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Biofuels: The Promise of the Next Generations

Feb 10 2010 - 1:00 PM Eastern - Your location

The second wave of biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol, algae and others bypass the food vs. fuel controversy and are on the cusp of commercialization. This webinar will review the latest developments in the advanced biofuel space with leading companies more...

Conducting a distributed chorus

Feb 17 2010 - 12:00 Eastern - Your City

Join Intelligent Utility managing editor Kate Rowland, along with a panel from PHI including Rob Stewart, manager of technology evaluation and implementation, and Todd McGregor, AMI director, for an interactive discussion about this company's work to build a more intelligent more...

21st Century T&D: Building the Transmission Piece of Smart Grid

Feb 18 2010 - 12:00 Eastern - Your City

Join industry leaders and Marty Rosenberg, Editor-in-Chief of EnergyBiz magazine, for an interactive discussion about the critical relationship between transmission and distribution (T&D) investment and smart grid success. As the energy enterprise gets smarter toward the consumer end with smart more...

Transforming the Electrical Grid: Addressing Transformation Strategies to Implementing A Smart Grid

Feb 25 2010 - 3:00-4:00pm Eastern - Your City

This webcast should be attended by those individuals that are responsible for identifying, planning and evaluating Smart Grid solutions, including those that empower and engage consumers and are easily assimilated with existing or new technology and business processes. more...

Smart Grid Revolution

Feb 18 2010 - Feb 19 2010 - AUSTIN, TX - USA

ACI's Smart Grid Revolution February 18-19, 2010 A two day strategic event bringing together utility professionals, government & state officials & consultants involved in deployment of the smart grid. To learn strategies which will improve energy efficiency programs & operations, more...

EnergyBiz Leadership Forum 2010: Energy's Emerging Architecture

Feb 28 2010 - Mar 2 2010 - Washington, DC

In 2009, a global economic meltdown collided with an energy crisis to turn the world on its ear. In the United States we've witnessed an unprecedented spending on energy resource development and infrastructure. As a result, a new energy architecture more...

CERAWeek 2010

Mar 8 2010 - Mar 12 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

CERAWeek, IHS CERA's 29th Executive Conference, is recognized as a leading forum offering insight into the energy future. Each year senior policymakers, energy and power executives, and financial and technology leaders from over 55 countries engage with CERA experts in more...

2nd Annual Thin Film Solar Summit Europe

Mar 17 2010 - Mar 18 2010 - Berlin Germany

The conference will provide a comprehensive analysis of the thin film industry and its key challenges in an interactive manner. Leading companies will share their experiences through panel debates and high-level presentations. A great opportunity to network with the whole more...

Gas and Electric Business Understanding Seminar

Feb 24 2010 - Feb 25 2010 - New York, NY - USA

Gas and Electric Business Understanding provides a comprehensive overview of the natural gas and electric industries. Position yourself for career success by gaining a solid understanding of how each business works, including key physical, market and regulatory aspects, as well more...

Gas Business Understanding Seminar

Mar 1 2010 - Mar 2 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

Gas Business Understanding provides a comprehensive overview of the natural gas industry. Position yourself for career advancement by gaining a solid understanding of how the gas business works including key physical, market, and regulatory aspects and how market participants navigate more...

Electric Business Understanding Seminar

Mar 3 2010 - Mar 4 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

Electric Business Understanding provides a comprehensive overview of the electric industry. Position yourself for career advancement by gaining a solid understanding of how the electric business works including key physical, market, and regulatory aspects and how market participants navigate this more...

Gas Market Dynamics Seminar

Mar 3 2010 - Mar 4 2010 - Houston, TX - USA

Gas Market Dynamics offers participants an in-depth understanding of North American natural gas markets and how they function. Enhance your career by furthering your knowledge of market structure, supply and demand, services offered in gas markets, and how various participants more...

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A Useful Thing Happened on the way to the Smart Grid: the Agile Grid, Part 4
11.19.09   Stephen Hadden, Senior Consultant, R.W. Beck, an SAIC Company
Shannon Messer, Consultant, R.W. Beck, an SAIC Company

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    Interested in this topic? Need more information? Energy Central has created a complete information service focused only on Metering & Data Management. There is no better way to stay informed. Get more information on Metering & Data Management today!
    This is the fourth in a series of articles on practical Smart Grid approaches that utilities can initiate now.

    When Will Smart Grid Be Available?

    The concept of an intelligent electric utility infrastructure or "Smart Grid" is attracting wide interest among utilities, consultants, regulators and other utility stakeholders. This interest, however, is accompanied by widely differing expectations about when Smart Grid will emerge. Some confidently proclaim that the Smart Grid is here or just around the corner. But utility management and staff responsible for operating real electric systems are understandably cautious. They realize that Smart Grid will not suddenly become available in a suite of closely bundled technologies and applications. And they are pragmatic about the technology needed today to improve distribution operations for the next few years.

    We Can Make the Grid Smarter Right Now

    The concept of intelligent infrastructure will continue to evolve, but utilities have practical choices now. They do not have to wait passively to provide effective solutions as Smart Grid develops. Utilities can begin using existing and emerging technologies and applications to create something we call an "Agile Grid," on the way to creating a Smart Grid. Many utilities already have deployed, or are planning, key elements or components of an Agile Grid.

    While there are numerous examples of these technologies and applications, in this article we discuss just one: using the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) communication network for distribution automation (DA), which is a major function of Smart Grid. Until the emergence of AMI, DA was basically an extension of SCADA beyond the substation gates. Using SCADA as a platform for DA away from the substation is still an option for many utilities, but DA that leverages SCADA is generally limited to substations because the SCADA communication infrastructure does not readily reach out along feeders into the distribution system.

    Many utilities are interfacing their AMI with other automation resources to exchange data and develop actionable information, which is needed by utility staff to improve reliability, efficiency and operations. This view of the Agile Grid concept is illustrated in the diagram below. The interface between AMI and DA is shown by the dark arrow. Utilities can use their two-way AMI to enable an Agile Grid by using the AMI communication infrastructure to support basic DA functionality, such as monitoring and remote operation of distribution line reclosers, motor-operated switches, capacitor banks, voltage regulators, etc. Traditional SCADA can provide better bandwidth and latency than most AMI, but the AMI communication infrastructure extends to all meters and, typically, to all distribution line devices. Also, AMI bandwidth and latency are generally adequate for these types of distribution applications.



    AMI Improves Agility of DA

    In an earlier article in this series on the Agile Grid, we described how AMI outage notification can improve performance of utilities' outage management systems. Features and capabilities to support DA applications vary by AMI vendor, but the AMI communication infrastructure can be used by utility staff to improve outage restoration and reliability. For example, switches may be operated remotely to transfer load and restore service to some customers while isolating trouble to the affected line segment. Also, after line repairs are completed, utility staff can use the AMI communication infrastructure to remotely close the tripped recloser and return all switches and loads back to their normal configurations. While this is not a realization of the future "self-healing" concept of Smart Grid, utility staff can use the AMI communication infrastructure now to enable a more Agile Grid that effectively leverages the utility's present resources to improve reliability.

    Also, in another Agile Grid article, we described how AMI load data may be used by utility engineers to use engineering analysis as a planning and operational tool. We described how AMI load data enables utility engineers to perform near real-time distribution simulations and analyses. One byproduct of these studies is the preparation of contingency switching analyses that can be implemented using the AMI communication infrastructure, as previously discussed. Also, this DA switching capability may be used by utility staff to switch loads to alleviate thermal loading and improve voltage levels. Alternately, AMI is an enabling technology for direct load control and other demand response programs that reduce peak loads on distribution facilities.

    In the next Agile Grid article, we will expand the discussion of direct load control and demand response, and describe how AMI can be used to implement conservation voltage regulation.

    Agile Grid Today -- Smart Grid Tomorrow

    Widespread automation throughout a typical distribution system may someday be available and affordable. Information about critical distribution functions is one of many Smart Grid deliverables envisioned. A utility's two-way AMI can prioritize data traffic within the communication network to ensure that important DA alarms and other information are quickly presented to utility staff. Although this capability did not exist just a few years ago and it may not be considered Smart Grid by some, it is part of an Agile Grid that is readily available to utilities today.

    For information on purchasing reprints of this article, contact Tim Tobeck ttobeck@energycentral.com.
    Copyright 2010 CyberTech, Inc.
     
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