CURRENT Group CEO Talks Smart Grid at Milsoft User Conference
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.
Casey explained that in order to maintain reliability and improve efficiency, electric utilities must be able to monitor and control in real time the details of what is occurring on their distribution systems from voltage, current and phase angle to the circumstances and activities of the retail customer. The distribution grid conditions may change as a result of design, capabilities, availability and reliability of the grid facilities and equipment. Customer circumstances will vary from actions taken to achieve cost and environmental goals to distributed energy management systems, on-site generation or a plug in electric vehicle.
An electric distribution grid operator wishing to maintain or improve efficiency, reliability, sustainability and customer service will require more and better electronic sensors with built-in analytical capabilities plus digital two-way communications back to the utility. System analysis and management software and automated remote control capabilities will be required to take full advantage of the data and analysis being reported by the sensors.
Casey said that the smart grid is not about an automatic meter reading device and a programmable thermostat; it’s about making the grid itself more transparent and intelligent. This is a change in the foundational nature of the business similar to what has happened in the telecommunications grid.
Written by Steve Collier | Jun 17, 2009