Telecoms major Nokia has been tasked with upgrading Finland’s transmission grid to allow for greater penetration of renewables.
Fingrid, the country’s transmission system operator, has selected Nokia to build an IP/MPLS network that will be used to support the “digital transformation” of Finland’s electricity grid.
The improvements are necessary for the management of greater quantities of distributed, renewable power sources in Finland’s energy mix.
MPLS, or multiprotocol label switching, allows telecommunications networks to direct data based on short path labels instead of longer network addresses. This speeds up data traffic by using less complex routing methods.
New grid-level applications will be enabled through the enhanced communications and data transfer, while existing systems such as SCADA and cyber security will also benefit from improved latency.
Nokia will collaborate with channel partner NetNordic to introduce the network, with Fingrid ultimately using it to operate 120 high-voltage substations and 14,600km of transmission cables.
Kari Suominen, head of ICT at Fingrid, said the TSO was embarking on an “ambitious transformation” of its national grid to make it smarter and more flexible, and ultimately paving the way for renewable energy to realise its potential.
“Nokia’s IP/MPLS solution plays an important role in the digital transformation of our distributed energy resource management by providing us with a reliable, secure and agile communications system that has the potential to support all of our power management needs,” he said.
Telecoms is an area of key interest for transmission and distribution grids the world over, as greater proliferation of renewables calls on more enhanced and sophisticated data management tools. Last year, a report commissioned by telecoms operator O2 claimed that the adoption of 5G-enabled “super smartgrids” could save consumers as much as £145 each year by allowing networks to become more responsive to surges in demand.
