Towards a Software Defined Power Grid

Definition and value of a software defined power grid.

The Software-Defined Power Grid Is Here in IEEE Spectrum
It’s time to move away from our antiquated, hardware-dependent power grid to a modern, digital software-based grid
By Patrick T. Lee

My colleagues and I have been spending a lot of time on a project in Onslow, a remote coastal town of 850 in Western Australia, where a wealth of solar, wind power, and battery storage has come on line to complement the region’s traditional forms of power generation. We’re making sure that all of these distributed energy resources work as a balanced and coordinated system. The team has traveled more than 15,000 kilometers from our company headquarters in San Diego, and everyone is excited to help the people of Onslow and Western Australia’s electric utility Horizon Power.

Like other rural utilities around the world, Horizon faces an enormous challenge in providing reliable electricity to hundreds of small communities scattered across a wide area. Actually, calling this a “wide area” is a serious understatement: Horizon’s territory covers some 2.3million square kilometers—about one and a half times the size of Alaska. You can’t easily traverse all that territory with high-tension power lines and substations, so local power generation is key. And as the country tries to shrink its carbon footprint, Horizon is working with its customers to decrease their reliance on nonrenewable energy. The incentives for deploying renewables such as photovoltaics and wind turbines are compelling.  ... " 

Digital Twin for Electricity Grid

Grids have a potential for hacking, also the potential for reacting to things like solar mass ejections and other completely natural events. So stimulating them well makes lots of sense.   As well as how the grids interact with renewable energy.

Developing a digital twin for the electricity grid
by Delft University of Technology

The rapid transition to renewable energy threatens to cause major problems to the very expensive electricity grid in the Netherlands. In his quest for solutions, Professor Peter Palensky is now working on a "digital twin" to make it possible to study the grid effectively.

Imagine you have been working quietly for years in the confines of a large academic institute, and, all of a sudden, dramatic changes turn your familiar world on its head. The spotlights are pointing in your direction and suddenly all eyes are on you. What would you do?

This is exactly what happened to Peter Palensky, professor at TU Delft. His specialism—intelligent electricity grids—has suddenly become a hot topic in recent years. The rapid transition to renewable energy has raised an important question: is our existing electricity grid capable of withstanding such far-reaching changes? Palensky and his colleagues need to answer that key question to prevent the move towards increased sustainability from faltering.

Palensky is certainly not the type to shy away from a challenge like that. Quite the contrary. "As a scientist, it's actually quite a privilege to find yourself in this position," he says. "It's as if we are at a turning point in history and have a real chance of changing the world for the better. It's an absolutely huge responsibility, but one day we may be able to say to our children: we did it." .... ' 

Energy Grid Outages Addressed

Duke Energy is our local Energy system.

Universities team up on effort to improve grid for Duke Energy

UNC Charlotte’s Energy Production and Infrastructure Center is working through three years of power-outage data from Duke Energy as part of a $300,000 federal grant to improve resiliency of the electric grid.  Including primarily addressing outages via new and old technologies)  ...

Read in Charlotte Business Journal: https://apple.news/AIhljZiKQR9uG6RWj39gGh

China Suggests a Global Grid

Interesting idea, but I wonder if we can predict the future stability and/or trust of other countries to build and manage our power grid?  Would require some evolution beyond where we are today.

China’s Grid Architect Proposes a “Made in China” Upgrade to North America’s Power System

Liu Zhenya’s vision for a global grid must overcome tensions between neighboring nation-states and growing distrust between superpowers  ....    By Peter Fairley in IEEE Spectrum

Blockchain Testing to Secure Power Grid

Interesting example of how to use chains for securing data.  Here it appears primarily IOT examples.

US Energy Department Funds Trial of Factom Blockchain to Secure Power Grid in CoinDesk

Factom, one of the earliest companies to pitch blockchains to enterprises, is participating in a U.S. government-funded trial of the technology to protect the national power grid.

Announced Thursday, TFA Labs, an internet-of-things (IoT) security startup, is experimenting with Factom’s protocol to validate that devices on the grid aren’t infected with malware.

Backed by a nearly $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the project aims to improve the security of millions of such devices.

In some cases, TFA Labs is looking at storing raw data, such as the health and status of devices, on the Factom blockchain. In other cases, the company wants to assign a digital identity to the firmware, or permanent software installed on devices.  If the files are manipulated, they’ll produce a cryptographic hash that does not match the digital identity, indicating something is amiss.

“We can store raw data or data hashes of the data,” Dennis Bunfield, CEO of TFA Labs, told CoinDesk. “It’s ideal for IoT device use.”  .... ' 

Blockchain and the Energy Grid

How Blockchain Could Give Us a Smarter Energy Grid

Energy experts believe that blockchain technology can solve a maze of red tape and data management problems. .... " 

by Mike Orcutt  in Technology Review

Defending the Power Grid

Further applications to other kinds of monitored networks, IOT applications.

Detecting Cybersecurity Threats by Taking the Grid's Pulse   By Peter Fairley:    " .. DARPA teams are building grid defenses using phasor measurement units that combine GPS and power sensors ... " 

Integral Analytics for Smart Grids

Brought to my attention: Integral Analytics.   Continuing an examination.

" ... When is the best time to rely on IA software?
…when accuracy matters…
Utilities face many risks. The usual suspects still remain -- reliability risk, capacity shortages, price spikes and congested transmission, among others. But new dangers also now lurk in the shadows cast by the emerging smart grid, from distributed generation, or storage, from demand response, and more. What if I have too much solar? Or what if my wind production is too volatile? How can I get my customers to engage in smart grid programs? How do I know when Excel models are inaccurate? How do I truly optimize my supply and demand, since I now have control over both? How do I know which service transformers are at risk from EVs? How should I accurately quantify the financial value and risks? Which substations are at capacity risk, when the economy rebounds? ... " 

Two former colleagues:  Jeff Camm and Kipp Martin, work with Integral.

Personal Power Plants

In IEEE Spectrum:    Fascinating direction.   " .... Smart and agile power systems will let every home and business generate, store, and share electricity. ...   "

Smart Grid Needs an App Store

In IEEE Spectrum:  The electric grid is already an internet of things.   " ... Yet writing applications for these programmable machines is too hard, which blocks the full potential of the smart grid, says Silver Spring Networks. The Silicon Valley-based company this week will introduce software designed simplify the process of programming meters and sensors on the grid and capturing the huge amounts of data they produce. It will launch the software, called the SilverLink Sensor Network, on Monday to coincide with the DistribuTech utility industry conference. ... " 

Smart Meters and the Grid

In the WSJ:  Learning from the use of smart meters.  Very good overview of what they are and the opportunity of their inclusion in the grid system.  We participated in related brainstorming sessions at GE's Smart Grid innovation center in Atlanta.

Data Analytics in the Utility Industry

Last year I attended a GE Smart Grid meeting and was inspired to take a closer look at how smart data and analytics are improving utility efficiency. I continue to follow the trends.  Here is a good overview article on the subject.

Putting Smarts in the Smart Grid

In CACM:   I visited and presented at GE's Smart Grid Center in Atlanta last year.  They are doing some very impressive things and presenting the results to industry partners.  Still, there is considerable challenge to contribute the concept of 'smart'.    It is described as " ...  A fully automated power delivery network that monitors and controls every customer and node, ensuring a two-way flow of electricity and information between the power plant and the appliance, and all points in between. Its distributed intelligence, coupled with broadband communications and automated control systems, enables real-time market transactions and seamless interfaces among people, buildings, industrial plants, generation facilities, and the electric network. ... " .     So what does 'fully; mean here?     I saw many examples of advanced simulation, a key aspect of doing anything like this, but relatively little artificial intelligence was evident.   This article is a  good, non-technical overview.