Smart Grid Implementation Research Articles

The promise of smart grids

ABSTRACTIt is the promise of smart grids – their anticipated role in meeting economic, social, environmental policy objectives – that is driving action on smart grids worldwide, while the reality is rather more messy. This paper is about the implementation of smart grids in Australia, and examines the degree to which environmental and social promises have materialised (or not) within two large energy smart grid initiatives undertaken in the period 2009–2014: the federal government-sponsored Smart Grid Smart City Program and the State of Victoria’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure Program. The analysis draws on a governmentality approach to examine how the promise of smart grids has not for the most part been delivered, concentrating in particular on how new digital technologies have not “behaved” in the way originally planned. Within a governmentality framework, it is generally assumed that technologies work to support government programmes, to accomplish governance. But growing evidence points to smart grid technologies undermining the promise of smart grids. Such a finding stands at odds with the assumption in governmentality about technologies doing work in consort with rationalities of government.

Distribution network topology identification based on synchrophasor

A distribution system upgrade moving towards Smart Grid implementation is necessary to face the proliferation of distributed generators and electric vehicles, in order to satisfy the increasing demand for high quality, efficient, secure, reliable energy supply. This perspective requires taking into account system vulnerability to cyber attacks. An effective attack could destroy stored information about network structure, historical data and so on. Countermeasures and network applications could be made impracticable since most of them are based on the knowledge of network topology. Usually, the location of each link between nodes in a network is known. Therefore, the methods used for topology identification determine if a link is open or closed. When no information on the location of the network links is available, these methods become totally unfeasible. This paper presents a method to identify the network topology using only nodal measures obtained by means of phasor measurement units.

Hardware and software load power control in smart home applications based on Taguchi optimisation technique

Power control is one of the concerns in smart grid implementation. The balance between the supplied power and the demand must be maintained so that blackouts are avoided. Smart metres play an important role in establishing this balance. On the other hand, power control implementation is a challenge as one would have to find the right mix between the hardware and the software parts. The purpose of this work is to optimise and implement a small power control system of home appliances. The objective of the optimisation is to reschedule some tasks if the power demand exceeds a certain peak level. The optimisation is based on Taguchi method which is known of its robustness and relatively fast convergence. The system casts a real life situation and can be considered as a small-scale prototype that can be extended to larger systems.

Application of energy routers in railway power supply systems

The development of electric power industry requires transition to the technological platform, encouraging implementation of smart grids. To set up these grids it is necessary to apply smart technologies of power supply system control modes, as well as interfaces, ensuring the connection of renewable energy sources. These interfaces may be represented by energy routers. The paper discusses the results of simulating emergency modes, caused by short circuits in 10 kV and 0.4 kV grids of non-traction users, connected via energy routers to the railway power supply system. The studies were performed in MATLAB system. Simulation results showed that the application of controlled energy routers for the non-traction user power supply completely removes electric power quality problems, allows for reliable integration of distributed generation plants into the power supply system, and limits short circuit currents and reduces the depth of the AC failure.

Adoption of Smart Grid Framework Which Tracks Power Consumption of Household Appliances in Zimbabwe

The aim of this study was to design a smart grid framework which tracks power consumption of household appliances. The study explored technology being used with current traditional power grid to transmit and distribute electricity from power generation sources until power reaches the final consumer. The challenges and problems of the current traditional grid were unearthed in this study to bring best solution to mitigate the current power shortage problems. Smart grid model which supports real-time electricity power usage monitoring and controlling capability is proposed as an alternative measure to control unnecessary power usage for domestic and commercial purposes. Real-time power usage monitoring, distributed power generation, varying energy demand, remote detection and faults identification, and bi-directional communication are cross-cutting technology and drivers of the implementation of smart grid. The researchers recommended energy authorities to engage with power customers to craft a policy that govern remote monitoring and controlling of electrical appliances’ power consumption to ensure complete adoption of smart grid.

Communication Modeling of Solar Home System and Smart Meter in Smart Grids

The future energy networks are envisioned to be green and clean with high penetration of renewable energy-based generators. The most promising type is solar energy which has immense potential around the globe. Solar home systems (SHSs) with rooftop solar panels are proliferating in urban cities as well as in distant rural areas. Possible interaction of SHS with utility grid will result in dynamic power flow which is a huge challenge for power utility authorities and consumers. The smart meters (SMs) are being deployed to make this possible through bi-directional energy and information exchange. In order to address this need, this paper develops the communication models of SHS and SM based on the IEC 61850 standard. These models provide standardized approach to these technologies and facilitate a series of functionalities, such as power flow control, demand response, and other ancillary services, using configured message exchange. The detailed models, their use cases and the messages are studied in detail. Furthermore, extensive simulations are run with riverbed modeler to investigate the dynamic performance. IEC 61850-based models of SHS and SM are implemented, message frames are developed according to use cases, and the functionalities mentioned earlier are run as scenarios. Finally, the performances of different communication technologies have been analyzed to estimate their adequacy for smart grid implementations.

Smart Distribution Course for 21st Century Power Sector Workforce

The current transition towards smart distribution systems necessitates the development of educational curricula that have the interdisciplinary breadth together with the technical depth to furnish the present and future generation of engineers with a new set of skills and tools to address the challenges associated with emerging smart grid technologies. This work presents a newly designed smart distribution course that is intended to meet the needs of the power distribution industry. The paper gives a high-level overview of the broad range of topics related to developments and trends in smart distribution technologies including automatic restoration, data management, cybersecurity, interoperability and standards, and future vision. It stresses the multidisciplinary nature of the course and the importance of the strong collaboration between academia and key stakeholders, and the support from utilities, industry, government, and consultants. The course has been developed and taught by distribution system experts who are currently implementing smart grid technologies along with smart grid pioneers who are known worldwide. Moreover, to measure the effectiveness of the instructional approach of the course, students learning outcomes were assessed and discussed. The lessons learned from the implementation of the course are also summarized.

Smart grid scenarios and their impact on strategic plan—A case study of Omani power sector

Electrical energy consumption if reduced during peak hours can result in the deferment of generation, transmission and distribution capacity addition. The postponement of capacity addition, or “avoided cost” is of promising value to electric utilities who can redirect financial resources for other purposes due to these offset costs. The reduction in energy consumption is achievable through smart grid implementation. Therefore, the utilities need to investigate whether upgrading their grid system to make it smarter is economically justifiable or not. Electricity companies have used the smart grid maturity model to assess their rating/ranking in different domains. The paper provides a framework for establishing future strategies and work plans as they pertain to smart grid implementations. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the demand-side management (DSM), energy efficiency measures and distributed generation benefits of smart grid in Oman. The developed scenarios include grid enhancement, customer contribution to the grid and both of these options simultaneously. The scenarios are analyzed for peak reduction and their benefits are calculated in terms of avoided cost of generation, transmission, distribution, and environmental costs.

Climate Changes in Brazil: the Expected Financial Benefits by Implementing Smart Grids as a Mitigation and Adaptation Strategy

Climate Changes in Brazil: the Expected Financial Benefits by Implementing Smart Grids as a Mitigation and Adaptation Strategy

Using ICT for Mongolia's sustainable development in energy industry

Nowadays every technology is becoming smarter. Consequently, intensive use of ICT in the whole industries and cities enables a sustainable approach to meet enormous productivity, efficiency, transparency and conservation of natural recourses. Likewise, the role of ICT in terms of controlling, monitoring in the energy industry allows integrating potential renewables, bulk energy conservation and reliable optimized operation in the entire system. In this paper outlines challenging issues in renewable energy integration in Mongolia and proposes potential recommendations and conclusions. The author investigated the main technologies used in energy industry mainly smart grid, challenges and policy aspect in Mongolian energy sector by using the primary and secondary approach with case studies and literature based methodologies. Based on the policy aspect and current implementation of smart grid, the paper tries to address the readiness for the main application and future potential ICT driven applications. Furthermore, it concluded that ICT convergence is demanded to overcome the current vulnerabilities and significant momentum to leave behind by using its potential energy recourses and favorable geographical state. Policymakers may find this study useful, as it answers the question of whether ICT investment can ultimately reduce energy consumption and may aid in future planning. Even tough, in order to develop a smart grid and integrating renewables firstly set an appropriate market structure, ICT will key enabler to make energy system more profitable and sustainable. Regarding the result of this study, ICT deployment contribution is a huge demand for future opportunities energy in Mongolia.

An Intelligent Hybrid Heuristic Scheme for Smart Metering based Demand Side Management in Smart Homes

Smart grid is an emerging technology which is considered to be an ultimate solution to meet the increasing power demand challenges. Modern communication technologies have enabled the successful implementation of smart grid (SG), which aims at provision of demand side management mechanisms (DSM), such as demand response (DR). In this paper, we propose a hybrid technique named as teacher learning genetic optimization (TLGO) by combining genetic algorithm (GA) with teacher learning based optimization (TLBO) algorithm for residential load scheduling, assuming that electric prices are announced on a day-ahead basis. User discomfort is one of the key aspects which must be addressed along with cost minimization. The major focus of this work is to minimize consumer electricity bill at minimum user discomfort. Load scheduling is formulated as an optimization problem and an optimal schedule is achieved by solving the minimization problem. We also investigated the effect of power-flexible appliances on consumers’ bill. Furthermore, a relationship among power consumption, cost and user discomfort is also demonstrated by feasible region. Simulation results validate that our proposed technique performs better in terms of cost reduction and user discomfort minimization, and is able to obtain the desired trade-off between consumer electricity bill and user discomfort.

Monitoring of Overhead Transmission Lines: A Review from the Perspective of Contactless Technologies

This paper describes a comprehensive review of non-contact technologies for overhead power transmission lines. Due to ever increasing emphasis on reducing accidents and speeding up diagnosis for automatically controlled grids, real time remote sensing and actuation is the new horizon for smart grid implementation. The technology overview with emphasis on the practical implementation of advanced non-contact technologies is discussed in this paper while considering optimization of the high voltage transmission lines parameters. In case of fault, the voltage and the current exceed limits of operation and hence real time reporting for control and diagnosis is a critical requirement. This paper aims to form a strong foundation for control and diagnosis of future power distribution systems so that a practitioner or researcher can make choices for a workable solution in smart grid implementation based on non-contact sensing.

Implantación de elementos de sostenibilidad aplicados a la modernización de áreas productivas: España, un caso deficitario en la Europa del sur

La modernización de las áreas productivas -parques industriales, logísticos, tecnológicos, etc.-, comporta, desde la óptica urbanística, la oportunidad de incorporar soluciones que aporten una mejor sostenibilidad de las mismas. Las especificidades de dichos espacios, como son sus consumos energéticos elevados o las importantes necesidades de agua, hacen que su implantación requiera de la adopción de medidas que minoren la afectación sobre el medio ambiente, contribuyendo al concepto de área productiva sostenible. La introducción de las energías renovables y las Smart Grids, la mejora del ciclo del agua y la aplicación de la urbótica son soluciones que en el ámbito de las infraestructuras urbanas permiten hacer más sostenibles estos espacios. El presente artículo analiza y comprueba su implantación en un entorno industrial significativamente relevante de España, concluyéndose como resultado final la escasa incorporación de dichos elementos en las áreas productivas.

Detection of energy theft and defective smart meters in smart grids using linear regression

The utility providers are estimated to lose billions of dollars annually due to energy theft. Although the implementation of smart grids offers technical and social advantages, the smart meters deployed in smart grids are susceptible to more attacks and network intrusions by energy thieves as compared to conventional mechanical meters. To mitigate non-technical losses due to electricity thefts and inaccurate smart meters readings, utility providers are leveraging on the energy consumption data collected from the advanced metering infrastructure implemented in smart grids to identify possible defective smart meters and abnormal consumers’ consumption patterns. In this paper, we design two linear regression-based algorithms to study consumers’ energy utilization behavior and evaluate their anomaly coefficients so as to combat energy theft caused by meter tampering and detect defective smart meters. Categorical variables and detection coefficients are also introduced in the model to identify the periods and locations of energy frauds as well as faulty smart meters. Simulations are conducted and the results show that the proposed algorithms can successfully detect all the fraudulent consumers and discover faulty smart meters in a neighborhood area network.

Evaluation of Smart Grid Communication Technologies with a Co-Simulation Platform

In smart grids the bidirectional exchange of large amounts of data will create a keen interdependence between electric system and communication, automation and control systems. In order to assess the performance of communication technologies for smart grid applications and find the most appropriate, co-simulation tools are crucial to simulate the behavior of both physical and cyber systems simultaneously, and properly consider their mutual interaction in planning and operation studies. This article aims at evaluating some wireless and wired communication technologies for smart grid implementation. The analysis performed shows that wireless technologies are potentially suitable for smart grid applications, while a combination of mixed wireless and wired technologies may introduce latencies that cannot match with mission critical functions, such as network protection.

Smart Grid Implementation in India with HVDC Transmission and MicroGrids

Smart Grid Implementation in India with HVDC Transmission and MicroGrids

The Smart Grid using in the Kuzbass open-pit coalmine

The Smart Grid system become to apply all over the world. It provides significant efficiency increasing of power supply networks by supporting its balanced load. The key design features of each Smart Grid system depend on individual characteristics of particular power supply network which are determined by the structure of its electrical energy consumers. Relating to Kuzbass open-pit coalmines it is necessary to take into account the nonstationarity of its power supply scheme, the strict requirements of power supply reliability and the high capacity of consumers. This article is connected with the “Kedrovskiy” open-pit coalmine and describes its power supply scheme and the structure of its consumers. The downtimes and electrical equipment failures are analyzed and the connection between the number of emergency downtime and the number of working excavators is found out. The load of “Kedrovskiy” power distribution network is calculated for the strip mining operation. The results show power distribution network under consideration does not provide the effectiveness functioning and the implementation of Smart Grid is a good decision. There are the structure and design calculation of proposed Smart Grid in the article. It is finally depicted that Smart Grid” system decreases the downtimes of electric equipment and increases the power supply reliability.

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Recently technological developments have focused on the efficient use of energy from the implementation of smart grids. Management of resources in these networks requires monitoring of the devices that are part of the system. In this sense, an advanced metering infrastructure to record variables such as the voltage, current, phase, frequency and power of energy conversion equipment and loads allows management systems make decisions for activation/deactivation of sources and connect/disconnect of loads in a microgrid in real time. In this paper, several alternatives for data transmission in a microgrid are proposed, by using a communication infrastructure with minimum safety requirements, low delays, reliability, and scalability based on the results obtained by simulation in wireless media for IEEE 802.15.4 and IEEE 802.11 standard implemented in Matlab

A Fast Harmonic Phasor Measurement Method for Smart Grid Applications

System-wide monitoring and reliable identification of power quality (PQ) events and their source is one of the critical requirements of smart grid implementation. The concept of phasor measurement has tremendously helped in fast and reliable state estimation and wide area monitoring of power system. This paper proposes a fast and reliable method for estimation of harmonic phasors that is considered as the most serious PQ problem in the emerging scenario with growing proportion of power electronics based devices in the power system. In the absence of a dedicated standard for harmonic phasor measurement, the IEEE Std. C37.118.1 for a fundamental synchrophasor measurement has been followed as the reference for formulation and evaluation of the proposed method. The performance of the proposed method has been investigated on the variety of simulated and actual power system signals for steady-state and dynamic conditions.

The Energy Trilemma and the Smart Grid: Implications Beyond the United States

AbstractThis article argues that smart grid technologies enable policy‐makers and communities to successfully manage enduring energy policy concerns. It defines what ‘smart’ energy technologies, grids and policies mean, and then evaluates how the smart grid can enable policy‐makers to respond to an emerging energy ‘trilemma’. Drawing on case studies from the United States, the article suggests that the automated communications enabled by smart grid technologies significantly benefit each dimension of the energy trilemma: economic, social and environmental. However, successful smart grid implementation requires smart communication beyond technology. Failure to engage with customers through targeted communication, or to adequately address customers' privacy concerns, risks alienating customers, threatening the value of the smart grid investment. This article concludes that, with smart communication, both technical and human, the smart grid is an important step towards a sustainable energy future for stakeholders well beyond the United States.