- RESISTO, led by Endesa's network subsidiary, e-distribución, is a pioneering technological innovation project in Europe that aims to develop a predictive analysis system for weather events and other phenomena through the use of artificial intelligence, as well as sensors, thermal surveillance cameras and a fleet of autonomous drones.
- This initiative will be developed in a privileged environment, i.e. the Doñana National Park, and has been one of the projects selected in the 2021 call for aid of Red.es, an entity attached to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, with funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The initiative funds research and development artificial intelligence and other digital technology projects and is aimed at integrating such projects into different value chains.
- The presentation ceremony was attended by representatives of the Autonomous Government of Andalusia, Sergio Arjona, Deputy Minister of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy; José Enrique Borrallo, General Director of Protected Natural Spaces of Andalusia and Managing Director of the electricity company; Rafael Sánchez Durán, Managing Director of Endesa for the regions of Andalusia, Extremadura, Ceuta and Melilla; Emilio Jiménez, Managing Director of Endesa Grids in Andalusia and Extremadura; and Francesco De Marzo, Director of Grid Development.
RESISTO, led by Endesa's Grids subsidiary, e-distribución, is a pioneering technological innovation project in Europe that seeks to strengthen the power grid of the Doñana National Park through the application of artificial intelligence and the deployment of sensors, thermal surveillance cameras, weather stations, fire sensors and a fleet of autonomous drones. This technology aims to reduce the impact on the power grid of weather phenomena, such as wind or water, among other risks, with the purpose of improving the quality of service.
This is a unique project in Spain, one in which nature and technology will coexist. The project was presented today in the heart of the Doñana Natural Park, in an event attended by Sergio Arjona, Deputy Minister of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy of the Autonomous Government of Andalusia and José Enrique Borrallo, General Director of Protected Natural Spaces of Andalusia, who learnt about the details of this unique project from the hand of Rafael Sánchez Durán, Managing Director of Endesa for the regions of Andalusia, Extremadura, Ceuta and Melilla; Emilio Jiménez, Managing Director of Endesa Grids in Andalusia and Extremadura; and Francesco De Marzo, Director of Grid Development.
"This project was designed for different institutions to collaborate and participate in it, making the grid adapt its functioning under different weather scenarios and atmospheric phenomena, to ensure that it is supervised and that the necessary changes can be made autonomously. We will be capable to make our grids much more resistant by using drones, sensors and artificial intelligence", mentioned Rafael Sánchez Durán.
Moreover, the Deputy Minister thanked Endesa for “choosing Andalusia to roll out a pioneering project at the European level and also for choosing Doñana National Park, an international benchmark. An innovation project like this will surely have a huge positive impact on how the electricity distribution network is managed and these elements will helppromote and improve the preservation of natural parks, which will put Andalusia and Doñana at the forefront of the world with this example of a sustainable project, setting the example for all other natural parks across the world”.
Endesa will roll out this project to prepare electricity grids and mitigate their impact, based on the latest report presented by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which contemplates that extreme weather events will become increasingly frequent due to climate change.
To achieve this, Resisto will create an innovative and unique solution at the European level, which pivots on 4 areas:
- Planning, through prediction and prevention with the use of artificial intelligence and Big Data. With these tools, the company aims to detect the areas with the highest risk of impacts in certain weather conditions, as well as the potential risks caused by the physical actions of animals or humans.
- Detection, by means of the monitoring the grid through the use of sensors, thermal and surveillance cameras to control the growth of vegetation.
- Recovery, through the use of artificial intelligence and a fleet of autonomous drones that can locate incidents in real time, monitor the environment and provide support during operation and maintenance tasks, in particular, in areas that are hard to access.
- Adaptation, through continuous learning of the artificial intelligence algorithm implemented, which will be fed with the data generated in these experiences to strengthen the grid.
The experimental pilot project will be developed in a privileged environment such as the Doñana National Park, made up of a mosaic of ecosystems that host a unique biodiversity in Europe, with thousands of European and African birds and endangered species, such as the Iberian imperial eagle or the Iberian lynx. In this environment, the implementation of artificial intelligence tools that could develop risk maps of incidents under certain weather conditions, modules of possible recommendations for the reconfiguration of the power grid and other instruments, such as thermal surveillance cameras, weather stations, fleets of autonomous drones and even the possible deployment of a LoRa and 4G/5G communications network are analysed. This last technology could increase the number of sensors installed to monitor the power grid, which do not require the use of cables for data transmission and are low-consumption systems. All of these tools could also be used across the park to analyse other variables and help preserve its rich environment.
The RESISTO project, with a 20-month duration, has a total budget of 1.9 million euros, 65% of which will be funded by the European Union, since this project is a beneficiary of the 2021 call for aid aimed at research and development projects in the field of artificial intelligence and other digital technologies. Moreover, the project will be integrated into the value chains of Red.es, an entity attached to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
RESISTO is led by e-Distribución and it is expected for the IREC, Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya; AICIA, a research organisation linked to the University of Seville, ATISoluciones and the University of Granada to participate in the project.
With this initiative, the electricity company also aims to design smart and innovative solutions for the development of Smart Grids, the new power grids of the future, which will streamline the progressive integration of renewable energies into distribution networks.
Endesa's distribution subsidiary is immersed in a global programme for the digital transformation of all of its processes that are open to new technologies and instruments, from Big Data and Machine Learning, to augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics or the deployment of IoT sensors, aimed at improving the power grid's efficiency.
About Endesa
Endesa is the largest electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. The company is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. Endesa operates an end-to-end generation, distribution and marketing business. Through Endesa X it also offers value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy use in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. In addition, it has created a new line of business. Endesa X Way is fully dedicated to electric mobility. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of grids through e-distribución, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR-related matters. Our workforce numbers around 9,260 employees. Endesa is a division of Enel, the largest electricity group in Europe.