Every five weeks, the 150 households were disconnected from Sweden’s nationwide electricity grid. The customers had to get by on electricity from the sun and wind to keep the houses warm and the lights on.
The trial began in 2017 and continued for a few years. Now it has been completed and evaluated. The experiences are good, according to Eon.
– We have learned a lot. There are now four or five similar projects in Europe that are based on the experiences from Simris, says Peter Hjalmar, regional manager at Eon.
What is meant by island operation?
Island operation means that electricity is produced and used in a limited area that is disconnected from the main electricity grid. But to be able to do that, the grid must be balanced so that there are no large deficits or surpluses of electricity.
– When the network became congested, customers in Simris were disconnected, says Peter Hjalmar.
More flexible electricity market
When Karin Lefvert in Simris received her electricity bill for December, it was a whopping SEK 12,500. That was her starting point for taking part in the experiment. During the summer, there will be a complete turnaround from expensive bills.
– In the month of May, we sold over 100 kilowatts more than we have consumed, she says.
This type of disconnection of electricity customers is now taking place in several places in Sweden, for example at Gränsbo farm in Hököpinge where the potato refrigerator is switched off when energy consumption is at its highest – with the aim of creating a flexible electricity market.