![]()
Full range of MOS power ICs
![]()
Probe current voltage pin with a 420x4450 head diameter of 5.0mm, supporting overcurrent and voltage pin detection
![]()
Inductance measurement
![]()
SMD aluminum electrolytic capacitors
Abstract: This article delves into the core technologies of the smart grid, focusing primarily on measurement, communication, information management, scheduling, power electronics, and distributed energy integration. Drawing on the U.S. smart grid research and applications, the functionalities achieved by smart grid technology are summarized and evaluated.
1 Overview of the Smart Grid
The smart grid is designed to facilitate energy transformation and efficient utilization. By creating an open system and building a shared information model, it optimizes the operation and management of the grid. Utilizing terminal sensors, it enables real-time, high-speed, two-way data exchange, fostering an immediate connection between users, utilities, and grid companies. This results in enhanced grid efficiency. Sensors monitor and aggregate operational data from critical equipment such as power generation, transmission, distribution, and supply. During peak demand periods, the grid can swiftly adjust to balance supply and demand. Smart meters also serve as internet routers, allowing utilities to offer broadband services or broadcast TV signals to end-users.
At the first Smart Grid Research Forum held at Tianjin University on June 27-28, 2009, 14 academic presentations were delivered, exploring the construction and development of smart grids in China from the perspectives of foundational concepts, technical components, and equipment requirements. Academician Yu Xinxin's presentation, "Drivers, Technical Composition, and Implementation Routes of Smart Grids," highlighted the role of safe and stable system operation, demand-side management, and distributed power supply in driving smart grid development. The smart grid integrates communication, advanced sensing, and distributed computing technologies to improve the security, reliability, and efficiency of transmission and distribution networks.
Academician Cheng Shijie of Huazhong University of Science and Technology emphasized in his presentation on "Energy Storage Technology and Its Applications in Smart Grids" that in systems with high proportions of renewable energy, energy storage is crucial for ensuring smooth system operation. The essential requirements for smart grid energy storage systems include sufficient capacity, rapid response, high efficiency, long service life, and minimal operational costs.
Professor Wang Chengshan from Tianjin University presented on "Distributed Power, Microgrids, and Intelligent Power Distribution Systems," introducing key technologies, applications, and challenges associated with these systems. Other experts discussed various aspects of smart grids, including distributed power, microgrids, advanced measurement systems, and demand-side management.
2 Core Technologies of the Smart Grid
China’s digital power grid initiative spans power generation, dispatching, transmission, distribution, and user interfaces, encompassing information platforms, dispatch automation systems, stability control systems, flexible AC transmission, substation automation systems, microcomputer relay protection, automated distribution systems, and power management acquisition systems. Essentially, China’s digital grid serves as a precursor to the smart grid.
2.1 Advanced Measurement Technologies
Measurement technology is a fundamental component of the smart grid. Advanced measurement techniques gather data and convert it into actionable information for the smart grid. These tools evaluate grid equipment health, ensure grid integrity, measure energy usage, deter electricity theft, manage grid congestion, and facilitate communication with consumers.
Future smart grids will eliminate conventional electromagnetic meters and replace them with smart solid-state meters that allow two-way communication between utilities and customers. Equipped with microprocessors, these smart meters will not only track daily electricity usage and billing but also convey peak pricing signals and tariffs, notifying users of applicable rate policies. Advanced features may include customizable rate schedules that automatically regulate internal power usage.
For utilities, measurement technology provides valuable data support, including power factor, power quality, phase relationships (WAMS), equipment health, meter damage, and failure location. This data helps utilities monitor transformer and line loads, component temperatures, power outage confirmations, and consumption forecasts. New software systems will aggregate, store, analyze, and process this data for broader utility use.
Future digital protection systems will embed computer agents, enhancing reliability. A computer agent is an autonomous, adaptive software module. The wide-area monitoring system, protection, and control solutions will integrate digital protection, advanced communications, and computer agents. In such integrated distributed protection systems, protection elements can adaptively communicate with each other. This flexibility and adaptability significantly boost reliability, as even if some systems fail, others with computer agents can continue protecting the grid.
2.2 Smart Grid Communication Technologies
Establishing a high-speed, two-way, real-time, integrated communication system is the foundation of the smart grid. Without such a system, the smart grid's defining features cannot be realized. Data acquisition, protection, and control depend on this communication infrastructure. Building such a system is the first step toward the smart grid. Ideally, the communication system should extend to every household, creating interconnected networks—both the grid and the communication network. This dual connectivity enables the smart grid's objectives and main features. A high-speed, two-way, real-time, integrated communication system transforms the smart grid into a vast, dynamic infrastructure for real-time information and power exchange. Once established, this system improves grid reliability, asset utilization, fosters a thriving power market, and fortifies the grid against cyberattacks, increasing its overall value.
Communication technologies suitable for the smart grid must possess certain characteristics: they must be bidirectional, real-time, reliable, and secure, ideally forming a private power communication network separate from the public network. Technologically advanced, they should support current smart grid services while enabling future expansions. Ideally, they would have proprietary intellectual property rights, allowing customized development and business upgrades tailored to the power grid.
As a subsidiary of the State Grid Corporation responsible for constructing and managing backbone information communication networks, State Grid Information and Communication Co., Ltd. places significant emphasis on smart grid development. The company actively conducts preliminary research and promotes hardware and software related to information and communication technologies (ICT). It explores new models for next-generation power information communication networks and accelerates the industrialization of information communication technologies.
The electricity customer information collection system is a vital component of the smart grid. ICT actively participates in related research and submits communication technical reports to the State Grid Corporation. Additionally, ICT promotes the industrialization process, enhancing the software platform for power information collection main stations and collectors using power line broadband communication technology.
Customer service in the smart grid is another critical aspect, facilitating real-time interactive responses between the grid and customers. It strengthens the grid’s comprehensive service capabilities, meets interactive marketing demands, and elevates service standards. ICT has piloted smart grid customer service programs in Beijing Lianxiangyuan Community and 95 Chengcheng Road. In Fucheng Road’s pilot project, fiber-to-the-home is the primary feature, utilizing set-top boxes and TVs as display tools to offer specialized services like meter readings, property inquiries, and network value-added services, showcasing interactive and intelligent features.
2.3 Information Management Systems
The information management system in the smart grid should encompass five key functions: acquisition and processing, analysis, integration, display, and information security.
(1) Information Acquisition and Processing: This involves detailed real-time data acquisition systems, distributed data acquisition and processing services, intelligent electronic device (IED) resource sharing, high-capacity high-speed access, redundant backup, and precise data timing.
(2) Information Analysis: Analyzing collected, processed, and integrated information aids in developing grid-related services. Vertically, this includes business analysis across the four-stage industrial chain ("generation - transmission - distribution - demand side") and four levels of grid information analysis ("national - regional - provincial - prefectural"). Horizontally, it includes analyses of power generation planning, outage management, asset management, maintenance management, production optimization, risk management, market operations, load management, customer relationship management, financial management, human resources management, and other business modules.
(3) Information Integration: The smart grid’s information system should integrate industrial chain information and vertically align grid information. It should horizontally integrate internal business information of grid enterprises at all levels.
(4) Information Display: Personalized visual interfaces for diverse users require the prudent use of technologies such as flat displays, 3D animations, speech recognition, touchscreens, and geographic information systems (GIS).
(5) Information Security: The smart grid must define the confidentiality and authority of stakeholders and safeguard their data and economic interests. Thus, it is essential to explore technologies like network survivability, active real-time protection, secure storage, network virus prevention, malicious attack prevention, network trust systems, and new cryptographic methods in complex large-scale systems.
2.4 Intelligent Scheduling Technology
Intelligent scheduling is a pivotal link in smart grid construction. The smart grid dispatching technical support system is the core of intelligent scheduling research and development. It forms the technical foundation for comprehensive improvements in grid control, resource optimization, risk prevention, scientific decision-making, flexible regulation, and equitable market deployment.
Existing dispatching automation systems face numerous challenges, including non-automated operations, disorganized information, insecure control processes, decentralized control methods, and decision-making difficulties. To adapt to the requirements of large power grids, UHV, and smart grids, and to achieve scientific decision-making and efficient management, it is imperative to study intelligent scheduling.
To expedite the overall design and application function specifications of the smart grid dispatching technical support system, the State Grid Electric Power Research Institute was commissioned by the State Power Dispatching Center to undertake the overall design of the system. From July 6th to 18th, 2009, under the leadership of the National Dispatching Center, the State Grid Electric Power Research Institute successfully completed the overall design of the smart grid dispatching technical support system and discussed the definition of the functional specification system for the smart grid dispatching technical support system. This provided guidance for the rapid and orderly construction of the smart grid dispatching technical support system. Members of the State Grid Electric Power Research Institute participated in the overall design of the basic platform and the four major applications of the smart grid dispatching technical support system, successfully completing the functional flow and overall design of the dispatching plan application, safety check application, and dispatch management application.
2.5 Advanced Power Electronics Technology
Power electronics technology is a modern technology that uses power electronic devices to transform and control electrical energy. It can save energy by 10% to 40%, reducing the size of electromechanical equipment and achieving optimal operating efficiency. Currently, semiconductor power components are developing toward higher voltages and larger capacities. In the power electronics industry, flexible AC transmission technology represented by SVC, new ultra-high voltage transmission technology represented by high-voltage direct current transmission, and electric power represented by high-voltage frequency conversion have emerged. Transmission technology, synchronous breaking technology represented by intelligent switches, and user power technology represented by static var generators and dynamic voltage restorers.
Flexible AC transmission technology is one of the key technologies for large-scale access of new energy and clean energy to the power grid system. It combines power electronics technology with modern control technology to reduce power transmission losses by continuously adjusting and controlling power system parameters, improving the transmission capacity of transmission lines, and ensuring the stability level of the power system.
High-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission technology has unique advantages for long-distance transmission and high-voltage direct current transmission. Among them, the light-duty DC transmission system uses devices such as GTO and IGBT to form inverters, making medium-sized DC transmission projects competitive even at shorter distances. Additionally, the inverter can be turned off and can also supply power to isolated small systems such as offshore oil platforms and islands. In the future, it can also be used in urban power distribution systems to access distributed power sources such as fuel cells and photovoltaic power generation. The light-duty DC transmission system is more conducive to solving the stability of clean energy networks.
The greatest advantage of high-voltage frequency conversion technology is that the energy-saving rate is generally around 30%, but the disadvantage is high cost and high-order harmonic pollution of the power grid. Synchronous breaking (smart switching) technology completes the opening or closing of a circuit at a specified phase of voltage or current. Currently, most high-voltage switches are mechanical switches, which have long breaking times and large dispersions, making it difficult to achieve accurate phase-breaking. The fundamental way to achieve synchronous breaking is to replace the mechanical switch with an electronic switch.
2.6 Distributed Energy Access Technology
The core of the smart grid is to build an intelligent network system with multiple energy integration and distributed management, featuring intelligent judgment and adaptive adjustment capabilities. It can monitor and collect power and information from the grid and users in real time, adopting the most economical and safest transmission and distribution methods to deliver electricity to end users, achieving optimal allocation and utilization of electricity, improving the reliability and energy efficiency of grid operations.
There are many types of distributed power supplies (DER), including small hydropower, wind power, photovoltaic power, fuel cells, and energy storage devices (such as flywheels, supercapacitors, superconducting magnetic energy storage, flow batteries, and sodium-sulfur batteries). Generally, their capacities range from 1 kW to 10 MW. DERs are widely used in distribution networks because they are close to the load center, reducing the need for grid expansion and improving power supply reliability. In particular, distributed renewable energy, which contributes to reducing the greenhouse effect, has grown rapidly with strong support from many national government policies. Currently, in several countries in Northern Europe, DER has a power generation share of more than 30%. In the United States, DER currently accounts for only 7% of total capacity, and it is expected that by 2020 this share will reach 25%.
A large number of distributed power supplies operate on medium or low voltage distribution networks, completely changing the characteristics of the traditional unidirectional current distribution system. This requires the system to adopt new protection schemes, voltage control, and instrumentation to accommodate bidirectional power flow. However, the seamless integration of these distributed power sources into the grid and coordinated operation through advanced automation systems can bring significant benefits. Besides saving investment in the transmission grid, it can improve the reliability and efficiency of the entire system, provide emergency power and peak load support to the grid, and offer other auxiliary services such as reactive power support and power quality improvement. It also provides great flexibility for system operation. For example, during storms and snowstorms, when the large power grid is severely damaged, these distributed power sources can form microgrids to provide emergency power to important users such as hospitals, transportation hubs, and broadcast television.
3 Functional Realizations of the Smart Grid
Currently, smart grid research is relatively mature in the United States. Many states in the U.S. have begun designing smart grid systems. Information technology giants such as GE, IBM, Siemens, Google, and Intel have all invested in smart grid businesses.
Martin Schoenbauer, from the U.S. Department of Energy's China Office, attended the first Smart Grid Research Forum held at Tianjin University in June 2009 to introduce the U.S. smart grid situation. Martin Schoenbauer introduced the U.S. Department of Energy's smart grid business, pointing out that clean energy and smart grids will be important contents of Sino-U.S. energy cooperation.
Boulder, Colorado, is the first smart grid city in the United States. Each household has installed a smart meter, allowing people to intuitively understand the electricity price at that time, enabling them to arrange activities such as washing clothes and ironing clothes during periods of lower electricity prices. Smart meters can also help people prioritize the use of clean energy such as wind and solar power. At the same time, substations can collect electricity usage from each household. Once there is a problem, they can quickly address it.
In West Virginia, Allegheny Energy's Super Circuit project combines advanced monitoring, control, and protection technologies to enhance the reliability and safety of power lines. The grid integrates biodiesel power generation, energy storage, advanced metering infrastructure (smart meters), and communication networks to quickly predict, identify, and help solve network problems.
Fort Collins, Colorado, and the city's utility companies support a number of clean energy initiatives. One of them involves combining nearly 30 renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy in five user areas. The program works with other distributed power systems to support a zero-energy zone called FortZED in the city.
The University of Hawaii is developing a power distribution management system platform that uses smart metering as a portal to integrate demand response, residential energy-saving automation, distributed generation optimization management, distribution and storage of power distribution systems, and various control means that the electrical system coordinates with other systems in the main power grid.
The Perfect Power project at the Illinois Institute of Technology uses advanced technology to prototype a microgrid that responds to changes in the main grid, enhancing grid reliability and reducing power demand.
Distribution Cabinet
Distribution Cabinet,Fire Protection Panel Cabinet,Data Communication Cabinets,Outdoor Communications Cabinet
Shenzhen Jingtu Cabinet Network Equipment Co., LTD , https://www.jingtujigui.com