Key innovations in energy: Unicorn Systems and a German transmission system operator collaborate on a unique tool for validating redispatch costs

Unicorn Systems has won a tender announced by the German transmission system operator TenneT. The Czech company has thus secured a contract for the delivery and subsequent support of a tool for validating redispatch costs.

Redispatch is a process where transmission system operators shift production from one power plant to another to optimize grid flows and mitigate overloads on individual system elements. Due to the increase in renewable energy production and inadequate network capacities, redispatch costs are growing enormously, amounting to up to 4 billion euros annually in Germany alone. At the same time, the method of allocating redispatch costs will change to the “Polluter Pays Principle” (those causing so-called bottlenecks in the grid will bear the corresponding costs of redispatch management). The goal is to minimize negative impacts on the environment. This success represents a significant step towards supporting transparency and increasing the efficiency of international cooperation among transmission system operators, which is a key aspect for ensuring energy security and stability throughout the region.

The solution is built on the Griffin platform, which is implemented in the Unicorn Mobile-First IoT-Ready Cloud Architecture. This architecture has been developed under the substantial idea and design leadership of Unicorn’s founder, Vladimír Kovář. Griffin includes a set of modules and technical components for analyzing energy networks, working with network models, and supporting operational planning, both at the local level within a single transmission system operator and at the regional to pan-European level.

TenneT, as the first transmission system operator (TSO) in Europe, has focused on automating the validation process of redispatch costs, a significant step towards greater efficiency and transparency in distributing the financial burdens associated with mitigating bottlenecks in the transmission system. According to an analysis initiated by TenneT, the value of the German redispatch could reach several billion euros annually. The main goal of the Cost Sharing Validation Tool (CSV) is to verify that the costs and revenues assigned to German transmission system operators are calculated correctly.

The CSV tool, as explained by Jan Konrád, Chief Commercial Officer of Unicorn Systems, is used to validate provisional and final costs and revenues, including the incremental steps leading to their calculation. Validation processes can be automated or performed manually, providing users with flexibility and ensuring thorough control of results. In addition, it includes a function for monitoring costs assigned to individual network elements and ensures high-quality input data for cost-sharing processes. This feature enables the preparation of updated data and their simulation on a central cost-sharing platform, with simulation results compared to original data and threshold values. This allows for quick identification of deviations and increases process efficiency. Moreover, the CSV tool provides continuous assessment of the validity of cost-sharing calculation results, helping to detect systemic errors and prevent potential issues with the central cost-sharing platform. This simulation feature for internal and external audit purposes further enhances confidence in the integrity and accuracy of cost-sharing processes.

Thanks to this solution, TenneT will be better prepared for future changes in European energy and, considering the growing need and interest in similar tools, we are convinced that its innovative approach and technological solution will serve as inspiration for other European transmission system operators.