The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology agrees to joint research after signing bilateral agreements with four leading Russian corporations: IDGC Holding, Energy Forecasting Agency, System Operator of the United Power System, and En+Group.
According to these agreements, Skoltech and its industrial partners will conduct joint research into modeling complex electrical systems and collaboratively design education programs. These companies will also co-finance a research center at Skoltech that specifically focuses on technologies to improve their competiveness.
“Our goal is to create an international research center — Center for Research, Education, and Innovation — which is centered around the electrical industry,” said Skoltech President Edward Crawley. “This is an unusual approach, usually scientists look at pieces of science instead of systems such as the electrical distribution system. We will combine this systems view with the development of individual technologies in such a way that these technologies will more rapidly impact and have influence on this system.”
Skoltech and En+Group will focus on developing smart grid systems and modeling complex social and technical electrical systems. They will also concentrate their efforts in cross-cutting fields to produce alternative and renewable sources of energy and new materials as well as creating technologies for generating electricity, superconductivity, and reducing energy losses for heating systems.
In joint research between IDGC Holding and Skoltech, the two will target designing technologies for automatically measuring energy use, managing and monitoring energy demand, and telecommunications. They will also strive to produce new methods for running diagnostics on equipment and new materials for electric power lines—promoting energy effectiveness and presenting more ecologically safe alternatives.
Skoltech and System Operator of the United Power System will jointly develop and implement methods for modeling, creating algorithms, and analyzing and managing electricity grids. The collaborative center will be tasked with adapting the world’s leading algorithms and analytical models for Russia’s specific context and electric power systems.
Skoltech and the Energy Forecasting Agency will address issues related to modeling complex social and technical energy systems.
Participating parties at the Signing Ceremony:
• Skoltech President Edward Crawley
• Igor Kozhukhovsky, General Director for the Energy Forecasting Agency
• Andrey Murov, First Deputy Chairman for IDGC Holding
• Fyodor Opadchy, Deputy Chairman for the System Operator of the United Power System
• Artyom Volynets, General Director for the energy holding En+Group
The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) is a private graduate research university in Skolkovo, Russia, a suburb of Moscow. Established in October 2011 in collaboration with MIT, Skoltech educates global leaders in innovation, advances scientific knowledge and fosters new technologies to address critical issues facing Russian and the world. Applying international research and educational models, the university integrates the best Russian scientific traditions with twenty-first century entrepreneurship and innovation.
En+ Group:
En+ Group (www.enplus.ru) is a leading Russian diversified mining,
metals and energy group. En+ Group holds a 48.13% stake in the world’s
largest aluminium producer UC RUSAL, owns Russia’s largest independent
power producer EuroSibEnergo and one of the leading suppliers of
ferromolybdenum to the global market SMR, significant coal assets and
logistics business. En+ Group ‘s companies project pipeline includes
R&D on small-scale nuclear power, a JV with China Yangtze Power Co. to
explore potential for sustainable new hydro power in Siberia, projects
in iron ore, gold as well as aluminium downstream, and carbon trade
business. The core base of En+’s businesses is located in Eastern
Siberia – close to fast growing Asian markets. En+ Group consolidated
revenue in 2011 exceeded $15.3 billion.
System Operator of the United Power System:
The joint stock company System Operator of the United Power System (SO UPS) was founded on June 17, 2002. On July 21, 2002 SO UPS accepted the functions of the United Power System real-time dispatching control.
The set of tasks given to the SO UPS is to provide central 24 hours dispatching (dispatching and supervising control) of the United Power System (UPS) of Russia in new economic conditions.
UPS has installed generating capacity of 223 GW and annual generation of 1000 TWh. It is the most geographically extended power system in the world spanning 8 time zones.
General functions of SO UPS are:
• Real-time power system control
• Planning and coordination of power plants and grids equipment maintenance
• Electricity and power balances calculation and scheduling
• Support and development of the automatic frequency control system, emergency control and outage control automation system
• Electricity and capacity markets operation
• Approval of new connections to the grid
• Perspective planning for power system development
• Control of interconnected operation for UPS of Russia
SO UPS is in charge of dispatching for the whole territory of the Russian Federation except technologically isolated power systems. Real-time dispatch control is based on hierarchic three-level scheme. Central Dispatching Office is the highest level. Second level is formed by 7 Interregional Dispatching Offices (IDO). Third level is formed by 59 Regional Dispatching Offices (RDO). Cooperation of all levels is based on principles of clear authority division and hierarchy subordination.
IDGC Holding:
IDGC Holding, a company operating in the electricity sector of the Russian Federation, comprises interregional and regional distribution grid companies (IDGCs/RDGCs), research and development institutes, design and construction institutes, and construction and sales entities. Ninety-seven subsidiaries of IDGCs/RDGCs are based in 69 constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
The IDGC Holding property portfolio includes comprises interests in 43 joint-stock subsidiaries and affiliates, including interests in 11 IDGCs and 5 RDGCs. Shares in IDGC Holding are held by more than 320 thousand shareholders. The controlling shareholder is the Government 54.52%.
The operational area of IDGC Holding companies covers a power network of ten voltage types, ranging from 0.4 kV to 220 kV. The total spread of networks of IDGC Holding’s operating subsidiaries exceeds 2.1 million kilometers. IDGC Holding ranks among the world’s largest electric grid companies in terms of network spread and customers.
Energy Forecasting Agency:
CJSC “Energy Forecasting Agency” (www.e-apbe.ru) was incorporated in 2005 on the order of JSC “RAO “UES of Russia” to preserve and further develop systemic analytical competences following the deregulation and demonopolization of the Russian electric power industry.
Energy Forecasting Agency`s mission is to provide electric power industry actors and government authorities with reliable data on the state of Russian energy system and its impact on national economy and environment and develop complex analytical materials and forecasts to facilitate short-term and long-term decision-making.
Energy Forecasting Agency’s key areas of activities are:
– Developing and updating the Master Plan for Allocation of Generation Capacities (key industry document, regulating development and placements of generating capacities and high voltage networks);
– Forecasts, analytical and strategic documents;
– Monitoring and analysis of the electric power industry development in Russia;
– Creating databases on the main factual and anticipated indicators of the Russian energy sector;
– Developing concept papers and programs in energy efficiency, ecology and renewable energy;
– Developing programs of innovative development for energy companies;
– Benchmarking, technical audit and examination.
