NEDO is a Slovenian-Japanese smart grid project that began in 2016 and will end in 2021. The NEDO Project – which is a partnership between the Japanese agency, NEDO, and the Slovenian transmission system operator – focuses on the implementation of smart grids on the national level by means of centrally managed cloud solutions. In Slovenia, the project is managed and coordinated by ELES, but activities were carried out on infrastructure of all owners of the electricity grid, i.e., six electricity distribution companies.

The main purpose of the project is to deploy advance solutions that can respond to the challenges of modern electricity systems while considering the importance of implementing sustainable development and environmental-friendly solutions. Consumers have received a high-quality electricity supply and will have the opportunity to actively participate in the electricity market and system services.

The more effective exploitation of the existing grid is being assured with the use of advanced secondary equipment, information and communication technologies, and cloud solutions.

The key equipment required to implement the project was provided by the Japanese partner of the project, and included: electricity storage systems, advanced distribution management systems (DMS), advanced tools for optimisation of electricity consumption (EMS – Energy Management System), and the platform for the inclusion of consumption in system services. It was also necessary to integrate a number of missing passive elements (i.e., measurements) and active elements (i.e., circular-breakers, regulation transformers) into the grid.

As a result of the project, electricity consumption management in households has been implemented. In the participating households, Direct Load Control devices were placed, which automatically switched off electric loads at the time of power reserve high network tariffs, thus helping households to adjust their electricity consumption and reduce their electricity bills. The average reach demand response of all included active users was:

• 30 % of average demand power (Winter)
• 17 % of average demand power (Summer)

The total project budget is € 37 million, where ELES contributes € 17 million of their own resources. The project is co-financed by the Japanese agency.

For more information about the NEDO project, visit https://www.eles.si/en/nedo-project .