Iberdrola allocates more than 100 million to digitise its electricity grids

The Iberdrola group has invested more than 100 million euros in innovation projects in order to continue advancing in the digitalisation of electricity grids, a figure that represents a 13% increase in the resources allocated in the last financial year to R&D projects in the field of grids to make them smarter, which represent a third of the company's global investment in research and development.

Of this figure, 32 million euros have been allocated to initiatives developed in Spain through its distributor, i-DE. Among the actions carried out, the development of a control system for low-voltage power lines that enables improved management of supply incidents and optimises the use of the grid to integrate self-consumption and electricity recharging. In addition, field staff can use a mobile application to monitor the grid and smart meter records in real time.

In a statement, the company said that, in the last year, thanks to this type of investment, interruptions were reduced by 16%, despite the impact caused by the snowstorm 'Filomena', which affected 270,000 customers, and whose service was restored by i-DE remotely in less than 30 minutes in 70% of cases.

The strategic lines also include the integration of new artificial intelligence and quantum computing technologies to detect anomalies and improve the checks that guarantee the correct operation of the installations. In addition, pilot projects have been launched with drones and robots to monitor installations remotely in order to reduce risk situations for field professionals and optimise network maintenance.

Another of the main areas where the company is carrying out innovative projects is in the field of grid flexibility to adapt to changing demand conditions and the volume of energy fed into the grid, with the aim of maximising its capacity to increase efficiency.

Iberdrola also recalls that it has launched its Global Smart Grid Innovation Hub in Spain, a global smart grid innovation centre that acts as a knowledge platform, combining its technological capacity with that of equipment and service providers, universities and start-ups from around the world. In addition, the company has signed collaboration agreements with more than 75 national and international entities for the development of grid digitalisation solutions, renewable energy integration, electric vehicle deployment and energy storage systems. This technology space has already identified more than 120 R&D&I projects in which more than 220 professionals are already working.

Iberdrola plans to invest 2,600 million euros by 2024 in the digitisation of electricity grids in Spain to move towards a more flexible and secure system. During the last year, Iberdrola invested 337 million euros in R&D&I, which represents a cumulative investment of more than 2,000 million euros in the last decade.