Historically, networks were top down: there was a large generating plant that distributed power into the low-voltage networks via the high-voltage system. This only flowed in one direction, and electricity was only consumed so that it was relatively easy to estimate, even without exact measurements, what was happening But that is now all in the past. A lot more occurs in the networks now. We are already witnessing the arrival of new processes linked to renovation measures technological expansions and changes in customer behavior. When heat pumps are added, photovoltaic systems are placed on roofs or charging stations are located in underground garages or even at residences, then more planning expenses are required on our side We must also check whether the existing systems need to be expanded. We have to deal with connection requests and we require information for all of these processes. We want to digitalize the majority of the local network stations that we operate of which there are around 1000. Since each station is different, there isn't enough overlap so that we could as one says, take measurements only at one and use that to calculate the others. The more we actually know about the grid the more information we have as a foundation, for better decision making. This means that the digital stations will help us to know more preemptively about what is actually happening on site. And it will also help us retrospectively, because we can then check whether the decisions we made were correct and whether we provided too much or too little capacity. Which then enables us to learn more about what we do, in order to make better decisions afterwards The system is also so flexible, that we can collect all data on site. This will help us in all of the processes regardless of whether this relates to a request for adding a charging station or a photovoltaic system. We already expect a major increase in the number of heat pumps and sector interconnections, even up into the low-voltage network, where the heat transition flows into the transformation of energy generation meaning that this will also play out, at least partly, in the low-voltage network. Feed-in systems are also increasing, in addition to the naturally growing numbers of charging stations and charging infrastructure And all of this is playing out at a level that we don’t know much about. When I arrived at the municipal utility as an extern, I was quite surprised that we were dependent on phone calls from the public in order to detect faults in the low-voltage network. This provoked me to state, “Okay, the technologies have already developed a lot, to a point that we can now do something.” The GridCal system functions according to a cellular, decentralized approach. We only transmit data when we need it. We collect high-resolution data on site. Values are generated every 0.2 seconds The majority of the data remains on site, where it is processed, and only the quintessence of the data is transmitted to the network control room. However, it is also available to planners and master electricians in the network and in the office. The data can be called up anywhere, at any time, by anyone who needs it, and in the form that they need. In the meantime, we have between to and three stations per day that can be brought from zero to one-hundred percent, and immediately generate results. One important point is that, due to the new technology, we can delay an expensive network expansion, or only implement it where it is actually necessary. This means that I have gained true transparency in my network: I know what is happening in the low and medium-voltage levels, I have access to the capacity in all three phases in real time and can accurately determine where network expansions are actually necessary. We were searching for suitable technologies. We have a lot of these low-voltage systems. It is important to us to use an inexpensive and compact technology, that we can also use here on site, that can endure the temperature fluctuations and is also quite flexible and modular. That’s when we found the WAGO PFC200 It satisfied all of our demands. It comes from the automation industry is suitable for the space, and includes all of the interfaces that we need, and all at a very good price-performance ratio. We have found a jack-or-all-trades solution in this small, remote technology with an open Linux® operating system. We are quite certain that we have created a flexible system, that will enable us to handle tasks in the future, even those that are as yet unknown. It’s likely that there are other manufacturers pursuing this. But those options are usually quite niche; everyone has their compartmentalized solution. We, on the other hand, need an entire control cabinet, and the individual compartments are often not as powerful as the system that we have here. We have connected the best components, that we could find on the market, with software to create a system with far greater abilities than the sum of the individual parts.