Smart Grids

<p indent="0mm">To confront the escalating challenges of the energy crisis, environmental pollution, and climate change, China has committed to the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality (“dual carbon”), driving the transformation of its energy system. A key technological advancement in this effort is the deep integration of power and communication systems, which represents the frontier to achieve the “dual carbon” goals. Traditionally, power systems and communication systems have developed independently, guided by distinct theoretical frameworks and disciplinary paradigms. There has been minimal overlap in their foundation theories and development paths. However, the large-scale use of power electronic equipment in renewable energy systems has created new opportunities and challenges for the dual modulation of power and information through power electronic converters. This development is paving the way for a deeper integration of power conversion and communication systems, shaping a new direction in smart power electronic conversion technology. Talkative power converters/conversion (TPC) represent a significant advancement in this field. It transforms the traditional role of power electronic equipment, which was primarily focused on regulating electrical power, to one that actively participates in information encoding. This paper explores the fundamental concepts and principles of TPC technology. Building on this foundation, it analyzes the characteristics of the converters across different frequency bands and presents methods for implementing TPC, with a focus on signal injection mechanisms and signal formats. The features and classification framework of various TPC technologies are summarized. Additionally, the design of TPC methods for all categories of power electronic converters, as well as the efficiency of information modulation and data encoding, information transmission models and reliability, and mechanisms for autonomous energy tracing and secure transmission are explored. Finally, the paper introduces typical applications of TPC technology, including photovoltaic power generation, battery energy storage management systems, smart grids, intelligent lighting, and wireless power transfer systems.

Guest Editorial: Situational awareness of integrated energy systems

Power systems have been undergoing radical changes in recent years, and their planning and operation will be surely undertaken according to the Smart Grid (SG) vision in the near future. The SG initiatives aim at introducing new technologies and services in power systems, to make the electrical networks more reliable, efficient, secure and environmentally-friendly. In particular, it is expected that communication technologies, computational intelligence and distributed energy sources will be widely used for the whole power system in an integrated fashion. In particular, nowadays, unprecedented challenges like as stringent regulations, environmental concerns, growing demand for high quality, reliable electricity and rising customer expectations are forcing utilities to rethink about electricity generation and delivery from the bottom up. Moreover, the availability of low cost computing and telecommunications technologies, new generation options, and scalable, modular automation systems push utilities to be dynamic, innovative and ambitious enough to take advantage of them. Driven by the dynamics of the new energy environment, leading utilities, technology vendors and government organizations have created a vision of the next generation of energy delivery systems: the Smart Grid. Operational changes of the grid, caused by restructuring of the electric utility industry and electricity storage technology advancements, have created an opportunity for storage systems to provide unique services to the evolving grid. Especially Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESSs), thanks to the large number and variety of services they can provide, are powerful tools for the solution of some challenges that future grids will face. This consideration makes BESSs critical components of the future grids. The BESS can be applied for different services into the different levels of power system chain to satisfy technical challenges and provide financial benefits. In the context of the application of BESSs in SGs, there are two main problems that need to be addressed in a way that exploits the BESS potential, that are linked to their operation and sizing. This thesis focuses on both these aspects, proposing new strategies that allow optimizing the BESS adoption. When dealing with BESSs, sizing and operation are strictly linked. The correct sizing of a BESS, in fact, needs to take into account its operation which in turn will be effected with the aim of optimizing the whole system where it is included. In the first part of this research study, advanced optimal operating strategies were proposed for BESSs by considering both the distribution system operator perspective and the end user. Thus, the proposed operating strategies were performed with the aim of (i) leveling the active power requested by the loads connected to a distribution system (distribution system operator service), (ii) reducing the electricity costs sustained by an end-use costumer that provides demand response (DR) (end user service) and (iii) scheduling a microgrid (µG) with DR resources such as Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs) and Data Centers (DCs) (both the two section service). The proposed strategies also satisfied technical constraints of BESSs and other components of the µG. The second part of the thesis presented the optimal sizing of BESSs aimed at maximizing the benefits related to their use. In the thesis, the sizing, which is performed by considering the end user point of view with reference to both the industrial and residential customers, is effected by adopting both deterministic and probabilistic approaches. With reference to the deterministic approach, a simple and quick closed form procedure for the sizing of BESSs in residential and industrial applications was proposed. In case of probabilistic approach, the case of a BESS installed in an industrial facility was considered and the sizing was performed based on the decision theory. Technical improvements and economic benefits of optimal operation and optimal sizing of BESSs in SG are demonstrated by the obtained results which are reported in the numerical applications. More specifically, it was clearly determined that BESSs can offer technical supports into the distribution operator section of the grid in terms of load management and security challenges. Moreover optimal integration of BESSs into the grid was also appealing for end users thanks to valuable amounts of electricity bill cost reduction. Regarding the original contribution of the thesis, the following considerations can be done. With reference to the load leveling service, an innovative two-step procedure (day-ahead scheduling and very short time predictive control) was proposed which optimally controls a BESS connected to a distribution substation in order to perform load leveling. In case of DR, a proper control of the BESS was proposed in order to perform DR under different price schemes, such as Real Time Pricing (RTP) and Time of Use (TOU) without modifying the daily work cycle of the industrial loads. The control procedure allows achieving contemporaneously two important goals that are the reduction of the bill costs and the prolonging the battery's lifetime so further reducing the costs sustained by the customer. With reference to the scheduling of microgrids, the original contribution of the thesis is focused on the proposal of optimization strategies aimed at managing and coordinating, simultaneously, batteries on board of vehicles or equipping data centers' Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) and Distributed Generation (DG) units. Also comparisons among different single-objective based strategies are made in order to highlight the most convenient. With reference to the sizing based on deterministic approach, unlike the other relating literature, the innovative contribution is that the closed form procedure takes into account both the technical constraints of the battery and contractual agreements between the customer and the utility. Moreover, in the economical analysis performed for the sizing, which is applied with reference to both residential and small industrial customers and is based on actual TOU tariffs, a wide sensitivity analysis to consider different perspectives in terms of life span and future costs was performed. Some aspects that affect the profitability of the battery, such as technological limitations (e.g. the battery and converter efficiency), economic barriers (e.g. capital cost and the rate of change of the cost) and variation of the load profile along the years were deeply analyzed. In case of sizing based on probabilistic approach, the original contributions of the thesis are mainly referred to the proposal of a new method that uses a decision theory-based process to obtain the best sizing alternative considering the various uncertainties affecting the sizing procedure. The thesis is organized in three chapters which are dealing with integration of BESSs in SGs. The first chapter reports basic concepts and characteristics of BESSs, fundamental components and features of SGs and different services that BESSs can provide. The optimal operation strategies of BESS are considered in second chapter which includes their problem formulation, solving procedures and results. The third chapter deals with the optimal sizing problem of BESSs for which the problem formulation, solving procedures and results are reported. Finally, the conclusions are presented in the last part of thesis.

This paper identifies new information integration requirements related to operation, marketing, and maintenance of a power system. A Web-services infrastructure for information integration in power systems is proposed. The objective is to develop an open, flexible, and scaleable framework with higher cooperation and integration capability. Some design issues for implementing a Web services-based SCADA (WS-SCADA) are addressed as a case study of this novel infrastructure.

The literature does not present integral solutions to allow using the same credential to access the smart meter and smart house from an electric utility and vice-versa. The main reason being the technology gap in the communication between the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and the Internet. The technology used in the Internet domain to communicate with Data Concentrators (DC) and the electric utility is more powerful than the technology used in the communication between smart meters and the DC, which is bandwidth limited and better suited to the Internet of Things (IoT) domain. Therefore, we are proposing the use of Identity Management (IdM) and a key-based scheme to enable the integration of IoT and the Internet using the same credentials, without creating a security bottleneck in the communication. An additional security mechanism is provided in the smart house context to isolate the house from direct accesses from the Internet, though allowing the utility to reconfigure the electric power consumption profile to avoid a potential blackout, for instance. Our proposal includes multi-sensor anti-tampering techniques to provide physical protection to a smart meter, in conjunction with a multilevel integrity mechanism to provide logical protection to its resource-constrained microcontroller, given the smart meter is a key component to mitigate electricity consumption fraud. The prototype has shown that our proposal is feasible for protecting the smart house, smart meter and the end-to-end communication between smart meter or house and the utility.

Technical Issues for Wind Energy Integration in Power Systems: Projections in Italy

Changing the Regulation for Regulating the Change: Innovation ‐ Driven Regulatory Developments in Italy: Smart Grids, Smart Metering and E‐Mobility

Smart Grid is referred as next generation power system, and considered new revolutionary changes in existing traditional power system. Information Communication and Technologies (ICT) Integration in power grid enhance efficiency and reliability of future power systems. Power sector requires a secure distributed intelligence and customer demand based response along with an effective reusability of renewable energy resources. Despite, many silent features of Smart Grid, cyber attack risks are threatening the smart grid security. Malicious activities could be harm smart meters in distributed system and take out the power system in simulated attacks. Cyber attacks against Critical Infrastructures, like as Smart Grids, are especially dangerous, because they are tailored to disrupt assets, which are essential to the functioning of the society as whole. Critical Infrastructure sectors include Transportation, Communication and Technology utilities. Among these, the power system is possibly most critical, due to its strong dependency of all other Critical Infrastructures and involvement of Information Communication and Technology. In this paper, we illustrate introduction of smart grid, cyber attack. Current smart grid scenario in India and other countries in section I section II includes related work of cyber security and standard for smart grid while section III illustrated risk assessment, section IV elaborated proposed risk assessment framework and in last we conclude and describe further scope in this field paper in section V

Reducing the power supply-demand gap and increasing reliability of power supply are the challenges of current energy management. Implementation of smart grid, smart meters and smart metering can be a possible solution for power demand reduction, efficient power supply management, and optimization of management resource usages. Smart meters include sophisticated measurement and calculation hardware, software, calibration and communication capabilities. For interoperability within a smart grid infrastructure, smart meters are designed to perform functions, and store and communicate data according to certain standards. In this work we discuss smart meter and various elements of smart metering, current state of the technologies related to smart grid, smart meter, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), and meter data flow in smart grid. We also discuss standards related to smart meter, meter data format and data transmission, functions of smart meter, and functionalities of smart meters, currently deployed by utilities around the world.

An efficient dependable smart power grid relies on the secure real-time data collection and transmission service provided by a monitoring system. In such a system, the measuring units, such as phasor measurement units (PMUs) and smart meters (SMs), are critical. These measuring equipments function as sensors in the smart grid. Data exchanges between these sensors and the central controller are protected by various security protocols. These protocols usually contain computationally intensive cryptographic algorithms that cause heavy energy overhead to the sensor nodes. Since PMUs and SMs are mostly energy-constrained, the problem of how to ensure the secure communication with minimum energy cost becomes a critical issue for the functionality of the whole smart grid. In this article, we focus on the low power secure communication of the PMUs and SMs. We take two wireless sensor platforms as examples to experimentally investigate the approaches and principles of reconciling the two conflicting system requirements-communication security and low energy consumptions. The proposed methods are general ones and applicable to other energy-constrained yet security sensitive systems.

Analysis and simulation of power systems are crucial for a successful deployment of power system networks. However, introduction of smart grid concepts and integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) in operation of power systems has been a challenging topic for studying of future power systems. In this paper complexities related to simulation of smart grids and its requirement for research and development studies have been discussed. In addition to that, a real-time simulation framework for system protection in smart grids has been established to verify the simulation results. The proposed methodology is based on co-simulation of power system components and integration of ICT components in real-time. In summary, the outcomes of this research can be highlighted to address feasibility studies in smart grid operation and capability to integrate Distributed Artificial Intelligence (DAI) for reliable system protections.

Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 emphasizes renewable energy to drive sustainable development, particularly leveraging solar power due to abundant sunshine. However, integrating solar photovoltaic (PV) systems into existing grids presents multifaceted challenges. Voltage regulation, power quality issues, and reverse power flow disruption due to solar intermittency demand effective management strategies. Challenges, including voltage fluctuations, power quality issues, reverse power flow disruptions, and solutions like energy storage, advanced inverter control, demand response, and grid modernization, are explored to mitigate these challenges. A literature review and methodologies are presented, including PV generator modeling and power flow calculations. The proposed methodology is validated through case studies and a simulation based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 30-Bus System, showcasing differences in voltage and angle outputs across nodes with integrated PV generators.

Drastic climate changes have shifted power grids to the integrated power system (IPS), i.e., inverter-based resources (IBRs), leading to operational challenges associated with reducing system inertia and intermittent power generation. Improved inverter control schemes are necessary to ensure the stability and robustness of the power system. Different types of inverter schemes are used in IPS: grid-following inverters (GFLIs), grid-forming inverters (GFMIs), and grid-supporting inverters (GSIs). GFLIs may experience frequency and voltage fluctuations as IBR penetration increases. Still, GFMIs can regulate both frequency and voltage at their point of common coupling, mimicking the behavior of synchronous generators. GFMIs is an emerging technology, attracting academia and industry. This work aims to review the role of GFMIs from the perspective of undergraduate electrical engineering research in power systems education. Students have the opportunity to understand the theoretical background while at the same time performing simulations and experiments to enrich their learning experience.

Against the backdrop of a global shift towards renewable energy sources (RES) and the increasing complexity of modern power grids, smart grids (SGs) emerge as a critical solution for enhancing efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. This paper reviews a total of 177 key references published between 2014 and 2024, providing a comprehensive analysis of the most recent advancements in SG technologies and their pivotal role in shaping the future of power systems. The research explores the multifaceted components of SGs, encompassing intelligent sensing, communication technologies, home energy management systems, demand-side management, smart metering, smart electric vehicle charging, smart lighting, the Internet of Things, and the integration of big data, while investigating their role in enhancing the power grid in a smart and digitally integrated manner. The paper also discusses the SG features that have developed and improved the transmission and distribution networks, as well as the ancillary services on a grid-scale introduced through digitization. In addition, the status of the investment in SG is highlighted. The electrification of the global economy, driven by the urgent need to integrate RES, prompted an 8% increase in electricity grid investment in 2022. Additionally, digital technology investments for the grid constituted 19% of the total grid investment in the same year. SGs stand at the forefront of this transformation, playing a central role in facilitating the integration of variable RES, implementing digital technologies, smart devices, and optimizing power systems for diverse sectors. Despite substantial progress, some challenges persist that need further attention to ensure the seamless integration of SG technologies. The findings underscore the pivotal role of SGs in enhancing energy efficiency, effectively managing distributed energy resources, and strengthening the resilience of power systems. In conclusion, the recent advancements in SGs mark a transformative era for the power sector. However, to fully unlock their potential, it is essential to address the key challenges that hinder their seamless integration. Accordingly, these challenges are outlined to guide future research in developing innovative solutions that further optimize and advance the capabilities of SGs.

Currently, much awareness is paid to the effects of smart grids on efficiency of power systems and energy districts, and the selection of suitable operating modes for equipment for transmitting electric energy. Modern intelligent networks have an impact on ensuring a stable state of power system operation modes, increasing their reliability in operation, and increasing the quality of electric energy. The article analyzes the use of intelligent electrical networks and intelligent network systems in both Western countries and the Russian Federation. Statistical data on electricity consumption and forecast values for this rate of consumption are given. In the future, until 2020-2025, there will be a gradual transition to a new type of electric grid organization - smart grids. The use of electric power systems in conjunction with innovative digital information management systems will significantly change the technical and economic characteristics of future power systems in a positive way. The comparison of technical parameters of traditional and intelligent electric networks, as well as the classification of the main groups of devices controlled (flexible) by AC power transmission systems is carried out. Systems are divided according to the principle of power regulation. Implemented projects of using flexible alternative current transmission system devices in the world are presented. As a result of the analysis, it was found that China is actively developing managed (flexible) AC power transmission systems, with a large amount of investment from the state, the volume of investment is much larger and amounts to about $ 70 billion per year.