By Jeremy Cook
The electrical smart grid is loosely defined as the digital technology that allows for two-way communication between a utility and its customers. Instead of utilities finding out how much energy a customer has used via manual meter readings, electrical meters and other monitoring equipment can furnish this information — and even get information back in near real-time.
This insight allows utilities to react to problems or increased demand much more quickly than before. It also offers customers real-time statistics and better control over their power consumption. A large portion of metering and line infrastructure today is “smart”, but that wasn’t always the case. In this article, we’ll look at how smart grid technology developed, and where it’s headed in the “smart grid future.”
Origins of the Electrical Grid
The first power distribution systems came online in the late 1870s and early 1880s. Power production was extremely localized, transmitting energy less than a mile, in most cases. As DC power gave way to AC transmission, power generation became the purview of wider ranging independent operators in large cities, each with their own set of transmission lines. A building in New York might have a choice between multiple power sources — an abundance of riches, as well as an eyesore — while outlying areas were figuratively and literally left in the dark.
In the US, this all changed during the Great Depression, when many of these competing power companies went out of business. The federal government invested heavily in infrastructure projects such as the Tennessee Valley Authority system of dams for power generation and set up regulations so that power companies could work together without needing multiple sets of lines. By the time the US emerged from World War II, power generation facilities and distribution were firmly linked, providing peak load coverage and backup power.
Today, there are three grids in the US: the Western, Eastern, and Texas zones. Texas, as a state, participates in all three grids, and there is actually area that borders all three in Texas’ western protrusion. Canada also participates in the Western and Eastern grids and has an independent Quebec zone. While this Canadian/US collaboration certainly has benefits, it also means that large-scale blackouts — such as the Northeast Blackout of 1965 and its “sequel” in 2003 — can cascade beyond our collective national borders.
Smart Technology Comes Online
The modern smart grid helps to avoid widespread blackouts and enables utilities to deal with variable loading and distributed generation, while improving customer access to information about their own usage. Pushing the smart grid along was the development of automatic meter reading (AMR). AMR capable meters allow technicians to pass nearby either on foot or in a vehicle to receive billing and other information wirelessly, without visual inspection.
AMR has evolved into Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), where an on-site technician is no longer needed for meter reading, and information is relayed to and from the power company automatically. In one possible implementation of this technology, meters form a mesh network between themselves for local data transmission. This network is then linked to the power company via a specialized relay device using the cellular data network.
This type of real-time data interface means that power companies can accurately address immediate power needs and overall trends. It also allows customers to monitor usage and adapt behavior to reduce their bills. And the two-way communication ability allows a utility to shut off customers for maintenance or billing purposes.
The Smart Grid Future
Further proliferation of smart grid technology will contribute to more efficient use of resources and lower likelihoods of cascading blackouts due to equipment failure. However, given such blackouts’ roughly generational frequency, the true benefits may be difficult to ascertain. Massive equipment failure blackouts today may be rare, but the emerging challenge of the 21st century will be dealing with the intermittent nature of green energy technologies like solar and wind. The wind blows as it wishes, and sunshine can be notoriously fickle. With the integration of AI and big data, it may be possible for the smart grid to help reign in this unpredictability.
We’ll likely see more initiatives like Duke Energy’s EnergyWise program, where water heaters, pool pumps, and HVAC systems are temporarily cycled off based on demand. The system is intelligent enough that it switches off the water heater first, the effect of which is largely unnoticed by homeowners. Pool pumps come next, and HVAC systems are last. I’ve personally used it for years, and haven’t noticed any effect whatsoever, beyond a slightly lower power bill via a credit for enrolling.
The integration of home power generation and microgrids into the overall electrical grid will require coordination between larger utilities and a number of smaller players, likely facilitated by these smart grid concepts. Home and business owners can also expect more real-time feedback on power usage and generation if they choose to delve into their usage beyond monthly bills. Evolving Smart Grid Technology: Efficiency Beyond Electrical Metering?
Smart grid technology may transform our relationship with power usage in the next decade, both in the US and internationally. Readily available data about a building’s usage allow us to make better use of our resources. While the smart grid as outlined here refers to electricity, it’s notable that most of the concepts presented can also apply to gas and water metering as well.
