IntelliGrid Architecture

 

 

Home

Parent Menu

Project Overview
Objectives
Methodology
Guidelines
Recommendations

Same Level Menu

Introduction
Power Meets Digital
Benefits of IntelliGrid
IntelliGrid in Capsule
Historical Perspective

Child Menu

 

Search IntelliGrid Site

Questions/Comments

Questions

 

Responses

 

 

The Power Industry Meets the Digital Society

From the powering of the first commercial light bulb in 1882, the electric power industry has been on a journey of continual change and improvement. Over the course of this journey, advances in technology have led to revolutionary transformations in the way power is generated, delivered, and consumed.

Now, at the beginning of the 21st century, the electric power industry is once again on the verge of a revolutionary transformation as it endeavors to transition all aspects of the electrical enterprise to meet the needs of the ‘Digital Society’. Television, radio, movies, telephony, audio, computing, books, and, of course, the Internet are all merging into an ocean of digital information. As members of this Digital Society, electricity consumers are surrounded by this ocean, where information is instantly accessible, easily searchable, rich in variety and texture, secure when needed, and (nearly) always available. The expectations brought about by the Digital Society are now driving similar changes in the power industry. Power customers are demanding higher reliability, more choice, and a constant flow of information–all at constant, or even lower, prices.

Without a unified vision, however, the issues facing the power system will be addressed individually by utilities, government agencies, and power system organizations. The net result of isolated development activities will be a power system plagued by ‘islands of separation’, where the power system of the future is only realized in limited areas or on a small scale. The Integrated Energy and Communications System Architecture–IntelliGrid Architecture–overcomes this isolated development and is the first step to unite power system organizations on their journey to the future.

IntelliGrid Architecture – The Power System Architecture of the Future

As with all journeys, having a vision of the ultimate destination is vital to find the best path to the next waypoint, avoid pitfalls, and minimize expenditures. The IntelliGrid Architecture vision for the power system of the future is:

A power system made up of numerous automated transmission and distribution systems, all operating in a coordinated, efficient and reliable manner.

A power system that handles emergency conditions with ‘self-healing’ actions and is responsive to energy-market and utility business-enterprise needs.

A power system that serves millions of customers and has an intelligent communications infrastructure enabling the timely, secure and adaptable information flow needed to provide reliable and economic power to the evolving digital economy.

To date, the paths leading to this vision have been rocky and diverse. Although portions of this vision do exist today within selected power utilities, there is a wide range of variation in the level of capability and compatibility across the overall power system. Generally, system integration and coordination are not performed on a wide enough scale to address the severity of the problems faced by the grid today, as clearly illustrated by analysis of previous blackouts.

IntelliGrid Architecture Vision – The Information System Architecture of the Future

IntelliGrid Architecture is intended to integrate two systems in the power industry: the power and energy delivery system and the information system (communication, networks, and intelligence equipment) that controls it. In the past, the power delivery system has been a primary focus of development efforts within the power industry. However, to effectively move the industry toward identified goals, the electric system must increasingly rely on the information system as well. These two systems must be developed in parallel and will be comprised of advanced communications and networking technologies working with intelligent equipment and algorithms to execute increasingly sophisticated system functions.

 

IntelliGrid Architecture
Copyright EPRI 2004