RFSmart Grid Tutorial: Operations, Technologies, and Key Companies
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This tutorial provides an overview of smart grids, including their basics, operations, technologies, and key companies involved in their development and deployment in both the USA and India.
The term “Grid” refers to a network of high-tension cables that distribute electrical power across a region, providing service to consumers.
What is a Smart Grid?
A smart grid is an electricity network that utilizes digital and other advanced technologies to manage and monitor the transport of electricity from sources to destinations. “Sources” refers to power generation sources, while “destinations” refers to end-users.
The primary goal of smart grids is to coordinate different parts of the system as efficiently as possible, encompassing grid operators, end-users, electricity stakeholders, and more.
Smart Grid Operations
Figure 1 (not provided, see URL above) depicts smart communication-based applications within a smart grid. The hierarchy of operations is as follows:
- Integrated Utility Business Operation: Encompasses asset management, data warehousing, and other essential business functions.
- Added Value Network Management & Optimization: Includes applications and systems for network planning, meter data management, network information, and advanced applications such as EMS (Energy Management System), DMS (Distribution Management System), EBM (Energy Business Management), and trading platforms.
- Network Control and Supervision: Involves single or multi-utility control systems, such as SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition).
- Communication: Private and public communication networks that enable data exchange and control.
- Field Data Acquisition, Local Control, and Automation: Includes RTUs (Remote Terminal Units), meters, protection devices, and other field equipment.
Smart Grid Architecture
The figure above depicts a typical smart grid architecture and its various components and modules.
Smart Grid Technologies
The following table outlines various key technologies employed in smart grids:
| Technology | Hardware | Systems/Software |
|---|---|---|
| Wide Area Monitoring and control | Phasor measurement units, sensor equipments | SCADA, WAMS(Wide Area Monitoring Systems), WAAPCA(Wide Area Adaptive Protection Control and Automation), WASA(Wide Area Situational Awareness) |
| Information and communication technology integration | Communication equipments such as wimax, lte; routers, relays, gateways, switches | ERP ( enterprise resource planning software) , CIS (Customer Information System) |
| Renewed and distributed generation integration | Power conditioning equipment for grid and for bulk power | EMS(Energy Management System), DMS(Distributed Management System) |
| Transmission enhancement | Superconductors, HVDC, FACTS | Network stability analysis, automatic recovery systems |
| distribution grid management | Automated re-closers, switches, capacitors, remote controlled distributed generation, wire and cable sensors, transformer sensors | GIS (Geographic Information System) , DMS, OMS (Outage Management System), WMS (Workforce Management System) |
| advanced metering infrastructure | Smart meter, relays, servers, in-home displays | MDMS (Meter data management system) |
| electric vehicle charging infrastructure | Charging infrastructure, batteries, inverters | Energy billing, smart grid to vehicle charging (G2V), discharging vehicle to grid (G2V) methodologies |
| customer side systems | Smart appliances, routers, smart thermostat, thermal accumulators, energy dashboards, energy applications for smart phones and tablets, energy management systems |
Smart Grid Companies: USA
The following table lists leading smart grid companies in the USA:
| Company Name |
|---|
| ABB |
| Cisco |
| IBM |
| Itron |
| Siemens |
| S&C |
| Schneider Electric |
| Opower |
| Silver Springs Networks |
| Tendril |
Smart Grid Companies: INDIA
Many of the companies listed for the USA (ABB, Cisco, SIEMENS, Schneider Electric, and IBM) also operate in India. The following table lists additional prominent smart grid companies in India:
| Company Name |
|---|
| CapGemini |
| HCL Infosystems |
| New Delhi Power Ltd |
| General Electric |
| Power Grid |
| Telvent |
| Larsen & Toubro |
| Echelon Corporation |
| Infosys |
| Accenture |
| e-Meter |
| Ecolibrium Energy |
| KEMA |
| TriDium |
| Mahindra Satyam |
| Landys+Gyr |
| POSOCO (Power System Operation Corporation Limited) subsidiary of Power Grid Corporation |
| Kalkitech |
| Cyan Holding Plc. |
