Grid of the Future
Researchers at the U.S. Department
of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are
improving power grid reliability with a new technology
called GridWiseTM, developed to relieve stress
on the current grid and combat future vulnerabilities
to major power outages.
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PNNL engineers are devising
new technologies that could be fitted into appliances
to constantly monitor the frequency of the power
grid and turn off or on to help alleviate fluctuations
on the grid that can lead to major outages. |
September 8, 2003Researchers
at the Office of Science's Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory are supporting DOE and other industry stakeholders
to provide insight to the factors that play a role in
large-scale outages such as those that occurred on the
East Coast on August 14, 2003, and how susceptibility
to such events can be minimized with new technology
and tighter cooperation.
"We're using the grid in ways that it
wasn't designed for, and the results can be cascading
outages that cripple entire regions," said Jeff Dagle,
PNNL chief electrical engineer and grid reliability
expert, echoing an opinion widely shared among utility
engineers. "The grid architecture must be changed to
support the new demands that are being placed upon it,
making it more resilient to failure or attack and flexible
enough to evolve as better technological solutions emerge.
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Jeff
Dagle |
"One option we are considering is integrating
advanced technology into the systemfrom the consumer
level in a person's home to the generators and substations,"
he said. "Also, development of new energy sources such
as fuel cells will further reduce demands on the grid.
Tighter cooperation between private and public organizations
must be the foundation for either of these efforts."
Grid of the Future
The East Coast power outage further proves
that despite the United States' technological might,
its power system is stuck in the 20th century. Efforts
to modernize the grid and incorporate new technologies
that could reduce vulnerability to major outages are
under way at PNNL through its Energy Systems Transformation
Initiative.
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Rob
Pratt |
"Called GridWiseTM, our vision
draws upon new technologies enabling collaboration among
generators, the grid, and customer loads to collectively
increase the stability and cost-effectiveness of the
power system beyond what is possible today," said Rob
Pratt, program manager of PNNL's initiative.
"We foresee solutions that involve adapting
and influencing information, and control technology
approaches to deliver a reliable energy infrastructure
that's in step with the information revolution in the
nation's economy in general. Major corporations like
IBM, Alstom, PJM Interconnect and Sempra have created
an alliance to jointly define this vision for the smart
grid of the future with DOE's Office of Electric Transmission
and Distribution."
As part of GridWiseTM, PNNL
engineers are designing smart chips that would be fitted
onto household appliances and would continually monitor
fluctuations in the power grid. When the grid is under
high periods of stress, a grid-friendly appliance would
identify these fluctuations and, within milliseconds,
automatically shut down for a short period of time to
give the grid operators time to stabilize the system.
It could even turn on momentarily to absorb excess power
from fluctuations during a crisis.
"These brief interruptions of 5 or 10
minutes wouldn't be noticeable to the consumer but,
if millions of hot water heaters, refrigerators and
air conditioners shut down, the cumulative effect could
reduce demand enough to stabilize the grid and give
operators time to get it back under control," Pratt
said. "These grid-friendly appliances could respond
nearly instantly and much more quickly than a utility
can start up additional generators or re-route power
to compensate for disruptions in the system."
"By relieving stress on the grid, chances
of a problem spinning out of control and cascading into
a major blackout would be greatly reduced. These same
appliances could stagger their return to service after
an outage, easing the restoration of power."
PNNL is establishing a mock household
environment where grid-friendly appliances would be
tested for their effectiveness in monitoring for grid
fluctuations, responsiveness to such fluctuations, and
how they could have alleviated past power outages using
information from those events. The test bed is expected
to be fully operational this fall.
Learning from Past Outages
While the August 14 East Coast outage
was unprecedented for its impact, it is not the first
time a major outage has struck highly populated areas.
Dagle has co-authored two major reports for DOE that
analyzed factors contributing to past power outages
that crippled California and the East Coast. In the
report, called "Review of Reliability Issues and System
Events," Dagle and colleague John Hauer, PNNL Laboratory
Fellow and former BPA principal engineer for power system
dynamics, provided a detailed analysis of how 11 major
North American outages occurred, and then offered insight
to technology investments that could reduce chances
of repeat events, institutional weaknesses that contributed
to the events and options for addressing these problems.
In the report, the PNNL authors note that
for more than a decade, looming deregulation has provided
little incentive for utilities to invest in increased
systems capacity, or to increase the load capacity.
"A massive infusion of better technology
is emerging as the final option for continued reliability
and adequacy of electrical services," they write. "If
that technology investment will not be made in a timely
manner, then the fact should be recognized and North
America should plan its adjustments to a very different
level of electrical service."
Infusion of New Technology
One such technology solution is a monitoring
system developed at PNNL in conjunction with Bonneville
Power Administration called WAMS, for Wide-Area Measurement
System. It monitors fluctuations in transmission lines,
predicts failure-level problems, and analyzes what caused
outages. It is an example of how information technology
can help utilities and governments learn from past outages
and recognize failure-level events in time to minimize
damage. WAMS has been provided to utilities along the
West Coast.
"Over the past couple of years, we've
been discussing implementation of WAMS on the East Coast
with several utilities," Dagle said. "The goal is to
incorporate information technologies to better predict
events, match power need and demands, and consider real-time
needs in hopes of improving management of the grid.
"Beyond technology incorporated into the
grid, innovations in the area of fuel cells could also
serve as new energy resources for consumers and the
grid," he said.by Staci Maloof
Media contact: Staci
Maloof, PNNL Media Relations Specialist, 509-372-6313,
mailto:Staci.Maloof@pnl.gov
Business inquiries: 1-888-375-PNNL
or mailto:inquiry@pnl.gov
Technical contact: Jeff Dagle, PNNL
Chief Engineer, 509-375-3629, mailto:jeff.dagle@pnl.gov
Related Web Links
"Set of Rules Too Complex to Be Followed
Properly." Glanz, J, and AC Revkin. August 19, 2003.
New York Times (subscription
may be required)
EnergyA
System in Transformation
PNNL
Researchers Address Energy, Power Issues
Congressional
Testimony: Transforming the Energy System
U.S.
Department of Energy's National Transmission Grid Study
2002
U.S.
Department of Energy Power Outage Study Team
Technology
Action Plan Addresses Western Power Crisis
Funding:
This project was funded by DOE's Office of Electric
Transmission and Distribution, which is part of
DOE's Office
of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
using facilities supported by DOE's Office
of Science.
The Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory is
a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science
facility that is gaining new knowledge through
fundamental research and providing science-based
solutions to some of the nation's most pressing
challenges in national security, energy, and environmental
quality. The Laboratory employs more than 3,800
scientists, engineers, technicians and support
staff, and has an annual budget of nearly $600
million. Battelle,
based in Columbus, Ohio, has operated PNNL since
its inception in 1965 for the federal government.
Author: Staci
Maloof is a science writer and media
relations specialist for the Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory, based in Richland, Washington.
She is a former newspaper journalist and a member
of the National Association of Science Writers.
See PNNL
News and Publications. |
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