Digitalization and Smart Grid
The digital and software layer that turns a passive distribution grid into an actively managed, flexibility-enabling system. “Smart grid” (smarta elnät) is the umbrella term for the metering, control, monitoring and data-exchange capabilities that let DSOs and TSOs see grid state in near-real time and act on it — the precondition for Congestion Management through Flexibility rather than copper. This page is an orientation hub; specific mechanisms have their own pages.
What “smart grid” covers
| Layer | Examples | Wiki pages |
|---|---|---|
| Metering / sensing | Next-gen smart meters, Submetering, grid-edge sensors | Submetering |
| Monitoring & control | SCADA, DMS/ADMS, state estimation, control-room AI/ML, DTS/DAS | (see below) |
| Asset optimisation | Dynamic Line Rating, energy storage dispatch, grid-forming inverters | Dynamic Line Rating, Energy Storage, Grid-Forming Inverters |
| Data exchange | CIM, Ediel, the planned centralt datahanteringsverktyg (DHV/FIS), open data | Elmarknadshubb, Flexibility Communication Protocols |
| Market interface | Flexibility platforms, APIs, aggregator interfaces | Flexibility Communication Protocols, Demand Response |
Swedish monitoring — Ei’s biennial smart-grid report
Under Electricity Directive 2019/944 Art. 59.1(l), Ei now monitors smart-grid development biennially. The first edition, Ei R2026:02 (December 2025), uses 11 indicators across three categories — Förutsättning (preconditions, e.g. installed local production, connected storage capacity), Användning (use), and Prestation (performance). Findings are tentative (only two years of data), and feed into the EU-wide smart-grid indicators ACER/CEER were due to present in June 2026. See also the underlying Source - Ei SGI Data 2023-2024.
R&D direction
Svk’s research programme (Uppdrag 3.5, 2026) names digitalisation as one of four R&D areas, with concrete priorities: AI/ML forecasting in the control room, decision-support and automation tools (DTS/DAS), cyber-physical monitoring, and participation in ENTSO-E’s RDIC. Digitalisation is also a named förflyttningsområde in Svk’s Strategi mot 2030 (“accelererad digitalisering”).
Why it matters for flexibility
Flexibility is only procurable to the extent the grid is observable and controllable. Without interval metering, baselines cannot be computed (see Baseline Methods); without state estimation, a DSO cannot locate a constraint precisely enough to call a local market; without standardised data exchange, aggregator signals cannot reach the right resources. The digital layer is therefore the enabling substrate for the entire flexibility agenda — and its gaps (fragmented protocols, the not-yet-built DHV/FIS) are among the binding constraints on Swedish flexibility deployment.
Security dimension
A digitalised, flexible grid is also a larger attack surface. The resilience and cybersecurity implications are treated separately in Security and Resilience of the Digitalized Flexible Grid.
Data gaps
- Trends across editions of Ei’s smart-grid report — only the first (R2026:02) exists; the indicator series needs more years to be interpretable
- ACER/CEER common EU smart-grid indicators — due June 2026; not yet ingested
- Concrete DSO ADMS/DMS deployment status in Sweden — no dedicated source yet on control-room digital maturity per company