The Smart Grid—State-of-the-art and Future Trends

Abstract

This paper introduces Smart Grid and associated technical, environmental and socio-economic, and other non-tangible benefits to society, and articulates the need for the concept and the fact that it is a dynamic interactive, real-time infrastructure that responds to the challenges of designing and building the power system of the future, rather than being simply a marketing term. To illustrate the diversity of terminology, the paper compares an Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) definition with that suggested by a study group of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Next, a paper sponsored by the Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) that cites three example definitions to highlight the diversity of views of Smart Grid is briefly reviewed. Early misconceptions and characterizations of Smart Grid are discussed as a prelude to addressing challenging issues that motivate developing and implementing related innovative technologies, products and services. The paper then discusses the potential promise of the Smart Grid, which is embedded in its often-cited attributes of efficiency, accommodating, quality focus, enabling and self-healing to name some. The paper then addresses some of the often-cited impediments to accepting Smart Grid which are based on concerns and issues confronting its forward progress, adoption and acceptance. Distribution Automation (DA) and embedded intelligence are discussed emphasising self-healing, optimizing operation and facilitating recreation and recovery from abnormal events. Functional and integration requirements of Distributed Energy Resources (DER,) are detailed. Smart Consumption Infrastructure elements of Distribution Management Systems (DMS,) Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI,) Smart Homes (SH), and Smart Appliances (SA,) are discussed. Following the introductory section, this paper summarizes contributions included in the double issue 42(3–4) of the Electric Power Components and Systems Journal. To begin, papers are offered discussing smart grid activities in China, India, and the development of a Smart Grid roadmap for the US State of Kentucky. The approaches of each of these cases reflect the diversity of policy initiatives in these jurisdictions. Two state of the art reviews are given next. The first considers distribution network active management and future development trends in technologies and methods, where centralized and decentralized management frameworks and applying agent-based coordination are discussed. The second offers a review of smart home technologies and the goals of an energy management system (SHEMS). This section is concluded by a letter providing an overview of recent and expected advances nanotechnology applications in Smart Grid. Following the state of the art review section, ten papers offering new and innovative research approaches and results are included. These papers cover Smart Grid topics such as real-time energy control approach for smart home energy management systems, optimal operation of energy- efficient buildings with Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems, energy management and control of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations, voltage-frequency control of a voltage source inverter (VSI) in a smart islanded microgrid, smart generation scheduling for wind-thermal-pumped storage systems, optimized power system restoration, robust data transmission upon compressive sensing, data fusion for wide-area oscillation monitoring, satellite based GPS synchronized monitoring systems, stability in Smart Grid with emerging renewable energy techno- logies.