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Smart Grid

1. Concept of Smart Grid


Smart Grid is basically an intelligence added to the power grid by enabling
bidirectional flow of information through supporting communication
infrastructure. Thus, Smart Grid is interconnection of communication and
information systems, modern technologies along with control and
automation process across entire electricity sector comprising of generation,
transmission, distribution and the consumer. The aim of smart grid is to
make existing infrastructure more robust, reliable and efficient by using
intelligent tools and technologies, encourage active demand side
participation, ensuring sustainability of supply through renewable
integration, promoting green and clean environment and provide incentives
for efficient production, transmission, distribution and consumption of
electricity across the value chain of electricity.

Figure 1: Smart Grid Network


The Key features that may be offered by a Smart Grid include:

Extensive real time observability in the network enabled by bidirectional


communication between utility and consumers
Easy programmability for utility as well as consumer to optimize consumption
pattern
Extensive participation of different stake holders in real time energy market
Stable, reliable and self-healing grid.

Easy integration of renewables at distribution level; enable islanded operation


Real time energy audit and fault clearance
Increased utilization of power infrastructure without risk of overloading

The benefits of a Smart grid have been described in the following table.
Area
Improved
reliabilit
y

Utility:

Consumer:

Benefits of Smart Grid


Benefits
Reduced operational cost
Increased employee & customer safety
Increased revenue
Improved level of service with fewer inconveniences
Reduced out-of-pocket costs resulting from loss of

power
Society:
Improved
Economic
s

Virtual elimination of blackouts


Improved infrastructure boosts economic development
Utility:
Increased revenues as theft of service is reduced
A flatter load profile will reduce operating and
maintenance (O&M) costs
Improved cash flow from more efficient management
of billing and
e
revenue
management processes
Consumer: Downward pressure on energy prices and total
customer bills
Opportunity to interact with the electricity markets
through home area
e
network and smart
meter connectivity
Opportunity to sell consumer-produced electricity back
to the grid
Huge savings by eliminating the need for DG backup
Society:

A more robust transmission grid will accommodate


larger increases in wind and solar generation i.e. green
energy
Creation of new electricity markets enabling society to
offer its electricity resources to the market and creating the
opportunity to earn a revenue stream on such investments
as demand response, distributed generation, and storage
Improved Utility:
Increased asset utilization
Efficiency
Reduction in lines losses on both transmission and
distribution
Reduction in transmission congestion costs
Reduced use of inefficient generation to meet system
peaks

Consumer: Increased capability, opportunity, and motivation to be


more efficient on the consumption end of the value chain
Increased influence on the electricity market
Society:
are reduced
Improved
Environm
ent

Deferral of capital investments as future peak loads

Reduced Energy losses


Utility:
Increased capability to integrate intermittent
renewable resources
Reduction in emissions as a result of more efficient
operation, reduced system losses, and energy conservation
Increased capability to support the integration of
electric-powered vehicles
Reduction in frequency of transformer fires and oil
spills through the use of advanced equipment failure /
prevention technologies
Consumer: Increased capability, opportunity, and motivation to
shift to electric vehicle transportation
Increased opportunity to purchase energy from clean
resources, further creating a demand for the shift from a
carbon-based to a green economy
Society:

Reduced CO2 emissions


Improved public health

A brief description for the attributes of Smart Grid that help in harnessing the
benefits including those mentioned above is being provided in the following
sections.

2. Attributes of Smart Grid


As mentioned before, a smart grid network imparts intelligence based on the
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) colocated with the power
system elements. Hence, Smart Electricity Meters serve as the building block of a
smart grid. Once the complete communication infrastructure is made available and
the smart meters at consumer premises and distribution transformer level start
communicating with the utility control centre in real time, various programmable
features, auditing, dash boards etc. may be developed. The fundamental attributes
of such a network are as follows:

2.1 Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)


AMI requires installation of smart meters having two way communications with
control centre. The energy consumption data from DT and Customers is sent at onedefined duration to control centre which could be audited to regulate theft &

pilferages and also help in automatic billing. Through these meters various signals
for demand response, load dis/re-connection, operation of critical & non-critical
loads alerts can also be sent from control centre to consumers and Vice-versa.
Tampering events are reported on-line to control centre. An AMI system is
comprised of a number of technologies and applications that have been integrated
to perform as one:

Smart meters
Wide-area communications infrastructure
Home (local) area networks (HANs)
Meter Data Management Systems (MDMS)
Operational Gateways

Figure 2: Scheme for AMI

2.2 Outage Management System (OMS)


To increase reliability of the power supply and reduce outage frequency & duration,
Outage Management System is installed. The system is integrated with other
systems, and ensures that as soon as the outage is reported or detected, it predicts
the fault location, identifies the consumers affected and initiates consumer
interaction, until the outage is restored. The intelligent system suggests network
reconfiguration options to the operator immediately to restore as many consumers
as possible. Meanwhile, the maintenance crew management system dispatches
maintenance team directly to fault location. Also various monitoring devices are
installed which helps in checking healthiness of lines & distribution transformer to
enable predictive maintenance practices. A complete Outage Management System
comprises of the following elements:

Field devices like Fault Passage Indicators (FPI), Distribution Transformer


Monitoring units (DTMU), remote terminal units (RTUs and FRTUs) etc.
Smart switching devices such as auto reclosures, sectionalizers, Ring Main
Units (RMUs) etc. for network reconfiguration and self-healing.
Softwares for OMS, crew management etc integrated with the SCADA.

The basic configuration and integration scheme for OMS is shown in Figure 3

Figure 3: Outage Management System Integration Scheme

2.3 Peak Load Management (PLM)


Peak Load management is one of the Smart grid initiative through which utility can
reduce the peak demand. This plays significant role in reducing the purchasing cost
of power. By managing load at the peak timing utility can minimize its Unscheduled
interchange (UI) and higher purchasing cost of power at peak time. The goal of peak
load management is to encourage the consumer to use less energy during peak
hours, or to move the time of energy use to off-peak times such as night-time and
weekends. It is the modification of consumer demand for energy through various
methods such as financial incentives and partial curtailment. Figure 4 shows the
peak load shifting. Peak Load Management works in two ways:
a) Demand Response: Consumers are motivated to shift there load voluntarily
by implementing Dynamic / ToU pricing.
b) Demand Side Management: Consumer load is segregated as critical / non
critical and during peak hours, if the consumer load is beyond a settable limit
the switch for non-critical loads is open. Thus, the utility owns the switch in
demand side management.

Figure 4: Peak Load Management

2.4 Renewable Integration


Apart from technical challenges for integration of Distributed Generation (primarily
solar PV) in the distribution network (modified protection schemes, anti-islanding,
voltage stability etc.), Smart Grid encourages consumers to participate in RE
generation through commercial mechanisms such as net metering. Net metering
(i.e. Import Energy Export energy) is a facility available in Smart Meters. When
installed at consumers premise having distributed renewable generation resources
like rooftop solar PV etc., it facilitates metering of import energy from distribution
grid (in case consumption is higher than own generation) and export of energy to
distribution grid (in case own generation is higher than consumption) and net is
recorded. Schematic of net metering arrangement is shown in Figure 5 below.

Figure 5: Net Metering Arrangement

2.5 Power Quality Management (PQM)


Power Quality Management attribute of Smart Grid takes care of Harmonics &
Voltage quality of the system. Voltage profile & Harmonics of the system are
continuously monitored. Active Harmonic Filter, Var Compensator, Surge
suppressors etc. installed in the system to take any remedial action if power quality
deviates

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