InTech, the trade publication for automation technology, has an interesting overview of Smart Grid technology. Calling it a “new buzzword in industrial circles”, the piece walks the reader through the ins and outs of Smart Grid.
In a nutshell, Smart Grid describes a sort of lean, super-efficient way of manufacturing and delivering energy. They make the analogy that Smart Grid is like an assembly line, where you need to balance the line so you don’t get a bottleneck at one station holding up other stations. Smart Grid is predicated on eliminating waste and continually improving efficiency.
One important part of the real-life applications of Smart Grid power generation is the equipment used. The InTech piece gives the example of a large, anonymous electric user:
Siemens Access Energy Management engineers worked with facility engineers and consultants to define what the existing EPMS system could do to help them with the solution. The solution was to install new closed transfer switches and some additional generator sets. The new and existing generator sets and transfer switches would be tied to the EPMS system for manual control of the utility to on-site generation. There was also a need to send generated KW, data to the existing Building Automation System (BAS), via staged dry contact closures at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 90% loading to shed load in various buildings to reduce HVAC loads during peak summer and winter months. The BAS to EPMS link was also setup with e-mail alarming if any communications were lost to the electrical generator panel. If the system failed or lost communications, the generator system would fail in “safe mode.”
The example highlights how having the right industrial power generators and power generation equipment facilitates the very most efficient Smart Grid practices.
If you’ve ever wondered at what “Smart Grid” means, or how it can help you and your business, then check out the InTech essay.
