of the future
ewz is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the distribution grid in the city of Zurich and parts of the canton of the Grisons. To ensure the future viability of our grid, the following measures are needed:
- Forecasting of demand development and energy requirements in supply areas
- Conception, planning, construction and operation of corresponding grid infrastructure at all grid levels
- Technical and organisational innovations, particularly those that allow monitoring and control of grids (smart grid)
We are developing the smart grid on the basic infrastructure of the ewz distribution grid. It primarily covers the medium- to low-voltage levels. Its implementation mainly comprises the following activities:
- Installation of a total of 240,000 smart electricity meters by 2027 (out of a total of around 300,000 electricity meters in the city of Zurich)
- Continuous upgrading of 250 ewz transformer stations with intelligent measuring instruments by 2030
- Implementation of ancillary systems that are required for optimal interaction of metering, communication and control systems
There will be a facility for evaluating, displaying and interpreting meter data, automatically and promptly, including factors such as faults, grid quality and power demand. This will help, for example, in the intelligent coordination of feed-in and consumption of electrical energy from different power generation plants and consumers.
Increasing digitalisation requires ever-increasing computing power and thus a powerful infrastructure. The city of Zurich is connected with the nationwide fibre-optic network ewz.zürinet, which provides basic services. We operate this fibre-optic network, create new home connections and also carry out individual site networking for private companies and public authorities. This modern fibre-optic infrastructure bolsters the city of Zurich’s status as an innovative and progressive business location and ensures a higher quality of life.
The city of Zurich’s Smart City strategy aims to connect people, organisations and infrastructures using digital technologies. The aim is to create social, environmental and economic added value. We support this objective with infrastructure, interfaces and services in the fields of telecommunications, energy and mobility. In dialogue with experts and project managers from various ewz departments, the municipal authorities and external stakeholders, we identify Smart City potential and translate it into projects. In collaboration with the Organisation and Informatics Competence Centre of the city of Zurich, for example, ewz has established a long range wide area network (LoRaWAN). This LoRaWAN is primarily used to network sensors for the collection of important data in public spaces and buildings (temperature, CO₂, traffic, etc.).
ewz is supporting the Smart City Zurich strategy by carrying out 14 Smart City pilot projects and commissioning seven projects by 2030.
