tigblogs

Vimal - My Blog

NEXT GENERATION POWER: Can the Smart Grid Save the Economy?

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

An "electricity grid" is not a single entity but an aggregate of multiple networks and multiple power generation companies with multiple operators employing varying levels of communication and coordination, most of which is manually controlled. Smart grids increase the connectivity, automation and coordination between these suppliers, consumers and networks that perform either long distance transmission or local distribution tasks.
While the years to come will feature more, one of the most potent weapons in the green energy arsenal is actually remarkably prosaic: efficiency. According to research, improving the efficiency of the electricity grid by 5 percent would be the equivalent of eliminating the fuel use and carbon emissions of 53 million cars. For years environmentalists have been talking up the idea of a "smart grid" -- an electricity distribution system that uses digital technology to eliminate waste and improve reliability -- as a way of achieving this. Advocates of a "smart grid" also say that it would open up new markets for large and small scale alternative energy producers by decentralizing generation.
So what do you mean by smart grid?
A smart grid delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology to save energy, reduce cost and increase reliability and transparency. Such a modernized electricity network is being promoted by many governments as a way of addressing energy independence, global warming and emergency resilience issues. Building the smart grid means adding computer and communications technology to the existing electricity grid. With an overlay of digital technology, the grid promises to operate more efficiently and reliably. Install all kinds of monitoring equipment in personal residences, at small-business establishments, and out on the poles in the streets so that both providers and consumers know just how much electricity is being used at any given time to do what, and everybody stands to gain. Customers who have a better idea of how they’re using electricity and what they’re paying for it will consume it much more judiciously. The electricity provider, with much the same information plus still more coming from the distribution network, will be able to see problems coming and fix them more quickly and economically, before they start compounding and cascading. For Ex: If there's a breakdown at your local substation, the utility usually finds out when customers call to complain. Placing a networked sensor inside a transformer or along wires could locate and report a problem, or prevent it from happening in the first place. The provider, what's more, will have tools to influence consumer behavior so that all users of the grid become cooperative partners in making the electric power system more reliable and robust. It can also accommodate more solar and wind power, which are intermittent sources of energy that can become more reliable with better controls.

Smart grid functions
1.)Self-healing
Using real-time information from embedded sensors and automated controls to anticipate, detect, and respond to system problems, a smart grid can automatically avoid or mitigate power outages, power quality problems, and service disruptions.
2.)Consumer participation
A smart grid, is, in essence, an attempt to require consumers to change their behavior around variable electric rates or to pay vastly increased rates for the privilege of reliable electrical service during high-demand conditions.
3.)Resist attack
Smart grid technologies better identify and respond to man-made or natural disruptions. Real-time information enables grid operators to isolate affected areas and redirect power flows around damaged facilities.
4.)High quality power
Outages and power quality issues are the major cause for losses. It is asserted that assuring cleaner, more stable power, provided by smart grid technologies will reduce downtime and prevent such high losses.
5.)Accommodate generation options
As smart grids continue to support traditional power loads they also seamlessly interconnect fuel cells, renewables, microturbines, and other distributed generation technologies at local and regional levels. Integration of small-scale, localized, or on-site power generation allows residential, commercial, and industrial customers to self-generate and sell excess power to the grid with minimal technical or regulatory barriers. This also improves reliability and power quality, reduces electricity costs, and offers more customer choice.
6.)Enable electricity market
Significant increases in bulk transmission capacity will require improvements in transmission grid management. Such improvements are aimed at creating an open marketplace where alternative energy sources from geographically distant locations can easily be sold to customers wherever they are located. Intelligence in distribution grids will enable small producers to generate and sell electricity at the local level using alternative sources such as rooftop-mounted photo voltaic panels, small-scale wind turbines, and micro hydro generators. Without the additional intelligence provided by sensors and software designed to react instantaneously to imbalances caused by intermittent sources, such distributed generation can degrade system quality.
7.)Optimize assets
A smart grid can optimize capital assets while minimizing operations and maintenance costs. Optimized power flows reduce waste and maximize use of lowest-cost generation resources. Harmonizing local distribution with interregional energy flows and transmission traffic improves use of existing grid assets and reduces grid congestion and bottlenecks, which can ultimately produce consumer savings.

Thus, the overall efficiency of the power distribution system will be significantly improved, so that long-term investment in new generation can be reduced. Instead of having to add big new base-load plants that typically run on coal or natural gas, energy companies will have the option of building smaller wind farms or gas peaking plants instead.


Yet, it remains only a concept with some of the world's leading minds backing it up while the government & the citizens turning a deaf ear alike.
A preview of obstacles faced:
* regulatory environments that don't reward utilities for operational efficiency
* consumer concerns over privacy
* social concerns over "fair" availability of electricity,
* social concerns over abuse of information leverage,
* limited ability of utilities to rapidly transform their business and operational environment to take advantage of smart grid technologies.
* concerns over giving the government mechanisms to control the use of all power using activities.
As, it can be seen there are no technological or economical obstacles to modernizing the electric grid, only policy and regulatory barriers that must be eliminated. If government opens up the electricity market and offer utilities incentives for integrating smart grid technology and giving consumers control of their own energy use, everyone will win. Consumers gain better service and a smaller carbon footprint while utilities gain much-needed upgrades and a system that is less vulnerable to fluctuations & disruptions. Utilities need incentives to drive grid modernization efforts. Utilities are compensated for selling more electricity, not for providing quality service or efficiency programs. States need to support "decoupling," or separating utilities profits from their energy sales. Only then will utilities become motivated to offer consumers tools such as time-of-use pricing and smart meters that can reduce the escalating demand that is taxing our aging grid infrastructure, increasing emissions of dangerous pollutants. Consumers should be treated as individuals with individual needs. As with other industries that have been opened to competition and choice, given the option, most consumers will take control and reduce their energy use.

A leading research shows consumers are using more energy despite millions of dollars spent on education about energy efficiency, evident from the fact that energy usage is still exceeding all projections. Despite this evidence, some people still preach conservation. It is hereby required that we make a distinction between conservation (people taking active steps to reduce energy usage) and energy efficiency (built-in devices that passively save energy). Briefly speaking voluntary conservation efforts will produce positive results, but they must be coupled with major energy efficiency initiatives. You might want to think, 'Electricity is expensive right now, so I'll turn the freezer off, or turn the fridge down for half an hour." With a smart meter of course you wouldn't have to worry about those decisions, it would all be automated. Most of the technology exists to do this now. The issue is doing everything at a large enough scale, at an affordable price. It's a deployment issue. Already prototype city-wide schemes are being developed, but the huge investment and political will needed to create such a system nationally has so far been lacking.
Reviving the world economy is essential, but measures that focus solely on this objective will not achieve lasting success. Only through the national actions and global cooperation... will the world sustain its economic recovery by addressing the imminent challenges posed by climate change, energy insecurity, growing freshwater scarcity, deteriorating ecosystems, and above all, worsening global poverty. There are still many obstacles. Few people currently understand the concept, or why they should support it, while energy companies will need to be persuaded that they will have to change their entire business model, not to mention the physical challenges of updating the labyrinthine power distribution infrastructure.

An illustration: http://ge.ecomagination.com/smartgrid/#/landing_page

Tags:


A Preview


About this commitment: Utilise les transports en commun
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Most people with cars that function normally wouldn’t even dream of leaving their car behind and opting for the benefits of public transportation. Cars represent a sense of independence, freedom, spirit, and depending on the car, fun to their owners and making a transition even temporarily to public transportation just isn’t very high on the list of desires to a car owner.
On the contrary :
The use of public transportation has a multitude of advantages, and most who make the switch determined after an adjustment period that they actually preferred public transportation to driving.


Buses and trains can help:
.Overcome congestion(One bus can ferry more people than 10-20 cars)
.Reduce carbon emissions do reduced damage to the environment. (One bus emits far fewer fumes than twenty cars.)
.Offer far higher fuel efficiency per passenger mile than the average car journey so reduced fuel usage.
.Provide socially inclusive forms of transport.


Take a look at what a difference we can make if we use Public Transport whenever possible.
Personal benefits :
.Savings on fuel prices (Fuel price for private transport is far higher than bustrain fares).
.Reduced time & resources spent on maintenance of personal vehicles.
.No need to find parking spaces at your destination.

The cost to the environment is something that effects everyone. Economic concerns dictate that for future prosperity we must invest now, in a greener future. An initial cost will prevent massive costs later. at effects everyone. Economic concerns dictate that for future prosperity we must invest now, in a greener future. An initial cost will prevent massive costs later.

Tags:




Vimal's Profile

Vimal's Friends


Latest Posts


NEXT GENERATION POWER:...
A Preview

Monthly Archive


July 2009
August 2009

Change Language




Filter By Type


Topics

Friends
maxwell Adeo Adew


1964 views
Important Disclaimer