Smart Grid: What Does the Grid Do to "Smart"?

The Smart Grid introduces a two-way exchange mechanism: Electricity and information can interact in both directions between the power company and the consumer. This growing network of communications, automation, computers, and control applications helps make the grid more efficient, reliable, safer, and more “green”.

The definition of "the grid" refers to the electrical network or the electrical network. It is the largest and most complex machine ever built by human beings. It is also one of the easiest-to-use devices. You simply need to insert it into the socket. Power cord, or turn the switch on it. In other words, the grid is a facility that transports electricity from the power plant to the home.

In 1882, American inventor Thomas Edison erected the world's first power grid at Pearl Street Station in New York City. Nowadays, the grid uses various forms of power plants (such as nuclear power, hydropower, wind turbines, solar energy, coal and natural gas, etc.), transformers, substations, and over 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines (this is almost the distance from the Earth to the moon. ) As well as 5.5 million miles of local distribution lines, electricity is delivered to millions of households.

The current grid uses limited one-way interaction. That is, electricity is delivered from the power plant to consumers. In contrast, the Smart Grid has introduced a two-way exchange mechanism: electricity and information can interact in both directions between the power company and consumers. This growing network of communications, automation, computers, and control applications helps make the grid more efficient, reliable, safer, and more “green”. Smart grids also allow renewable energy technologies (such as wind and solar-generated electricity and plug-in electric vehicles) to access the national grid.

Smart grids can also help power generation and distribution companies to predict and respond to problems remotely, allowing local service personnel to repair blackouts faster.

Talk about power failure

The San Francisco blackout occurred in April this year, affecting more than 90,000 users, including closing the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station in downtown San Francisco during peak traffic hours. You may ask: "What is the cause of the blackout?" Is it a terrorist attack? No. Is it hacking? No. It was in fact caused by a fault in the substation breaker. The fault ignited the insulation and caused a fire. Another large-scale power outage occurred in 2003 when it was called the “U.S. and Canada’s blackouts.” Although it was not the latest incident, it also affected 55 million people. The reason was that it was an unprunken branch.

These two incidents clearly show that our electricity network is so fragile, but it further proves that we really need a smart grid.

In addition to preventing the benefits of power outages, or at least recovering power more quickly, smart grids also benefit consumers. For example, one of the "smart" energy technologies - smart meters.

　　 Smart meter

A smart meter is an updated metering technology for natural gas and electricity that can digitally transfer actual energy use to electricity suppliers. This means that households will no longer rely on estimated energy expenditures, nor do they need to let meter readers enter homes or courtyards to read electricity meters manually.

Smart meters also provide customers with near-real-time energy consumption data, enabling them to understand, analyze, and manage energy use more effectively, including reducing energy waste and, consequently, reducing power plant emissions.

In addition, the information of smart meters helps power companies to better understand the power consumption of each household. “The challenge for generator sets is to adjust the amount of electricity generated at any given time in response to consumer demand. Excessive power generation can be wasteful and expensive, while under-power generation may have to limit power usage. Therefore, in hours it may be Accurately predicting power demand several days ago is critical for reliable and continuous operation of the power grid."

And, just like any new technology, not everyone has a good understanding of it. In fact, there are sometimes misunderstandings. Here are some common mysteries about smart meters:

Mystery 1: The smart meter may threaten health because it uses wireless signals to communicate.

Truth: "The smart meter emits radio frequency (RF) far below the limit set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and is less than the level of radiation generated by other common household devices (such as cell phones, baby monitors, satellite TVs, and microwave ovens). In fact, the amount of radiation that is exposed to a smart meter's RF for about 375 years is equivalent to the amount of radiation that a mobile phone uses every 15 minutes a day for a year."

Mystery 2: Smart meters don't guarantee my data security.

Truth: "As the banking, credit card, and cable industries provide secure access to your information online, the power industry is also prepared to use the same advanced security and encryption technologies to safeguard data security. The privacy of your data is now protected. Efforts are constantly being made to protect their safety. This does not change with the use of smart meters."

Mystery 3: Smart meters do not bring any benefits to consumers.

The truth: "As part of the smart grid, smart meters can improve power cut detection and notification. Even before you have to call the power company, smart meters can take a step ahead and electronically report the location of power failures. Faster power restoration. In addition, it's much easier to send status notifications to users."

surroundings

From an environmental point of view, while utilizing the advantages of intermittent renewable energy such as solar power plants, wind farms, and hydroelectric power stations, it also helps to ease the demand for electricity. This fact proves that smart grids can also make environmental protection contribution. In particular, advanced and complex smart grid subsystems will strategically manage these diverse and geographically dispersed renewable energy resources to ensure that they can be safely stored on a large scale, on a large scale, and delivered to different locations as required. .

The development of smart grid technology is not easy: In 2012, senior executives of U.S. public utility companies gathered to discuss warnings that pose a serious threat to U.S. grid operators. You may ask this "serious threat" is what? The answer is the roof solar panels!

These senior executives saw signs of falling retail sales and customer losses. If the demand for residential solar power continues to rise, traditional power supply methods may be eliminated. Net metering is a billing mechanism used by billing solar system owners to send electricity to the grid. Unfortunately, some utility companies consider net metering as a way to reduce their income.

It can be predicted that “the power company is proposing legal provisions for the residential solar industry, restricting the “net metering” approach that allows solar users to profit from the excess electricity they generate to the grid. Industry organizations have stated that current laws allow solar users to have unfair advantages, while opponents allege that the real purpose of industry organizations is to destroy competitive businesses. ”

Figure 5: U.S. states that oppose domestic solar energy (Schematic representation of U.S. states that have opposed or are currently resisting domestic solar energy) (Source: The Washington Post)

In fact, officials like the states of Florida have identified off-grid families as illegal because they violated the International Property Maintenance Codes. The home must pick up the power grid and the water network.

future

The smart grid and all its smart technologies, tools and equipment will have a positive impact on the efficiency of the national grid, reducing emissions, and improving its durability and safety. Of course, this is a new technology. Any new technology, especially subversive technology, will have difficulties that must be overcome. However, I really think that we all want a reliable, safe and cost-effective power grid, and the smart grid that we have promised can already provide such a function.

In addition, I firmly believe that this will be an organic whole in terms of the development and deployment of smart grids. Over time, it will continue to improve and develop, and will experience the efforts of several generations - just as we have been doing since the grid was erected in 1882.