Smart Grid Case Studies

Alliant:
Safe-and-Sane Technology Assessment

Making complex technology choices is one of the most frustrating challenges a utility can face. Far too often, utilities rely solely on vendor fact sheets and comparison charts, which can be incomplete or biased. And, far too often, utilities assemble a mound of data, but have no scientific way to evaluate it.

When Alliant Energy Corporation of Wisconsin faced such a challenge, it used the IntelliGrid Technology Assessment Methodology to cut through the confusion and point a safe path toward the future. The result was a 69-page document with a thorough, rigorous evaluation of the various alternatives. Alliant's experiences will provide useful guidelines for any utility faced with choosing the right technology from many different options.

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   Download the full Alliant case study (PDF)

GridWise:

Mixing and Matching Solutions for Peak Reduction

Distribution utilities must meet peak demand in an era where it is increasingly difficult to obtain the funding, siting, permitting and rate increases for large-scale upgrades. An ongoing GridWise™ demonstration project suggests utilities can reduce peak load through a mixture of demand response and distributed generation. It may also show how to apply these strategies at the substation level.

The GridWise demonstration is administered by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) and other sources. The full case study outlines more details about the projects, the technologies, and their “business case” – their expected costs and benefits.

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Salt River Project:

Use Cases Smooth Substation Automation

When it comes to modernizing the grid, the discussion often centers on technology. But one of the most basic challenges has little to do with technology and a lot to do with the process used to upgrade. This lesson recently received a practical demonstration in at Salt River Project (SRP).

In recent years, equipment failures had been responsible for the catastrophic loss of transformers in the Phoenix area. As part of a solution, SRP chose to integrate dozens of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) at its Browning 500/230kV station early in 2006. In this exclusive case study, you will learn how Salt River Project used the IntelliGrid use case methodology to save money while creating an open, standards-based system. Along the way, you'll also gain insights about integrating a substation’s IEDs with a common communications platform – work that lies ahead for virtually any utility that intends to modernize.  

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   Download the full GridWise case study (PDF)

Southern California Edison 

Systems Engineering for a Massive Metering Rollout

In the wake of the California energy crisis, the California Public Utilities Commission ordered its investor-owned utilities to develop business cases for advanced metering. But when Southern California Edison (SCE) performed a cost-benefit analysis, they concluded that existing technology would cost far more than it could save — a net loss of nearly $500 million.

In response, SCE project leaders went back to the drawing board and took a new approach. Working with IntelliGrid, EnerNex Corporation, IBM, and others, SCE implemented a Systems Engineering approach. Systems Engineering is an iterative methodology – that is, one that takes multiple passes at a problem until it refines a final solution. Different teams drilled down from high-level abstractions (e.g., requirements) to real-world specifics (technology and vendor selection). The new approach was so successful the project was not only approved, it is ahead of schedule.

Systems Engineering is widely used in other industries, but has seen only occasional application in the electric power sector. SCE's results suggest that it's an approach every utility should consider for large projects.

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   Download the full SCE case study (PDF)