, Nanterre Trade & Companies Register: