Presented by: Nirupama Prakash Kumar

1. Smart Grid 101
Does your electric grid
need an education?
Nirupama Prakash Kumar
Sr. Operations Engineer, WindLogics
23-Oct-2014

2. Status quo
Centralized generating stations mostly fossil fuel based
High voltage transmission and Medium voltage
distribution
Load profile prediction “easy” and “mostly accurate” as
per societal conditions
Some knowledge of the state of the system

3. Status quo
 Generally little or no communication between high level and
low level devices in the system
 Generation following the load
 Load inelastic to pricing changes even in deregulated
wholesale markets
 Regulated flat retail rates for electricity, sometimes regulated
wholesale rates

4. Challenging the status quo
Central fossil fuel generation – how do we customize the
grid for renewable energy sources which are more
stochastic?
Renewable energy – should we ignore the sun rays on our
roofs or the wind in our back yards?
 Do we need HV transmission if most load centers can
get close to generation?

5. Challenging the status quo
Why not use such abundant, perennial, distribution
problem free (albeit stochastic) resource to get
electricity to rural areas in the poorest regions or
other regions with less fossil fuel resources
When the whole world is connected, why are we still
debating if we need communication on the grid? We
still don’t have a sense of what, where and how about
the grid in real time

6. Challenging the status quo
Our appliances/end uses can be made more
responsive and smarter - they can help in frequency
and load control, under good pricing schemes can
help lower consumer bills
Demand response may matter for utilities

7. NETL’s Definition
Enable active participation by customers
Accommodate all generation sources and storage
Enable new products, technologies and services
Help better assert utilization and operate efficiently

8. NETL’s Definition contd…
Provide better power quality for the digital economy
Anticipate and respond to system disturbances
Resilient against attack and natural disaster

9. Challenges to deployment
Utilities – why will you willingly sell less of what you produce?
• Positives to utilities - better asset utilization and efficient generation
and distribution
• Positives to society - cleaner and efficient generation and distribution
• Negatives to society if not done right – is this just about taking
stimulus money, getting free smart meters and laying off meter
reading personnel

10. Challenges to deployment
• Consumers – why will you put your health and privacy
under risk to help utilities?
• Positives to consumers - lower bills under appropriate retail rates
• Positives to society - lowering your carbon foot print
• Negatives to society if not done at all or if not done right
• inefficient energy use with no sense of how to be more efficient and
reducing carbon foot prints
• health and privacy risk

11. We can wonder if our grid
needs an education, or we the
people!
Contact :
Nirupama.pkumar@yahoo.com

12. Why should we care?
• Society needs utility buy-in
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDMYc1qlhFY
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYTi881c0_0