E.on bets on smart grid technology in Germany

May 28, 2014 - German utility E.on SE (ER:EOAN) said Tuesday it would install up to 180 new voltage-regulated distribution transformers (VRDTs) by end-2014, aiming to improve the integration of renewables at home.

E.on is the first distribution system operator in Germany to deploy smart grid technology across all of its service territories, it noted. The initiative will enable the utility to integrate renewables “at a much lower cost,” said Thomas Konig, member of the E.on Deutschland Board of Management.

The devices, which use technology created by the utility company and Bavaria-based Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen, will be installed at E.on’s distribution systems in Germany. About 60 of the VRDTs are already in place.

According to the German Energy Agency, VRDTs in low-voltage networks in the country could lower the cost of the network expansion by about EUR 1.4 billion (USD 1.9bn) in the 2014-2030 period.

(EUR 1.0 = USD 1.363)

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