“If you look at the power grid now, it’s meshed, so power flows from one point to another, but there’s no way to control it. And now because of all this complexity coming to the grid, a device like ours is very, very useful to actually control and make the grid flexible.”
ARPA-E is investing in moonshot energy ideas that are so audacious, they might just change how we power our society.
When Superstorm Sandy hit, neighborhoods all over New York City and Long Island lost power. In an effort to avoid lengthy blackouts in future storms, there was a lot of talk of a more distributed smart grid—a more resilient system. But how far have we come?
With the implementation of the energy transition, network operators face a Herculean task. Distributed generation and green electricity feeds cause fluctuating power flows in the networks. How can this dynamic be mitigated?
Smart Wire Grid, Inc., a small company (about 40 employees) in business for about 3 years, designs and manufactures a transmission power flow controller that “converts an existing transmission line into a controllable and observable Smart Wire.”
The dynamic power flow control technology from Smart Wire Grid converts an existing transmission line into a controllable and observable Smart Wire. As the exhibitors explain, the result is the ability to shift power away from overloaded lines or onto underutilized lines while
Venture capital (VC) funding in smart grid technology companies stood at Rs 616.10 crore ($101 million) in 21 deals in first quarter of 2014. In comparison, fourth quarter of 2013 saw investments worth Rs 902.80 crore ($148 million) in 31 deals. Smart Grid Communication technology companies received the most VC funding raising Rs 378.20 crore ($62 million) in 11 deals.
The majority of electricity transmission systems in service today are high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) systems that rely on many of the same technologies that existed at their conception more than 100 years ago. Today, however, the rapid worldwide expansion in large-scale wind and solar projects, coupled with the growth of heavy industry in Latin America, South Africa, and other regions, is providing new opportunities for flexible alternating current transmission systems (FACTS).
Utilities now have the ability to really rate their line’s capacity. Dynamic line ratings are based on real-time measurements of sag, conductor temperature and weather conditions rather than old-school methods of selecting static conditions by committee. In addition, as more lines become brainy, the grid is morphing into a dynamic system with real-time energy management systems. These systems are capable of optimizing the electrical grid. Power flows can be monitored to avoid congestion, and software predicts the network’s behavior.
Smart Wire Grid’s devices are designed to work existing transmission lines by clamping onto them and controlling the flow of power to provide more consistent control over how energy is routed within the grid on a real-time basis. This directly addresses concerns regarding the grid’s inability to effectively store intermittent energy from renewables for later use.
