Standardizing communication to achieve plug-and-play interoperability
BY RYAN MALEY, ZigBee Alliance
All over the world, there is increasing demand for standardizing communication in the Smart Grid. Electric utilities and their regulators are increasingly concerned with upgrading all aspects of the Smart Grid. Utilities are taking actions to improve reliability and efficiency by upgrading infrastructure and adding communication throughout the entire grid. One particular area of focus is the so-called “utility last mile”, the neighborhood area...
Smart meters and transactive energy: Examining the benefits and addressing the concerns BY JOHN CASKEY, National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Smart meters are beneficial to consumers and utilities. What makes this meter “smart” is its two-way communication system and ability to...
Already, smart city technologies are strong in Europe and the Middle East. Now, cities all over North America are joining the smart cities movement as well. Once the journey begins, a city quickly realizes that it cannot become smart and sustainable without the help of its electric power utility....
Reviewing the benefits and addressing the obstacles BY RON CLANTON & MARK HOLLIDAY, KPMG LLP The outage management process has undergone remarkable changes over the last several decades. The need to respond to power outages when they occur has been around since the first lines were run from...
Setting the foundation for Smart Grid enterprise enhancements BY SCOTT STEIN, Utility Integration Solutions, Inc. Integration of the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) host system and meter data management system (MDMS) into the utility enterprise is critical to set the foundation for future...
A coalition of large energy consumers and ratepayer advocates has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), urging the agency to prohibit transmission owners from independently planning "local" transmission projects exceeding 100 kilovolts (kV). The coalition argues...
The evolving demands of modern power grids necessitate the adoption of advanced technologies that can provide enhanced efficiency, reliability, and flexibility. Smart transformers are at the forefront of this technological revolution, offering a range of capabilities that significantly improve the...
In a significant shift, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has decided to abandon its transmission incentives policy, particularly the construction work in progress (CWIP) incentives. This decision marks a pivotal change in how transmission projects are financed and regulated,...
In a landmark move aimed at accelerating the U.S. transition to a more resilient and sustainable energy grid, the Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a groundbreaking investment of $2.2 billion in innovative transmission and energy storage projects across 18 states. This significant funding...
In the past 100 years, customer interaction with electric utilities has not changed significantly. However, with the introduction of smart meters, customers are now able to sign up for new programs and access their electricity usage data. In early 2013, the Illinois Energy Infrastructure and...
Already, smart city technologies are strong in Europe and the Middle East. Now, cities all over North America are joining the smart cities movement as well. Once the journey begins, a city quickly realizes that it cannot become smart and sustainable without the help of its electric power utility....
