SMART GRID

UNIT-I : Introduction to smart grid

1.1. Today’s grid versus the smart grid,
1.2. Drivers of smart grid,
1.3. Functionalities and key components of smart grid,
1.4. Smart grid components for transmission system,
1.5. Smart grid functionalities at distribution level,
1.6. Smart grid vision and road map to India,
• Policies, standards, regulations,
• National smart grid mission framework.
 What is the Smart Grid?
• The Smart Grid concept combines a number of technologies, end-user
solutions and addresses a number of policy and regulatory drivers. It does
not have a single clear definition.

• The European Technology Platform defines the Smart Grid as:

“A Smart Grid is an electricity network that can intelligently integrate
the actions of all users connected to it – generators, consumers and those that
do both – in order to efficiently deliver sustainable, economic and secure
electricity supplies.”

• According to the US Department of Energy:

“A smart grid uses digital technology to improve reliability, security, and
efficiency (both economic and energy) of the electric system from large
generation, through the delivery systems to electricity consumers and a growing
number of distributed-generation and storage resources.”
• In Smarter Grids: The Opportunity, the Smart Grid is defined as
(Department of Energy and Climate Change, UK):
“A smart grid uses sensing, embedded processing and digital
communications to enable the electricity grid to be observable (able to be
measured and visualised), controllable (able to manipulated and optimised),
automated (able to adapt and self-heal), fully integrated (fully interoperable
with existing systems and with the capacity to incorporate a diverse set of
energy sources).”
• A shift from centralized generation to decentralize generation is happening.
The traditional boundaries between generation, transmission and
distribution are fast disappearing and the grid is evolving into an integrated
smart grid, a unique solution which integrates all type of power generation
and helps the consumer becomes a producer and consumer (prosumer).
• Each household will be able to generate and store electricity for its own use
or sell it to the grid. Smart grid technologies can empower customers with
real time control and the choice to generate, store and consume electricity at
lowest cost available or sell it to the grid during the surplus generation while
ensuring high quality and availability of power.
• With the help of programs like demand response (DR), customers can
change their consumption patterns by shifting their consumption from
expensive peak hours to cheaper off peak hours making the power flow
more interactive, efficient, more environment and customer friendly
 Smart Grid - Analogy with Human Body
The picture below depicts the analogy of a smart grid with human body.

Figure 1: Analogy of a Smart Grid with Human Body

• Key components to make an existing grid smarter is to have two way

communicable sensors to monitor and control power flows in real time
and IT systems to process the data captured and issue commands and
alerts.
Two way interaction
 OVERVIEW OF SMART GRIDS
• The smart grid is the evolving electric grid with advanced automation,
control, IT and IOT systems that enables real-time monitoring and control of
power flows from sources of generation to sources of consumption.
• A set of technologies enable these functionalities and help manage electricity
demand in a sustainable, reliable and economic manner.
• Smart grids can provide consumers with real-time information on their
energy use, support pricing that reflects changes in supply and demand, and
enable smart appliances and devices to help consumers exercise choices in
terms of usage of energy.
• “Smart grid is an electricity grid with communication, automation and IT
systems that enable real time monitoring and control of bi-directional power
flows and information flows from points of generation to points of
consumption at the appliances level.”
 Overview of the technologies
required for the Smart Grid
1. Information and communications technologies: These include:
(a) two-way communication technologies to provide connectivity between
different components in the power system and loads;
(b) open architectures for plug-and-play of home appliances; electric vehicles
and micro-generation;
(c) communications, and the necessary software and hardware to provide
customers with greater information, enable customers to trade in energy
markets and enable customers to provide demand-side response;
(d) software to ensure and maintain the security of information and standards
to provide scalability and interoperability of information and communication
systems.
2. Sensing, measurement, control and automation technologies: These
include:
(a) Intelligent Electronic Devices (IED) to provide advanced protective relaying,
measurements, fault records and event records for the power system;
(b) Phasor Measurement Units (PMU) and Wide Area Monitoring, Protection
and Control (WAMPAC) to ensure the security of the power system;
(c) Integrated sensors, measurements, control and automation systems and
information and communication technologies to provide rapid diagnosis and
timely response to any event in different parts of the power system. These will
support enhanced asset management and efficient operation of power system
components, to help relieve congestion in transmission and distribution circuits
and to prevent or minimise potential outages and enable working autonomously
when conditions require quick resolution.
(d) Smart appliances, communication, controls and monitors to maximise safety,
comfort, convenience, and energy savings of homes;
(e) Smart meters, communication, displays and associated software to allow
customers to have greater choice and control over electricity and gas use. They
will provide consumers with accurate bills, along with faster and easier supplier
switching, to give consumers accurate real-time information on their electricity
and gas use and other related information and to enable demand management
and demand side participation.
3. Power electronics and energy storage: These include:
(a) High Voltage DC (HVDC) transmission and back-to-back schemes and
Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) to enable long distance transport
and integration of renewable energy sources;
(b) Different power electronic interfaces and power electronic supporting
devices to provide efficient connection of renewable energy sources and
energy storage devices;
(c) Series capacitors, Unified Power Flow Controllers (UPFC) and other FACTS
devices to provide greater control over power flows in the AC grid;
(d) HVDC, FACTS and active filters together with integrated communication
and control to ensure greater system flexibility, supply reliability and power
quality;
(e) Power electronic interfaces and integrated communication and control to
support system operations by controlling renewable energy sources, energy
storage and consumer loads;
(f) Energy storage to facilitate greater flexibility and reliability of the power
system.
 1.1. TODAY ’S GRID VERSUS THE SMART
GRID
• Several factors contribute to the inability of today’s grid to efficiently
meet the demand for reliable power supply. Table. 1 compares the
characteristics of today’s grid with the preferred characteristics of the
smart grid.
TABLE 1. Comparison of Today ’ s Grid vs. Smart Grid
 1.2. DRIVERS FOR SMART GRID
• Since the early 21st century, advancement in electronic communication
technology is being used to resolve the limitations and costs of the electrical
grid. Technological limitations on metering no longer force peak power
prices to be averaged out and passed on to all consumers equally.
• Key drivers for smart grids for different stakeholders in the Indian context
are:
1.2.1. UTILITIES:
 Reduction in Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses
 Peak load management – multiple options from direct load control to
price incentives to customers
 Reduction in power purchase cost
 Better asset management
 Increased grid visibility
 Self-healing grid- faster restoration of electricity after fault or
disturbances
 Renewable energy integration
1.2.2. CUSTOMERS:
 24x7 Power for All
 Improved reliability of supply to all customers – no power cuts, no more
DG sets and inverters for back up
 Improved quality of supply – no more voltage stabilizers
 User friendly and transparent interface with utilities
 Increased choice for customers – including green power
 “Prosumer” enablement – can produce own electricity and consume or sell
 Options to save money by shifting loads from peak hours to off-peak
periods

• 1.2.3. GOVERNMENTS AND REGULATORS:

 Satisfied customers
 Financially sound utilities
 Tariff neutral system upgrade and modernization
 Reduction in emission intensity
1.3. FUNCTIONALITIES AND KEY COMPONENTS OF
SMART GRIDS

Figure 2: Smart Grid Functionalities

Following are the key functionalities and components of smart grids:
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Energy Management
Systems (EMS) at Transmission level and SCADA and Distribution
Management Systems (DMS) at distribution level
• Distribution Automation
• Substation Automation
• Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
• Geographical Information System (GIS) Map
• Peak Load and Power Quality Management
• Outage Management System
• Distribution Transformer Monitoring System
• Mobile Crew Management System
• Enterprise IT Systems
• Application Integration
• Wide Area Monitoring Systems (WAMS)
• Smart Street Lights (with noise and pollution sensors)
• Energy Storage
• Electric Vehicles
• Distributed Energy Resources and Renewable Energy Integration
• Common Command Control Room
• Customer Engagement
• Social Media for Utility
• Cyber Security
 1.4. SMART GRID COMPONENTS FOR
TRANSMISSION SYSTEM
• 1.4.1. SCADA SYSTEM
• Extra high voltage (EHV) transmission network (110kV and above) was
traditionally smart or intelligent with automation and real-time
communication systems integrated for system operations.
• The load dispatch centres or control centres of EHV systems have
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Energy
Management System (EMS) which help monitor and control the power
flows in real-time.
• In order to facilitate the functioning of SCADA/EMS, the EHV network
have dedicated communication systems between the control centre and
all generating stations and EHV Substations.
• From the control centre the operators can control generation as well as
loads at the substations.
• SCADA Overview
• SCADA refers to a system that collects data from various sensors at a factory,
power plant, transmission system or in other remote locations and then
sends this data to a central computer which then manages and controls the
system. SCADA has the ability to monitor an entire system in real time and
can run with relatively little human intervention. This is facilitated by data
acquisitions from various sensors and meters.
• Components of SCADA
SCADA has a Master Station and several remote stations that are equipped
with:
• In the Master Station:
 Local Area Network (LAN)
 Servers
 LCD Screens
• In a Remote Stations:
 Transducers (analog inputs)
 Interposing Relays
 Remote Terminal Unit (RTU)
 Local Display
 Logger/Archiver
• Functioning of SCADA
 Data Acquisition
 Supervisory Control
 Tagging
 Time Synchronization of RTUs
 Alarms
 Logging (Recording)
 Load Monitoring with Display and Logging
 Trending
• RTUs are installed at field devices - substations and other field equipment.
• SCADA communicate with a large range of external devices like
programmable logic controllers (PLC) and industry specific meters through
the RTUs.
• In order to link up and access with these devices, various open
communication standards are used.
• And these devices need to have a mechanism to open up its parameters (or
data) for SCADA to access - either for read, write or both.
• SCADA assigns a variable or memory location for each individual parameter
or data from each device.
• This variable is called “Tag”.
• “Tagging” means the process of managing tags.
• “Trending” displays provide a powerful means of displaying, evaluating and
selecting data for further processing and analysis.
 Communication System for SCADA

• SCADA require dedicated and reliable communication systems between

various field devices (RTU) and the Master Station.
• Traditionally electric utilities used Power Line Carrier (PLC) communications
in the past. The analog PLC could support limited bandwidth. PLC based
SCADA are still in operation in many places.
• Other communication options for SCADA are:
 Fiber Optic Cables (optic fiber ground wire or OPGW can be used as
earth wire on EHV lines)
 Microwave Communication
 Satellite Communication
 PSTN or public telecom network can also be leveraged by leasing
dedicated communication links from telecom operators (MPLS networks)
 1.4.2. ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS)

• Energy Management System (EMS) is a set of computer-aided tools used by

electric grid operators to monitor, control, and optimize the performance of
the generation and/or transmission systems.
• Functions of EMS:
 Real time network analysis and contingency analysis
 Study functions like power flow, power factor, security enhancement etc
 Real time generation functions – allows the operator to monitor, analyze
and control real time generation and automatic generation control (AGC)
 Economic dispatch - helps the dispatcher to determine economic base
points for a selected set of units
 Reserve monitoring for calculating spinning reserve, operating reserve
and regulating reserve
 Production costing – calculates the current cost of generating power of
online units
 Load forecasting
 Transaction scheduling
• Advanced functionalities:
 Enhanced grid reliability
 Increased grid capacity
 Advanced contingency awareness
 Decreased system support cost
 Secure system that meets regulatory requirements
• EMS works along with a SCADA system and EMS helps the control room
operator to manage the transmission system operation efficiently and
economically.
 1.4.3. WIDE AREA MONITORING SYSTEM (WAMS)
• With the deployment of phasor measurement units (PMU), fast and accurate
measurements from grid equipment is possible.
• Real-time wide area monitoring applications have strict latency requirements
in the range of 100 milli-seconds to 5 seconds.
• A fast communication infrastructure is needed for handling the huge amounts
of data from PMUs.
• Smart grid applications are designed to exploit these high throughput real-
time measurements.
• While SCADA data is collected in 1-5 seconds, PMU data is captured in
milliseconds.
• SCADA data has no time stamps but PMU data is accurately time stamped.
• While SCADA is like an X-Ray, PMU Data is like an MRI scan of the grid.
 1.5. SMART GRID FUNCTIONALITIES AT
DISTRIBUTION LEVEL
• The distribution grid comprises of medium voltage (33 & 11 kV) and low voltage
(415/230 V) network which traditionally had limited automation systems.
• Main reason for this was the cost of communication system for automation.
• Distribution grid in large utilities run in to hundreds of thousands of
kilometres and establishing reliable communication system between all end
points and the control centre was way too expensive.
• So there is no visibility of power flows in the low voltage network.
• Faults are also not automatically detected. Only when customers complain
about an outage the crew is dispatched to locate the fault and repair it.
• Hence the key focus of smart grid initiatives are focused on modernizing the
distribution grid with advanced automation and control features.
The main technologies in this domain are:
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Distribution
Management Systems
• Distribution Automation
• Substation Automation
• Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) or Smart Metering
• Geographical Information System (GIS)
• Peak Load Management
• Power Quality Management
• Outage Management System
• Distribution Transformer Monitoring System
• Mobile Crew Management System
• Enterprise IT Systems
• Application Integration
• Smart Street Lights (with noise and pollution sensors)
• Energy Storage
• Electric Vehicles
• Distributed Energy Resources and Renewable Energy Integration
• Customer Care Centre
• Customer Engagement
• Social Media
• Cyber Security
• Analytics
• Smart Homes, Buildings Energy Management Systems /Home Energy
Management Systems (BEMS/ HEMS)
I. SCADA AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (DMS)
• Features of SCADA system explained under previous section are similar for
distribution SCADA as well.
• RTUs for transmission SCADA are placed in high voltage substations, in case
of distribution SCADA besides RTUs in substations, there may be Field RTUs
(FRTUs) in distribution network at power transformer and distribution
transformer locations.
• Communication options for transmission SCADA and distribution SCADA
are also same – utilities select what is appropriate depending upon local
considerations.
Distribution Management System (DMS)
• DMS is a collection of software applications designed to monitor and control
the entire distribution network efficiently and reliably.
(Similar to EMS in transmission system)
DMS Functions
• Network Visualization and Support Tools
• Applications for Analytical and Remedial Actions
• Utility Planning Tools
• System Protection Schemes
II. DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION (DA)
• Distribution Automation (DA) refers to various automated control techniques
that optimize the performance of power distribution networks by allowing
individual devices to sense the operating conditions of the grid around them and
make adjustments to improve the overall power flow and optimize performance.
• In present scenario, grid operators in centralized control centres identify and
analyse their power system manually and intervene by either remotely activating
devices or dispatching a service technician.
• DA can be a critical component in outage prevention. The sensors and
communications associated with DA can provide early detection of the devices
that might not be working properly, thus allowing the utility to replace those
devices before an outright failure occurs.
• DA is considered the core part of a smart grid, interacting with almost all other
smart grid applications and making the grid more efficient and reliable.
• DA helps enable renewable energy (RE) by dynamically adjusting distribution
controls to accommodate variability, power ramping and bi-directional power
flows.
• At the heart of the Distribution Automation is SCADA/DMS.
• Other key components of DA are Remote Monitoring Unit (RMU), Sectionalizer,
Reclouser, Fault Locator and Capacitor Banks which are described in the next
slide.
SECTIONALIZER is a protective
device, used in conjunction with a
reclouser, or breaker and reclosing
relay, which isolates faulted sections
of the distribution lines. The
sectionalizer cannot interrupt fault
current.

RECLOUSERS are designed to

operate like a station breaker and
can interrupt fault current and
reclose a pre-set number of times
before going to lockout the faulted
section. Sectionalizer counts the
breaker and reclouser operations
during a fault sequence and open
when they reach their pre-set count
limit while the breaker or reclouser
is still open.
FAULT LOCATOR: the DA system
and its automated distribution
devices enable faulted load blocks to
be quickly identified, isolated and
power is re-routed to downstream
load blocks. However, the actual
fault still has to be found and
repaired by field crews before all
customers can be restored.

RING MAIN UNITS (RMU) are

installed in strategic locations on
every feeder to monitor and control
the Sectionalizers, Reclousers and
other equipment in the network

CAPACITOR BANKS: DA system

helps in controlling the capacitor
banks for controlling the voltage and
power factor.
III. SUBSTATION AUTOMATION
• Substation Automation (SA) system enables an electric utility to remotely
monitor, control and coordinate the distribution components installed in
the substation.
• SA has been focused on automation functions such as monitoring,
controlling, and collecting data inside the substations.
• SA overcomes the challenges of long service interruptions due to several
reasons such as equipment failures, lightning strikes, accidents and natural
catastrophes, power disturbances and outages in substations.
• Main component of SA is digital (or numeric) relays and associated
communication systems which can be operated remotely.
IV. ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE (AMI)
• Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) or Smart Metering comprises of
Smart Meters, Data Concentrator Units (DCUs)/gateways/routers/access
points, Head End System (HES), Meter Data Management System (MDMS)
communicating over bi-directional Wide Area Network (WAN),
Neighborhood Area Network (NAN)/Field Area Network (FAN) and Home
Area Network (HAN).
• Multiple smart meters can connect to a DCU/gateway/router/access point
which in turn send aggregated data to the HES.

Figure: Typical Architecture of AMI

• The smart meter can also directly communicate with the HES using
appropriate WAN technologies (for example GPRS sim cards in the smart
meters can directly send data to the HES on servers in the control room).
• The Meter Data Management System (MDMS) collects data from the HES
and processes it before sharing with billing system and other IT
applications. Appliances such TV, fridge, air conditioners, washing
machines, water heaters etc can be part of the Home Area Network (HAN).
• At the heart of AMI, is the Smart Meter. The key features that make a meter
‘smart’ are the addition of a communication module capable of two-way
Machine to Machine (M2M) communications and a remote
connect/disconnect switch.
• A smart meter is an electronic device that records consumption of electric
energy in intervals of an hour or less and communicates that information at
least daily back to the utility for monitoring and billing.
• Smart meters enable two-way communication between the meter and the
computers in the utility control centre.
• Smart Meters usually have real-time or near real-time sensors, power outage
notification, and power quality monitoring features.
• In-Home display (IHD) is a device kept in the customer’s premises that
could display meter data and get confirmation from the consumer regarding
his/her participation in a demand response program.
• Hence consumers will become informed and conscious.
• However, with the rise of the smart phone applications or ‘apps’, customers
would not require IHDs at their homes.
• A smart phone can work as an IHD and hence the utility or customers need
not invest in IHDs.
V. GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS)
• All electrical assets mapped on a GIS map (digital map) and all consumers
indexed to that map is a very important tool for a utility to plan and manage
their assets and operations.
• GIS map can be integrated with other automation and IT applications in the
utility as depicted in the figure below which will help asset optimization and
outage detection and faster restoration.

Figure: GIS Functionalities

• GIS maps need to be updated on a regular basis. Whenever a new asset is
added or removed or a new customer is given connection or an existing
customer is removed, that information must be captured in the GIS map so
that it remains up to date.
• The GIS maps of electric utilities would ideally include all the roads and
buildings in a town/locality. It can be a valuable asset for other
infrastructural service providers in the town for planning and management
of services like water distribution, gas distribution, transport planning and
management etc.
VI. PEAK LOAD MANAGEMENT
• Peak load management is achieved through a combination of policies and
techniques such as Time of Use Tariffs, Critical Peak Pricing and Demand
Response programs.
Demand Response (DR)
• Demand response is a mechanism in which the utility can curtail the load at
customer premises or disconnect certain equipment of the customer
remotely from the utility’s control centre.
• Customer participation for DR program is sought through incentives and
penalties. The customer engagement is the major success factor for the
demand response programs.
• Here the utility plays the role of shifting the load from peak hours/higher
market price hours to off-peak hours/lower market price hours of certain
equipment of the customer that is mutually agreed – large pumps, air-
conditioners, heaters, machineries etc.
• The benefits of DR include avoiding the use of the most expensive
generation plants during peak hours, avoiding construction of additional
generation, transmission and distribution capacity, and avoiding brownouts
and blackouts.
• Auto Demand Response (ADR) is shown in the figure below using
OpenADR Standard.
 Figure: Demand Response Process Flow
Image Source – https://www.smartgrid.gov/files/C6-Honeywell-final-draft-091814.pdf
VII. POWER QUALITY MANAGEMENT
• Voltage variation beyond stipulated limits and interruptions are major
power quality issues faced by customers.
• With proliferation of distributed and variable generation resources such as
solar PV and wind turbines which operates intermittently, it is increasingly
difficult to maintain quality of supply.
• On the other hand, modern loads with switch-mode power supply (SMPS)
such as computers, television, washing machines, air-conditioners,
refrigerators, LED lights, furnaces, inverter, UPS etc inject harmonic
distortion on the power system.
• Voltage and current are in sinusoidal wave form whereas the above category
loads with power electronics in them are in square wave form which lead to
generation of harmonics.
• With smart meters in the network, the utility will be capable of measuring
specific aspects such as power factors and voltages in near real-time.
• This will enable the utility to take appropriate actions to enhance the power
quality.
VIII. OUTAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (OMS)
• Outage Management System (OMS) provides the capability to
efficiently identify and resolve outages and to generate and report
valuable historical information.
• Geographic information System (GIS) based OMS will help to resolve
customer complaints faster during power outages.
• OMS will enable quick identification of probable faulty locations and
reduce the response time of customer complaints.
• OMS will work in conjunction with GIS, Customer Information
System (CIS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Mobile Crew
Management System and Automated Call Handling Systems, such as
an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system.
• OMS of an electric utility can be leveraged by other infrastructure
and services providers in a city at marginal cost.
IX. DISTRIBUTION TRANSFORMER (DT) MONITORING SYSTEM
• In most distribution utilities in India hundreds of distribution
transformers (DTs) get burned during every summer owing to over
loading or phase imbalances of the DTs.
• Remote monitoring of DTs will prevent overloading, phase imbalance
and burn outs of DTs. This will transform into huge financial savings
taking into account the high technical losses that occur in the system
owing to phase-imbalances - one phase gets overloaded while other
two phases are low on load.
• With monitoring systems in place the loads can be redistributed to
remove such imbalances on transformers. With DT monitoring
systems, overloaded DTs can be identified and replaced with higher
capacity DTs as load in the locality increases.
X. MOBILE CREW MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
• Mobile crew management system enables a utility to allot maintenance jobs
to the crews in the field on real-time basis.
• In the traditional model, crew attending any work in the field will always
return to their base station and then they will be dispatched to the next
work. This way their productivity is reduced.
• With mobile crew management systems, the work will get allotted to the
crew with required skills, tools and spare parts and nearest to the work
location. In that scenario, from one work location to another work location
they can quickly move, increasing their productivity multiple times. Also
information on the type of fault is made available on their Mobile to support
trouble shooting. Good mobile crew management applications will have real
time scheduling engine.
XI. ENTERPRISE IT SYSTEMS
Enterprise IT systems include:
• IT Network – LAN/WAN
• Mail-Messaging Systems
• Management Information Systems with Dashboards
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
• Portal/Website – Intranet and Customer Portal
With ERP, information that is fragmented in different systems can seamlessly
flow throughout the organization so that it can be shared by business processes
in grid operations, engineering, procurement, finance, accounting, human
resources, and other areas of the utility
Typical ERP modules for a Distribution Utility include:
• CRM – system to track new connections and disconnections, track customer
consumption, payment records, defaulters etc
• Enterprise Asset Management (EAM)
• Contracts Management
• Materials Management
• Projects Management
• Human Resources Management
• Finance Management
XII. ENTERPRISE APPLICATION INTEGRATION (EAI)
• Some of the data captured from field equipment and customer operations
are used by multiple applications in a utility and each applications calling
data from different databases creates serious issues in data integrity.
• The best way to handle this problem is through Application Integration
using a middleware platform.
• All data bases will be connected to this middleware and all applications will
also be linked to the middleware which will facilitate different applications
to call data from same database.
• Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is commonly used for application
integration using a middleware tool.
XIII. SMART STREET LIGHTS (WITH NOISE AND POLLUTION
SENSORS)
• Latest entrant in the smart grid and smart city solutions is smart street
lighting.
• Typical street lights using sodium vapour lamps consume huge amount of
power.
• These are being replaced with LED lamps in many cities and small towns.
• The saving from energy consumption will pay for the replacement cost in
less than two years in most cases.
• The new LED lights can be remotely controlled – features like
increase/decrease luminosity, switch off alternate lights during lean hours
etc are possible.
• The lights can be connected on GPRS, RF Mesh or WiFi in the city for its
remote operation.
• The newest trend is to install noise sensors and pollution sensors on the
street light poles (cobra heads) which will leverage the same communication
bandwidth to transmit the data to the control centres for monitoring noise
and air pollution.
XIV. ENERGY STORAGE
• Energy Storage Systems (ESS) will play a significant role in meeting energy
needs by improving the operating capabilities of the grid as well as
mitigating infrastructure investments.
• ESS can address issues with the transmission and dispatch of electricity,
while also regulating the quality and reliability of the power generated by
traditional and variable sources of power.
• ESS can also contribute to emergency preparedness. Modernizing the grid
will require a substantial deployment of energy storage.
• Energy storage technologies—such as pumped hydro, compressed air
energy storage, various types of batteries, flywheels, electrochemical
capacitors, etc. - provide for multiple applications: energy management,
backup power, peak shaving/shifting, frequency regulation, voltage support,
renewable energy integration and grid stabilization.
XV. ELECTRIC VEHICLES
• Electric Vehicles (EV) are propelled by an electric motor which is powered
by batteries which can be recharged using an external power source often
called as Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE).
• The most serious concern electric utilities have is controlling when EV load
is connected to their grid.
• A high percentage of consumers will instinctively charge their EVs when
they get home from work; the absence of load management would likely
have a destabilizing effect on the grid.
• Utilities must be prepared for multiple customers on the same transformer
wishing to charge their EVs at the same time.
• Smart Grid technologies will enable EV charging to be scheduled
intelligently.
• In addition, it enable the storage capacity of the batteries in EVs to be used
as a supplementary source of power at times of peak load; portion of the
power available in those batteries could be fed back into the network during
the peak time and the battery recharged during off peak time.
• Vehicle –Grid Integration (VGI) is an important component of the emerging
smart grid technologies.
Figure: EV Technologies & Integration (Image Source- RTC magazine report)
XVI. DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES AND RENEWABLE ENERGY
INTEGRATION
• Distributed energy resources (DER) are small, modular, energy generation
and storage devices such as rooftop PV systems, micro wind turbines, energy
storage batteries such as batteries in UPS, Inverters and EVs etc.
• DER systems may be either connected to the local electric power grid or
isolated from the grid in stand-alone applications.
• Renewable Energy Integration focuses on incorporating renewable energy,
distributed generation, energy storage and demand response into the
electricity transmission and distribution systems.
• A systems approach is being used to conduct integration development and
demonstrations to address technical, economic, regulatory, and
institutional barriers for using renewable and distributed systems.
• In addition to fully addressing operational issues, the integration also
establishes viable business models for incorporating these technologies into
capacity planning, grid operations, and demand-side management.
The goal of renewable energy integration is to advance system design, planning,
and operation of the electric grid to:

– Mitigate the intermittency of the renewable energy resources through better

forecasting, scheduling and dispatch of the power system as well as flexibility in
demand and generation
– Reduce emissions through increased use of renewable energy and other clean
distributed generation resources
– Increase asset use through integration of distributed systems and customer loads
to reduce peak load and thus lower the costs of electricity
– Support achievement of renewable portfolio standards for renewable energy and
energy efficiency
– Ensure reliability, security, and resiliency of the grid despite intermittency and
variability of generation from renewable resources
XVII. CUSTOMER CARE CENTRE
• Most distribution utilities today have state of the art 24x7 Customer Care
Centre (CCC) with sophisticated systems to address multiple calls.
• In India there is a four digit common number (1912) allotted for electricity
complaints.
• All operational and customer related systems are integrated with CCC so
that the call agent can address all types of queries from the customers.
• CCC is becoming an important part of the smart grid domain. Latest
addition to this is Chatbots for interaction with customers.
• Chatbots are algorithms that can engage with real people in chat sessions.
Many questions can be answered by chatbots instead of call agents.
• Entire interaction between the customer and the chatbots are recorded and
analysed by advanced analytical tools which will help rectify several issues
in the system which are otherwise difficult to detect.
XVIII. CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
• Experiences from around the globe indicate that engagement of customers
and their active participation is key to successful implementation and
operation of smart grid projects.
• Customers need to be taken in to confidence right from the beginning by
making them aware of the benefits of the new systems as well as educating
them how to enjoy the benefits of the new time of use tariff regime, demand
response schemes etc. so that they can effectively manage their energy
consumption and monitor their bills.
• Specialized agencies may be engaged by utilities to undertake a holistic
communication campaign to engage the customers from the project design
stage itself.
XIX. SOCIAL MEDIA FOR UTILITIES
• For a power utility, a call centre has traditionally been the single touch-point
with its customers.
• For utilities to be able to cope up with the changing times and start excelling in
their energy delivery, the customer service models are undergoing a paradigm
shift.
• A large number of electric utilities in the US are already using social media
platforms like Facebook, Twitter etc., to connect with their customers, issue
outbound communications, track customer complaints and queries etc.
• They are also being used as effective mediums for promoting energy efficiency
measures, imparting safety tips and proper usage of domestic appliances,
influencing customer behaviour and forging positive customer relationships
particularly during power outages and recovery efforts from weather related
incidents.
• However, reports indicate that 48 percent of U.S. customers believe companies
need to do a better job of integrating their online and offline experiences, and
over 50 percent of people surveyed in 2014 believed that local utilities should
harness the real-time communications of various social media channels to share
information.
• Utilities can provide much better services by integrating social media in their
outage management, crisis/disaster handling, billing and collection and other
customer related issues. In addition, social media can be a platform for
promotion of clean energy, DSM/DR activities, tariff plans, electric vehicle
usage etc.
• It can also prove as an effective tool for branding and promotion of good will.
XX. CYBER SECURITY
• The power sector is the critical infrastructure of a nation and other sectors
depend directly and indirectly on the power sector.
• Cyber-physical security is protection of the assets (both hardware and
software) from natural and manmade disasters and intended and
unintended activities.
• Since physical assets are associated with the cyber space of a utility, cyber-
physical security completely defines the security paradigm of a utility. This
dependency of the physical assets on the cyber assets (and vice versa), has
prompted the utilities to inject resiliency and robustness into their grids.
ISGF in association with National Critical Information Infrastructure
• Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and VJTI, a renowned engineering institute in
Mumbai, India has prepared a comprehensive framework for assessment of
cyber security readiness of power sector utilities and assessed a select set of
utilities in 2014-15.
• The top ten findings from those assessments were circulated to all utilities
in India to comply with. In 2016, ISGF in association with NCIIPC has
prepared the Indian Manual on Cyber Security for Power Systems which is
presently being reviewed by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) on behalf of
Ministry of Power. Most of the recommendations have already been
incorporated in the BIS Standard IS 16335: “Power Control systems - Security
Requirements”.
XXI. ANALYTICS
• In today’s competitive utilities market, the need to carefully and efficiently
manage the power grid is of paramount importance.
• Utilities must stay on top of shifting energy policies and changes in
technology while balancing concerns about energy security, environmental
sustainability and economic competitiveness.
• At the same time, customers demand reliability.
• The analytics solutions has the capabilities to analyse raw data captured
from within the energy grid, and produce trends and odd events and other
key operational parameters a utility needs to optimize capital expenditures,
reduce operating costs, quickly locate faults and make the grid more
efficient as well as address the customer needs.
XXII. SMART HOMES, BUILDING ENERGY MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM/HOME ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (BEMS/HEMS)
• BEMS/HEMS is a computer based control system installed in buildings that
controls and monitors the building’s mechanical and electrical equipment
such as air-conditioning and ventilation, lighting, water heaters, pumps,
other power consuming equipment, fire protection and security systems
Smart homes/buildings would offer monitoring and control of the
electricity usage within the building premises.
• Energy management systems is the core of home/building automation by
providing a means to efficiently consume electricity.
• In addition to a smart meter that would remotely connect and disconnect
the supply, smart appliances would provide the energy consumption data to
the customer and the utility.
• The customer could view the consumption data via an In-Home Display
(IHD) device or via SMS, e-mail, mobile app or by logging on to a customer
portal.
• Loads could also be remotely controlled via the aggregators or energy
management systems.
 1.6 SMART GRID VISION AND ROADMAP FOR
INDIA
Ministry of Power with the inputs from India Smart Grid Forum (ISGF) and
India Smart Grid Task Force (ISGTF) have issued Smart Grid Vision and
Roadmap for India in August 2013. Smart Grid Vision for India in this
document is to “Transform the Indian power sector into a secure, adaptive,
sustainable and digitally enabled ecosystem that provides reliable and quality
energy for all with active participation of stakeholders” In order to achieve this
vision, stakeholders are advised to formulate state/utility specific policies and
programs in alignment with following broad policies and targets which are in
line with MoP’s overarching policy objective of “Access, Availability and
Affordability of Power for All”
1.6.1 DISTRIBUTION
• Appropriate policies and programs to provide access to electricity for all with
uninterrupted life line supply (8 hours/day minimum, including the evening
peak) and electrification of 100% households by 2017. Also, continuous
improvement in quality and quantum of supply.
• Completion of on-going programs which will lay the building blocks of smart
grids such as system strengthening, consumer indexing, asset mapping as part
of RAPDRP, and planning for integration of such systems into future smart grid
deployments.
• Enabling programs and projects in distribution utilities to reduce AT&C losses
to below 15% by 2017, below 12% by 2022, and below 10% by 2027. • Integrated
technology trials through a set of smart grid pilot projects by 2015. Based on
outcome of the pilots, full rollout of smart grids in pilot project areas by 2017; in
major urban areas by 2022 and nationwide by 2027.
• Availability of an indigenous low cost smart meter by 2014. After successful
completion of pilots, AMI roll out for all customers in a phased manner based
on size of connection (and geography and utility business case), starting with
consumers with load >20 KW by 2017, 3- phase consumers by 2022 and all
consumers by 2027 by deploying smart meters and necessary IT and
communication infrastructure for the same. Innovative and sustainable
financing/business models for smart meter roll outs may be developed.
• Working with other stakeholders, building the National Optical Fiber
Network (NOFN) by connecting 2,50,000 village Panchayats in the country by
Optical Fiber Cable and extending the fiber link to all the 33/11 kV and above
substations to build a backbone communications network for the power sector
by 2017.
• Modernisation of distribution sub-stations and conversion of sub-stations in
all urban areas (starting with metro cities) to Gas Insulated Substations based
on techno-commercial feasibility in a phased manner through innovative
financing models.
• Development of Microgrids, storage options, virtual power plants (VPP), solar
photovoltaic to grid (PV2G), and building to grid (B2G) technologies in order to
manage peak demand, optimally use installed capacity and eliminate load
shedding and black-outs.
• Policies for mandatory roof top solar power generation for large
establishments, i.e., with connected load more than 20kW or otherwise
defined threshold.
• EV charging facilities may be created in all parking lots, institutional
buildings, apartment blocks etc; and quick/fast charging facilities to be built in
fuel stations and at strategic locations on highways.
• Microgrids in 1000 villages/industrial parks/commercial hubs by 2017 and
10,000 villages/industrial parks/commercial hubs by 2022, which can island
from the main grid during peak hours or grid disturbances.
• Optimally balancing different sources of generation through efficient
scheduling and dispatch of distributed energy resources (including captive
plants in the near term) with the goal of long term energy sustainability
1.6.2 TRANSMISSION
• Development of a reliable, secure and resilient grid supported by a strong
communication infrastructure that enables greater visibility and control of
efficient power flow between all sources of production and consumption by
2027
• Implementation of Wide Area Monitoring Systems (WAMS, using Phasor
Measurement Units, or PMUs) for the entire transmission system. Installation
of a larger number of PMUs on the transmission network by 2017 or sooner, as
guided by the results of initial deployments. Indigenization of WAMS
technology and PMU development and development of custom made analytics
for synchro phasor data by 2017.
• Setting up of Renewable Energy Monitoring Centre’s (REMCs) and Energy
Storage Systems to facilitate grid integration of renewable generation.
• 50,000 Kms of optical fiber cables to be installed over transmission lines by
the year 2017 to support implementation of smart grid technologies.
• Enabling programs and projects in transmission utilities to reduce
transmission losses to below 4% by 2017 and below 3.5% by 2022.
• Implement power system enhancements to facilitate evacuation and
integration of 30 GW renewable capacity by 2017, 80 GW by 2022, and 130 GW
by 2027 – or targets mutually agreed between Ministry of New and Renewable
Energy (MNRE) and MoP.
1.6.3 POLICIES, STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS
• Formulation of effective customer outreach and communication programs for
active involvement of consumers in the smart grid implementation.
• Development of state/utility specific strategic roadmap(s) for implementation
of smart grid technologies across the state/utility by 2014. Required business
process reengineering, change management and capacity building programs to
be initiated by 2014. State Regulators and utilities may take the lead here.
• Finalization of frameworks for cyber security assessment, audit and
certification of power utilities by end of 2013.
• Policies for grid-interconnection of captive/consumer generation facilities
(including renewables) where ever technically feasible; policies for roof-top
solar, net-metering/feed-in tariff; and policies for peaking power stations
by2014.
• Policies supporting improved tariffs such as dynamic tariffs, variable tariffs,
etc., including mandatory demand response (DR) programs, starting with bulk
consumers by 2014, and extending to all 3-phase (or otherwise defined
consumers) by 2017.
• Policies for energy efficiency in public infrastructure including EV charging
facilities by 2015 and for demand response ready appliances by 2017. Relevant
policies in this regard to be finalized by 2014
• Development/adoption of appropriate standards for smart grid development
in India–first set of standards by 2014; continuous engagement in evolution of
applicable standards relevant to the Indian context. Active involvement of
Indian experts in international bodies engaged in smart grid standards
development.
• Study the results of the first set of smart grid pilot projects and recommend
appropriate changes conducive to smart grid development in the Indian
Electricity Act / National Power Policy by end of 2015.
• Development of business models to create alternate revenue streams by
leveraging the smart grid infrastructure to offer other services (security
solutions, water metering, traffic solutions etc.) to municipalities, state
governments and other agencies.
• Development of Skill Development Centers for smart grid development in
line with the National Skill Development Policy 2009 for Power Sector by 2015.
1.6.4 OTHER INITIATIVES
• Tariff mechanisms, new energy products, energy options and programs to
encourage participation of customers in the energy markets that make them
“prosumers” – producers and consumers – by 2017.
• Create an effective information exchange platform that can be shared by all
market participants, including prosumers, in real time which will lead to the
development of energy markets.
• Investment in research and development, training and capacity building
programs for creation of adequate resource pools for developing and
implementing smart grid technologies in India as well as export of smart grid
know-how, products and services.
While many of the targets envisaged by 2017 are yet to be
achieved, some of the targets have been steeply raised by Government of India
(as in the case of renewable energy, smart metering etc). However the approach
of this road map is still relevant and it is time for an updated version of the
roadmap
1.6.5 NATIONAL SMART GRID MISSION (NSGM)
During stakeholder consultations in 2013 to finalize the Smart Grid Roadmap,
there was unanimous demand for launching a National Smart Grid Mission
(NSGM) which will plan and undertake smart grid developments in the
country. Accordingly Ministry of Power with inputs from ISGF and ISGTF
prepared the framework for NSGM which was approved by GoI in March 2015.
The basic structure of NSGM is given below:
Figure: National Smart Grid Mission Framework
• For day-to-day operations, NSGM has a NSGM Project Management Unit
(NPMU) headed by the Director NPMU.
• He will be a Member of the Governing Council and Empowered Committee,
and Member Secretary of Technical Committee.
• NPMU will be the implementing agency for operationalising the Smart Grid
activities in the country under the guidance of Governing Council and
Empowered Committee.
• NSGM is now operational and the NPMU is housed in Power Grid
Corporation Ltd (POWERGRID).
• Corresponding to the NSGM, each of the States will also have a State Level
Mission which would be chaired by the Power Secretary of the State.
• The administrative / operation and maintenance expenses in this regard
would be borne by respective States.
• NSGM will provide support for training and capacity building to State Level
Project Monitoring Units (SLPMUs) for smart grid activities.
• The Smart Grid Knowledge Center (SGKC) being developed by
POWERGRID with funding from MoP will act as a Resource Centre for
providing technical support to the Mission in all technical matters.
• This include development of technical manpower, capacity building,
outreach, suggesting curriculum changes in technical education etc.
• Ministry of Power has already sanctioned Rs 9.8 crore in this regard. The
SGKC shall undertake programs and activities envisaged for it as per the
guidance from NPMU. The Head of SGKC will report to Director NPMU.
The support from NSGM for implementation of Smart Grid projects would
primarily consist of the following indicative (not exhaustive) list of activities:
• Assistance in formulation of projects including pre-feasibility studies,
technology selection, cost benefit analysis, financing models etc.
• Funding of these projects, together with State DISCOMS and other financing
agencies
• Training and Capacity Building for SLPMUs & Project Implementation teams
• Technology selection guidelines and best practices
• Facilitate Consumer Awareness initiatives
• Project Appraisal post implementation To start the above activities, 30% of the
project cost of smart grid for most of the components will be provided as grant
from the NSGM budget. For certain selected components such as training and
capacity building, consumer engagement etc., there will be a 100% grant. The
extent of funding from NSGM budget will be finalized by the Empowered
Committee of the NSGM. The balance project cost (hardware, software
applications, erection testing commissioning, integration etc.) is to be funded
through innovative financing models which may include PPP model