On 21 January, Elering and Tallinn University of Technology renewed their co-operation agreement with a focus on: secure energy supplies, climate objectives, and the competitiveness of the Estonian economy.
While previously Elering co-operated with TalTech’s energy technicians, now co-operation is being extended to also include researchers in IT, with an emphasis on energy data analysis and cyber security.
The co-operation between Elering and TalTech means joint activities in research and development, teaching, and the popularisation of engineering. The co-operation concerns, for example, impacts of climate objectives on electricity grids, energy management, increasing the share of renewable energy, energy storage and consumption management, greater use of renewable and green gas, smart management of the energy system, digitisation of energy data, and the growing importance of cyber security in the energy system.
Rector Tiit Land said: ‘Modern energy to a large extent means cyber security, which is why we are renewing the framework agreement and extending our successful co-operation in the field of energy to also include IT. Such interdisciplinary co-operation puts the competencies of TalTech at the disposal of Elering and its clients to ensure that the power network of Estonia is reliable both in terms of hardware and software.’
Taavi Veskimägi, Chairman of the Board of Elering, said: ‘The energy system of tomorrow must be greener and smarter, but still affordable and reliable at the same time. IT has an important role to play here, as it combines the energy system into a functional whole and allows it to be managed in real time. It is in these areas that co-operation with TalTech creates additional synergies. Collective contribution to the promotion of knowledge and literacy in the field of energy management in the society is equally important.’
TalTech and Elering have also co-operated in the past, for example, Elering has granted scholarships to energy and IT students as well as offered them internship opportunities, and more than a hundred alumni of TalTech are valued employees of the company. In 2016, with the support of Elering and the European Union, a new laboratory was opened at TalTech where energy researchers can model power systems, test the functioning and reliability of the equipment in the power network, and investigate the impact of failures on the power system of Estonia.
In co-operation with Elering, TalTech researchers have also analysed the impact of renewable energy on power production, the stability of power systems, power system protection, wide-area monitoring, and the quality of electricity.