Wrestling Mind: What is Smart Grid?

Definitions:

A Smart Grid is a power generation and distribution network based on two-way communication among all entities involved in the power market. It integrates large, centralized generation units and small, decentralized ones, along with consumers, into an overall structure. Advanced sensors that expand the automation structure, and a decentralized information and communications structure, are two of the factors that make this possible. These requirements enable the Smart Grid to increase the efficiency, reliability and security of the power supply chain. Another critical aspect of the Smart Grid system is that it allows end consumers to actively participate in the energy market and thus make a contribution to climate protection (from Siemens Website).
SMART GRID is the transmission and distribution power grid of the future. Electrical grids need to deliver more energy, with greater flexibility, and in a more complex environment - but with the same infrastructure - going from today's one-way centralized electricity network towards a dynamic and bidirectional flow of energy and data (from Areva's Website).

Why do you need a Smart Grid?

The world has to face unprecedented energy challenges: climate change, population growth, and a rising demand for energy. And the world is increasingly looking to the electric power industry for solutions. Regulation policies are put in place to meet demanding climate protection aims. On the other hand, the existing grid structure is aging and often already being strained to the limit. Liberalized markets and increasing energy trade is putting further stress on the grids, particularly where power systems meet at national borders. Above that, the further increase of fluctuating infeed from distributed, small-scale renewable generation makes it more difficult to keep grids stable. In short, today’s grids, a 20th century infrastructure, have to cope with the challenges of the 21st century. To master these challenges successfully, it is time for these grids to turn smart.
A true smart grid will integrate advanced intelligence from the customer to the generator and everywhere in between
A smart will be:
o Largely self healing
o More flexible
o More reliable
o Safer
A smart grid will integrate thousands of IEDs sending and analyzing millions of pieces of data per minute to produce actionable information – and using that information to control the electric system
The self healing grid:
o A self healing smart grid will prevent large scale regional outages by responding much more quickly than humans
o The integrated and interconnected IEDs of the smart grid will:
§ Identify
§ Analyze
§ Isolate
§ Remediate § Report
The flexible grid:
o By adding much more sophisticated intelligence and control, the smart grid will allow:
§ Higher transmission transfer capacity
§ Integration of more renewable/intermittent resources
§ More efficient and effective maintenance practices
§ Faster restoration when outages are unavoidable
§ More customer choice and energy self-determination.
The reliable grid:
o The smart grid will improve reliability by:
§ Reconfiguring the system within cycles
§ Isolating unavoidable outages to smaller areas
§ Enabling repair crews to precisely identify and geographically target problems quickly and efficiently.
The Safer Grid:
o The smart grid will be safer for workers and the public by:
§ Detecting many problems before catastrophic failure
§ Replacing oil-filled equipment with solid dielectric (trafo) or vaccum-operated components (fault interrupters)
§ Preventing equipment overloads (eg. Fault current limiters)
§ Placing more failure prone equipment above ground
§ Better equipping workers to avoid danger