Why Attend The 4th National Smart Grids Forum 2012?

Convergence of Smart Grid Technology

After years of conceptual analysis and trial assessment it is becoming very apparent that smart grid success hinges on getting the key element for implementation right –the telecommunications infrastructure. In line with this, the rollout of the NBN network and advances in M2M technology offer a unique opportunity to drive convergence in smart grid and communications technology and lower overall cost of rolling out the backbone infrastructure for both projects.

However one of the biggest stumbling blocks in driving collaboration has been the uncertainty in standards development and policy support. This has resulted in the utilities industry building their own communications infrastructure – including trials in wireless, wimax, home area networks and wider area communications network or “last mile” technology which to date have primarily been supported by the use of smart meters and in hope-displays.

No End to End Solution

If there has been one major learning outcome in the smart grid frenzy to date it would have to be this one – there is no complete end to end solution Standards, interoperability data management, asset management and asset life extension, grid security and emerging technology integration into existing infrastructure mean there is no one solution to solving the smart grid problem.

General confusion still exists about which technologies can really facilitate all the things needed to move smart grid development forward. What’s happening as a result is that the initial push to have smart grid teams is slowing down, with those being dissolved back into the business and developing smart grid applications and technologies alongside “business as usual”.

2 Distinct Areas of Development

What utilities have been able to say with certainty is that the business as usual approach still means a look into two distinct areas of smart grid technology which are equally important. One is the customer side driven by specific user selected parameters of electricity consumption in the real time. The customer side of technology development due to lesser safety restrictions is currently seeing more certainty in investment due to more apparent indicators surrounding ROI. The other area is related to network operations, where age old objectives are still at the forefront of smart grid technology development - optimising the energy supply in terms of efficiency, safety, reliability and power quality. There are different concepts developed for achieving these goals, and different utilities are trailing different approaches. However there is no denying that influencing customer behaviour and enabling the integration of more renewable energy to meet the challenges of climate change and carbon policy are integral in achieving what the smart grid promises.

Communications Infrastructure Key to Smart Grid

Whist investment in customer facing technology has the potential to yield a higher return, most utilities acknowledge the fact that their endeavours into smart grid implementation can not be supported without the necessary communications infrastructure to establish the backbone of the “smart grid”.

“Spectrum management will be crucial in smart grid development. The National Smart Grid Forum 2012 forum will again provide a platform for industry collaboration and networking.”

Bridget Kerans, Senior Radio Communications Engineer, ACMA

There are key challenges here as well. Read More