Back in September 2009 I blogged about six rules that tell you when you have a Smart Grid. The third rule is: You know you have a Smart Grid when the transmission and distribution portions of the grid are optimized for distributed energy generation/storage. This rule becomes reality when microgrids are ubiquitous. The Smart Grid Dictionary defines a microgrid as: “A small power system that includes self-contained generation, transmission, distribution, sensors, energy storage, and energy management software with a seamless and synchronized connection to a utility power system but can operate independently as an island from that system.”
transmission
This research report about selected Smart Grid components presents an in-depth analysis of the development, applications, products, manufacturers, and trends in the development of transmission and distribution (T&D) system automation, energy storage, and microgrids in the United States and around the world. T&D system automation is vital to smart grid development, is badly in need of repair, and has not been designed for the power needs of high technology systems.
Technology available today can be employed to create viable, sustainable, smart cities. That will be the message that Bob Gilligan, vice president–transmission and distribution for GE Energy Services, will deliver to delegates at the Chatham House conference, “The Future of Cities.”
via GE Smart Grid Technologies Build Sustainable 21st Century Cities – MarketWatch.
Public Service Electric & Gas Co. has proposed expansion of an existing 230-kilowatt power line and approximately 80-foot towers from Berwick, Pa. to Roseland. It is proposing a double circuit line with one circuit being operated at 500 kV and the second circuit being energized at 230 kV.
The existing single line now on the right-of-way would be removed and replaced with larger 190-foot towers. The $750 million, 45-mile project could earn up to a 12.9 percent return on its equity investment, according to The Wall Street Journal.
via Is there an alternative to PSE&G powerline project? | dailyrecord.com | Daily Record.
The Smart Grid industry is a veritable tower of Babel when it comes to terminology, jargon, and acronyms. There are several reasons for this starting with the number of domains that comprise the Smart Grid. The conceptual model for the Smart Grid maps out Generation, Transmission, and Distribution, plus Markets, Operations, Service Providers, and Consumption. Each of these domains has its own terms, some reflecting a century of usage, while others are inventing new terms daily.
via Smart Grid Industry Needs A Common Information Model | Smart Grid Library.
What will be the “killer app” of Smart Grid?
Recently, President Obama announced grants of $3.4 billion for Smart Grid development. However, studies make it clear that given the mammoth size of the existing transmission and distribution (T&D) system, the new system will be built on the shoulders of the old. The existing T&D infrastructure will dictate the winners and losers in the Smart Grid space. The past is prologue.
The General Electric plant on Main Street could be at the beginning of a new wave of prosperity fueled by demand for smart grid technology.
The company employs 378 people, which is up from the 220 people it employed there in February 2008, and has three shifts to produce its new line of electronic meters.
Steve Richards, general manager of meters, GE energy, transmission and distribution in Atlanta, Ga., said the company is rolling out more electronic meters that will allow homeowners and businesses to save on energy costs.
via Smart revival at GE: New meters, grid offer hope for plant’s future growth – Fosters.
A sweeping overhaul is coming to the 157,000 miles of high-voltage electric transmission lines that crisscross the U.S., delivering energy to 130 million homes. But the changes are happening one laptop-sized machine at a time.
These small computers, being installed in homes and businesses around the country, will essentially create a two-way line of communication between energy consumers and the utility providers that dispense power. Known as smart meters, they’re designed to give users greater control over electricity bills while helping power companies better manage fluctuating electricity demand. But the verdict remains out on just how much they’re helping end users trim bills.
In the most ambitious deployment yet, California utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PCG) has installed 3.6 million smart meters across its territory in the northern part of the state. PG&E is spending $2.2 billion to install a total of 5 million advanced digital electric meters from Silver Spring Networks in its operating territory, the northern and central part of the state, by 2012. Each day the company installs 12,000 to 15,000 meters.
Modernizing the US grid is a mammoth task, one that is spurring new lines of thought about generation and transmission resources.
Renegades, some may call them, but people have lived off-grid for decades by relying exclusively on solar panels for electricity. Disconnected from their local utility, they have no central back-up and no reliability. Most solar electric users are less extreme. They remain connected to the utility and use a combination of solar and grid power.
Now, a Maine, US energy company has proposed a third and unique kind of relationship between solar energy system owners and the conventional electric grid. It is neither on-grid nor off-grid; instead solar energy becomes the grid.
via Supergrid for Renewables: Coloring the US Grid Green – Renewable Energy World.
National Grid’s electric utility business is anything but static.
The utility is expected to file a new rate case with state regulators next year that could seek an increase in delivery charges and also alter the company’s traditional rate structure to help it maintain its revenue base even as consumers use less energy.
And the company is continuing its $2.5 billion plan to upgrade its New York electricity transmission system, while also proposing pilot programs in the Albany and Syracuse areas to explore the potential benefits of “smart grid” technologies.
via National Grid eyes new rate structure : Business : The Buffalo News.
GE has signed an agreement to help bring the performance,efficiency and reliability gains of smart grid technology to Korea, the company announced today. GEwill work together with Korea’s NURI Telecom Ltd. to build an advanced smart grid infrastructure in Korea.
“GE recognizes the importance of collaborating with technology and delivery partners to realize thepromise of a smarter grid,” said Bob Gilligan, vice president of GE Energy’s transmission and distribution business. “NURI’s products and global expertise, especially in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), fit well with GE’s end-to-end smart grid capabilities.”
“As Korea continues to raise its global economic profile, the need for a complete set of smart grid solutions becomes more critical,” said Song-Man Cho, president and CEO of NURI Telecom. “We are excited about working with GE so that our complementary technologies can help deliver reliability and performance gains throughout Korea’s energy infrastructure.”
via GE Enters Agreement to Help Bring Smart Grid Technologies to Korea | PressReleasePoint.
German engineering giant Siemens is buying Energy4U, a consultancy that helps utilities implement management software that is made by SAP. It’s an example of one way smaller companies and startups can fit into the emerging smart grid industry by helping two giants talk to each other.
Siemens didn’t disclose what it paid for 60 percent of the Essen, Germany-based Energy4U, which serves utilities in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Croatia. The acquisition is set for October 1, pending approval by German antitrust authorities.
Siemens and SAP’s relationship in Europe could be compared to the one between transmission and distribution bigwigs like General Electric and ABB and the host of IT giants – IBM, Cisco and Oracle, to name a few – that are now collaborating on smart grid projects in the United States.
via Greentech Media.
New Yorkers have a unique opportunity in the coming days and weeks to help shape their energy future.
Under the direction of Gov. David A. Paterson, the state Energy Planning Board has developed a draft energy plan for New York. It is a thorough and comprehensive look at our energy needs, supplies and delivery systems today, tomorrow and into the future.
National Grid is pleased that the draft plan raises issues that are critical to the state’s energy and environmental future. We share the governor’s vision for a clean energy environment that will stimulate investment, create jobs, meet the energy needs of individuals and businesses, protect public health and address key climate change issues.
Energy efficiency is the most effective way for customers to manage their energy bill and reduce their carbon footprint. The draft plan identifies efficiency as a priority for New York, to help the state achieve its goal of reducing electricity use to 15 percent below forecast levels by 2015. As a leader in energy efficiency programs, National Grid continues to expand its programs across our New York markets. Achieving the statewide “15 by 15” goal will require a partnership of policy makers and regulators, all the state’s utilities and energy agencies, energy service companies and you, the end user. A comprehensive approach that streamlines the approval process, allows flexibility in implementation to meet customer needs and has all participants driving to the same goal will provide the greatest opportunity for success.
National Grid also supports the state’s efforts to promote renewable energy, including the goal of increasing the portion of renewable generation of electricity to 30 percent by 2015. Clearly, a modern and reliable transmission and distribution network is critical.
Over the past several years we have been investing heavily in our infrastructure and we are committed to doing so into the future. Just recently, National Grid applied to the federal Department of Energy for funding for Smart Grid pilot programs designed to help customers manage their costs while learning how to integrate renewable sources into the energy grid of the future.
via Tom King: Proposal would help meet state’s future needs : Opinion : The Buffalo News.
Although the smart grid has just recently become a topic of the American public’s interest, lawmakers were well aware of its importance several years ago. The development of this much-needed grid upgrade is dependent upon the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), which declares it the policy of the United States government to support the modernization of the transmission and distribution system in order to maintain a reliable and secure electricity infrastructure.
EISA set up the Smart Grid Task Force (SGTF), a group of at least eight individuals appointed by the Secretary of Energy. Task Force members are charged with representing both the private and public sector stakeholders in smart grid implementation and are meant to coordinate all smart grid activities that occur within the federal government.
The legislation highlights the importance of research, development, and demonstration of various smart grid technologies. Central to this is the creation of the Smart Grid Regional Demonstration Initiative. Intended to show the benefits of investing in grid technologies, the program will launch five demonstration projects across the country. It will be very exciting to see where the first demonstration project will be located and how the public will react to the first tangible federal step in the grid upgrade.
One major downfall of the EISA is that it lacks teeth when biting into state policies. Such legislation, which will be critical in determining the speed at which smart grid technologies are implemented, is only advised and not mandated. EISA says states should consider (1) requiring utilities to justify investments in non-advanced grid technologies; and (2) authorizing utilities to recover from ratepayers costs of the electric utility relating to the deployment of a smart grid system. Not wanting to fuel the flame that flickers around federal-state jurisdiction, the federal government took on a passive role in the legislation.
via The Smart Grid, Part IV: Federal Policies | GetSolar.com Blog.
Like many places around the world, California has big goals in terms of renewable energy. The US state has set a target of obtaining 33% of the its electricity from renewables by 2020.
While integrating large solar farms around the state and sourcing green energy from other states will help meet that goal, a major challenge is the huge investment needed in transmission infrastructure between now and 2020. A revamp of electricity transmission infrastructure is required regardless of California’s energy supply mix due to a rapidly increasing population and ageing existing electricity infrastructure requiring replacement.
According to Smart Meters, a resource site dedicated to smart energy solutions, a company focused on the energy transmission grid has proposed the construction of a massive transmission project that will cost between USD$10 billion and $12 billion. Nicknamed the “Green Power Express”, the project will link wind farms in multiple states to load centres in the upper Midwest.
ITC Holdings says that the Green Power Express may result in a reduction of up to 34 million metric tons of carbon emissions, which is the equivalent of the annual emissions of about seven to nine 600 megawatt coal plants, or nine to 11 million automobiles.
via Rooftop Solar Panels Decrease Power Line Costs : Renewable Energy News.
