ADVENT Project
2020 - 2022
Advanced Data-driven Virtual Electricity Network Tracking

ADVENT investigated energy monitoring to help Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) monitor the health of the electricity network

Due to so many changes with the electricity network including changes to the way we generate and use electricity, and supporting the uptake of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging as numbers increase, CrowdCharge are working with project partners to provide DNOs need an effective way of monitoring the health of the electricity network without investing huge amounts of money installing monitoring equipment in our substations that we would all pay via our energy bills.

Who was invited?
Harbury

We invited the community of Harbury to apply to participate in Project ADVENT and take part in a 6-month trial of collecting their voltage data.

By collecting and reporting voltage readings taken from multiple points across the Harbury neighbourhood we could look to see whether it is feasible to use this information to provide an insight to the health of your local electricity network on a much wider scale, and at a fraction of the cost of DNOs installing monitoring equipment which we would all end up paying for.

The ADVENT project trial in Harbury has now concluded and data analysis will be completed shortly and the trial findings shared via local Harbury media, as well as a wider press release to the industry.

Our energy system
is changing!

Electricity grids have changed quite gradually in the past, but now things are changing rapidly – both in the way we use electricity (e.g. electric cars, static batteries, heat pumps) and the way we generate electricity (more wind and solar, less coal). Whilst we pay our energy bills to an energy supplier – they in turn pay part of this to regional Distribution Network Operators (such as Western Power Distribution) who are responsible for looking after our electricity infrastructure – including maintaining and upgrading substations, the cabling in our roads up to the fuses to our homes.

With so many changes occurring they need an effective way of monitoring the health of the electricity network without investing huge amounts of money installing monitoring equipment in our substations that we would all pay via our energy bills.

What is project ADVENT?

emonPi energy monitoring device

One way to check the electricity network is resilient is to monitor the voltage of electricity as widely as possible. The aim of ADVENT is to conduct a trial to test this theory – by collecting and reporting voltage readings taken from multiple points across your neighbourhood – to see whether it is feasible to use this information to provide an insight to the health of your local electricity network.

More and more electrical devices at home will be connected to the internet in future, and some may report voltage. We therefore want to test whether obtaining data in this way can provide a quicker, more cost-effective approach that will benefit all our communities during this low carbon transition.

We recruited a number of participants in Harbury, where we asked for them to plug-in a device (such as the emonPi) into a plug at their home and then connect over a wireless connection or wired cable to their internet router, to measure the voltage in their home and send this back to our project partners electronically. We then monitored these voltage levels for a few months – whilst comparing this with measurements taken at a local electricity substation.

Why Harbury?

Harbury was recommended to us as a very knowledgeable, energy conscious community – committed to decarbonisation and energy efficiency. This has been clearly demonstrated over the past decade with a wide range of Harbury energy initiatives covering energy reduction, LED lighting, solar installations and insulation, to name a few. One of the project partners (Hangar 19) has experience working with the community already – assisting with the e-Wheels social transport scheme. As one of the most forward-thinking communities – it feels like an ideal location to test out an idea that may assist communities across the UK to decarbonise more rapidly, and at lower costs and disruption to us all.

Harbury

November 2021 – May 2022

To be a participant on this trial for project ADVENT, you had to live in Harbury. This includeed the following postcode districts: Harbury, CV33

Project Benefits

One way to check the electricity network is resilient is to monitor the voltage of electricity cables as widely as possible.Smart devices in homes (like smart electric car chargers) may automatically record voltage.  On project ADVENT we would like to explore whether taking voltage readings from multiple homes would help the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to estimate voltages more widely, and at the substation.

We want to test out this theory by installing voltage recording devices into multiple homes in the same area – whilst also monitoring how these readings compare with readings taken at the substation.

Benefits for participants

  • Helping UK communities including Harbury, Writtle and Marlow to enable the adoption of low carbon technologies (LCTs) as smoothly and cost effectively as possible, towards our goal of Net Zero.
  • Often, the DNOs do not know you may have a serious voltage problem until you have a power cut and phone for help!
  • It would cost us all a lot of money on our energy bills to put sophisticated measurement devices across the UK in our neighbourhoods to combat this issue.
  • …so is there a better way? That’s what project ADVENT is aiming to find out!

Benefits for the industry

  • Having these voltage readings could enable DNO’s to better monitor the health of the electricity network
  • Proactively respond to any voltage problems detected i.e. blackouts/power cuts
  • This could save on high infrastructure upgrade costs which may not be necessary if the technology to gather this data accurately already exists.

Project Partners

University of Reading have research experience and expert academics on electricity system modelling.

Hangar 19 Develop transport solutions for energy systems and electric car charging including in Harbury!

CrowdCharge Have a smart platform for managing electric car chargers alongside solar and batteries. We are responsible for project ADVENT engagement and recruitment activities.

Western Power Distribution is the local Distribution Network Operator who will help us gather data from substations. Innovate UK is providing funding.