Impact on the economy and the market

PSE’s priority is to ensure the current and long-term security of electricity supply in Poland. The company’s tasks include maintenance development of the transmission network, management of the Polish Power System, including network balancing, as well as cooperation with other TSOs.

Satisfying energy needs throughout the country and ensuring security of electricity supply significantly contributes to Poland’s economic growth, which is reflected in increased income and life qualify of Poles. Such impact of PSE on economic growth is possible owing to the company’s cooperation with numerous enterprises.

As a contributor of taxes and other levies, we have a positive impact on the local, regional and national budgets, enabling many significant projects to be financed.

Impact on the economy and the market

Strengthening innovation and implementing new technologies

GRI 103-1

Maintaining operational stability of the power system requires constant technological development and setting the directions to be followed in the future. The development of new technologies has a significant impact on security and therefore we carry out many actions aimed to make an optimum use of new technologies in the power sector.

Major projects in the field of innovation, research and technical development include:

Market Management System (MMS) project
The objective of the MMS project is to improve the quality of the PPS operation planning and management while meeting the security criteria and minimising the costs of energy supply to consumers by implementing planning tools and operational management of the PPS based on the full network model (FNM) and locational marginal pricing of electricity.
Demonstration project for the implementation of the PPS operation security support system based on the Special Protection Scheme (SPS) and battery electricity storage
The objective of the project is to ensure the optimum curtailment of wind farm generation by the TSO in the event of failure of coordinated critical network elements of a coordinated network (with the use of energy storage facilities) when high wind generation occurs or in PSE imbalance risk situations.
Electricity Market Information Operator establishment project
The objective of the project is to establish the Electricity Market Information Operator (Operator Informacji Rynku Energii, OIRE) within our company, i.e. an organisation responsible for the deployment, maintenance and development of the ICT system.
The task of OIRE will be to:
- support the management of electricity retail market processes,
- provide PPS users, including end users, with access to their measurement data,
- facilitate the exchange of measurement information to authorised electricity market parties.

DSR (Demand Side Response) Intervention Programmes
The demand-side response (DSR) services are one of the intervention measures that enable PSE to balance the PPS in the period when it is not technically possible for available generation units to cover consumers’ demand.
Analysis of dynamic properties of Power Guardian equipment and their mutual interaction with the transmission network
The objective of the project was to determine the feasibility of using Power GuardianT™ equipment for overhead transmission line load relief in the PPS.
Methods of vibration protection of overhead transmission line wires
The impact of the aerodynamic wake on the safe lifetime of earth conductors of selected overhead line spans was determined and guidelines were prepared for the methods and scope of vibration protection of EHV line wires situated within the impact field of the wind turbine wake.
Implementation of the probabilistic approach in the transmission network development planning process
The objective of the project was to develop an IT tool that allows probabilistic elements to be implemented in the Transmission Network Development Plan preparation process.
Designing and developing a computer program for the assessment of the quality of electricity supply
The project involved the design and development of an application that collects and aggregates source data from metering points of the PSE power network. Under the project, a prototype was created for testing the methods for the location of disturbances, assessment of individual emissions and the way of settling the costs of poor supply quality.
Analysis of the impact of development of the electric vehicle market on electric power and energy demand
The project resulted in the development of a model that allows the amount of electric power and energy demand generated by electric vehicles to be estimated in a reliable manner.

The development of the e-vehicle market should contribute to the reduction of emissions by the transport sector and reduce dependence on oil imports. Development of electromobility will significantly contribute to solving the problems of contemporary cities, such as smog and noise. In addition, it may also contribute to the development of new industries, e.g. battery manufacture.

An increase in the number of electric cars will affect the operations of the electricity sector from the viewpoint of greater demand in the PPS for capacity and electricity, and will affect the operations of the network infrastructure (mostly in the operating area of the DSOs). Besides potential challenges to the PPS, which may emerge in connection with development of the electric car market and demand for car battery charging, it will also present an opportunity for development of a new sector of services, such as the ability to maintain flexible demand management, supply of system services through aggregators, such as electric car charging stations equipped with energy banks, which may be an extra source of supply for the lowest voltage network in the event of a DSO network operating failure. Both passenger cars used in households or company fleets and buses in urban transport have such potential.

Fig. 6. Factors driving the development of electromobility. Source: Compilation by PSE Innowacje

PSE analyses potential development rate scenarios for electric vehicles in Poland. The scenarios are designed on the basis of an analysis of factors driving consumer choices when buying vehicles, acquisition and maintenance costs, and the comfort of use depending, among other things, on the driving range of electric vehicles and availability of charging points. Based on the forecasts of growth in the number of electric vehicles in Poland, models are built which allow long-term forecasts of growth in capacity and energy demand in Poland to be developed.

Knowing the scale of growth in electric power and energy requirements of electric vehicles, appropriate charging management systems can be developed to minimise impact on PPS loading. This effect can be achieved, e.g. through tariff incentives to encourage charging electric vehicles when demand from households and the industry is the lowest, for example at night, or through curtailment of consumption by charging stations at peak hours or during failures.

The analyses conducted also make it possible to assess the scale of investment in the development of the distribution network and charging stations to address the needs of a growing number of e-vehicles in Poland.

PSE in a clustered power system
The objective of the project was to determine what Energy Clusters are currently and what they can be in future from the TSO’s point of view. Detailed definition of the structures of Energy Clusters and outlining their potential enabled steps to be defined preparing our company for functioning in a clustered power system.
Prototype software visualising graphics, physical flows and unscheduled flows in Europe
Under the project, the design was prepared and a development version of software for the visualisation of graphics, physical flows and unscheduled flows. The graphical interface developed allows the values of flows between bidding zones in Europe to be presented.
Research project co-financed under the EU programme "Horizon 2020".
The objective of the project was to develop the future design of the pan-European system, aimed to maximise the economic and environmental value, with a high share of renewable energy sources.
ITC system for the operation of the Capacity Market – STORM
In order to enable capacity auctions to be conducted in November and December 2018, PSE implemented a dedicated ICT system for the operation of the Capacity Market (STORM). Due to the ground-breaking nature of the project as a publicly available platform, a large scope of work involved and short time for its implementation, the team implementing the project at PSE and PSE Innowacje decided to apply the AGILE management methodology to work on the system.

The AGILE methodology provides for early implementation of smaller software components, openness to changes even at a late stage of project development, direct continuous contact between the contractor and the contracting authority, and work in project teams which are collaborative, self-organising and learning from mistakes. In accordance with the AGILE methodology, the team delivered and submitted for testing successive small fragments of the system at 3-4 week intervals. The knowledge gained this way about advantages or disadvantages of the solution prepared was drawn upon at later stages of work.

This way, within just a few months’ work based on the STORM system, the team managed to perform:

General certification, that is collection of information from market participants on the available generation capacity and the potential demand reduction;
Auction certification, i.e. the process of registration of capacity market units and submission of declarations to join the capacity auction by capacity providers;
The capacity auction, i.e. the process of selecting from among capacity market units those with which capacity agreements will be made.

The project required the involvement of dozens of people from the PSE Group, teamwork, the ability to respond to changes in the environment, as well as common consultation of the priorities of the required functionalities. The tools created this way made it possible to efficiently carry out general certification in April 2018, main certification in September 2018, and three capacity market auctions in November and December 2018, which allowed capacity to be contracted that guarantees the stable and secure operation of the PPS in 2021-2023.

In the future, the system will continue to be expanded (until 2012), e.g. in order to provide functionalities support not only contracting, but also efficient settlement of contracts concluded in 2021-2023.

SMILE – self-propelled power line inspection module
PSE is the initiator of a vision of an autonomous robot that will independently travel along power lines to inspect their condition (and finally also to repair them) without shutting down the line. The project under the working name of Self-propelled Power Line Inspection Module (Samojezdny Moduł Inspekcji Linii Elektroenergetycznych, SMILE) is a globally innovative solution.

Its implementation will contribute, among other things, to improving security and continuity of electricity supply, minimising hazards to human life to which people carrying out practically all maintenance work on power lines are exposed, facilitating and accelerating line maintenance – especially in hard-to-access areas, minimising the risk of unplanned outages of lines through early identification of failure risk states, etc.

assessment of possible line inspection methods. They should take into account the extensive experience of national industry, including ship-building, engineering and construction, using ultrasonic defectoscope methods, optical scanners, etc. This means the need to cooperate with leading Polish and foreign firms performing inspections of the electric power infrastructure, and with research centres. The use of unmanned aircraft or self-propelled and walking robots has a huge potential in this field. The implementation of the SMILE concept will allow work safety of personnel responsible for network infrastructure maintenance and failure removal to be improved. It will also be a source of current data on the state of infrastructure as a tool for the automatic inspection of power lines. It is an example of innovation and an innovative approach not only in the national but also in the international dimension.

Fig. 1. The concept of echo method application for testing the continuity of power line wires with ultrasound wave pulses.

MIM project management methodology
Management of the transmission infrastructure maintenance and expansion process poses a huge logistical challenge, but it is also an area of potential benefits arising from the introduction of integrated management of PSE’s facilities. To streamline those processes, the company decided to apply the Building Information Modelling (BIM) management methodology to selected infrastructural investment projects implemented under public tendering processes launched in 2017 and 2018.

BIM is a method of managing data on the condition of individual elements of infrastructure throughout the lifecycle of those elements collected in a dedicated database. A properly designed and managed database is a source of information that allows infrastructure maintenance, upgrading and expansion activities to be optimised both in time and in space.

The BIM database contains information on infrastructure from its construction stage to the disassembly stage. The information includes 3D models of infrastructure and information on the type and properties of the materials used, the process of developing infrastructure elements, maintenance procedures, design modifications and the infrastructure condition inspection schedule. The BIM database also includes data on the value of infrastructure elements, maintenance and upgrade costs, etc.

BIM is also a tool for the ongoing information exchange and cooperation between many institutions and entities involved in infrastructure construction and maintenance and its users. Consequently, BIM allows the effectiveness of public funding utilisation to be improved by minimising the costs of infrastructure construction and management and reducing the risk of failure risk and disruption of its operation. Thus, it is a methodology with a potential for application by PSE in public tendering procedures, in investment project implementation and in infrastructure maintenance.

PSE started to implement the innovative BIM technology in the electric power infrastructure lifecycle. For the purposes of comprehensive implementation, the first pilot procedure was prepared, taking into account the contracting authority’s requirements regarding the BIM technology.

Link: http://www.pse.pl/przetargi/przetargi-niepubliczne/przetargi-niepubliczne-aktualne?articleId=203818082

Progress status of R&D projects

Research

Development

Total

Total projects in 2018

14

6

20

Projects completed in 2018

6

2

8

Projects in progress (continued in 2019)

8

4

12

15.2
PLN m

The estimated value of R&D projects conducted at PSE
6.2
PLN m

The total cost incurred by PSE in 2018 for R&D projects