SMART GRID

• The smart grid is an innovative energy network that will improve the
conventional electrical grid network to be more reliable, cooperative,
responsive, and economical.
• Within the context of the new capabilities, advanced data sensing,
communication, and networking technology will play a significant role in
shaping the future of the smart grid.
• The smart grid will rely on several existing and future wired and wireless
communication networking technologies such as power line communications
(PLC), cellular and broadband wireless technologies (e.g., 3G, WiMAX, and
3GPP LTE), cooperative and cognitive communications networks, short-range
wireless communications technologies (e.g., ZigBee) and Internet protocol (IP)-
based networks.
SMART GRID LANDSCAPE
• The applications of data sensing in the smart grid can be grouped into four general areas:
(i) generation, (ii) storage, (iii) transmission and distribution, and (iv) consumption.
• Power generation:
• A WSN comprised of Stanford wireless sensors called Wireless Modular Monitoring
System(WiMMS) units was deployed in the wind turbine structure to provide information
about the dynamic behavior of wind turbine and response to loading.
• This wireless sensor consists of a computational core for data processing and storage, a
sensing interface for providing analogto- digital conversion, and a communication
interface for providing connection to the core network.
• The computational core consists of Atmel ATMegal128 microcontroller with an 8-bit
integrated circuit architecture and 128KB of flash memory for providing any
computational application.
• The sensing interface consists of Texas Instruments ADS8341, which is a
four-channel, 16-bit analog-to digital converter and interfaces with MEMS
accelerometer sensor (i.e., Crossbow CXL01) and metal foil strain gauge
(i.e., Texas Measurements YFLA-5-5L).
• The communication interface consists of a MaxStream 24XStream wireless
modem that operates at the 2.4 GHz (i.e., ISM) band. The WiMMS unit
provides data rate up to 192 kbps with 5 km line-of-sight communication
range.
• The sensed data are processed by the sensors and then transmitted to a laptop
located at the base of the tower for further processing or forwarding to the
control and monitoring stations.
POWER STORAGE
• Energy storage will also be a critical part of the smart grid to store energy
from renewable energy sources, whose output varies with weather conditions
(e.g., solar panels generate energy only when the sun shines).
• For energy storage, lead-acid battery can be used, for which its temperature,
voltage, and current need to be monitored.
• State-of-charge (SOC) is measured from the acid level and acid density,
where these parameters will change during charging and discharging
processes.
• Small ion exchange material is used to build a sensor for measuring the
concentration in a battery.
POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION

• Data sensing can be used to monitor substations, transformers, underground

lines, and overhead lines .
• By using sensors to monitor real-time voltage, current, phase, and frequency
information, the transmission capacity can be increased up to 10–15%
compared with the capacity planning models that use static weather, wind,
and temperature scenarios.
• Moreover, sensors can be used to minimize the transmission loss by
providing automatic operation of distribution capacitor on the basis of the
needs of the transformer.
• Sensors such as smart current/voltage sensors with communication capability
can report real-time current/voltage data back to the feeder line so that it can
distribute the current at a lower voltage, thus allowing more efficient use of
the available electricity.
• To monitor overhead transmission lines, various sensor networks (e.g., WSN
and fiber-optic sensor networks) can be used.
• A wireless HV sensor that uses synchrophasor measurement solution (e.g.,
phasor measurement unit [PMU]) to provide highly accurate sensing of
voltage for overhead transmission lines.
• The HV sensor consists of a global positioning system (GPS) unit to provide
accurate time synchronization which can transmit data via satellite, cellular,
or licensed RF radio back to a control center.
POWER CONSUMPTION

• Data sensing in the consumer premises can be performed through smart

meters, which provide information about real-time power usage and possibly
control the power consumption automatically or on the basis of a predefined
control mechanism.
• The smart meter acts as a sensor node and records the electricity
consumption (kilo watt hour [kWh]) and time of use (TOU) .
• TOU refers to consumer activity at a particular time that is generally
measured on an hourly daily, or weekly basis depending on the need.
• For each TOU, the public utility defines a TOU rate (i.e., price) on the basis
of the local load pattern and generation cost.
A3 ALPHA METER
REQUIREMENTS FOR SENSORS AND ACTUATORS

• Reliability and energy efficiency: the sensors and actuators should be reliable
to effectively support the smart grid applications.
• Also, they should not have any electromagnetic compatibility problem.
• The sensor and actuator devices should be energy efficient so that they can
operate with low-power supply in case of emergency situations.
• Research and development activities are being carried out to develop sensors,
which do not require external power supply, for example, by using
technologies similar to passive frequency identification chips without
battery or possibly by exploiting energy-harvesting techniques .
•
• Cost-effective and secured operation: the sensors and actuators should be low
cost to make them economically attractive for the business and users.
• The advancement of CMOS technologies has made the pervasive deployment
of these smart sensors and actuators possible.
• Also, the sensors should be small in size and should be installed in a secured
location so that the possibility of damage is minimized.
• Longer life span: this is important for sensors and actuators because a power
grid has to be operated cost effectively over a long time horizon (e.g., 10–20
years).
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES
• The smart grid will rely on different technologies such as PLC, fiber-optic
communication, cellular wireless, IP-based communication, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, and
WiMAX technologies.
• The choice among these technologies will depend on many factors such as cost,
reliability, security, interoperability, geographic location, and availability.
• PLC:
• Ubiquitous presence of power distribution lines and associated advantage of low
installation cost, PLC is likely to be widely adopted in the smart grid.
• It is also used for short-haul communications of home automation, power network
management, and last-mile communication in the smart grid
• The most common PLC technology uses single-carrier frequency-shift
keying and binary phase-shift keying modulation techniques.
• However, it lacks the flexibility in selecting the carrier frequency and, hence,
results in low throughput and poor reliability.
• The characteristic of singlecarrier PLC varies drastically with different
geographical locations or number of network nodes.
• Also, its performance depends largely on system parameters .e.g., data packet
size and response time.
• To support largescale control and automation of different switches, sensors,
and meters in smart grid, PLC should fulfill the needs of adequate network
coverage.
• The hybrid MAC protocol is composed of random medium access (e.g., slotted
ALOHA or carrier-sense multiple access [CSMA]) and deterministic medium
access protocols (e.g., master–slave protocols and token ring protocol).
• By using a real field trial, it is shown that the combination of single-frequency
networking with flooding embedded into a hybrid MAC protocol can improve
the performance of PLC significantly.
• Smart meter uses microcontroller (dsPIC30F series microchip) to perform
necessary computations.
• The low-cost and low-power ZigBee system is integrated into the proposed
smart meter that is used to transmit the power consumption information and
outage statistics to a control center.
SMART GRID COMMUNICATION ARCHIETECTURE
• Advanced metering infrastructure (AMI): AMI provides an automated
communication system between a smartmeter and a utility company (i.e.,
control center).
• Various functions of smart grid can be implemented on AMI, for example,
customer voltage measurement, consumer outage detection, hourly remote
meter reading, remote meter programming, load control, and price signaling.
• The AMI comprises of DAUs to collect and relay the information from the
meter side to MDMS. The MDMS provides storage, management, and
processing of meter data for proper usage by other power system applications
and services
• WAMS: Wide area measurement systems (WAMSs) are the key aspect of
WAMS is to provide real-time (in order of milliseconds) monitoring and
control of the electrical power grid to prevent any future contingency.
• The major advantage of WAMS over conventional SCADA and EMS that
provide only local monitoring and control is the larger coverage.
• Transferred sample data is used to support various functions of the smart grid
including state estimation,instability prediction, real-time monitoring,
dynamic disturbance recording and data logging analysis of power system
dynamics, and analysis of damping/oscillation.
• WAMS support high sampling data rate, making it suitable for the dynamic
event management and failure recovery.
• Sensor and actuator networks (SANETs):
• The operational characteristic and behaviorof the smart grid devices
distributed along the grid can be monitored so that any outage or disturbance
can be prevented and at the same time, effective DSM can be provided.
• Sensor networks to monitor the conductor temperature and current of the
overhead transmission line.
• Network is formed in the hierarchical structure. Then, the channel assignment
is performed for which the data forwarding is executed on the basis of the
allocated channel. The objective is to improve the network throughput.
• SANETs will also facilitate direct interaction between the public utility and
the consumer [11]. Technologies such as the Internet, PLC, BPL, 3G/4G
cellular, and WiMAX wireless communication technologies can accomplish
this interaction.
• Home area networks (HANs): A HAN is the smallest subsystem in the
demand–response chain of the smart grid that provides dedicated DSM with
the use of smart meters.
• A typical HAN will consist of smart sensors and actuators to measure various
parameters (e.g., light intensity and temperature), smart meter to sense and
record electricity usage, in-home display for user interface, and a HEMS to
optimize the energy usage based on real-time pricing information.
• Smart meter will also act as a gateway for public utility to access and retrieve
electricity usage information for demand–response
HOME AREA NETWORK
• Neighborhood area networks (NANs): a NAN is a collection of multiple HANs to
collect sensed data for aggregation.
• The associated control center will monitor the amount of electricity distributed to a
particular neighborhood to provide effective demand– response.
• The data control entity communicates with the smart meter by using network
technologies such as PLC, fiber-optics, satellite, or WiMAX.
• Wide area networks (WANs): a WAN connects multiple distribution systems
together. A WAN will consist of variety of sensors (e.g., voltage sag sensors,
PMU, and line temperature sensor) that will cover almost all the aspects of
transmission and distribution lines to provide monitoring and control in the
case of fault or outage.
• The smart grid has been envisioned to be the future electrical power grid with
enhanced flexibility, adaptability, and efficiency. By infusing digital
intelligence, the smart grid will revolutionize the way electricity is produced,
delivered, and consumed.
• Data sensing and communications will play one of the most important roles
for the operation of the smart power grid.
• Data sensing has to be performed in different parts (i.e., power generation,
storage, transmission, distribution, and consumption) of the smart grid, and
the sensed data has to be transmitted to the control unit for the timely
operation and maintenance.