Building the Energy Internet
- [The Energy Internet - the Economist]
- Overview
The energy internet is a multi-network system that uses the internet and other information technology to power systems. It is a conceptualized energy sharing network that uses a plug-and-play mechanism, real-time bidirectional flow of energy, information, and money.
The energy internet aims to change the way people generate, distribute, and consume electrical energy. It is a futuristic evolution of the electricity system that is closely coupled with other systems such as natural gas networks and transportation networks.
The energy internet's objectives include:
- Automating several systems, like security and surveillance systems, health care systems, manufacturing systems, home appliances, transport systems, electrical systems, military systems, agriculture systems, and power grids
- Providing energy producers, grid operators, and utilities with the necessary information to balance energy production and energy demand
- Moving forward production more efficiently and cleanly with the least amount of waste
- Energy Internet: Enablers and Building Blocks
The world's electric power is facing its worst crisis since its inception a century ago. Aging infrastructure, increased peak demand for electricity and heightened concerns about the industry's environmental impact have made it critical to improve how the grid manages electricity. An open, standards-based smart grid, the grid of the future (Energy Internet), is one of humanity's boldest visions.
It transforms the current electricity network of thousands of transmission substations, large distribution substations, and public and private owners into a shared, interoperable network that communicates intelligently and works efficiently, similar in concept to today's Internet way of working.
Smart grids differ from our traditional grids in that they allow for two-way power transfer and communication, whereas traditional grids are limited to one direction. This bidirectional transmission and communication allows for additional grid functionality, control, reliability and efficiency. The Internet of Energy is now possible thanks to advances in microgrid technology and machine-type communications that allow applications with ultra-reliable, low-latency, and massive-scale connectivity.
A smart grid will consist of millions of components and parts - controls, computers, power lines, and new technologies and equipment. It will take some time before all technologies are perfected, equipment is installed and systems are tested.
And it's not going to happen all at once - the smart grid is gradually evolving over the next decade or so. Once mature, the smart grid could bring about the same transformations that the internet has already brought to the way we live, work, play and learn.
- Clean Energy Future: The Energy Cloud
The energy cloud is similar to the idea of cloud computing. Like IT networks, these networks improve consumer efficiency in solar, wind and energy systems. Four key trends driving this movement are: increased regulations to reduce carbon emissions, the transition from central to decentralized grids, more customer choice – from type to usage to consumption, and greater data availability.
At the heart of the energy cloud is the implementation of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) or smart meters.
- Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and the Smart Grid
Due to a lack of situational awareness, automated analysis, poor visibility and mechanical switches, today's grids are aging and unsuitable for the increasing power demands of the twenty-first century.
In addition, global climate change and the planet’s greenhouse gas emissions from the power industry, population growth, one-way communications, equipment failures, energy storage issues, generation capacity constraints, fossil fuel reductions and resilience are putting more pressure on existing grids. Hence, smart grids emerge as the times require to address these challenges.
To realize the smart grid, the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) based on smart meters is the most important key.
AMI is an integrated system of smart meters, communication networks and data management systems that enables two-way communication between utilities and customers. The system provides many important functions that were previously unavailable or had to be performed manually, such as the ability to automatically and remotely measure power usage, connect and disconnect services, detect tampering, identify and isolate outages, and monitor voltage.
Combined with customer technologies such as home displays and programmable communication thermostats, AMI also enables utilities to offer new time-based rate plans and incentives to encourage customers to reduce peak demand and manage energy consumption and costs.
[More to come ...]
