Smart Grid 101 Does your electric grid

need an education?Nirupama Prakash Kumar

Sr. Operations Engineer, WindLogics

23-Oct-2014

Status quo

Centralized generating stations mostly fossil fuel based

High voltage transmission and Medium voltage distribution

Load profile prediction “easy” and “mostly accurate” as per societal conditions

Some knowledge of the state of the system

Status quo

Generally little or no communication between high level and low level devices in the system

Generation following the load

Load inelastic to pricing changes even in deregulated wholesale markets

Regulated flat retail rates for electricity, sometimes regulated wholesale rates

Challenging the status quo

Central fossil fuel generation – how do we customize the grid for renewable energy sources which are more stochastic?

Renewable energy – should we ignore the sun rays on our roofs or the wind in our back yards?

Do we need HV transmission if most load centers can get close to generation?

Challenging the status quo

Why not use such abundant, perennial, distribution problem free (albeit stochastic) resource to get electricity to rural areas in the poorest regions or other regions with less fossil fuel resources

When the whole world is connected, why are we still debating if we need communication on the grid? We still don’t have a sense of what, where and how about the grid in real time

Challenging the status quo

Our appliances/end uses can be made more responsive and smarter - they can help in frequency and load control, under good pricing schemes can help lower consumer bills

Demand response may matter for utilities

NETL’s Definition

Enable active participation by customers

Accommodate all generation sources and storage

Enable new products, technologies and services

Help better assert utilization and operate efficiently

NETL’s Definition contd…

Provide better power quality for the digital economy

Anticipate and respond to system disturbances

Resilient against attack and natural disaster

Challenges to deployment

Utilities – why will you willingly sell less of what you produce?

• Positives to utilities - better asset utilization and efficient generation and distribution

• Positives to society - cleaner and efficient generation and distribution

• Negatives to society if not done right – is this just about taking stimulus money, getting free smart meters and laying off meter reading personnel

Challenges to deployment

• Consumers – why will you put your health and privacy under risk to help utilities?

• Positives to consumers - lower bills under appropriate retail rates

• Positives to society - lowering your carbon foot print

• Negatives to society if not done at all or if not done right

• inefficient energy use with no sense of how to be more efficient and reducing carbon foot prints

• health and privacy risk

We can wonder if our grid needs an education,

or we the people!

Contact : Nirupama.pkumar@yaho

o.com

Why should we care?

• Society needs utility buy-in

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDMYc1qlhFY

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYTi881c0_0