MTU Launches Digital Substation to Advance Ireland’s Energy Transition and Power Engineering Expertise

Munster Technological University (MTU), in collaboration with H&MV Engineering who delivers High Voltage design, engineering and construction services with a specialised focus in data centres, renewables, utility, commercial and industrial sectors and ABB, a global technology leader in electrification and automation, has launched a Digital Substation in the Power Academy Lab of MTU’s Bishopstown campus.

The investment of the Digital Substation is part of H&MV Engineering’s and ABB limited sponsorship, worth more than €200,000, aims to further develop the training and research capacity of Ireland’s grid infrastructure.

The introduction of Digital Substations as part of Ireland’s grid infrastructure upgrade is essential for the state to meet its energy transition goals, which targets becoming carbon neutral by mid-century with an interim target of 51% reduction in emissions by 2030 through the Climate Action Plan 2023. (Cap2024). Ireland’s power system has achieved 75% integration of renewable energy sources and plans to increase this to 95% by 2030, highlighting the importance of state-of-the-art grid technologies.

Irish electricity demand is also increasing rapidly with increased population, industry and data centre consumption and the transition to electric heating and transport. Total demand is projected to rise from 33 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2022 to 56 TWh by 2030 and 80TWh in 2050. To support this growth the electricity grid requires significant upgrades with a growing need for skilled professionals in designing, developing, and operating modern grid systems.

The introduction of the Digital Substation at MTU as part of a joint ABB/H&MV investment positions MTU to upskill industry professionals from all sectors of the power engineering sector, including generation, distribution, transmission, and consumption to design, develop, commission, and operate the grid infrastructure required for the country’s future development.

Commenting on the investment, Dr Martin Hill, Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, stated that the industry support came at a critical time as the digital technologies in modern substation design required engineers to span both electronic, communication and electrical engineering domains at a level not previously supported in university programmes. This equipment allows students to work in an industry-standard environment with the current and future generations of smart grid protection equipment.

MTU will demonstrate the panel operation with practical workshops on digital substation testing at the national PowerGRID 2025 conference in MTU in January 2025. www.powergrid.ie. The deadline for submission for MTU’s “Smart Sustainable Power Engineering” course is January 25th, 2025. For more information, visit www.mtu.ie/courses/cresspe9/