Advanced Distribution Automation

Distributed generation is increasingly important in power grids around the world. This generation can help to support local power grids in the presence of blackouts, and ease the load on long-distance transmission lines, but it can also destabilize the grid if not managed correctly. Usually, utility control centers are unable to manage distributed generators directly, and this may be a valuable capability in the future.

It may be useful to control industrial and residential loads with a finer level of precision than is currently possible. For example, during periods of peak electrical demand in the summer, the utility control centers may be able to raise the thermostats of houses enrolled in a load reduction program, to temporarily decrease electrical demand from a large number of customers without significantly affecting their comfort. Customers are usually compensated for their participation in such programs.

Eventually, homes, businesses, and even electric vehicles may be able to receive real-time pricing (RTP) signals from their distribution companies and dynamically adjust their own energy consumption profiles to minimize costs. This would also preserve customer autonomy and mitigate privacy issues.

For a full listing of the capabilities being proposed by the IntelliGrid project, please see the first external link below.

EXTERNAL LINKS

	CATEGORIES ABOUT ADVANCED DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION

	electricity distribution

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