Transmission & Distribution Technology
Just as application frameworks have transformed the smart phone market by creating an explosion of applications and innovation, ECoS can do the same for the smart grid market. Te ECoS platform enables utilities and their partners to quickly build ‘ECoS apps’ that allows utilities to meet next generation demand response challenges, optimise local grid efficiency, predict power outages before they occur, rapidly restore service if an outage occurs, and implement other smart grid services. For example, utilities have minimal warning of outages because they cannot completely monitor the conditions on the grid that can cause these service interruptions. With ECoS and the ECN, utilities have unprecedented visibility at the edge of the grid, so anomalies like voltage fluctuations, power quality and line signal strength can be quickly identified, giving utilities the potential to see where their next outage may strike and proactively take corrective action before it occurs.
from the increased number of intermittent generation sources, such as wind power, and the introduction of electric vehicles. By distributing intelligent control into the grid and at each distribution transformer, ECoS and the ECN 7000 will raise system reliability and survivability to the next level by eliminating central points of failure and vulnerability. ECoS will deliver the near real-time responses utilities need to increase efficiency, balance energy and usage, and increase control at the edge of the grid. ECoS allows utilities to meet next generation demand response challenges, optimize local grid efficiency, predict power outages before they occur and rapidly restore service, and implement other smart grid services.
Open and extensible Te ECN 7000 series products provide open, published interfaces to allow third parties to develop additional hardware and software options. Te interfaces are completely open, meaning that they are available without licensing restrictions. With these open interfaces, the solution fosters a community of hardware developers creating peripheral cards to connect to the myriad of devices found in the field, as well as software developers creating new and innovative ECoS apps for the smart grid. Te ECN 7000 series includes six expan sion slots designed for integrating any type of wired or wireless device or net work. Four of the six available expansion slots include an extra layer of RF shielding to provide a quiet RF environment that op timizes the performance of the radio. So for example, a third party can build an option
board and software driver to connect to an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network and make AMI data available to ECoS apps. Echelon’s ECoS will run throughout the edge of the grid on the new Edge Control Node (ECN) 7000 series of open and extensible hardware solutions.
Fig. 2. T he ECN 7000 series products provide open, published interfaces to allow third parties to develop additional hardware and software options.
ECoS will move the grid beyond centralized reading of meters to a truly open, intelligent and distributed system that can monitor and react to an increasingly dynamic and demanding environment. Even as demand for electricity grows and its supply becomes increasingly distributed, utilities will be able to enhance customer experience through improved reliability, accelerated response times and increased efficiencies. ECoS provides an open and secure application
framework for monitoring and controlling devices at the edge of the grid – the critical point where the distribution network connects to customers. ECoS enables developers to easily build applications, or ‘ECoS apps’, to make local, autonomous control decisions in near real-time for maximum reliability, survivability and responsiveness. Utilities are seeing new demands placed on the grid
20
www.engineerlive.com
Today and the future Echelon’s Networked Energy Services (NES) System – the control networking infrastructure for the smart grid – enables intelligent distributed control applications and devices that deliver maximum reliability, survivability and responsiveness. Trough the ECoS platform, the NES system enables any device, speaking any protocol, connected over any network to be integrated into local decision making and connected securely to enterprise IT systems through virtually any IP network. Te NES System helps utilities compete more
effectively, reduce operating costs, provide expanded services and help energy users manage and reduce overall energy use. ●
Michael Anderson is Senior VP for smart grids, Echelon, San Jose, CA, USA.
www.echelon.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68