Three foundational capabilities making the smart grid a reality

As the grid topology changes, we see flexible load management as a keystone to optimize the grid. And we’re helping utilities create flexible energy systems through novel abilities to predict, prepare and manage ever-changing energy systems and needs.

1. Incident isolation increases power availability despite accelerating weather events. Every year, extreme weather and natural disasters reach new extremes, causing more service interruptions and safety concerns for the utility workers who need to repair or replace equipment.

Intelligent equipment is helping reduce interruption frequency and duration by automatically and remotely isolating and managing faults. For example, the latest recloser technology can respond to fault conditions faster, automatically reconfiguring energy flow and minimizing the impact of a power outage and improving electric grid availability.

2. Sophisticated modeling and planning are essential for quickly integrating renewables and planning capacity requirements. Can adding a battery system, for example, help defer or avoid costly grid upgrades for a community? Highly complex engineering analysis is required to determine where and if distributed energy resources (DERs) can be added.

While engineering resources are in short supply and high demand, we’re simplifying complex engineering analysis for utilities through sophisticated software that delivers the knowledge needed. Novel digital tools are helping inform decisions and close the gap between regulatory pressures to decarbonize energy systems and making it happen. And new analytics provide greater insights into grid potential and performance. These capabilities empower utilities to quickly and accurately identify optimal approaches to integrate renewables, add storage and expand energy efficiency programs.

3.    Real-time response to improve grid reliability as more variability is introduced. With more renewables coming online, stabilizing grid voltage takes more effort. And as we start to rely on the grid to energize our vehicles and more of our homes and buildings, addressing grid efficiency and stability is increasingly important.

Through equipment, software and services, we’re helping utilities optimize the grid. For example, our breakout integrated Volt/VAR control software helps manage power factor and power quality. Plus, it supports conservation voltage reduction (CVR), a voltage reduction strategy that reduces demand and energy usage, so a greater percentage of energy is delivered to utility customers, while helping to defer new generation capacity additions and reducing carbon footprint. This means power that’s more efficient, higher quality and less costly. 

Moving toward new energy frontiers

For more than a century, power has flowed in one direction—from large, centralized power plants to utility customers. That’s no longer true. Today, there’s an enormous opportunity to transform the distribution network to support an increasingly electrified world with far more distributed generation.

We know the distribution network will need to work harder and do more to power a sustainable, resilient future. Despite weather events, the power needs to stay on. As our world electrifies, we’re going to reach new peak requirements and energize them. And rather than simply managing energy supply to meet demand, new grid intelligence will help balance supply and demand.

Utilities are making a massive impact to help the world realize a low-carbon future. And we’re helping accelerate this transformation with creative solutions that reduce interruption frequency and duration, drive operational efficiency and manage a fragmented distribution system—bringing a new smart grid into focus.  

References

^{1 U.S. Energy Information Administration (IEA), (January 2022). Solar power will account for nearly half of new U.S. electric generating capacity in 2022. Retrieved from https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=50818}