Future of Power Systems
SMART GRIDS & IoT
Internet Of Things (IoT) has ventured into almost every field of engineering and now it is at the peak of revolutionizing electrical networks.
A recent survey has concluded that there are currently 30.73 billion devices ranging from home appliances to vehicles that are augmented with Sensors, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags/devices, etc which can connect to the Internet and IoT is a network where such devices can interchange data and commands to identify, locate and control objects in the physical world.
One such concept I’d like to share in this article is an IoT based application known as Smart Grid.
A Smart grid is the next-generation electrical network allowing devices to communicate between the suppliers and the consumers bidirectionally, thereby empowering all the players to manage the demand power, protect the distribution network, save electrical energy and reduce costs.
Smart grids aim at an overall control, monitoring and examination of the entire electrical network. A lot of devices are installed in various locations to monitor and control the system apart from triggering alarms during emergencies. Various sensors are present at the generation side, transmission towers and at distributing ends in conjunction with smart meters at the consumer side. Communication between various sectors of the network takes place in a common digital IP based channel and the data is stored in cloud storage.
Smart Meters installed at the mains of domestic as well as industrial infrastructures facilitate consumers to interact with the power companies and wirelessly monitor (through mobile-based apps) their energy consumption on an hourly basis and hence reducing their electricity bills. The IoT enabled smart grid is the first footing in every global smart city mission and is solid proof of how IoT can be coupled with other vectors such as the Smart Street Lighting system or the Smart Traffic Management systems.
Data generated in the smart-grids is huge when compared to that of conventional ones due to the duplex mode of communication between the consumer and the supplier. An intelligent, sophisticated infrastructure utilized within a proper framework in the hands of skilled personnel is essential to prevent chaos in the system. Network operators can analyze information about the coordinates with power shortages plus the stations with excess power handling capacity at that instant of time including the previous and future trends of power consumptions for set periods which helps the grid operators predict the load patterns and regulate the generation at stations, arrange for back-up, call on/off storage units, etc when required efficiently using the generators to handle load fluctuations. All these contribute to the increased efficiency of the system and the reduction of money paid for electricity bills paid by the consumers.
Pros and Cons:
A smart grid-based power system adds resilience to the system and aids power companies in assessing the systems health status with more accuracy and at a faster rate. Quick response is required to prevent fault escalation and for decades grid operators have been struggling during the occurrence of faults to clear them within the minimal response time and damage due to their low tolerance levels. IoT seems to solve this issue since we know many conditions such as the low p.f, heating of transformers, reactive power issues beforehand preventing power shortages and blackouts. A Smart Power Electronic based system specially designed for DC backup Systems coupled with IoT and smart meters at special spots like hospitals analyzes the charging and discharging time of the battery and displays the health of the battery at that instant.
The advent of IoT based systems questions the integrity and security of private and sensitive information of all the stakeholders involved paving the way to cybercrimes. For instance, the data about air-conditioner usage at a particular residence reveals information about the presence of people in the home. There are other situations where we need to depend on wired protocols which bring in challenges like signal attenuation complicating the system.
Current Scenario:
Global pioneers such as Siemens, GE Energy, Lucas Nulle, InnoEnergy, etc. are relentlessly working to manufacture necessary smart components and implement them in cities across Europe and the USA. On the other hand, IT service providers are constantly striving to update their systems and technologies to support this huge and complex network.
Hope we progress towards a sustainable, clean and green future!!
References
1) Maçon-Dauxerre, E. (2020, February 24). Building the SMART Grid: IoT in energy management and monitoring. Telit. Retrieved September 29, 2021, from https://www.telit.com/blog/iot-smart-grid-benefits/.
2) Al-Turjman, Fadi, and Mohammad Abujubbeh. “IoT-Enabled Smart Grid Via SM: An Overview.” Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 96, 2019, pp. 579–590., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2019.02.012.
3) Z. Davoody-Beni, N. Sheini-Shahvand, H. Shahinzadeh, M. Moazzami, M. Shaneh and G. B. Gharehpetian, "Application of IoT in Smart Grid: Challenges and Solutions," 2019 5th Iranian Conference on Signal Processing and Intelligent Systems (ICSPIS), 2019, pp. 1-8, doi: 10.1109/ICSPIS48872.2019.9066025
4)What is the smart grid and how is it enabled by iot? Digi International. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2021, from https://www.digi.com/blog/post/what-is-the-smart-grid-and-how-enabled-by-iot.
5) R. Morello, C. De Capua, G. Fulco and S. C. Mukhopadhyay, "A Smart Power Meter to Monitor Energy Flow in Smart Grids: The Role of Advanced Sensing and IoT in the Electric Grid of the Future," in IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 17, no. 23, pp. 7828-7837, 1 Dec.1, 2017, doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2017.2760014.
6) 3, Ram February, et al. “What Is Power System? Definition & Structure of Power System.” Circuit Globe, 13 Dec. 2016, https://circuitglobe.com/power-system.html.
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