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Smart Grid 101: The Smart Grid By SGN Staff Jan 20, 2010 - 3:36:01 PM
At the beginning of the century, a new concept emerged in how electricity is managed. Under this model, the grid becomes less of a one-way highway and more of an integrated, interactive network. Many smaller power plants are distributed throughout this network, including renewable energy generation. And most importantly, this new grid gains “intelligence” and two-way communications. . How it works
Like so many other digital networks, the Smart Grid consists of three basic pieces:
· Smart devices
· Two-way communications
· Advanced software
Figure 1: Smart devices, two-way communication and advanced software are essential components of the modern grid.
Smart devices such as meters, monitors and intelligent electronic devices gather information about the flow and condition of power, and about the condition of equipment. , The smart devices transmit the information over a two-way communications pathway. In Europe, many systems use powerline communications, which broadcast over the electric power lines themselves. In the U.S., radio frequency (RF) communications are more common, typically systems that resemble the Wi-Fi networks used for personal computers. And many systems are hybrids, incorporating cellular, satellite, fiber-optic or other forms. Regardless of the specific technologies, the goal is to give every part of the system the ability to talk and to listen.
Advanced software processes the data and uses it to power applications. Some of those applications help run the grid itself. Others handle billing, service and other customer-facing activities.
The smart devices measure and monitor what is going on. They send that information over the communications system, to other devices and to the control center. Advanced software gathers and analyzes data from all those devices, then uses the information to create powerful applications.
What makes the new grid smart is a convergence of advanced technologies. Concepts proven in telecommunications, computing, and the Internet are combining with ideas from the electric power industry to allow things that were too difficult or too expensive
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Figure 2: The Smart Grid is a convergence of technologies from several industries.
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. The Challenges
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After years of indifference, policymakers and public opinion leaders have now jumped onto the Smart Grid bandwagon, recognizing its importance to prosperity and national security. But no single entity owns, operates or regulates the electric grid. There are more than 3,100 public or privately owned utilities and cooperatives that distribute power, another 2,000+ non-utility companies that produce, market and/or transmit power, plus armies of regulators and policy makers at many levels of government – all of whom share a role in the interconnectivity and overall vitality of their “piece” of the grid.
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