Smart Grid AI Twin
A paradigm shift towards digitization and automation of electrical grid systems. The Alva digital twin - enriched with advanced machine learning models, hence AI Twin - blends the virtual world with the physical grid to help utilities to better plan, operate, and maintain their grids and to ultimately support the energy transition.
Get in touch
The energy transition imposes fundamental challenges to our electrical grids
We tend to take electric energy for granted. But managing its effective distribution is a constant technical challenge.
Especially now that the grid is undergoing a substantial transformation towards the integration of renewable energies
(e.g., solar panels, windmills), a growing number of electric vehicles, and a shift away from fossil fuel based heating systems to electrical heat pumps.
This puts an enormous pressure on our electrical grids, particularly on the low voltage grids,
where large parts of the current energy transition happen.
Having a reliable view on the state of the grid and delivering sound forecasts presents an increasing complexity in the currently changing paradigm of electricity utilization.
This makes it necessary to transition towards a smarter, more efficient and more reliable smart grid of tomorrow.
The backbone of this effort is the increasing digital transformation, where data becomes key and modern information and communication technology is converging with operational technology.
To support this transition, we developed the Alva Digital Twin that blends the virtual world with the physical grid to help utilities to better plan, operate, and maintain their grids of tomorrow.
Challenge
The energy transition is putting an enormous pressure on todays electrical grid, especially low voltage grids. Having a reliable view on the state of the grid and delivering sound forecasts presents an increasing complexity.
Solution
The Alva Smart Grid AI Twin aggregates, visualizes, and analyzes data from various systems, e.g., GIS, ERP, metering systems, (real-time) sensors, and more to help utilities to better plan, operate, and maintain their grids.
Smart Grid Digital Twin.
Alva aims at supporting grid operators in managing, planning, and troubleshooting electricity grids, by taking advantage of new technologies like big data analytics and machine learning. Our Smart Grid Digital Twin weaves together data from various systems, e.g., GIS, ERP, metering systems, real-time sensors, and more to create a virtual image of the physical grid, providing utilities a unified model across their IT and data landscape. This model enables to efficiently monitor, analyze, and troubleshoot the physical electrical grid it represents.
Some Key Features
Not every utility has the same requirements and priorities in terms of features. And not every utility is at the same stage in their digitalization efforts. Therefore, Alva is built to be highly customizable.
Digital Twin Model
A single unified model of the grid brings together information from different systems, e.g., GIS, ERP, metering systems, and real-time sensors. Always up to date. Visualized in a modern user interface.
Data Consistency
The unified digital twin model validates the consistency and accuracy of the data it brings together. As data is becoming the cornerstone of modern power grid infrastructures, even small mistakes can lead to fatal consequences.
Consumption Profiling
State-of-the-art machine learning algorithms enable to monitor and forecast the consumption and production of every connected customer. Updated in real-time. Easily identify and predict hot spots.
Power Flow Calculation
A fast Newton–Raphson-based power flow calculation provides always up to date information on cable loads and voltages. Based on measured or forecasted consumption and production data.
Simulations
Maintenance and grid planning activities are supported by a powerful simulation engine. It allows to safely explore the impacts of disconnecting a cable or adding consumers, like heat pumps or electrical cars.
Prescriptions
Intelligently combining consumption forecasts, power flow calculations, and simulations lets the system autonomously suggest actions, like switching off relays in smart meters, to avoid potential grid problems.
Case Study
Alva has been developed in close collaboration with Creos Luxembourg S.A., the main grid operator in Luxembourg, to ensure that Alva addresses real needs of utility companies.
What Alva can do for you
Creating the digital twin
We develop custom interfaces to all your relevant systems, e.g., GIS, ERP, and metering measurement systems. Those interfaces allow to feed the digital twin with data. Changes in the source systems will be immediately imported into Alva. During import, data is validated and potential problems reported. Many mistakes in the data can only be found by combining the information from the different data sources, which often act as isolated silos. The Alva SmartGrid Digital Twin is the perfect place to detect and solve those mistakes.
Tailoring the features
Not every utility has the same requirements and priorities. And not every utility is at the same stage in their digitalization efforts. For example, in some countries the smart meter rollout is already well-advanced, while in others it is still in its infancy. Alva is built to be customizable. We tailor the required features to match your exact needs and to get the most value out of the available data.
Hosting the digital twin
The Alva SmartGrid Digital Twin can be installed either entirely on your premises or in the cloud. You decide. Whatever your decision, we can support you in hosting the application - if required. We can also help you in selecting the appropriate hardware to run Alva or even take entirely care of hosting.
Supporting you along the way
Once Alva is installed and running, we do not leave you alone. From only supporting your IT departments for deployments, maintenance, and troubleshooting the application to entirely managing the installation - the level of required support is entirely up to you.
Ready to get started?
Transform your grid with us
Alva is developed by DataThings.
DataThings is a spin-off company of the SnT/University of Luxembourg and specialized in machine learning and the creation of smart digital twins, which we call AI Twins. All our AI Twins are built on top of our GreyCat. This technology is the result of many years of R&D and allows our solutions to easily scale to millions of elements and billions of time series values. DataThings mission is to develop intelligence software systems to transform data into actionable and valuable insights to enable taking the best operational decisions.
Any question?
Please let us know if you have any question.
Alva is a product but has been designed to be highly customizable. From custom data importers through tailored machine learning models to customized simultions, Alva is built to be adaptable. This also counts for the user interface.
The required hardware depends on the size of your grid and the amount and frequency of collected data. Alva depends on modern hardware platforms. Fast storage is essential to support the processing needs of Alva. In particular, Alva requires a dedicated hard drive architecture (local NVMe SSDs) and does not work well on SAN architectures. Our preferred solution is to offer Alva together with the hardware, so that it runs as fast as possbile. However, if you want to purchase the hardware by yourself, we support you in selecting the right hardware for your case.
Your data, your decision. Alva can be hosted entirely on your premises or in the cloud. You can take care of the hosting without us, we can support you, or we can handle the entire hosting. We adapt to your needs. In case you want us to handle the hosting, you decide if the servers should be installed on your permises, or if we should take care of this. For the latter case, we partner with local data centeres in Luxembourg to make sure you data is safe.
Absolutely. Alva has been desigend to leverage the available data but not to rely on a specific data source. Some data sources can also be replaced by machine learning- or statistical models. We customize Alva and its features to what data is available.
No. Alva has been designed as an AI Twin of electricity grids to support the energy transition, to help grid operators to manage their grids more efficiently, and to enable precise live monitoring and improved understanding of the behavior of the grid. It is not meant to replace existing systems but rather to complement those.