Smart Energy

Smart energy refers to the application of a broad range of new information and communications technologies to provide a more reliable and more efficient electric grid. The product of these efforts is commonly referred to as the “smart grid.” As currently envisioned, the transition to a smart grid system will require a dramatic shift from our [Page 448]long-standing “centralized, producer-controlled network to one that is less centralized and more consumer-interactive,” according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The process is likely to draw from many of the same philosophies, concepts, and technologies that enabled the Internet.

Strategically placed commercial wind generators use wind to supplement or substitute for generated power

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The development of the smart grid will be a vastly complex under taking, as stated by K. Fehrenbacher, requiring intelligent and efficient communications over a shared, interoperable network that, in its current form, includes 14,000 transmission substations, 4,500 large distribution substations, and 3,000 public and private owners. In the future, the electric grid is likely to become even more complex as households and businesses increasingly invest in small-scale, renewable energy technologies that allow for on-site energy generation. In order to successfully manage such a highly complex system, the DOE reports that the smart grid will rely heavily on five fundamental technologies:

• 1.
  Integrated Communications Technologies: a communications system that will connect components to open architecture for real-time information and control, allowing every part of the grid to both “talk” and “listen”
• 2.
  Sensing and Measurement Technologies: an automated system that will support faster and more accurate responses including remote monitoring, time-of-use pricing, and demand-side management
• 3.
  Advanced Components: a system of transmission and storage components that apply the latest research in superconductivity, storage, power electronics, and diagnostics
• 4.
  Advanced Control Methods: a monitoring system that will assess the status of essential components, enabling rapid diagnosis and precise solutions appropriate to any event
• 5.
  Improved Interfaces and Decision Support: a system of tools to facilitate human decision making and provide grid operators and managers the ability to see into their systems

Smart metering technology and the broader advanced metering infrastructure will provide the basic framework on which the smart grid will rely for timely information generation, information sharing, and energy management. Smart meters typically employ digital technologies and real-time sensors to measure energy consumption, monitor power quality, and provide two-way communications between the utility and energy consumers (and/or their appliances). According to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), advanced metering systems include systems that

• provide measurements of customer energy consumption (and potentially other data) on an hourly basis or with greater frequency and
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• transmit that information over a communications network to a central collection point on a daily basis or with greater frequency.

Most automatic meter reading (AMR) devices have time-of-use (TOU) and other flexible pricing capability, as well as remote theft and tamper detection. Although not often deployed, AMR systems can also broadcast whole-home Radio Frequency (RF) signals every 30 seconds to two minutes. Compared to AMR devices, more recent solid-state Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technologies can record and broadcast data as frequently as every 7 seconds. In addition, AMI technologies provide two-way communication between the meter and the utility. AMI also provides the potential for engaging consumers directly in energy management by providing people with timely and meaningful information about their energy consumption patterns and practices. AMI data can be shared with residential and commercial energy customers in one of two ways: the information can be communicated directly to energy consumers through in-home feedback devices (or via the web), or by sharing the data and information with third-party service providers. In some limited cases, current AMI systems are providing communication to the consumer via short-distance wireless, broadband, cell phone, short-range radio, and power line networks.

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