POWER January 2020 - 24

TECHNOLOGY
Evolution of the Smart
Grid at Forefront of
Transformative Change
The power industry is in the midst of a shake-up, a revolution in how electricity is
generated and distributed. Smart grid technology is changing the way utilities and
customers interact, and providing support for the integration of renewable resources
and energy storage to the grid.
Darrell Proctor
he electric utility industry is undergoing
a transformation, and it's
more than a reduced role for fossil
fuels and an increased emphasis on
renewable resources for power generation.
Energy companies are looking at
ways to lower the cost of power, and
the decentralization of generation is
bringing about new business models
and processes.
T
Essential to those goals is modernization
of the power grid, and not just the
physical infrastructure. Technology to improve
communications between utilities
and customers, and the grid and its operators,
to share information about electricity
use and more efficiently balance
power supply and demand, is at the forefront
of the move toward a smart grid.
Utilities today can monitor the grid
in ways not previously possible. They
can spot problems before they occur.
Automation and remote controls enable
faster decision-making. Sensors across
the grid help improve power quality and
reliability. Outages are identified more
quickly, and power can be rerouted
more efficiently.
" The smart grid represents an opportunity
to move the energy industry
into a new era of reliability, availability,
and efficiency, " said Lindsay Gorrill,
CEO of KORE Power, a Coeur d'Alene,
Idaho-based developer of energy storage
systems. Gorrill told POWER: " The
introduction of smart grid technology is
driving more efficient electricity transmission,
quicker restoration of electricity
after a power outage, reduced peak
demands, and increased integration of
large-scale renewable energy systems.
A smarter grid will continue to enhance
resiliency and allow the grid to be better
prepared for emergency response. "
Smart grids are a natural evolution of
24
1. The solar array at Delta Electronics Americas' campus in Fremont, California, helps the building
be self-sufficient when it comes to its power use. Delta makes several products that are part
of smart grid technology, supporting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and electric vehicles.
Courtesy: Delta Electronics
the power grid in developed countries,
and could be critical for making power
more accessible and improving the
economies of developing nations, as the
technology enables more stable power
quality for factories and other commercial
and industrial sites.
Proactive Control
Industry experts who spoke with POWER
said the evolution of the smart grid
is reshaping the power industry, changing
how utilities interact with customers,
and enabling customers to proactively
control their energy use.
Brian Van Heel, director of PV Inverters
and Energy Storage at Delta Electronics
Americas (Figure 1), told POWER
that the smart grid is enabling more efficient
energy production, while also
bringing reduced costs and environmental
benefits.
" A true smart grid should be able to
perform certain functions without direct
human control, " said Van Heel. " It can
recognize irregularities within the utility
grid and automatically adjust to increase
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energy efficiency and resiliency. Because
of this, smart grids create environmental
and cost benefits by reducing the
amount of energy wasted and improving
efficiency of generation, delivery and
consumption. Data streams are needed
to inform decisions within a smart grid.
Advancements in the IoT [Internet of
Things] are enabling the smart grid to
become more interconnected with the
technologies that comprise it. "
As Van Heel noted, energy IoT applications
are enabling utilities to move
beyond just providing electricity. Power
generators today can be comprehensive
energy service providers, able to better
engage with customers. These applications
also help with integration of power
from renewable resources, and support
efforts to balance power supply and demand
on an increasingly complex grid.
(Learn more about IoT and smart grids,
and their impact on power generation,
at POWER's 4th Annual Connected
Plant Conference, to be held Feb. 25-27,
2020, at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in
Atlanta, Georgia.)
POWER | January 2020

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POWER January 2020

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