Powering the Future: Innovations and Insights into the Smart Grid

Smart Grids

Smart Grids refer to electricity grids that, through computer technologies, regulate the flow of electricity between consumers and suppliers. As a result, smart grids contribute to the adequacy of production, distribution, and consumption by collecting information on the state of the network (El-Hawary 240). In a broad sense, a smart grid combines electrical infrastructure with digital technologies that analyze and transmit the information received. These technologies are used at all levels of the network: production, transport, distribution, and consumption.

Current Energy Needs

Currently, power grids face new energy needs, including the development of air conditioning, electronics, and electric heating. This rise should be amplified by new uses such as the electric car or heat pumps. Smart grids aim to provide an answer to these constraints. By balancing demand and supply, smart grids avoid the over-equipment of the means of production permitting a more adapted use of the means of storage of electricity, available in a limited way (Barbato et al. 18). In addition, smart grids increase energy efficiency by reducing peak consumption, which mitigates the risk of widespread failure.

Challenges of Implementation

However, the cost of investments is high. Certainly, smart grids must be implemented across all networks and involve all shareholders to be effective. The other obstacle is the diversity of the actors because they have to develop various communicating systems with convergent logic (Tuballa and Michael 715). Additionally, the data collected is composite to store and manage, given the large amount of information to be processed. Finally, information on the hours or activities of consumers and producers is confidential. Data protection standards must be applied.

Personal Perspective

My personal take on smart grids is that, in the long term, the development of smart grids should extend to all interconnected networks. However, the implementation of smart grids depends on the efficiency of technical devices and the involvement of stakeholders. Among them, consumers will have a key role. Indeed, the balance of the electrical system will be more managed by the end user. Public awareness of system issues will be needed to understand their utility. It will also require easy access to information via multiple and simple interfaces.

Work Cited

Barbato, Antimo, et al. “A distributed demand-side management framework for the smart grid.”     Computer Communications 57 (2015): 13-24.

El-Hawary, Mohamed E. “The smart grid—state-of-the-art and future trends.” Electric Power  Components and Systems 42.3-4 (2014): 239-250.

Tuballa, Maria Lorena, and Michael Lochinvar Abundo. “A review of the development of Smart          Grid technologies.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 59 (2016): 710-725.