The Big Picture |
- Discuss the purpose and various potential operating strategies of the Smart Grid including:
- Overall purpose
- Self-healing
- Energy storage and islanding
- Self-optimizing
- Economic dispatch
- Real time pricing
- Voltage and Var management
- Power Quality
- Discuss why the Smart Grid Benefits the six Stakeholders:
- Utilities, ISO / RTO
- Utility Regulators
- Government
- Customers
- Environmental advocates
- Technology Suppliers
- Discuss current barriers that exist today to these operating strategies taking into account the six stakeholders above
- Discuss the advantages/disadvantages and why a Smart Grid may be required for the future success of the US
- Discuss the cost advantages/disadvantages as it pertains to utilities operations of having a Smart Grid
|
Communications and Data |
- Describe the overall communication network as it applies to a smart grid
- Discuss the following communication systems as they apply to the smart grid:
- AMR
- Fixed network AMR / AMI
- Cellular/wireless network
- Power line carrier
- Telephone
- RF Mesh network
- RF point to point network
- IP Based WAN
- RF home area network (HAN)
- Discuss the purpose and potential capabilities of a Meter Data Management (MDM) system
- Discuss the data that will be available from end point technologies
- Discuss the data that will be available from distributed points out in the smart grid
- Discuss the process of two-way communication and what it will be utilized for in a smart grid installation
- Discuss the maintenance needs of the various communication systems
|
The Customer Side |
- Discuss the various technologies utilized on the customer side of the smart grid including:
- Distributed generation (DG) / distributed energy resources (DER) and associated support equipment
- Energy storage
- Switches
- Relays
- Home Area Network (HAN)
- Thermostat
- Computer interface
- Smart appliances
- Discuss how consumers will engage and operate their portion of the smart grid
- Discuss how the customer will participate in Demand Side Management (DSM)
- Discuss the interconnection standard IEEE 1547
- Describe the general process for interconnection of distributed generation/distributed energy resources and associated protective devices
- Discuss how interconnected generation technologies interact with each other
|
The Utility Side |
- Discuss the various technologies utilized by utilities and their purpose for a smart grid including:
- Smart Meters
- Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
- Automated Meter Reading (AMR)
- Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs)
- Distribution Automation
- Automated switches
- Intelligent switches
- Reclosers/Sectionalizers
- Relays
- Transformers
- Capacitors
- Voltage Regulators
- Discuss the general process utilities use to evaluate end use technologies and their interconnection to the grid
- Discuss the concept of Plug and Play
- Describe how utility technologies will interact with each other including customer owned technologies
- Discuss how these technologies will accomplish the following:
- Fault isolation
- Self healing
- Self optimization
- Improve System reliability
|
Controlling, Operating, and Monitoring |
- Discuss the use of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system
- Discuss the use of a Distribution Supervisor Control and Data Acquisition (DSCADA) system
- Discuss how an Outage Management Systems (OMS) operates
- Discuss how a Distribution Management System (DMS) operates
- Discuss the various radio and phone systems utilized by energy control center operators / dispatchers and field employees
- Describe the general responsibilities of energy control center operators / dispatchers
- Discuss how the control systems and energy control center operators / dispatchers will respond during an event
- Discuss how the system and energy control center operators will respond after repairs to the system have been completed and include in this discussion:
- Load or Cold Load pickup/Inrush current
- Operations of feeder breakers/Switches and associated protective relaying
- Operations of reclosers/sectionalizers
- Power Quality Management
- Analysis for proper operation
- Discuss how these control center systems will be integrated
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Maintenance Needs |
- Discuss the maintenance needs of customer owned equipment
- Discuss the maintenance needs of utility owned equipment
- Discuss the maintenance needs of communications and hardware devices
- Discuss the existing maintenance barriers which could impact the effective operation of the Smart Grid
- Discuss the life cycle of new devices and its comparison with old utility maintenance practices
- Discuss the direct impacts of not performing maintenance in relation to:
- Technology
- Reliability
- Future costs
- Discuss the life cycle of new devices and its comparison with old utility maintenance practices
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