A Smart Grid Overview Article in IEEE Power & Energy Magazine, January/February 2010, pp 18-28, provides a number of interesting ideas. This includes a comparison of an imagined intelligent grid to the existing grid. I am interested in your reaction to my expanded comparison.
Written by Steve Collier | Jan 25, 2010 | (0) Comments
Electric utilities have till now used proprietary, closed telecommunications systems for communications with their AMR devices. The Smart Grid and Smart Meters will ultimately require open, industry standard Internet Protocol (IP). If you are contemplating Smart Meter deployment, you should choose a packet switched, IP telecommunications system, not a proprietary, circuit switched one.
Written by Steve Collier | Dec 03, 2009 | (4) Comments
I attended and presented Smart Grid issues and methods at this conference in Tucson. There was much exceptionally good content, and lots of opportunities to network with electric cooperatives and vendors. I heard several things in the presentations that I thought were particularly useful.
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Written by Steve Collier | Nov 20, 2009 | (0) Comments
You all know that I have strongly supported Kurt Yeager’s view that most of the ARRA SMIGs will not really advance a truly Smart Grid. Read Smart Grid Today’s report of Kurt’s favorite SGIGs at Yeagers Favorite SGIGs
Written by Steve Collier | Nov 16, 2009 | (0) Comments
Milsoft Utility Solutions’ fellow Hometown Connections vendor partner, Gridpoint, has acquired ADMMicro to expand its market focus to include commercial and industrial consumers.
Written by Steve Collier | Nov 09, 2009 | (2) Comments
This Thursday and Friday will be the Minnesota Rural Electric Association Conference “Accessing the Electric Cooperative Market for Renewable Energy” in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Written by Steve Collier | Nov 09, 2009 | (4) Comments
I was recently delighted to find a brand new electronic meter on my house. It was put there by one of the most progressive public power systems in the nation (i.e., Austin Energy). Yet, I still get billed the very same way as if I still had that 100+ year old electromechanical meter technology mounted on the East wall of my home. Some time after the utility reads the meter (now without having to send a live person into my neighborhood to do it), I get a bill in the mail or I can view it online. It is a total dollar amount for my energy consumption for the past billing period, about a month. There is no detail at all about by day of the month or by time of day. There is no information at all about which of my appliances account for what portion of the total. Even if some or all of this information were available, by the time that I get the bill, I have already made the decisions that caused my energy consumption and spending for that billing period.
Written by Steve Collier | Nov 04, 2009 | (9) Comments
Most of what is being offered today as smart metering is mature automatic meter reading (AMR) technology which, in some cases, has additional functionality (e.g., time of use (TOU) metering, service status (on/off) monitoring and reporting, remote disconnect, etc.). While the newest generation of AMR devices represents substantially more advanced technology than the 100+ year old, electromechanical meter, it is pretty much yesterday’s not tomorrow’s technology. The industry conversation about smart metering focuses on meters that will provide customers with and base utility billing on accurate, time-of-use price signals with the expectation that customers will greatly reduce and more carefully schedule their energy consumption in ways that will achieve a panoply of goals most of which are more immediately beneficial to the electric utility than to the consumer. Utility experience suggests that better information on energy consumption and pricing can yield some benefits resulting from changes in consumer behavior. Much more is required, and much more is possible. What will be required for a truly Smart Grid is something substantially different and better, a quantum leap, not an incremental evolution of AMR.
Written by Steve Collier | Nov 02, 2009 | (5) Comments
Find the full story at PR Newswire: CURRENT DEMONSTRATES INTEROPERABLE PRIME
Written by Steve Collier | Oct 08, 2009 | (0) Comments
Not for profit electric cooperatives and public power systems, as well as developing countries have more to gain and less to lose from the revolutionary changes that Smart Grid entails. Take a look at the story of the boy who harnessed the wind to see an example.
Written by Steve Collier | Oct 08, 2009 | (1) Comments
Automated outage management systems are not only widely available, but have been proven to be effective in shortening outage times and improving customer service. At what point will having an automated outage management system be considered “prudent utility practice” and no longer an option?
Written by Steve Collier | Oct 07, 2009 | (2) Comments
Among many reasons for the Smart Grid, GE points out that we need “modern infrastructure.”
Written by Steve Collier | Oct 06, 2009 | (0) Comments
Download the USDOE Primer on Smart Grid at The Smart Grid: An Introduction
Written by Steve Collier | Oct 05, 2009 | (0) Comments
If one were building the US electric grid from scratch today, what would it look like?
Written by Steve Collier | Oct 05, 2009 | (0) Comments
Please take a minute to give us your definition of the Smart Grid.
Written by Steve Collier | Oct 05, 2009 | (2) Comments
My favorite among many good observations by Margaret Harding:
“The initiative known as SmartGrid is probably going to impact our country almost as much as the original electrification efforts of the early 20th century. Ironically, if it succeeds, most of us will perceive little change to their daily relationship with electricity. Plug in an appliance and electricity will flow. BUT, these changes will ensure that flow is reliable, clean and safe. AND that the new plug-in electric vehicle in the garage is ready to go whenever and where ever the proud new owner chooses to take it. The air will be a little cleaner, and no warmer than it was at the start of this project.”
Written by Steve Collier | Sep 30, 2009 | (2) Comments
Milsoft Utility Solutions will be participating in a landmark conference on renewable energy in the electric cooperative market. Hosted by the Minnesota Rural Electric Association and Dorsey and Whitney LLP, the two-day conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota is intended to inform renewable energy developers on the electric cooperative market. National leaders and experts on renewable energy, Smart Grid and rural electric cooperatives will be presenting at the conference, including yours truly, SmartGridMan.
Written by Steve Collier | Sep 24, 2009 | (0) Comments
Renewable Energy World asks this very good question. Several responses are included from various sources. Hopefully readers will add more in the comment section.
Pretty much everyone seems to agree that the US electric grid is in trouble and that making it smarter will help.
Why is the grid in trouble? According to the USDOE / EAC Final Report on Electricity Supply Adequacy, the U.S. electric system, “the supreme engineering achievement of the 20th century,” is aging, inefficient, congested, and incapable of meeting future energy needs. The existing US electric grid has largely reached the end of it’s useful life due in part to the topology, capacity and condition of the generation, transmission and distribution facilities and in part to new business environment and operating circumstances. The traditional approach of building more fossil fueled, central station generation and bulk transmission lines is not only no longer as desirable, it will be more difficult if not impossible in many instances for a variety of reasons.
Written by Steve Collier | Sep 02, 2009 | (2) Comments
I am extremely fortunate to live in Austin, Texas, the “live music capitol of the world” and home of the globally renowned South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival. Austin has for many years been a major high tech center, sometimes referred to as Silicon Gulch. It was only a matter of time until the high tech world overlapped with the live music world, resulting in the SXSW Interactive Festival. What better place for a discussion of the best motivations and approaches for the Smart Grid than at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival? Especially since Austin is also the home of one of the most progressive public power systems in the United States, Austin Energy.
Written by Steve Collier | Aug 24, 2009 | (2) Comments
I just read Michael Kanellos’ piece, “Six Myths About Smart Grid” and I could not agree more with his first point. Take a look at http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/five-myths-about-smart-grid/ .
I believe that consumers to various degrees want the benefits that control of their appliances and consumption could bring. But, how much time and effort are most consumers willing to go to to save a few dollars a month? And how many consumers have a clue about how to go about it? And why ask consumers to optimize their behavior and consumption when the grid itself is so far from optimum? The generation, transmission and distribution part of the business is so, so far from optimum. Let’s demand of the folks who plan, build, operate and maintain our electric grid to get after it! Consumers don’t want a Smart Meter. Nor do they want to be smarter about the grid. They want a grid that takes maximum advantage of electronics, telecommunications and information technology to maximize efficiency, economy, reliability, safety, security, sustainability, and service. Asking consumers to solve all the problems based upon a myriad of data and options facilitated by a Smart Meter is like asking consumers to structure their web browsing and emailing and Tweeting and other online activities to optimize the efficiency of the Internet.
Written by Steve Collier | Aug 03, 2009 | (2) Comments
You should take a look at Dick Tabors’ excellent point of view on the Smart Grid at http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/commentary/Three_Pillars_of_the_Smart_Grid-636.html
There are so many grand objectives for the Smart Grid that are nowhere near attainable because they require profound institutional and regulatory changes in the industry. Further, they require an entirely unreasonable level of expertise and involvement by the individual consumer. Dick’s essential three pillars are not yet in place, but they will be someday. In the meantime, the Smart Grid can be advanced through logical extensions of three existing pillars of distributing automation: (1) sensors / controllers (SCADA, AMR, AVL, etc.), (2) two-way digital TCP/IP communications, and (3) decision software (ERP, OMS, GIS) that will move the industry closer to active distribution grid management. That is, move the planning and operation of the grid toward predictive anticipation and management rather than reactive monitoring and recovery. This will make it more likely that the industry can be ready to build successfully on the three pillars that Dr. Tabors identifies.
Written by Steve Collier | Jul 29, 2009 | (0) Comments
SUBJECT: Initial List of Smart Grid Interoperability Standards; Request for Comments (FR Doc. E9-13514)
Written by Steve Collier | Jul 09, 2009 | (12) Comments
Microsoft has announced Hohm (Home + Ohm?) to compete with Google’s PowerMeter. Microsoft’s offering goes beyond Google’s by including all utilities, not just participating partners and by extending to natural gas. Neither are particularly useful yet for most retail consumers, but both are extremely significant precursors to profound changes in the way the electric utility business works. There are several important trends that these virtual meters signify.
Written by Steve Collier | Jun 25, 2009 | (1) Comments
There is a thought provoking article on the microgrid and smart homes in the July / August issue of Fast Company magazine. You should take a look at “Why the Microgrid Could be the Answer to Our Energy Crisis” because it will stretch the limits of your thinking about the electric utility business.
This article has an interesting correlation with something that I saw last week while visiting Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative in Bastrop, Texas. Their CEO, Mark Rose, is proactively planning for a future in which the cooperative is “energy neutral.” That is, he wants and expects that his customers, both residential and commercial / industrial, will generate enough power and energy to that the annual net take by Bluebonnet from the grid is near zero. Why? Because Mark does not believe that the incumbent electric utilities, including their current wholesale supplier, the Lower Colorado River Authority, will be willing or able to provide enough generation capacity that is acceptably economical, reliable, sustainable or environmentally benign to meet Bluebonnet’s rapidly growing demand.
Written by Steve Collier | Jun 24, 2009 | (0) Comments
Tom Casey, CEO of CURRENT Group LLC, addressed the Milsoft Utility Solutions 2009 User Conference this morning in San Antonio, Texas. CURRENT Group is a global leader in Smart Grid thinking and deployment with an emphasis is on utilizing electronics, telecommunications and information technologies to improve the monitoring and control of the electric distribution grid.
Tom suggested that the term “smart grid” means something different to every person who talks about it, but that everyone pretty much agrees that the electric grid is going to have to get “smarter.” He explained that meeting consumers’ demand for electric energy in the US is going to get progressively more difficult and expensive, making it increasingly important to improve efficiency both for electric utilities and their customers. His list of motivating factors included generation capacity shortages, governmental restrictions on carbon emissions, and increasing penetration of renewable energy sources like solar and wind.
Written by Steve Collier | Jun 17, 2009 | (4) Comments
What is the “Smart Grid” and why is it getting so much attention? This is the first in a series of articles that will examine Smart Grid issues and Milsoft’s Smart Grid software solutions. This first installment will cover some foundational concepts and principles. These include:
The next installment will describe why a Smart Grid is necessary. The following installment will describe the characteristics of a Smart Grid and how it can be achieved.
For starters, what is a “grid?” It is a system of electrical generators connected by transmission and distribution lines and equipment to devices that consume electricity. The purpose of the grid is to supply consumers’ enough power and energy to meet consumers’ demands with acceptable economy, reliability and quality. All of the generators, transmission and distribution lines and energy consumption devices in the United States are often referred to as “the grid” although there is actually a collection of some 3,000 plus smaller grids connected together. In some cases the interconnections between and among the smaller grids are numerous and robust. In others the interconnections are few and weak. In every case, however, as further explained below, the grid is fixed, not fluid; ponderous, not agile; reactive, not pro-active; pre-programmed, not adaptable. The grid is not smart.
Written by Steve Collier | Jun 14, 2009 | (6) Comments