The Golden Amper Award went to Smartbox from BUT. The company EG.D cooperates in its development and tests it in its distribution network

The Amper trade fair at the Brno Exhibition Centre is one of the most important events in the field of power engineering and electrical engineering in Central Europe. At this year's event, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication of Brno University of Technology (FEEC) presented a new product for power grids under the name Smartbox, which it is working on with the distribution company EG.D, which belongs to the E.ON group. The project impressed the expert jury, which awarded it the title of Golden Amper 2024 as one of the most beneficial exhibits of the fair.

Joint success at the Amper trade fair, from left: Marek Jelinek, Director of the SŠEE Sokolnice; Ladislav Janíček, Rector of the BUT; Pavel Čada, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the distribution company EG.D; Vladimír Aubrecht, Dean of the Faculty of Economics. | Author: Nikola Číková

Smartbox is a unique technical solution for smart metering and load management in power networks. This device can transform current electricity meters into smart meters. In addition, the connection of the Smartbox to the meter at the customer interface enables the control and regulation of production and consumption downstream.

"The energy sector is undergoing a transformation, and this poses new challenges, such as the massive connection of renewable energy sources, energy sharing or community energy. We are therefore increasingly smartifying our grid, which is crucial for its future reliable and efficient operation and development. Smart technologies such as reclosers, smart substations and smart meters help us to see more of what is happening on the grid in real time, while allowing us to manage energy flows remotely to provide flexibility for our customers and make the grid run even more efficiently. This is also helped by the smartboxes developed by our colleagues from the BUT, which we are now testing in real operation," says Pavel Čada, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the distribution company EG.D from the E.ON Group.

Smartbox - a unique communication unit for monitoring and controlling the production of electricity consumption | Author: Nikola Číková

The Smartboxes were also equipped with a smart charging and energy sharing demonstrator, which visitors to the Amper trade fair could see. The interactive model was devised by academics from BUT in cooperation with E.ON and EG.D. The demonstrator reveals to the layman the processes that take place behind the charger on the distributor side, but also how the smart grid communicates.

The interactive model will now serve as a teaching tool for the next generation of energy professionals. They can use it to experience how a modern, secure and smart smart distribution network works. "We are very pleased with the award. And we would like to thank our colleagues from the BUT that our long-term cooperation is working well and we appreciate it very much," adds Pavel Čada.

Petr Mlýnek from FEEC BUT presents a demonstrator of smart charging and energy sharing. | Author: Nikola Číková

"The Golden Amper award reflects the quality of applied research and development at BUT and shows the importance and benefit of cooperation between the private and academic spheres. I am delighted not only with this achievement, but also with the fact that our researchers bring concrete and useful technical solutions for real-world environments that society is calling for. The practical application of the results is, among other things, a criterion of the effectiveness of the investments made in research and development. I congratulate all those who participated in the development of Smartbox," comments Ladislav Janíček, Rector of the BUT, on the successful result.

The results of the cooperation between Brno University of Technology and EG.D in the field of cyber security were also presented at the AMPER international trade fair. In addition to the methodology for testing remote terminal units for dispatching, these include in particular the cooperation on the creation of a certification scheme for the cybersecurity of smart meters. "This scheme will provide consumers with assurance of meeting cyber security requirements. The certified product will be satisfactory for consumers in terms of cybersecurity," adds Petr Číka, secretary of the Institute of Telecommunications at the FEEC BUT.

Smartbox developers and partners with the prize, from left: Petr Číka, Lukáš Benešl, Petr Mlýnek, Martin Rusz (all Institute of Telecommunications, FEEC BUT), Pavel Čada and Michala Vlčková (both EG.D). | Author: Nikola Číková

The cybersecurity of distribution networks is a shared priority for energy engineers and researchers, as is the search for new talent. "It allows us to deploy technology in a real-world environment, and at the same time our students see a wide range of career opportunities, for example in EG.D," concludes Číka.

In the near future, FEEC expects to accredit the Smart Grid laboratory, which will be used for testing and subsequent certification of not only smart meters.

Author: the text was written in cooperation between EG.D and Brno University of Technology