Moving forward to a smarter grid

Our country's electric grid consists of a network of transmissions lines, substation, transformers and more that deliver electricity from the power plant to our home or business—allowing us to connect power to our appliances. However, our grids are generating to its capacity.

To move forward, we need a new kind of electric grid, one that is built from the bottom up to handle digital and computerised equipment and technology-dependent on it. The network can automate and manage the increasing complexity and needs of electricity.

A smart grid is a digital technology that allows for two-way communication between the utility and its customers. The sense along the transmission lines is what makes the grid smart. The network will consist of controls, computers, automation, and new technologies and equipment working together. These technologies will work with the electrical grid to respond digitally to our quickly changing electric demand.

By smart grids having a two-way interactive capacity, the grid will allow for automatic rerouting when equipment fails, or outages occur. The network will detect and isolate the outages, containing them before they become large-scale blackouts. Furthermore, it can address an ageing energy infrastructure that needs to be upgraded or replaced.

Renewable energy

Smart grid technology is enabling the effective management and distribution of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydrogen. It allows a connection of a variety of distributed energy resource assets to the power grid. It can also integrate sensors, charging points for electric vehicles and energy storage to accommodate more meaningful use of large- and small-scale wind and solar.

I feel that it will encourage a lot of people to buy either personal solar panels or wind turbines as they can produce their electricity which they use to save money instead of purchase electricity from the grid. That money being saved can pay off the technology in about 5 to 10 years, maybe even less with innovations in these technologies to produce more technologies. Lastly, they can sell excess electricity which means that once they pay off the cost for these technologies, they can make an income from selling excess power back into the grid, helping with supply peak periods of electricity use.

Smart Meters

A smart metering system is an electronic system capable of measuring electricity fed into the grid, or electricity consumer from the grid, providing more information than conventional meters. Smart meters work with an intelligent network to transmit and receive data for information, monitor and control purpose, using a form of electronic communication. Consumers will no longer have to wait for their monthly statement to know how much electricity they use.

With a smarter grid, you can have a clear and timely picture of it. You can see how much electricity you use when you use it, and its costs. Real-time pricing allows you to save, money by using less power when electricity is most expensive. Overall it gives greater control to the consumer as it offers consumers the information and tools to make choices about their energy use. They are allowing consumers the ability to manage their electricity from their home computer.

Furthermore, the accurate information of consumers will allow suppliers to offer more cost-reflective tariffs that reward consumers for using energy at off-peak and lower price times or generating projects using smart technologies

Smart grids will move the energy industry into an era of reliability, availability, and efficiency that will contribute to our economic and environmental health. Benefits of a smart grid include:

• More efficient transmission of electricity

• Quicker restoration of electricity after power disturbances

• Reduced operations and management costs for utilities, and ultimately lower power costs for consumers

• Reduced peak demand, which will also help lower electricity rates

• Increased integration of large-scale renewable energy systems

• Better integration of customer-owner power generation systems, including renewable energy systems

• Helps boosts jobs in renewable energy

• Improved security: drawing on greater amounts of home-grown electricity that is more resistant to natural disasters and attack