Transmission & Distribution Technology
Among the catalogue’s six standards are:
● Internet protocol standards, which will allow grid devices to exchange information.
● Energy usage information standards, which will permit consumers to know the cost of energy used at a given time.
● Standards for vehicle charging stations, necessary for ensuring electric vehicles can be connected to power outlets.
● Use cases for communication between plug-in vehicles and the grid, to help ensure that the vehicles – which will draw heavy power loads – will not place undue strain on the grid.
● Requirements for upgrading smart meters, which will replace household electric meters.
● Guidelines for assessing standards for wireless communication devices, which will be needed for grid communication but can have far less tolerance for delay or interruption of signals than there is among general data communication devices, such as cell phones.
NY and Kentucky smart grids Te New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) – a not-for-profit corporation responsible for operating the state’s bulk electricity grid, administering New York’s competitive wholesale electricity markets, conducting comprehensive long-term planning for the state’s electric power system, and advancing the technological infrastructure of the electric system serving the state – has unveiled details of a $74m (€54m) smart grid initiative. It is being supported a US Department of Energy smart grid investment grant of more than $37m (€27m). In addition to announcing details of the new smart grid initiative, the NYISO also held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of its new $35.5m (€26m) primary power control centre. Te new facility is being built adjacent to the NYISO’s existing hq building in the city of Rensselaer, near Albany.
Completion of the smart grid and control centre projects will allow the NYISO to better fulfil its core mission of maintaining reliability of the state’s bulk power system and operating economically efficient wholesale markets. For example, the new control facility is designed to meet 21st century grid reliability requirements through the use of the latest control technologies and state-of-the-art visual displays designed to improve the NYISO’s ability to receive, process and monitor changing conditions throughout the region. “Te federal investment we see here today will
create new jobs and improve the electric grid’s efficiency and reliability for all New Yorkers,” noted congressman Paul Tonko. Te NYISO has begun working with individual
utilities around the state to implement the new smart grid initiative, which involves the installation of capacitor banks and phasor measurement units (PMUs) on the bulk transmission system throughout the state.
Te capacitor banks will improve the efficiency of
the state’s bulk transmission system by reducing the amount of electricity that is lost when carried over long distances on the bulk transmission system, thus saving the state approximately US$9m (€6.6m) per year. Te installation of PMUs and integration of the
data provided will improve grid operators’ visualisation capabilities and situational awareness. Eventually, the NYISO’s PMU network will connect with PMU networks in New England, the mid-Atlantic, the Midwest and Ontario, Canada, to create a broader situational awareness throughout the Eastern Interconnection Planning Collaborative, a coalition of 24 transmission planning authorities in the eastern US. Meanwhile, Kentucky’s Glasgow Electric Plant
Board (Glasgow EPB) has selected Elster’s EnergyAxis smart grid solution to deliver advanced time-of-use billing capabilities to its customers. By deploying the EnergyAxis solution across its infrastructure, Glasgow EPB expects improved
Major UK electricity distribution business changes hands U
S company PPL is buying Central Networks’ electricity distribution business from EON for £3.5billion.
Based in central England, this is the second-largest such business in the UK. Central Networks’ regulated
distribution operations, which serve five million customers in the midlands area of England, are conducted through Central Networks East and Central Networks West. PPL currently owns Western Power Distribution, which provides regulated distribution services to 2.6million customers in England and Wales through
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WPD South West and WPD South Wales. The WPD and Central Networks service territories are contiguous and PPL says it is expecting significant synergies from the combined operations. After completing the acquisition, PPL
will own and operate the largest network of electricity delivery companies in the UK in terms of regulated asset value, at a combined £4.9billion. “Opportunities as compelling as this do not come along very often. The UK provides a progressive regulatory environment; Central Networks is
adjacent to our existing, high-performing operations; and there are very real opportunities for retainable synergies that further enhance what already is a compelling transaction,” said James H Miller, PPL chairman, president and ceo. Central Networks is responsible for the
operation of about 83 000 miles of lines in an area comprising central England, including the cities of Birmingham and Nottingham. WPD operates about 52 000 miles of lines in South West England and South Wales, including the cities of Bristol and Cardiff. ●
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