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Utilities Business Review | Friday, November 11, 2022
The smart grid idea is being converged, phasor measuring units are utilized to perform wide-area monitoring, protection, automation, and control, and operations and information technologies (OT/IT) are combined.
FREMONT, CA: The development of distributed energy resources (DERs), the adoption of the smart grid idea, and the identification of the electric power system as a significant component of bigger structures have all had a significant influence on the transmission and distribution (T&D) grid, in particular. The latter includes the birth and rising interest in smart cities and the complicated interactions between electric power grids and other critical infrastructures such as water, gas, and telecommunications systems. Investments in important T&D infrastructures and adopting cutting-edge and arising technologies have been inspired by regulatory needs and financial incentives to solve problems and societal concerns about these features. The improvement of grid resilience and the inclusion of renewable power are among the problems; societal considerations contain improving cities' livability, employability, and sustainability. To conquer these obstacles and seize the connected opportunities, the utility and grid of the future are required to find solutions.
Grid resiliency has lately drawn much attention because of the economic effects of weather-related outages, particularly by harsh weather disasters like Superstorm Sandy. The average yearly cost of power disturbances brought on by severe weather is estimated to be between USD 18 billion and USD 33 billion. Grid resiliency incorporates labor availability, T&D reliability, grid hardening, aging infrastructures, physical security, and cybersecurity. Furthermore, grid reliability is essential for maintaining efficiency and competitiveness in a digital economy. These determinations are instructive and figure out a gap that has to be filled. However, this comparison should also consider significant elements and fundamental causes such as electricity pricing, which also reflect end consumers' willingness to pay for a particular reliability level.
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Likewise, recent incidents concerning utility facilities, like the attack on the Metcalf substation by Pacific Gas and Electric, have emphasized the significance of protecting the physical security of the electric system. Similarly, there has been much discussion over how to complement these expenditures with proper cybersecurity activities because of the broad and quickly expanding deployment of intelligent electronic devices to enhance T&D grid visibility and awareness. In addition, renewable energy sources that aren't hydro are expected to increase by 3.2 percent yearly. For instance, until 2040, solar energy is anticipated to expand by 7.5 percent yearly. Hence, it is anticipated that a combination of infrastructure and technology measures will address the need to integrate increasing volumes of variable renewable power. For instance, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order 1000 abolished the monopoly status or right of first refusal for establishing transmission unless required by states on the infrastructure side. It is expected that this will result in more transmission development.
The smart grid idea is being converged, phasor measuring units are utilized to perform wide-area monitoring, protection, automation, and control, and operations and information technologies (OT/IT) are combined. Similarly, to improve system resilience and facilitate the integration of distributed generation (DG) and plug-in electric vehicles, this also contains the deployment of advanced metering infrastructures (AMI) and advanced distribution management systems (ADMS), the emergence of smart inverters, and the application of distributed energy storage and microgrids.
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