business plan for 2004 - EDP

2003 - Annual Report - EDP
>> 10 Research & Development (R&D)
R&D Activities and Projects
In keeping with the R&D and Technological Innovation
guidelines, efforts continued to be directed in 2003
at fostering new projects in the fields of electricity
networks, renewable energies, distributed production and
environment.
Labelec, an EDP Group company engaged in laboratory
studies and activities, provided co-ordination and
consolidation of activities in this area, in close cooperation
with Group companies in the production and
distribution area.
During 2003 EDP took part in more than 20 R&D projects
in the areas of electricity generation and distribution, 4 of
which with funding from European Union.
In the priority R&D areas, the emphasis is on the launch
or continuation of the following projects:
• Micro-turbine Project: setting up and demonstrating a
gas micro-turbine at the Sacavém plant;
• SITEM Project: Integrated Engineering and
Maintenance Management System;
• Micro-Grids Project: Impact and Management of
Distributed Micro-generation on the Grid; and
• DPL Project – Digital Power Line: Broadband
transmission of information (voice and image) across
the distribution network lines.
An IT system was also implemented, integrated with the
SAP structure (Leonardo System) supporting the
management of technical and accounting information in
respect of the R&D projects and activities, designed to
standardise administrative and accounting procedures, to
provide more efficient management information and
rigour in the provision of this information to entities
internal and external to EDP, with a special focus on the
SIFIDE – Company R&D Tax Incentive System.
Labelec also represented EDP in international forums
involved in the R&D and innovation areas
(EURELECTRIC, Enersearch and AIE), and in the
recently-created Wave Energy Centre directed at making
use of wave energy to generate electricity.
Laboratory Studies and Activities
The laboratory work undertaken by Labelec is based on
specialised laboratories accredited in the fields of physical
and high voltage tests, electricity metering, characterisation
of insulating oils and environment, providing advanced
technological services to the entire electricity sector and
beyond.
These activities increased significantly, up by about 6% in
2003 as a result of greater demand for these specialised
services and the introduction of new types of studies and
tests.
The following were of particular importance during the
year:
• Monitoring the quality of the service of the electricity
transport (REN) and distribution (EDP) networks,
providing information essential to the improvement of
quality of the service provided by these networks;
• Launch of the medium voltage telemetering plan,
which reached cruising speed and is designed to install
meters with telemetering capability at all medium
voltage customers. In the field of energy metering,
several international connection meters, SIME project
meters and various other types of meters and metering
equipment were calibrated. Metering cupboards were
also installed at special-regime producers and audits were
performed on metering
and telemetering systems;
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