58 Smart grids
T
he establishment of a smart grid that will upgrade transmission and distribution
networks, allow for the integration of renewable energy systems and enable us all to keep the lights on is an evolutionary process. And it may not be realized for another 20 years. “Transforming our electricity system
is like trying to re-engineer a Boeing 747 in mid-fl ight,” says Guido Bartels, general manager of global energy and utilities at IBM and chairman of the Global Smart Grid Federation. “It’s a journey, and we will see more changes to our electrical systems in the next 20 years than we have seen in the last 100.”
A changing energy landscape Progress is steady, but elements of what the smart grid is capable of are already live. Lots of technology is in place and many businesses and individuals are taking advantage of the benefi ts aff orded by today’s smart systems. Our history of relatively cheap energy
has created passive consumers of electricity. But rising costs, coupled with a fear of blackouts and security of supply has changed the consumer landscape. Energy users are becoming more active in the way they source and use their power – and are keen to know where and when they can make savings. Most smart grid activity has so far
come via installation of smart meters in homes and business premises across the world. By the end of 2008, around 39 million units had been installed, according to analysts Berg Insight. Another 17.4 million were installed globally in the fi rst quarter of this year. The largest deployment took place in
Italy between 2000 and 2005, with utility Enel delivering smart meters to its 27 million customers. The UK government has promised to
ensure every home across the country has a smart meter by 2020 and will kick off its rollout program in 2012. France has adopted a similarly ambitious target and will also begin installation next year. In the US, customers in Los Angeles, California and Austin, Texas are likely to be the fi rst to truly benefi t from smart meters, following a number of pilot projects. Brazil
“The largest deployment took place in Italy, with utility Enel delivering smart meters to its 27 million customers
CREATING CLIMATE WEALTH
has set a target of 63 million smart meters nationwide by 2021, and last year committed more than $200m of funds for smart grid projects.
Communicating consumption Meters that measure our consumption of electricity, gas and water have been around for years. But smart meters use real-time sensors, power-outage notifi cations and power-quality monitors. They record consumption in intervals of an hour or less and send information back to the utility for monitoring and billing purposes, enabling a two-way communication between the meter and the central system.
By installing a smart meter you can spot things you might not have noticed in your bills. IBM, which has been monitoring power consumption across its portfolio of buildings for the last decade, noticed an unusual spike in energy consumption at 4am in one of its offi ces. It turned out to be a boiler that was switching itself on too early because of a faulty clock. The smart meter
spotted the problem, which
was fi xed, saving the company $100,000 a year.
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