Elering and TalTech have renewed their cooperation, adding IT specialists to energy sector professionals

On 21 January, Elering and the Tallinn University of Technology renewed their cooperation agreement which focuses on the security of supply of energy, climate goals, and the competitiveness of Estonian economy.

Whereas Elering has this far cooperated with the energy sector professionals of TalTech, this will now be expanded with a renewed focus on IT energy data analysis and cybersecurity.

The cooperation of Elering and TalTech means joint undertakings in scientific and development activities, promoting engineering fields, as well as engineering studies in general. For example, the cooperation is related to the impact of climate goals on power grids, the energy economy, promoting the increase in the proportion of renewable energy, managing energy storage and consumption, increasing the implementation of renewable energy, smart management of the energy system, digitalisation of energy data, and the increase in the importance of cybersecurity in the energy system.

According to Rector Tiit Land, “Currently, the energy sector is very much related to cybersecurity, and therefore, we are renewing our framework agreement and improving our energy sector cooperation activities, which have been excellent, with the IT competence of TalTech. This multidisciplinary cooperation provides, for both Elering and its clients, all the abilities of the university in order to ensure that the Estonian power grid is reliable both in terms of hardware and software.”

Taavi Veskimägi, Chairman of the Management Board of Elering, noted that the energy system of coming times must be greener and smarter, yet still affordable and reliable. An important component therein is IT which binds the energy system into a functional integral and affords its real-time management. The cooperation with TalTech is creating additional synergy in these precise fields. Notably, it is similarly important to contribute to the general knowledge and literacy of the energy economy in society.

TalTech and Elering have cooperated previously. For example, Elering has supported students in the fields of energy and IT via grants and has offered opportunities for training, and up to a hundred of graduates of the university have become valuable employees in the company. In 2016, TalTech opened a new laboratory with the support of Elering and the European Union where energy sector students are able to model electricity systems, test the operability of the equipment in the power grid and survey the impact of failures on the Estonian energy system.

The scientists of TalTech, in cooperation with Elering, have analysed the impact of renewable energy compared to the production of electricity, the stability of electrical systems, relay protection, WAMS, and the quality of electricity.