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We're seeing a blistering pace of new smart grid offerings that tackle everything from switchyard failure prevention to energy storage to "surgical" demand response. In our latest installment of Discovery Showcase we're featuring eight that we thought you'd want to know about - from Silver Spring Networks, CURRENT, Siemens and others.

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Energy storage

Kansas City-based electric company KCP&L is host to a new smart grid storage technology from Exergonix. The nano-battery cell, a one-megawatt battery, is in its first live test and is being evaluated by MRIGlobal at KCP&L's SmartGrid Innovation Park. The battery stores solar energy that is generated at the utility's SmartGrid Demonstration Area and is being used to provide energy during peak demand periods. The Exergonix system involves a lithium ion storage system said to incorporate a higher energy density battery and advanced electronic controls. While the technology obviously isn't ready for market, we thought it was interesting enough to share.

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Surgical demand response

 

Siemens just debuted something it's calling a "surgical" demand response system, which it says is "is one of the first to surgically target demand reductions via substation, feeder, zip code or geographical location that allows utilities to reduce

power loads at critical sections of their distribution network." The Demand Response Management System (DRMS) Version 2.0 can pinpoint a load overage or outage event, making it easier for utilities to distribute reliable power while reducing lifecycle costs at their facilities,” said Thierry Godart, president of Siemens Smart Grid Division in the U.S.  

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Insight-as-a-service

 

Silver Spring Networks has added new features to what it describes as "the industry's first insight-as-a-service solution." SSN's SilverLink cloud services offerings now include the SilverLink Network Center and the SilverLink Meter Center. "Today's new SilverLink cloud services give utility networking and metering operations teams unprecedented operational insights from the network infrastructure down to the endpoint – with no new software required," said Don Reeves, senior VP of SSN's Smart Grid Services & Operations. Reeves added that as utilities implement more sophisticated and advanced applications throughout their smart grids, the SSN solution helps them "derive maximum leverage from their connected devices in a secure, efficient and reliable manner.

 

Targeting switchyard failures

A new handheld from EA Technologies – the PD Hawk – identifies partial discharge (PD) activity in high-voltage open terminal switchyard equipment. The company says

its battery-powered PD Hawk can be used to scan a whole switchyard for potentially failing assets in just minutes -- including circuit breakers, isolators, disconnectors, surge arrestors, cable sealing ends and instrument transformers. ”The ability to spot problems and intervene before they cause outages will deliver a rapid return on investment, but the PD Hawk is also a uniquely valuable tool for gathering information on the condition of large numbers of switchyard assets, which is essential for planning maintenance and replacement programs," said EA Technology Director Neil Davies.

 

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Combating energy theft and cyber attacks

Maxim Integrated has brought to market a smart meter system-on-a-chip (SoC) device designed to protect smart grid equipment from cyber attacks and energy theft. Referred to as Zeus, the device includes a built-in cryptographic module designed to ensure secure communications and a bootloader to stop unauthorized firmware modifications. "By combining metrology, security and communication, we provide a platform for any embedded smart grid equipment that needs to measure, to communicate, and to do it securely," said Kris Ardis, Maxim business director for smart grid products.

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9th Smart Grid Solution

Great reading! It is worth mentioning OPAL-RT real-time grid integration simulation as another vital solution to Smart Grid challenges. OPAL-RT performs a vital test known as Hardware-in-the-Loop simulation. HIL is a technique used in the development and testing of complex real-time embedded systems. HIL simulation provides an effective virtual environment by connecting the complexity of the plant being designed to the development and test platform. Our simulators will have the micro grid thinking that it is connected to the transmission grid, thus allowing an abundant series of tests to ensure the conducive islanding operation, protection coordination, reliability and power quality liability, cost development in the needed interconnection technologies and restoration from scheduled and unscheduled shut downs.

Darcy La Ronde - 12/12/2012 - 07:14

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