Spanish utility Iberdrola and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia have opened a global technology centre that hopes to define the electricity grids of the future.

Equipped with advances in digitalisation, artificial intelligence and data analysis, the hub hosts 50 companies, technology centres and universities which are working on 120 projects worth €110m.

“We understood before anyone else that our commitment to decarbonisation could only be successful if we digitalised the electricity grids,” said Iberdrola chairman Ignacio Galán. “We have the technology, the companies and the capacity, but we need to eliminate the existing barriers to investment in networks and to create a climate of trust for investors with the same stability that exists in other countries where we operate.”

Galán highlighted that half of the €150bn in the company’s investment plan to 2030 has been earmarked for grids.

“For decades, Iberdrola has been demonstrating its empathy, sensitivity and commitment to creating jobs and wellbeing for all citizens,” he said. “We are aware of the opportunity we have before us and we want to continue contributing to social and economic progress.”

Unai Rementeria, general representative of Bizkaia, added: “Iberdrola and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia have created this hub together to stay at the forefront of the energy industry, innovate and attract talent. We have also set ourselves the shared goal of helping our companies through the necessary energy transition and we are committed to doing it together. After considerable work, this ambitious dream is now a reality, and the smart grids hub is now up and running. And I am certain that it will become an international benchmark.”

This public-private partnership space, which occupies more than 1000m² and is housed at Iberdrola’s network headquarters in Larraskitu, was created with the aim of accelerating innovation and R&D in smart grids and decarbonisation. The hub combines technology, research, training and entrepreneurship and is equipped with the latest innovations in digitalisation, artificial intelligence and data analysis.

Before the official launch, Iberdrola and the Provincial Council of Bizkaia had brought together the capabilities of 50 industrial companies, universities and technology centres that contribute technological expertise, industrial mentality and research experience.

The smart grid innovation hub is also an international collaborative project, bringing together the potential of more than 200 professionals to undertake innovation projects in countries in Europe, America and the Middle East. So far, some 120 projects worth €110m have been identified.

The areas of work will provide developments in materials and technologies to reduce the environmental impact of electrical infrastructures, equipment to facilitate the integration of renewable energies and boost the deployment of electric vehicles, power electronics and energy storage systems, and the digitalisation of the distribution grid supported by the latest generation of telecommunications systems, such as 5G. It will also promote energy savings and efficiency, based on demand management or the reduction of losses from the grid.

The main areas of innovation include the digitalisation of the low-voltage grid network, the basis for building the smart city of the future. In this regard, the projects focus on developing smart meters and on equipment and the grid to provide data and intelligence.

Work will also be undertaken on smart and sustainable substations to replace the current control cable bundles with shared data buses using IoT technology.

The hub will promote knowledge transfer through scholarships and postgraduate courses; it will serve as a catalyst for business development through start-up incubation and acceleration programmes; and it will activate competitive intelligence actions, such as designing global conferences.

Another focus for action will revolve around the connected worker and the robotisation of operations, making use of equipment that incorporates sensors to receive real-time information about risks. In addition, it will use ground and aerial robots (drones) to perform operations remotely, avoiding travel and delivering safe and efficient working operations.

The hub is connected to the Biscay Startup Bay strategy, which will also become a scale-up centre for energy sector start-ups installed in the Torre Bizkaia.

Iberdrola has launched an investment plan worth €150bn over the next decade, €75bn by 2025, to triple its renewable capacity and double network assets while taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the energy revolution that the world’s leading economies are facing.

Almost half of this volume of investment has been allocated to electricity grid activities to give continuity to its rollout, establish a solid distribution network and make it flexible based on an ambitious digitalisation project as a key element to meet future needs for electricity.

Iberdrola already operates one of the largest electricity distribution grids in the world; more than 1.2 million kilometres of electricity transmission and distribution lines and more than 4400 substations, which carry electricity to more than 34 million people across the world.

By 2025, regulated assets will reach €47bn, mainly located in A-rated countries. By 2030, the company expects to have doubled its regulated network assets to €60bn.