Launched in 2017, Smart Occitania project aimed to experiment on a large scale new models of smart distribution networks adapted to rural areas. The conclusions of the project, released in January 2021, confirmed both its relevance and its potential for scaling up..
Occitania, a region in the south of France, has the ambition to become the first European region with positive energy by 2050. In order to pursue this objective, Enedis, the main French DSO and coordinator of this project, organized tests of smart grid technologies on an industrial scale in Occitania.
Along the 170 000 km of the regional grid, 4 000 smart sensors and other communicating items have been installed to prevent incidents and ensure an enhanced access to electricity. Better control over renewable production is now provided by solar sensors and anemometers meanwhile network risks are undermined by fault detectors and flood sensors. As a result, power outages have been shortened by 45 minutes in average for more than 3,7 million network users.
Enedis and its team have also reflected on optimizing renewable energy storage thank to 5 biogas plants and 7 water pumping stations. An energy management system (EMS) was tested to estimate future electricity consumption in order to adjust storage processes accordingly. The experimentation proved to be viable but still needs an evolution of the French legal framework to be implemented in other territories.
Finally, in a long-term perspective, Smart Occitania has used AI solutions to model the needs for maintenance operations. If the current experiments are conclusive in the years to come, Enedis algorithms, which currently predict which grid segments will need intervention and when, could be enhanced.
Overall, the project is a major success for smart grids acceptability in France, as it has been accompanied by a large communication campaign targeting both the general public and local decision-makers. In addition to sending out monthly newsletters, Smart Occitania included training sessions that informed local representatives about the means of action available to them.
Developed in partnership with the industrial companies of the region Actia and Groupe Cahors, as well as two laboratories in the south of France, Promes and Irit, Smart Occitania is the first project in Europe to develop a smart grid in rural areas on such a large scale. This first conclusive experiment will enable smart grids solutions to be adapted for networks that integrate a high proportion of renewable energies, in an area where electricity consumption is lower and networks are longer. Enedis plans to scale-up this experimentation to the entire French territory, starting with Burgundy, the Loire Valley Center and Picardy.