Open Innovability®

Enel Grids is looking for collaboration partners to provide an innovative approach that will respect biodiversity when developing new assets (installation of overhead electrical lines and/or substations). This is an electronic Request-for-Partners (eRFP) Challenge; the Solver will need to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by the Seeker with a goal of establishing a collaborative partnership.   OVERVIEW We are engaged in a very challenging project that concerns the impact minimization of electric assets. These include overhead lines (high voltage and medium voltage, often with bare conductors) and substations crossing urban/rural/forest areas. The general framework is the No Net Biodiversity Loss approach: this is in order to estimate the effect on biodiversity and to promote its protection during the installation of electric infrastructure. The aim is to restore the areas involved and to offset the residual impacts, so that no loss remains. Our goal is to collect ideas/methodologies for minimizing the effect on biodiversity in the construction of the new asset and to optimize the offsetting in terms of land occupancy and economic effort. This Challenge contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals: •      SDG 7, 9, 13, 15 – Register now to start solving this Challenge! The full description Challenge will be available to logged in users only. – For questions about the Challenge and your proposal you can contact EnelOpenInnovabilityChallenges@wazoku.com Explain your proposal clearly in English, attach documents (max 5 files, 25MB total size) if needed. This is an electronic Request-for-Partners (eRFP) Challenge; the Solver will need to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by the Seeker with a goal of establishing a collaborative partnership. Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (Central European Time) on September 5, 2022. Late submissions will not be considered. After the Challenge deadline, the Seeker will complete the review process and make a decision with regards to the Winning Solution(s). All Solvers that submit a proposal will be notified on the status of their submissions.   ABOUT THE SEEKER              Enel is a multinational energy company and one of the world’s leading integrated electricity and gas operators. Enel works in more than 30 countries across five continents, generating energy with a total installed capacity of more than 89 GW, selling gas and distributing electricity across a network spanning approximately 2.2 million km. With almost 75 million end users around the world, Enel has the biggest customer base among our European competitors, and we are one of Europe’s leading energy companies by installed capacity. The Enel Group is made up of approximately 66,000 people from around the world who are working together on the same goal. We are Open Power and our aim is to overcome some of the greatest challenges facing the world. This is to be achieved through a new approach which combines attention to sustainability with the best in innovation. Enel is dedicated to creating innovative solutions that meet society’s changing needs. Through its openinnovability.com crowdsourcing platform, the company connects people and ideas from across the world, encouraging anyone to propose sustainable innovation projects and solutions that help develop local communities. Enel is also committed to helping to achieve 4 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 7 - Access to affordable and clean energy 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 11- Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 13 - The fight against climate change Enel Grids is the global business line in charge of steering and coordinating the electricity transmission and distribution activities of Enel Group in 8 Countries (Europe and South America). For 20 years it's been committed to creating a knowledge ecosystem for developing network digitalization and now is the benchmark in terms of smart metering, thanks to the nearly 45 million smart meters installed on our electricity grids throughout the world, designing new automation systems for distribution networks in order to meet the growing demand for energy. By 2024 the aim to reach 81 million grid customers, 63% of whom will be digitalized, thanks to the world’s most advanced smart meter technology developed by Gridspertise, to reach the goal of more than 48 million installations on our networks around the world. At the same time, we're working on the implementation of an innovative, integrated platform operating model in order to comprehensively manage our networks, leveraging the opportunities offered by digitalization and emerging technologies.   What is InnoCentive? InnoCentive is the global innovation marketplace where creative minds solve some of the world's most important problems for cash awards up to $1 million. Commercial, governmental and humanitarian organizations engage with InnoCentive to solve problems that can impact humankind in areas ranging from the environment to medical advancements. What is an eRFP Challenge? An InnoCentive eRFP Challenge allows Seekers to submit Requests for Proposals for a partner or supplier to provide materials or expertise to solve a business challenge by leveraging the InnoCentive Solver network. This global community includes organizations and individuals, such as contract research organizations, scientists, university researchers, and technology companies. After a Solver submits an eRFP response, the Seeker evaluates the responses to determine which Solver(s) to contact for further business discussions. With eRFPs, the Solver must not provide any confidential information in the eRFP response. If your eRFP response is selected, you negotiate the terms of the contract (including scope of work, tasks and duration) directly with the Seeker. This Challenge type does not require Intellectual Property (IP) transfer. However, sometimes Seekers request that certain IP arrangements be made should a partnership be formed.

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The Enel Group is looking for proposals around the best available solutions to improve health checks of poles and supports. In partnership with Enel Grids, your reliable, quantitative and objective measurement approach will benefit operator safety and network management. Do you have a solution, technology, or method for an objective and fast health check? This is an electronic Request-for-Partners (eRFP) Challenge; the Solver is invited to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by Enel Grids with the goal of establishing a collaborative partnership. - Login or register to start solving this Challenge! After logging in, click ‘View Challenge Details’ to submit your solution on the Enel Open Innovability® platform -   OVERVIEW As part of ongoing health and safety initiatives across the Group, Enel Grids is searching for a solution that can provide an objective and fast health check of a pole/support, to be added to the current visual inspection. Current practices are often subjective, depending on tester's experience and sensibility. Providing operators on the ground with a fast, easy-to-use, and universal understanding of relevant and objective information will support the assessment of the pole/support condition and therefore if this is suitable for operator climbing and, more generally, for network service. Enel Grids is therefore looking for proposals around the best available solutions to improve health checks of poles and supports. In partnership with Enel Grids, your reliable, quantitative and objective measurement approach will benefit operator safety and network management. SCENARIO When working at height in any industry, safety regulations and requirements must be followed. We need to ensure any equipment used or support climbed must be verified to be safe before climbing. According to Enel Grids standards on work at height, when operators are working on a pole or support, it is critical to determine its condition before an operator climbs it. Poles that are unsuitable for climbing operations are also unsuitable for network service. The network maintenance plan, in particular the periodic inspections, provides for the reporting of unsuitable poles/supports on which their replacement or stabilization must be planned. Adding to the routine visual checks and testing, Enel Grids is seeking innovative solutions to perform reliable, objective and quantitative health checks of these poles and supports. Before starting any activity at height, pole and support integrity (presence of damage, buckling, corrosion etc), mechanical requirement and stability have to be verified on site - in order to assess that it may sustain the stresses from the work. These stresses, including operator weight, equipment and tool weight for use or installation, and other working stresses (e.g. removal or tensioning of conductors), may lead to the failure of a defective pole/support or one not designed to handle these stresses. For instance: Wood poles usually fail by breaking at the point of their penetration in the ground - often due to internal rotting that weakens the material. For these wood poles, the focus would be more on the pole integrity than the methods of stabilization, e.g. ground consistency, considering these poles usually have not a foundation block. However, for reinforced concrete or metallic poles, they tend to fail due to an ineffective stabilizing effect. This happens when the pole is at the incorrect penetration depth, or when this depth reduces over time. THE CHALLENGE Enel Grids is searching for proposals that offer a solution that can provide an objective and fast health check of a pole/support, to be added to the current visual inspection. Current practices are qualitative and subjective, depending on tester experience and sensibility. Your reliable, quantitative and objective measurement will help keep operators safe and improve network management. This test and health check must be non-invasive, and could be based on diagnostic technologies of any kind. The scope of innovation in your solution and its universal potential is important - your solution could use physical, mechanical, thermographic, ultrasonic, magnetoscopic, hygrometric diagnostics, a combined approach, or any other relevant and successful. The inspection approach and its conditions change dependent on the type of pole/support, their material, and then on their specific dynamics of failure. This also will have to take into account other factors: presence/absence of a foundation block, depth of penetration into the ground, the type of soil itself. Ideally, your proposed solution will also allow for the recording and reporting of data, and including a connection to a database. This will help prepare for future health checks and provide more opportunity for future analysis and program work. SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS In general, the solution needs to satisfy the following must-have requirements: Effectiveness of checking the health of pole/support whenever this is required; Not impair the pole/support integrity, stability, or create other/further risk situations; Be easy and fast to be deployed or installed on the pole/support, and also non-invasive; Be universal as far as possible, i.e. flexible to use on poles/supports of different materials, sizes, kind; solutions for only one type of material will also be considered; Easily transportable by users and company fleet; Be user-friendly in order for users to take a quick decision; Require minimum maintenance; Be easy to implement, both in time and distribution; Be compliant with current normative of the countries of the Enel group or be possible to adapt to local normative with a limited effort. Nice-to-have requirements Be able to record the check results for reporting purposes, and also allow remote recording in a database.   This Challenge contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth  SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure  - Login or register to start solving this Challenge! After logging in, click ‘View Challenge Details’ to submit your solution on the Enel Open Innovability® platform -   For questions about the Challenge and your proposal you can contact EnelOpenInnovabilityChallenges@wazoku.com Explain your proposal clearly in English, attach documents (max 5 files, 25MB total size) if needed. This is an electronic Request-for-Partners (eRFP) Challenge; the Solver will need to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by the Seeker with a goal of establishing a collaborative partnership. Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (Central European Time) on June 03, 2023.   ABOUT THE SEEKER              Enel is a multinational energy company and one of the world’s leading integrated electricity and gas operators. Enel works in more than 30 countries across five continents, generating energy with a total installed capacity of more than 89 GW, selling gas and distributing electricity across a network spanning approximately 2.2 million km. With almost 75 million end users around the world, Enel has the biggest customer base among our European competitors, and we are one of Europe’s leading energy companies by installed capacity. The Enel Group is made up of approximately 66,000 people from around the world who are working together on the same goal. We are Open Power and our aim is to overcome some of the greatest challenges facing the world. This is to be achieved through a new approach which combines attention to sustainability with the best in innovation. Enel is dedicated to creating innovative solutions that meet society’s changing needs. Through its openinnovability.com crowdsourcing platform, the company connects people and ideas from across the world, encouraging anyone to propose sustainable innovation projects and solutions that help develop local communities. Enel is also committed to helping to achieve 4 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 7 - Access to affordable and clean energy 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 11- Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 13 - The fight against climate change Enel Grids is the global business line in charge of steering and coordinating the electricity transmission and distribution activities of Enel Group in 8 Countries (Europe and South America). For 20 years it's been committed to creating a knowledge ecosystem for developing network digitalization and now is the benchmark in terms of smart metering, thanks to the nearly 45 million smart meters installed on our electricity grids throughout the world, designing new automation systems for distribution networks in order to meet the growing demand for energy. By 2024 the aim to reach 81 million grid customers, 63% of whom will be digitalized, thanks to the world’s most advanced smart meter technology developed by Gridspertise, to reach the goal of more than 48 million installations on our networks around the world. At the same time, we're working on the implementation of an innovative, integrated platform operating model in order to comprehensively manage our networks, leveraging the opportunities offered by digitalization and emerging technologies.

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Abstract Do you have a solution that can install cables in canals in hydroelectric plants during operation? The pipeline systems at these renewable plants can stretch to tens of kilometers, may be pressurized, and have limited access. Your system or solution for cable installation will preserve resources, reduce outages, and ensure continued generation of renewable energy. We invite your proposals for effective and reusable methods of cable installation. This is an electronic Request-for-Partners (eRFP) Challenge; the Solver will need to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by Enel Green Power  with the goal of establishing a collaborative partnership.   - Login or register to start solving this Challenge! After logging in, click ‘View Challenge Details’ to submit your solution on the Enel Open Innovability® platform -   Overview To continue its work in renewable energy, Enel Green Power is looking to improve the efficiency and sustainability of cable installation, helping to interconnect the hydraulic plant parts and optimize its management. Enel is looking for proposals or solutions for installing fiber optic cables in waterways that are in tunnel and in-use, applicable across different pressures, canal shapes, and lengths. The canals that interconnect a hydroelectric plant may span multiple kilometers, as well as being either pressurized or open-flow, and away from urban areas/in mountainous regions. Enel see these waterways as providing an opportunity for a connected solution – linking various parts of the plant through a fiber optic network that can be leveraged for monitoring, maintenance, and reporting. However, currently these canals would need to be emptied of water to install cables and perform maintenance checks. Enel Green Power is therefore looking for proposals around the best available solutions to install cables within in-use canals in tunnel either pressurized or open-flow. In partnership with Enel, your approach will preserve resources, maintain a critical renewable source, and unlock greater sustainability in operation. This Challenge contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation   Background Hydroelectric plants and dams are a critical part of the future of renewable energy, representing an estimated 40% of total renewable capacity according to the World Economic Forum. These installations are often complex, covering great distances, and varying in sizes. The canals that bring water to a plant differ in accessibility but are always accessible from the ends. Enel Green Power is looking for a system to unify and optimize cable installation across canal types by implementing a method to install fiber optic in canals in tunnel while plants are in-use. Installation of fiber optic cables normally requires many days of outage: operators need to overcome access issues, distance, and the limiting criteria of the canals themselves. It also results in a relative waste of water, lack of energy produced, and can mean the work itself is unsustainable.   The Challenge Enel Green Power is searching for new technologies, systems, methods, and proposals of innovative systems that can install a fiber optic cable inside the canals of hydroelectric plants, without removing the water or ceasing operations. Improving the method for installation will not only save time and preserve resources, but this network of cables will provide fast and reliable communication across the plants. Being better connected to remote areas allows for greater remote-control systems and video streams, as well as potential development of damage monitoring and leakage detection. Your proposal, method, solution, or technology should address the solution requirements and provide the potential for development of a monitoring system for damage and leakages. Figure 1: Hydraulic scheme, example of a non-pressurized canal Figure 2: Canals in tunnel either pressurized or open-flow Figures 3, 4, and 5: examples of Enel canals.   Technical Criteria Your system and proposal should be applicable in different contexts, canal types, and comply with the maximum range of pressure/lengths of waterways. We list more information, potentially limiting criteria, and necessary operating conditions below: Cost per meter of system for cable installation – proposal must remain competitive with existing financial implications of plant shutdown Canals in tunnels have dimensions of up to 20 square meters, and lengths of tens of kilometers Material – water canals are mostly made of concrete or steel Canals in tunnel are often pressurized – up to 20 bar Cables must remain submerged System cable installed must contain 12 x 9/125 optical fibers for compatibility with Enel network equipment Temperature of water is usually around 10C, but varies by 10 degrees with seasonal, location, and night temperatures.   SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS Your proposed solution or approach must: Lay fiber-optic cable under flowing water Fix these cables under flowing water, Be able to be installed without the need to stop plant operations or empty the waterway, Not affect normal operation or output of plant when in place, Be reusable in different types of canals, with small customizations, Canals in tunnel may contain curves, cross-sectional variations, varying pressures, and widths. Not constitute a danger to machinery or operators – either in use or if it breaks away. Enel is interested in areas for developing damage monitoring capabilities, so for greater chance of selection, your proposal might also fulfil these nice-to-have requirements: Leakage monitoring capability, Cable potential for identifying damage in the waterways, Reporting this damage to a system, Determine the location and extent of the damage, Leakage monitoring.   For questions about the Challenge and your proposal you can contact EnelOpenInnovabilityChallenges@wazoku.com   Explain your proposal clearly in English, attach documents (max 5 files, 25MB total size) if needed. This is an electronic Request-for-Partners (eRFP) Challenge; the Solver will need to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by the Seeker with a goal of establishing a collaborative partnership. Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (Central European Time) on May 29, 2023.   ABOUT THE SEEKER              Enel is a multinational energy company and one of the world’s leading integrated electricity and gas operators. Enel works in more than 30 countries across five continents, generating energy with a total installed capacity of more than 89 GW, selling gas and distributing electricity across a network spanning approximately 2.2 million km. With almost 75 million end users around the world, Enel has the biggest customer base among our European competitors, and we are one of Europe’s leading energy companies by installed capacity. Enel Green Power (EGP)is the Enel Group company focused on the development and management of renewable energy generation. EGP is a world leader in the development and management of energy production from renewable sources with a global presence in 26 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania (active projects in 21 countries while projects under development in 5 countries). EGP operates more than 1,200 plants with a managed capacity of 56 GW across a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric and is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies into renewable energy power plants. EGP enables communities, companies and end users to move towards a sustainable life, guiding the transition towards a decarbonised society and contributing to the development and well-being of the many geographical areas in which it operates. EGP aims to accelerate the energy transition towards renewable sources, aiming to reach 75GW of installed renewable capacity in 2025 worldwide. In parallel, the abandonment of coal by 2027 and gas by 2040 is also foreseen.

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Enel Green Power is looking for ideas and solutions to address the problem of energy congestion, which is being experienced in several regions. The proposals must provide an innovative approach to the problem, guaranteeing opportunities for sustainable use of the energy generated and for economic savings. This is an electronic Request-for-Partners (eRFP) Challenge; the Solver is invited to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by Enel Grids with the goal of establishing a collaborative partnership.    - Login or register to start solving this Challenge! After logging in, click ‘View Challenge Details’ to submit your solution on the Enel Open Innovability® platform -   OVERVIEW Enel Green Power is a global leader in the development and management of energy production from renewable sources (wind, solar, hydroelectric, marine and geothermal). Increased penetration of generation in certain areas without corresponding increase in load or transmission creates constrained areas. When more energy is generated within these constrained areas than can be consumed or removed, a congestion occurs. Due to energy pricing compositions set by transmission operators, the price of energy within a constrained zone can become negative during a congestion event. Enel experiences numerous congestion events throughout the year, each of which highly impacts both revenues and the amount of energy dispatched. Reliable and sustainable methods or technologies for mitigating and addressing congestion will help Enel Green Power to continue to deliver clean, low-cost energy to thousands of households, industrial customers and all the consumers requiring electric energy.   THE CHALLENGE The growth in renewable generation in the last years has not corresponded to an equal growth in transmission capacity. The energy produced by thousands of wind towers and solar panels needs to be moved from generation to consumption sites, often hundreds of miles away. Electrons move across power lines similar to cars moving down a road. In both cases, congestion occurs when too many converge on the same path. Traffic jams are frustrating, but electricity congestion can be costly and may even cause power outages. Therefore, mitigating the impact of congestions on the grid is important for operators and end users alike: financially, sustainably, and across energy delivery. Grid congestion occurs due to transmission constraints – a lack of transmission line capacity to deliver electricity without exceeding the thermal, voltage, and stability limits designed to ensure reliability. These constraints can also lead to inefficiencies. For example, as transmission lines reach thermal capacity, line loss – the dissipation of electricity along a wire – increases. Generation and load nodes are distributed across large portions of land. When a generation node is on the “wrong side” of a congestion, it is said to be in an Export Constrained Area. When a congestion event occurs, generators inside the export constrained area can see the price of the energy they produce turning into negative value, thus the generators are paying for dispatching energy. In order to maintain equilibrium in the supply and demand of energy, the transmission operator decreases the Locational Marginal Price (LMP) of nodes inside the export constrained area and increases it outside the constrained area. Congestion is the primary driver of price separation: it is positive outside the constrained zone and negative inside the constrained zone. Some operators may then decide not to dispatch or generate energy to avoid paying the resulting high costs. For instance, areas within Oklahoma and Kansas are highly affected by congestion. These states are part of the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), which serves 14 central states of the US and covers a region with high wind energy potential. The strong potential for generation within SPP has led to a substantial increase in the number of wind plants in the region. This has exposed Enel Green Power operations to congestion, particularly during winter and summer months when energy demand and generation is high. This impacts both the economic results of the company and its ability to dispatch clean and low-cost energy to its customers. SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS & ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA Enel Green Power is looking for ideas, solutions, and methods at greater than or equal to Technology Readiness Level 6 that can mitigate the impact of congestion. Every percentage reduction of congestion and loss results in a considerable amount of energy that can be dispatched and financial loss that can be avoided. Relevant solutions may include, but are not limited to: Strategic load additions in constrained regions or integrated into the power plants, also in the form of modular, pre-assembled, easy to install, systems. Line rating observation or adjustment advancements Enhanced organization or planning Note: energy storage can be a technical solution for congestion mitigation. However, since they are not typically profitable for this specific task, we will only evaluate business model proposals with a clear positive return.   Submissions should address the following Solution Requirements: The proposed solution must: be deployable within the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), ideally within western Oklahoma and Kansas, be compliant with existing standards, both national and SPP, not require sustained access to or direct control over grid or transmission management assets, reduce overall impact of congestion visible to generation sites, And have a TRL 6 or greater (demonstrated in a relevant environment).   The proposed solution should: be deployable within 1-3 years, mitigate congestion events lasting approximately 8 hours/day on average, address key congestion events lasting up to 20 hours, not rely on significant expansion of transmission capabilities, be an environmentally sustainable activity or technology.   This Challenge contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy.  SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. ​​​​​​ This is an electronic Request-for-Partners (eRFP) Challenge; the Solver will need to submit a written proposal to be evaluated by the Seeker with a goal of establishing a collaborative partnership. - Login or register to start solving this Challenge! After logging in, click ‘View Challenge Details’ to submit your solution on the Enel Open Innovability® platform -   For questions about the Challenge and your proposal you can contact EnelOpenInnovabilityChallenges@wazoku.com Explain your proposal clearly in English, and attach documents (max 5 files, 25MB total size) if needed. Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (Central European Time) on July 03, 2023.   ABOUT THE SEEKER              Enel is a multinational energy company and one of the world’s leading integrated electricity and gas operators. Enel works in more than 30 countries across five continents, generating energy with a total installed capacity of more than 89 GW, selling gas and distributing electricity across a network spanning approximately 2.2 million km. With almost 75 million end users around the world, Enel has the biggest customer base among our European competitors, and we are one of Europe’s leading energy companies by installed capacity. The Enel Group is made up of approximately 66,000 people from around the world who are working together on the same goal. We are Open Power and our aim is to overcome some of the greatest challenges facing the world. This is to be achieved through a new approach which combines attention to sustainability with the best in innovation. Enel is dedicated to creating innovative solutions that meet society’s changing needs. Through its openinnovability.com crowdsourcing platform, the company connects people and ideas from across the world, encouraging anyone to propose sustainable innovation projects and solutions that help develop local communities. Enel is also committed to helping to achieve 4 of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 7 - Access to affordable and clean energy 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation 11- Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 13 - The fight against climate change Enel Green Power (EGP) is the Enel Group company focused on the development and management of renewable energy generation. EGP is a world leader in the development and management of energy production from renewable sources with a global presence in 26 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania (active projects in 21 countries while projects under development in 5 countries). EGP operates more than 1,200 plants with a managed capacity of 56 GW across a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric and is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies into renewable energy power plants. EGP enables communities, companies and end users to move towards a sustainable life, guiding the transition towards a decarbonised society and contributing to the development and well-being of the many geographical areas in which it operates. EGP aims to accelerate the energy transition towards renewable sources, aiming to reach 75GW of installed renewable capacity in 2025 worldwide. In parallel, the abandonment of coal by 2027 and gas by 2040 is also foreseen.

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