The Problem 

For grid networks across the world, peak demand and power outages are recurrent problems.  Under-utilisation of capacity is expensive, intermittency of renewables requires balancing services and unresolved loss of power can lead to:

• Loss of transport

• Loss of communication
• Loss of business

Random excessive power generation or demand can put immense strain on the electrical grid causing it to overload and fail. For the energy suppliers this is an expensive and inefficient method of generating electricity. Backup power stations and balancing services are currently used to combat this problem however these come at a price. In Europe alone emergency response stations cost in excess of €1.6 Billion per year.

The Project and the Smart Grid

The MiDDaS project aims to contribute to the Smart Grid by reducing the need for costly backup power stations and the occurrence of power outages. The project will  thereby help the energy suppliers to manage power generation by smoothing the peak and trough fluctuations at an individual domestic and commercial level, through the Middas intelligent power management system.

This MiDDaS system will enable small commercial and domestic users to optimise the use of energy consumed by appliances through intelligently storing cost effective and useful power for later use, when the energy tariff is at a premium, and to include the ability to export generated energy, through existing micro-renewable devices, back to the grid.

MiDDaS will achieve this through bi-directional telecommunications with the suppliers, monitoring of the grid frequency and supply voltage, controlling individual appliances, micro-generation sets and storage systems.

Please see MiDDaS MicroGrid Infrastructure 

European Commission Funding (R4SME)

The European Commission (EC) has generously supported this Middas proposal through the R4SME instrument.

Expected Project Outputs

• To investigate current state-of-the-art dynamic demand solutions
• To complete a full review of state of the art storage systems and identify the best off-the-shelf storage solution that could be best used within the MiDDaS project.

• To develop the technical specification for the consumer unit and smart plugs.

• The development of software and algorithm modules, to communicate and control smart plugs, storage device, power divider and frequency monitoring module.