Translator for the Central Nervous System

For more than 160 years, the Ulm/Neu-Ulm municipal utility and its predecessors have been responsible for essential parts of the infrastructure in the two communities on the left and right banks of the Danube. It began with the gas supply; shortly after, drinking water was added; it then became responsible for the electrical supply at the end of the 19th century. In the meantime, the municipal utility also provides district heating, together with a partner. To guarantee a reliable supply that is also cost-efficient, the utility relies on a carefully balanced mixture of proven technology and new, innovative solutions.

It is now applying this strategy to the challenges of the energy transition. Due to the expansion into renewable energy, the power grid is consistently being supplied by smaller providers, generation has become more volatile, and control expenses have risen. The demands for security in critical infrastructure – including power, water, gas and heat – have also increased at the same time.

These provide excellent reasons for suppliers to revamp the structure of their telecontrol technology. In this context, the municipal utility has replaced the traditional star structure – in which the control center is at the center, and the substations are directly connected using RS-232 lines – with an IP-based network. This enables control of every point within the network through multiple paths. The risk of individual component failure is significantly reduced by the structural redundancy. “Our telecontrol system is the central nervous system for supplying Ulm and Neu-Ulm. Therefore, the conversion was an important step for us,” explains Sebastian Grenzner from his position at the network control center at Stadtwerke Ulm/Neu-Ulm Netze GmbH, the municipal utility company.