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Quick Take -- Tech blog GigaOm reports from last week's ARPA-E Summit of an Oakland, CA-based startupthat can make transmission wires smart. Smart Wire Grid sells a device that clamps onto transmission lines to control the flow of power (see
In the TVA pilot, the Smart Wire system is installed on a 161-kilovolt transmission line near Knoxville, Tenn. The technology consists of an array of distributed series reactance units (DSRs) that attach to a transmission line. As the company explains it, the units limit the electrical current flow on the line by injecting inductive reactance. The DSRs can be operated autonomously or with full operator control and provides distributed line sensing and monitoring.
“The technology offers our transmission grid planners and operators a new tool that helps address a wide range of issues facing TVA today,” said Rob Manning, EVP and Chief Energy Delivery Officer for TVA. “The number of challenges that transmission system owners must meet increases every year. We are asked to improve grid reliability, facilitate efficient electricity markets along with integrating renewables. We think Smart Wire technology will help us do this.”
The units will be monitored for a year by the DOE's Advanced Research Program Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) to verify performance.
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Want a stable grid? Tune the generators, researchers say Why so many utilities will be replacing their outage management systems . Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com, the industry's oldest and largest smart grid site. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the U.S. and abroad, he also serves on advisory committees for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Institute for Electric Efficiency. He often provides strategic consulting to large corporations and venture-backed startups. He is a member of the advisory boards of GridGlo and Calico Energy Services.
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