The build out of the smart grid puts increasing pressure on the nation’s aging electric power transmission system, which is the high-voltage part of the electric power infrastructure responsible for the bulk transfer of electricity from power plants to substations located near population centers. After years of neglect, it is clear that we need more than Band-Aids and piecemeal patches to enable a smarter, modern grid. Simply planting more towers and stringing more line won’t prepare the nation’s electric power transmission infrastructure to meet the energy challenges ahead. What will it take? And how will we get there? Scroll through the information below to learn about the trends and smart grid technologies likely to shape tomorrow’s electric power transmission system.
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How are we going to turn our frail and neglected electric power transmission system into a secure and reliable smart grid? It’s a critical and timely issue, which is why we’ve loaded this toolkit with some of the best analysis, most-promising trends and smartest research relating to next steps in electric power transmission.
Revenues from transmission and distribution infrastructure investments are expected to more than double over the next several years – from $7.27 billion in 2010 to $15.53 billion in 2020, according to a new analysis from Global Data. The business intelligence company says the increase in demand from emerging economies is primarily responsible for the growth.
Efforts to build new transmission and expand natural gas production in the U.S. have been a qualified success because of "studious" efforts to craft the right price signals and break down traditional monopolies on power generation and sales, former FERC Commissioner Marc Spitzer tells AOL Energy. Click for more of their wide-ranging interview.
The ambitious Tres Amigas SuperStation project, an initiative to hook up the three major U.S. electric grids, has picked up considerable steam with two international partners signing on: Japan's Mitsui and Co. and the European Power Exchange. SGN Chief Analyst Jesse Berst takes a quick look at what the excitement is about.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called this week for a roadmap to set up an "electricity highway" from areas with excess generating capacity and resources to help the downstate region which has extensive energy needs. Read the story for more on the governor's remarks and a state smart grid initiative.
New research from Frost & Sullivan finds that distributed generation could eliminate, or at least reduce, the instances of black outs that are associated with current electric grids relying only on big central power plants. But there's a catch.
The future smart electric grid needs not only smart meters but also smart transmission and distribution technologies as Dr. Ram Adapa of EPRI discusses in our featured video that highlights the role power electronics will play in smart transmission by enhancing transmission capacity, reliability and security.
Britain continues to push its aggressive smart grid deployment schedule with the announcement of almost $90 million awarded to six pilot projects ranging from automating and optimizing high-voltage networks to incorporating renewables and energy storage into those networks. Another signal that activity is starting to heat up in Europe?
Smart grid advocates (and what little there is of national energy policy) encourage going after energy efficiency full throttle, and IBM and ABB have taken up the cause. They're working jointly on a different approach to study and possibly develop a new high-voltage insulator capable of significant reductions in transmission line loss. Click inside for more.
Wind farm investors face growing losses from "curtailments," as turbine installations outstrip the capacity of local transmission systems to accommodate the new power. One expert calls it a growing pain of wind technology - but it can be a costly one.
The Obama administration this week unveiled grid modernization pilot projects designed to speed up the permitting and construction of seven proposed transmission lines across the country. Of course, the selling point is jobs, but the initiative also adheres to a number of smart grid goals, like increased energy efficiency, renewables and EV integration, electricity reliability and security. Click inside to read more about how it's going to happen and who's involved.
FERC's recent ruling on transmission planning and cost allocation should help bring more utility-scale solar power online, says Hilary Flynn, a Lux Research analyst. She explains why inside.
If you thought federal funds for smart grid projects came and went with the Recovery Act, check in with the rural electric cooperatives that are on the receiving end of millions in loans from the USDA for smart grid technologies and improvements to generation and transmission facilities. For instance, Ocmulgee Electric Membership Corp. in Georgia is getting $8.9 million to build 238 miles of new distribution line and improve 33 miles of existing line. Click inside to see who else got money and how they plan to spend it.
In 2008, the Texas Public Utility Commission approved building thousands of miles of transmission lines to send wind power across the state. Estimated cost: $4.93 billion. The updated estimate: $6.79 billion. That almost 40% overrun begs some questions, like why did that happen and what does it mean for the smart grid? We've got some thoughts inside – and invite you to weigh in.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission took action Thursday that it says removes some of the barriers to improving the nation's ailing transmission infrastructure. The new rule speeds up the approval process for proposed transmission projects and requires the costs be allocated commensurate with benefits received. Will it work? Click inside for details.
The nation's crumbling electric grid is the focus of this video report created as part of PoweringANation.org, a project through the School of Journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. Through interviews with industry leaders, the report explains how electric consumption is increasing dramatically, and the construction of power lines has fallen far behind, setting the stage for more serious and frequent blackouts in the coming years.
What are the industry's leading researchers determining about our electric power transmission infrastructure? Click inside for research reports specially recommended by the editors at Smart Grid News.
We hear an awful lot about the important role renewables will play in our energy future. But does anyone really believe we're going to get our transmission act together to make it happen here in the U.S. anytime soon? I've got serious doubts, but I'd like to hear what you think. Join this week's Tuesday Topic discussion.
A report commissioned by transmission advocacy group WIRES says annual investment in new transmission could soon grow $12 billion to $16 billion in the U.S. annually – great for bringing renewables online and great for creating thousands of new jobs. Click inside for the details, and the downside.
Midwest ISO has hit a milestone in a three-year project with the integration of 44 synchrophasors along its regional transmission system. The devices provide detailed information to grid operators who use it to anticipate potential disturbances and more quickly and accurately manage power flows.
This report summarizes the smart grid spending plans of utilities worldwide, both capital expenditures (purchases) and operations and maintenance (expenses).
A coalition of senators has introduced a bill to block a proposed rule from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission they say would give the agency authority to allocate new transmission line costs to consumers outside the regions that directly benefit from them. Read what Jesse Berst has to say about it.
How will the smart grid and the new technologies it enables change how an engineer goes about the job of ensuring a utility's distribution system is operating safely and efficiently? In the second installment in our four-part series, Louis Szablya of SAIC presents another day-in-the-life scenario.
The successful integration of smart grid technologies and devices can mean improved reliability for the bulk power system, but it's going to mean a lot of work for planners and operators to ensure that it works out that way.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has proposed rule reforms intended to make integration of variable renewable energy sources like wind and solar into the electric grid more efficient while maintaining grid reliability and bringing possible cost savings to customers.
We're getting mixed signals about the vitality of the smart grid market. On the one hand, the recent DistribuTECH conference was one of the most successful ever. On the other, a well-known Wall Street analyst recently told his clients that the smart metering sector is "facing several headwinds," including weak regulatory support in the U.S. and delays in European adoption. Taking the pulse of the smart grid industry is this week's Tuesday Topic.
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