Trystan Casey
An electrical grid is an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers. It is a complex system that transports electricity from its source to the customers who use it regularly. Electrical grids vary in size and can cover whole countries or continents. They consist of power stations, electrical substations to step voltage up or down, electric power transmission to carry power over long distances, and finally, electric power distribution to customers. Rolling Energy Resources (RER) is a company that specializes in enabling the management of EV charging through telematics-based solutions. RER helps utilities meet the increasing demand on the electric grid through managed EV charging. RER has a base of 15 utility programs that provide demand response, time-of-use assistance, EV monitoring services, and accurate EV load shapes to utilities in the US and Canada. RER uses data from Smartcar's EV API to build a collection of typical daily charging patterns throughout the year, helping utilities conduct more accurate forecasts and system planning for the grid. RER is an example of a company that is helping to improve the integration of renewable energy resources (RERs) into the electrical grid.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Rolling Energy Resources (RER) specializes in enabling the management of EV charging through telematics-based solutions. |
| Founders | Scott Dimetrosky and Dr. Jon Koliner |
| Base | 15 utility programs |
| Services | Demand response, time-of-use assistance, EV monitoring services, and accurate EV load shapes |
| Geographic Footprint | 16 states in the US |
| Solution | Hardware-free solution to obtain data like the state of battery charge, miles driven, charging speed, and where the vehicle is charging |
| Use of Data | Build a collection of typical daily charging patterns throughout the year — a load-shape library — to help utilities conduct more accurate forecasts and system planning for the grid |
| Impact | Strengthening grids without costly distribution upgrades or having to build new power plants |
| Challenges | The integration of RERs brings challenges in the context of acceptable voltage variation and system frequency |
| Solutions to Challenges | Implementation of the microgrid system and energy storage system (ESS) |
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Electric grid security
Physical security measures aim to protect the electrical grid's infrastructure, including power stations, substations, and transmission lines, from vandalism, sabotage, and other physical attacks. This includes implementing access controls, surveillance, and perimeter security to deter and prevent unauthorized access and potential damage to critical equipment.
Cybersecurity, on the other hand, focuses on protecting the grid's computer systems and digital communications from cyber threats, such as hacking, malware, and cyberattacks. As electrical grids modernize and adopt computer technology, they become vulnerable to cyber intrusions and attacks. Cybersecurity measures include implementing firewalls, encryption, and secure protocols to protect sensitive information and ensure the grid's operational technology is safe from unauthorized access.
In countries like the United States, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) plays a crucial role in overseeing cybersecurity standards for the bulk power system. They work in conjunction with organizations like the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to develop and enforce mandatory reliability, physical security, and cybersecurity standards. These standards are regularly drafted and updated to address the evolving landscape of cyber threats and risks facing the electrical grid.
Additionally, electric grid security involves protecting sensitive electric information from public disclosure. Legislation such as the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of 2015 (FAST Act) has been enacted to give the Secretary of Energy greater authority to address grid security emergencies and protect critical electric infrastructure information (CEII) from public disclosure.
The electric power industry also collaborates closely with government agencies, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance critical infrastructure protection and address emerging threats, including those posed by violent extremists and foreign states.
Overall, electric grid security is essential to maintaining the resilience and stability of the electrical grid, ensuring a consistent supply of electricity to consumers, and safeguarding the national and economic security of a country.
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Microgrids
A microgrid is a local electrical grid with defined electrical boundaries, acting as a single controllable entity. It is a self-sufficient energy system that serves a discrete geographic footprint, such as a college campus, hospital complex, business centre, or neighbourhood. Microgrids are usually part of a regional wide-area synchronous grid, but they can disconnect and operate autonomously in island mode when the main grid is affected by outages.
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Wide area synchronous grids
A wide-area synchronous grid is an electrical grid that operates at a regional scale or larger, with all generators running at the same frequency and electrically tied together during normal system conditions. They are also known as synchronous zones or interconnections in North America. These grids improve reliability and permit the pooling of resources, allowing for more environmentally friendly power to be employed and enabling diverse power generation schemes.
Wide-area synchronous grids can be found across the world, with four major interconnections in North America (the Western Interconnection, the Eastern Interconnection, the Quebec Interconnection, and the Texas Interconnection). In Europe, the Continental Europe Synchronous Area (CESA), formerly known as the UCTE grid, is one of the largest synchronous electrical grids in the world, supplying over 400 million customers in 32 countries, including most of the European Union.
The ASEAN Power Grid plan aims to connect all ASEAN Grids, with the first step being to connect all mainland ASEAN countries with Sumatra, Java, and Singapore. Interconnectors such as high-voltage direct current (HVDC) lines, solid-state transformers, or variable-frequency transformers can be used to connect two alternating current interconnection networks that may not be synchronized.
One disadvantage of wide-area synchronous grids is that problems in one part can have repercussions across the whole grid. Additionally, neighbouring grids operating at different frequencies require a frequency converter to be interconnected.
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Super grids
A super grid, also known as a mega grid, is a wide-area transmission network that enables the trade of high volumes of electricity across great distances. The concept of a super grid dates back to the 1950s, but it has gained renewed interest due to its potential to monetize stranded renewable energy resources through transnational export. Super grids are typically proposed to use high-voltage direct current (HVDC) to transmit electricity over long distances, reducing losses during transmission.
The latest generation of HVDC power lines can transmit energy with minimal losses of only 1.6% per 1000 km (621.4 miles). This makes super grids a key technology to support a global energy transition by smoothing local fluctuations in wind and solar energy, and mitigating global warming. Super grids can also provide economies of scale, allowing regions to access cheap bulk energy by receiving power from diverse sources.
In terms of scale and ambition, super grids are at the opposite end of the spectrum from microgrids. While microgrids are local grids that can operate autonomously, super grids are supranational or supraregional, combining the grids of different nations to share electricity generation resources. For example, there is a proposal to integrate Europe's national grids into a single wide-area super grid, allowing power to be moved more easily between countries.
The development of super grids faces several challenges, including technical, economic, control, operational, and regulatory issues. Local opposition to new power lines and the significant cost of these projects are also major obstacles. However, the ideas behind super grids are likely to influence the electricity systems of the future, and groups such as Friends of the Supergrid are promoting the concept of open markets in electricity transmission and trans-nation interconnection.
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Smart grids
The benefits of smart grids include improved reliability and efficiency in electricity delivery, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and lower operational costs for utilities. They can also help consumers better manage their energy consumption and costs by providing easier access to their data. Additionally, smart grids can facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, and improve the resilience of the energy infrastructure.
However, there are also challenges and concerns associated with smart grids, including security issues and the need for fundamental re-engineering of the electricity services industry. The automation and reliance on smart devices in smart grids also introduce the risk of cyber-attacks and data privacy concerns.
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Frequently asked questions
RERs, or Renewable Energy Resources, are alternative power sources such as solar PV and wind power. These are distinct from traditional energy sources such as oil, natural gas, and uranium.
RERs have a beneficial environmental impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and minimizing oil usage. They also tend to be cheaper than traditional energy sources.
RERs can improve the capacity and capabilities of electrical grids. However, they also introduce uncertainty into the power grid due to their variable nature.
Smart grids and microgrids can help to alleviate the challenges of integrating RERs. Energy storage systems are also important for smoothing out the power generation of renewable resources and ensuring a reliable supply.
