The definition of the "Smart Grid" is something that is taking shape. Utility professionals concur on some aspects and ideas of what the smart grid should be, but there are still grey areas that, however, promise to become clearer soon.
"Sustainable Economic Ecosystems" will power the transition from the Industrial Era to the Era of Sustainability. Begin here to learn more about the construct and the emergence of Smart Villages.
"Sustainable Economic Ecosystems" will power the transition from the Industrial Era to the Era of Sustainability. Begin here to learn more about the construct and the emergence of Smart Villages.
A Smart Grid is an electrical grid that uses information and communications technology to gather and act on information, such as information about the behaviors of suppliers and consumers, in an automated fashion to improve the efficiency, reliability, economics, and sustainability of electricity production and distribution. Just as ICs were used to improve the bandwidth of copper cable, they can also be used to improve the bandwidth of electrical cables. These improvements enable a Smart Grid to more effectively purchase and distribute electricity and provide users with real-time prices including time of day prices.
This whitepaper highlights the opportunity for Smart Grid Solutions in India for the next 5-10 years as well as suggests recommendation for multinational companies planning to enter this market.
What is a Smart Grid?
The Smart Grid Enables the ElectriNetSM
Local Energy Networks
Electric Transportation
Low-Carbon Central Generation
What Should Be the Attributes of the Smart Grid?
Why Do We Need a Smart Grid?
Is the Smart Grid a “Green Grid”?
Alternative Views of a Smart Grid
June 15, 2011
Audrey Zibelman's presentation from America’s Sustainable Future: How U.S. Cities Are Making Energy Work, an invitational conference of public-private partnership efforts from U.S. cities pursuing innovative energy management and smart grid initiatives. The assembled leaders in industry, research and policy-making will explore the diverse energy strategies emerging in Philadelphia and across the United States.
“We’re really looking forward to both learning from the great examples set by other cities represented in the conference, and showing off the groundbreaking work happening right here in Philadelphia,” says Laurie Actman, Viridity Energy’s director of strategic partnerships and public policy.
“With smart ideas and smart policy, we should be able to build support for smart grid projects and microgrids at the federal, state and local level.”"Energy technology is changing at such a rapid pace, it's crucial to examine who's doing it right in smart grid and microgrid projects all around the country," says Eugenie Birch, Penn IUR co-director.
"With the right policy moves—which we'll be exploring at the conference—Philadelphia can be a national leader in energy innovation," noted Susan Wachter, Penn IUR co-director.
(a).Evolution of electric grid
(b).Concept of electric grid
(c).Definition of smart grid
(d).Needs of smart grid
(e).Smart grid drivers and function
(f).Opportunities, challenges and benefits of smart grid
(g).Difference between conventional and smart grid
OVERVIEW
WHAT IS SMART GRID?
NEED OF SMART GRID IN INDIAN CONTEXT.
SMART GRID ATTRIBUTES.
INDIAN GOVERNMENT INTIATIVE TOWARDS SMART GRID
SMART GRID PROJECTS IN INDIA.
INDIAN GOVT. APPROVED PROJECTS.
PRESENT STATUS OF PROJECTS
BARRIERS TO SMART GRID IMPLEMETATION
LAYOUT OF SMARTGRID
CONCLUSION
REFRERENCES
Smart Grid: Definition
• Need of smart grid
• Smart grid functions
• How Smart Grid Works
• Smart Grid: Benefits
• Smart grid components and its Benefits
• Issues and Challenges
• Opportunities in future
• Smart Grid Projects in India and Gujarat
• Question-Answer
• References
Report on matched-melt coordination as used for selecting windfarm fusespacificcresttrans
Matched-melt coordination as defined in IEEE C37.48 is a variation of time-current curve coordination that is used to ensure that the expulsion fuse melts open during any overload or fault condition.
The first quarter of 2009 has ushered in a new era for the alternate energy market in the US. This has resulted in a visible increase in interest on alternate energy technologies. Most would think the attention to alternate energy has come just in time, especially with the rise in fossil fuel prices, stringent environmental regulations, and significant changes in preferences among consumers.
A Smart Grid is an electrical grid that uses information and communications technology to gather and act on information, such as information about the behaviors of suppliers and consumers, in an automated fashion to improve the efficiency, reliability, economics, and sustainability of electricity production and distribution. Just as ICs were used to improve the bandwidth of copper cable, they can also be used to improve the bandwidth of electrical cables. These improvements enable a Smart Grid to more effectively purchase and distribute electricity and provide users with real-time prices including time of day prices.
This whitepaper highlights the opportunity for Smart Grid Solutions in India for the next 5-10 years as well as suggests recommendation for multinational companies planning to enter this market.
What is a Smart Grid?
The Smart Grid Enables the ElectriNetSM
Local Energy Networks
Electric Transportation
Low-Carbon Central Generation
What Should Be the Attributes of the Smart Grid?
Why Do We Need a Smart Grid?
Is the Smart Grid a “Green Grid”?
Alternative Views of a Smart Grid
June 15, 2011
Audrey Zibelman's presentation from America’s Sustainable Future: How U.S. Cities Are Making Energy Work, an invitational conference of public-private partnership efforts from U.S. cities pursuing innovative energy management and smart grid initiatives. The assembled leaders in industry, research and policy-making will explore the diverse energy strategies emerging in Philadelphia and across the United States.
“We’re really looking forward to both learning from the great examples set by other cities represented in the conference, and showing off the groundbreaking work happening right here in Philadelphia,” says Laurie Actman, Viridity Energy’s director of strategic partnerships and public policy.
“With smart ideas and smart policy, we should be able to build support for smart grid projects and microgrids at the federal, state and local level.”"Energy technology is changing at such a rapid pace, it's crucial to examine who's doing it right in smart grid and microgrid projects all around the country," says Eugenie Birch, Penn IUR co-director.
"With the right policy moves—which we'll be exploring at the conference—Philadelphia can be a national leader in energy innovation," noted Susan Wachter, Penn IUR co-director.
(a).Evolution of electric grid
(b).Concept of electric grid
(c).Definition of smart grid
(d).Needs of smart grid
(e).Smart grid drivers and function
(f).Opportunities, challenges and benefits of smart grid
(g).Difference between conventional and smart grid
OVERVIEW
WHAT IS SMART GRID?
NEED OF SMART GRID IN INDIAN CONTEXT.
SMART GRID ATTRIBUTES.
INDIAN GOVERNMENT INTIATIVE TOWARDS SMART GRID
SMART GRID PROJECTS IN INDIA.
INDIAN GOVT. APPROVED PROJECTS.
PRESENT STATUS OF PROJECTS
BARRIERS TO SMART GRID IMPLEMETATION
LAYOUT OF SMARTGRID
CONCLUSION
REFRERENCES
Smart Grid: Definition
• Need of smart grid
• Smart grid functions
• How Smart Grid Works
• Smart Grid: Benefits
• Smart grid components and its Benefits
• Issues and Challenges
• Opportunities in future
• Smart Grid Projects in India and Gujarat
• Question-Answer
• References
Report on matched-melt coordination as used for selecting windfarm fusespacificcresttrans
Matched-melt coordination as defined in IEEE C37.48 is a variation of time-current curve coordination that is used to ensure that the expulsion fuse melts open during any overload or fault condition.
The first quarter of 2009 has ushered in a new era for the alternate energy market in the US. This has resulted in a visible increase in interest on alternate energy technologies. Most would think the attention to alternate energy has come just in time, especially with the rise in fossil fuel prices, stringent environmental regulations, and significant changes in preferences among consumers.
Harnessing wind energy to perform work is not a new concept.
Since the earliest of times, wind power has captured with sails to allow traders, merchants and explorers to ply their trades and discover the world around them.
Pacific Crest padmounted transformers are designed for use in distribution applications as well as for dedicated loads, and are designed for ease of installation and first cost savings.
The United States, like many other countries worldwide, is experiencing a growing concern about the environment. Currently more the domain of activists and environmental organizations, it is only a matter of times before these concerns grip consumers as well - maybe even to the point when they get discerning enough to question the source of their electricity.
Smart Grid The Role of Electricity Infrastructure in Reducing Greenhouse Gas ...Gruene-it.org
Most of the world’s electricity system was built when primary energy was relatively inexpensive. Grid reliability was mainly ensured by having excess capacity in the system, with unidirectional electricity flow to consumers from centrally dispatched power plants. Investments in the electric system were made to meet increasing demand—not to change fundamentally the way the system works.
this slide shows what is smart grid ,its comparison between the electromechanical grids . smart meters and devises for the smart grid . benefit of smart grid . and a conclution
(a).What is smart grid technology?
(b).Role and necessity of smart grid technology
(c).Benefits and application of grid
(d).Various challenge of grid
(e).Best possible location
The changing world of energy is making it increasingly challenging to optimize power reliability, energy costs, and operational efficiency in critical power environments such as
hospitals, data centers, airports, and manufacturing facilities. Utility power grids are getting more dynamic, facility power distribution systems are becoming more complex, and
cyberattacks threaten network stability. More competitive pressures and environmental regulations are pushing expectations for energy efficiency and business sustainability higher than ever. Addressing these challenges requires new
digital tools designed specifically to enable faster response to opportunities and risks related to power system reliability and operations.
The energy grid is currently undergoing a historical change of state from the traditional structure where a utility owns the generation, transmission and distribution services into an integrated smart grid in a monopolistic market which introduce consumers as active players in managing and controlling the power. This report provides an analysis of the methods applicable to smart grid interoperability tests. A systematic approach for developing smart grid interoperability tests was adopted by analyzing a house and an industries looking at the analysis of their active power. This analysis of active power gives the exact idea to know the range of maximum permissible loads that can be connected to their relevant bus bars. This paper presents the change in the value of Active Power with varying load angle in context with small signal analysis using wind, solar and generator grid . The result obtained showed that, consumers can then choose the cheapest energy to be consumed. Makinde Kayode | Owolabi Balikis Omowunmi | Lawal Olawale Kazeem "Analysis of Smart Grid Interoperability" Published in International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-6470, Volume-6 | Issue-5 , August 2022, URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd50629.pdf Paper URL: https://www.ijtsrd.com/engineering/electrical-engineering/50629/analysis-of-smart-grid-interoperability/makinde-kayode
Smart Grid Data Centers Distributed & ICTs Sustainability on Generation Energ...IJMTST Journal
Smart grid has modernized the way electricity is generated, transported, distributed, and consumed by integrating advanced sensing, communications, and control in the day-to-day operation of the grid. Electricity is a core utility for the functioning of society and for the services provided by information and communication technologies(ICTs). Several concepts of the smart grid, such as dynamic pricing, distributed generation, and demand management, have significantly impacted the operation of ICT services, in particular, communication networks and data centers. Ongoing energy-efficiency and operational expenditures reduction efforts in communication networks and data center shave gained another dimension with those smart grid concepts. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive survey on the smart grid-driven approaches in energy-efficient communications and data centers, and the interaction between smart grid and information and communication infrastructures. Although the studies on smart grid, energy-efficient communications, and green data centers have been separately surveyed in previous studies, to this end, research that falls in the intersection of those fields has not been properly classified and surveyed yet. We start our survey by providing background information on the smart grid and continue with surveying smart grid-driven approaches in energy-efficient communication systems, followed by energy, cost and emission minimizing approaches in datacenters, and the corresponding cloud network infrastructure. Through a communication infrastructure, a smart grid can improve power reliability and quality to eliminate electricity blackout.
since our electrical system consists of many interconnections .in order to have a proper transmission we need grid if we incorporate some sensors it results in smart grid .today grid system consists of all interconnection tapping points
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
Essentials of Automations: Optimizing FME Workflows with ParametersSafe Software
Are you looking to streamline your workflows and boost your projects’ efficiency? Do you find yourself searching for ways to add flexibility and control over your FME workflows? If so, you’re in the right place.
Join us for an insightful dive into the world of FME parameters, a critical element in optimizing workflow efficiency. This webinar marks the beginning of our three-part “Essentials of Automation” series. This first webinar is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills to utilize parameters effectively: enhancing the flexibility, maintainability, and user control of your FME projects.
Here’s what you’ll gain:
- Essentials of FME Parameters: Understand the pivotal role of parameters, including Reader/Writer, Transformer, User, and FME Flow categories. Discover how they are the key to unlocking automation and optimization within your workflows.
- Practical Applications in FME Form: Delve into key user parameter types including choice, connections, and file URLs. Allow users to control how a workflow runs, making your workflows more reusable. Learn to import values and deliver the best user experience for your workflows while enhancing accuracy.
- Optimization Strategies in FME Flow: Explore the creation and strategic deployment of parameters in FME Flow, including the use of deployment and geometry parameters, to maximize workflow efficiency.
- Pro Tips for Success: Gain insights on parameterizing connections and leveraging new features like Conditional Visibility for clarity and simplicity.
We’ll wrap up with a glimpse into future webinars, followed by a Q&A session to address your specific questions surrounding this topic.
Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your FME expertise and drive your projects to new heights of efficiency.
Search and Society: Reimagining Information Access for Radical FuturesBhaskar Mitra
The field of Information retrieval (IR) is currently undergoing a transformative shift, at least partly due to the emerging applications of generative AI to information access. In this talk, we will deliberate on the sociotechnical implications of generative AI for information access. We will argue that there is both a critical necessity and an exciting opportunity for the IR community to re-center our research agendas on societal needs while dismantling the artificial separation between the work on fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics in IR and the rest of IR research. Instead of adopting a reactionary strategy of trying to mitigate potential social harms from emerging technologies, the community should aim to proactively set the research agenda for the kinds of systems we should build inspired by diverse explicitly stated sociotechnical imaginaries. The sociotechnical imaginaries that underpin the design and development of information access technologies needs to be explicitly articulated, and we need to develop theories of change in context of these diverse perspectives. Our guiding future imaginaries must be informed by other academic fields, such as democratic theory and critical theory, and should be co-developed with social science scholars, legal scholars, civil rights and social justice activists, and artists, among others.
Key Trends Shaping the Future of Infrastructure.pdfCheryl Hung
Keynote at DIGIT West Expo, Glasgow on 29 May 2024.
Cheryl Hung, ochery.com
Sr Director, Infrastructure Ecosystem, Arm.
The key trends across hardware, cloud and open-source; exploring how these areas are likely to mature and develop over the short and long-term, and then considering how organisations can position themselves to adapt and thrive.
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 4DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 4. In this session, we will cover Test Manager overview along with SAP heatmap.
The UiPath Test Manager overview with SAP heatmap webinar offers a concise yet comprehensive exploration of the role of a Test Manager within SAP environments, coupled with the utilization of heatmaps for effective testing strategies.
Participants will gain insights into the responsibilities, challenges, and best practices associated with test management in SAP projects. Additionally, the webinar delves into the significance of heatmaps as a visual aid for identifying testing priorities, areas of risk, and resource allocation within SAP landscapes. Through this session, attendees can expect to enhance their understanding of test management principles while learning practical approaches to optimize testing processes in SAP environments using heatmap visualization techniques
What will you get from this session?
1. Insights into SAP testing best practices
2. Heatmap utilization for testing
3. Optimization of testing processes
4. Demo
Topics covered:
Execution from the test manager
Orchestrator execution result
Defect reporting
SAP heatmap example with demo
Speaker:
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
2. Executive Summary
The definition of the ‘Smart Grid’ is still something that is taking shape. Utility professionals concur on
some aspects and ideas of what the smart grid should be, but there are still grey areas that, however,
promise to become clearer soon. Some groups will tend to focus on the specific technologies that go into
creating this ‘intelligence’ in a power network; others will take a more generalized view and look at the
smart grid’s operational characteristics and capabilities.
Power system intelligence is essentially about taking sensory and analytical capabilities down to the
substation or device level, all the way at the bottom of the system hierarchy. Smart grids will produce a
steady stream of information about system conditions and operating characteristics that are valuable for
managing the commercial side of a given utility or grid operator.
More intelligent systems for monitoring combined with the substation and feeder automation in power
distribution networks can bring several improvements:
• Better reliability
• More availability
• Enhanced security
• Energy efficiency
This Whitepaper takes an open view of the smart grid. It begins by noting the need for a smart grid and
locating its capabilities and operational characteristics. The paper also takes a closer look at the smart
grid as a concept and the various energy benefits the economy can reap from its implementation.
The smart grid is essentially a highly automated system that will evolve based on adoption of fresh
standards industry-wide. With something as large as a power grid, radical change cannot occur – the
existing system will go through a series of gradual transformations. And energy transformers have a
crucial role to play in this evolving 'smart' system.
The whitepaper goes on to describe the importance of the millions of transformers that play a crucial role
in the energy distribution system in the US. It then touches upon the role Pacific Crest Transformers can
play in the emerging milieu.
Introduction
The century-old power grid is the US has often been called “the largest interconnected machine on
Earth”. Little wonder, because it consists of more than 9,200 electricity generating units, with more than
1,000,000 megawatts of generating capacity connected to more than 300,000 miles of transmission lines.
However this mammoth power infrastructure is nearly a century old and is understandably running out of
steam. The lights may still be on but relying on an often-overtaxed grid is becoming increasingly risky.
Since 1982, growth in peak demand for electricity – driven by population growth, bigger houses, bigger
TVs, more air conditioners and more computers – has exceeded transmission growth by almost 25%
every year. Yet spending on research and development – the first step toward innovation and renewal –
is among the lowest when compared to all other industries.
Even as the demand for energy has skyrocketed, there has been chronic underinvestment in getting
energy where it needs to go through transmission and distribution, further limiting grid efficiency and
reliability. While hundreds of thousands of high-voltage transmission lines course throughout the United
2
3. States, only 668 additional miles of interstate transmission have been built since 2000. As a result,
system constraints worsen and power quality issues are estimated to cost American businesses an
average of more than $100 billion each year.
The grid’s centralized structure also leaves the US open to blackouts. In fact, the interdependencies of
various grid components can have a cascading series of failures that could bring banking,
communications, traffic, and security systems among other things to a complete standstill.
National challenges like the aging power grid, increasing energy demands, spiraling cost of generating
electricity and its cost on the environment are all pointing in one direction, and one direction only: a grid
that is more efficient in energy production and distribution.
For years technologists have been toying with the idea of a ‘Smart Grid’, an electricity distribution system
that uses digital technology to eliminate waste and improve reliability.
Advocates of the smart grid also say that it would open up new markets for large and small scale
alternative energy producers by decentralizing generation. It would allow consumers to have a much
more complex relationship with their energy supplier.
More on the Smart Grid
To put it in the simplest way possible, “the Smart Grid will deliver electricity from suppliers to
consumers using digital technology to save energy, reduce cost, and increase reliability and
transparency.”
What’s Driving the Development of the Smart Grid?
1. Efficiency and Reliability
Even the most modern power systems lose up to 8% of
the electricity leaving the power plant, thanks to Technologies that Will Drive Smart
inefficiencies in transmission and distribution. Utilities
Grid Evolution
and grid operators are also facing growing problems with
reliability of an aging grid. The United States accounts for
only 4% of the world’s population and produces 25% of • Integrated communication that
its greenhouse gases. According to research sponsored connects grid components to
by the U.S. Government, improving the efficiency of the open architecture
national electricity grid by even 5 % would be the • Software that can be upgraded
equivalent of eliminating the fuel use and carbon and enhanced for real-time
emissions of 53 million cars! information
• Control, allowing every part of
2. Renewable Energy Generation the grid to ‘talk’ and ‘listen’
Our world is running out of fossil fuel, and increasing • Sensing and measurement
environmental concerns are encouraging the technologies that support
development of renewable energy sources. Solar power, remote monitoring
wind energy and other renewable power generation, • Time-of-use pricing (pricing
however, presents several challenges – primarily determined as the power is
because of their sporadic nature. The existing power used, rather than weeks later
infrastructure is severely limited in its capability to when a meter is read) for
integrate more renewable sources, and also to companies and consumers
incorporate the new paradigm of consumer-generated
electricity, which can feed excess power back into the
grid. The smart grid is the logical step to enable these newer technologies to flourish.
Another aspect of renewable energy is transportation – we are likely to see many more electric
3
4. vehicles on our streets before long. The benefits of such a shift to ‘cleaner’ ways to get people and
things from A to B have been discussed at length, but power infrastructure today does not provide the
charging stations and power storage devices that can balance the demand-supply equation and
minimize the instabilities of renewable power generation.
3. Responding to Consumers
As users of increasingly expensive energy, consumers want more control over their usage. Existing
technology can meet this demand, but the grid itself is limited by how much of the newer tech can be
integrated.
A true smart grid will not be possible unless each new major device and system that is part of the grid is
able to communicate with every other system on the grid. This critical ‘interoperability’ depends on a
coordinated framework of protocols and standards that is in a very early stage of planning.
Up ahead in the smart-grid future, an intelligent system will work with consumers to save energy, produce
electricity from a range of renewable sources, anticipate its own failures, see to its own repairs, store
energy out on the grid and provide a fueling system for the new generation of electric vehicles…
How Much of the Smart Grid is Already Here?
Substation automation, SCADA systems, reactive power compensation, feeder automation – all these
‘smart’ devices have been implemented by utilities across the last few years. However, this evolving
process is constrained by available resources, technology maturity, and several business issues. Utilities
need experienced and reliable technology partners to help make the transition from using isolated
instances of smart technologies to a nationwide implementation.
According to Research Reports International (2008), the fully realized smart grid will differ from the one
we have today in the following ways:
Current grid Smart grid
None or one-way; typically not real-
Communications Two-way, real-time
time
Customer interaction Limited Extensive
Metering Electromechanical Digital
Operation and Manual equipment checks, time- Remote monitoring, predictive,
maintenance based maintenance condition-based maintenance
Generation Centralized Centralized and distributed
Power flow control Limited Comprehensive
Prone to failures and cascading Pro-active, real-time protection and
Reliability
outages islanding
Restoration Manual Self-healing
Topology Radial Network
4
5. Transformers and the Smart Grid
The smart grid applies technologies, tools and techniques that will:
• Ensure its reliability to degrees never before possible
• Maintain its affordability
• Reinforce its global competitiveness
• Accommodate both renewable and traditional energy sources
• Reduce the carbon footprint
• Introduce advancements and efficiencies yet to be envisioned
Adoption of the Smart Grid will enhance every facet of the electric delivery system, including generation,
transmission, distribution and consumption.
A smart grid is therefore foundational for a sustainable energy future; and if there is a growing consensus
within the United States that clean energy is a platform for rebuilding the American economy, then it
follows that the realization of the smart grid is also critical to economic growth.
For the smart grid to work efficiently there will be a need for 'smart transformers' - the hub for collection
and distribution of energy. As part of the distribution network, there are millions of transformers in the
country; unfortunately a scant few of them have any intelligence or communication capabilities - or to
generalize the concept of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) - are parts of an advanced sensor
infrastructure (ASI) network.
By giving transformers 'intelligence', even if it is only to analyze voltage discrepancies, grid efficiency
would still increase dramatically. This same energy efficiency can be applied to virtually any element of
the distribution network that is given ‘intelligence’. Something to note here is that current legacy
transformers are really in much worse shape than ‘dumb’ meters and are due for replacement in this
coming decade.
Many transformer manufacturers are recognizing this impending demand for on-line transformer
monitoring products and diagnostic services, and investing in them. These technologies will be critical for
improving grid reliability and helping utilities avoid transformer failures and resultant blackouts. They will
also reduce maintenance costs and defer capital expenditures by extending a transformer’s useful life.
Pacific Crest Transformers and the Smart Grid
Pacific Crest Transformers (PCT) has been providing energy transformer solutions to a large number of
industries since its inception in 1919. Over the last 90 years PCT has served clients across the nation and
around the world.
PCT is committed to designing and manufacturing superior quality, custom-built and specialty
transformers in the most cost-effective and responsive manner possible. The company has experience in
building Padmount, Station and Secondary Unit Sub Transformers, and today specializes in
environmentally friendly and energy-efficient liquid-filled distribution transformers. PCT was propelled
towards its energy efficiency initiative in its attempt to produce efficient, energy saving and therefore
environmentally sensitive transformers.
PCT designs custom transformers after an elaborate consultative process with clients; the transformers
are based on client specification and are designed to fit into the existing infrastructure.
5
6. Conclusion
The drive to move towards energy-efficient appliances and put in place an energy saving distribution
system is gathering momentum, and the smart grid is the solution that makes sense. Even though initial
investments in technology will be high, the smart gird infrastructure will begin paying for itself within a
matter of years.
The smart grid will also play a positive role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Even though the
technology is still evolving and questions about its sustainability and implementation are many, the smart
grid is no longer an option; it is an imperative for the future.
6