Smart Grid Challenges

Wednesday March 17, 2010, 9:15AM-12:30PM

Panelists:

 

Germany:

 

• ABB, Dr. Klaus von Sengbusch, Smart Grid Project Manager

• VATTENFALL EUROPE DISTRIBUTION GmbH, Dr. Erik Landeck, CEO

• T-SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL GmbH, Dr. Carl-W. Ackermann, Smart Grid Project Manager

• SAP AG, Dr. Anke Weidlich, Senior Researcher

• BIRD&BIRD LLP, Sven-Erik Heun, Partner

France:

 

• ADEME, François Moisan, Strategic, Research and International Executive Director, Scientific Director

• AREVA, Regis Hourdouillie, Smart Grid Program Director

• ERDF, Jean Vigneron, Director of the Program Linky (new electric meter)

 

Palo Alto:

 

• EMETER, Larsh Johnson, Founder and Chief Technology Officer

• MEGAWATT STORAGE FARMS, Ed Cazalet, Co-Founder and Vice President

• ENERNOC, Matthew Plante, Director of Business Development

• SAP, Andreas Vogel, Vice President of Energy Management

Moderators:

LOGICA management consulting

Paris: Cyril Cortina

Frankfurt: Norbert Clasen

 

PRTM 

Palo Alto: Patrice Maheo

 

TO SUBSCRIBE, hit "Subscribe" to the upper right or below, or email

 

emily.lundberg@agrion.org

 

 

 

AGENDA

 

A smarter electricity grid promises to make the supply of electricity more efficient and reliable, help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by promoting renewable energy and reduce overall power consumption.

 

The smart grid will incorporate new networking technology, such as sensors and controls that make it possible to monitor electricity use in real time and make automatic changes that reduce energy waste.  Grid operators should be able to instantly detect problems that could lead to cascading outages.  And the technology ought to allow energy companies to incorporate more intermittent, renewable sources of electricity, such as solar farms, by keeping the grid stable.

 

But implementing the necessary changes will be challenging.  And these challenges may come from several fronts, such as the following:

 

• Regulators: They are responsible for ensuring that utilities make wise investments that restrain the price of electricity.  But improved efficiency and reliability can't easily be quantified.  Ultimately, regulators will need proof that the systems can deliver the promised benefits.  Will they start considering long-term societal benefits in addition to electricity costs?

• Consumers: For consumers, the smart grid could also mean radical changes in the way they pay for electricity.  Instead of a flat rate, they could be charged much more at times of high demand, encouraging them to reduce their energy use during these periods.  Such strategies would allow utilities to put off building new transmission lines and generators to meet peak demand--savings that could be important as proposed regulations on carbon dioxide emissions force them to switch to more expensive sources of electricity.  But will customers be willing to pay and/or spend the time to manage their energy?

 

• Technology: The massive amount of data generated by smart-grid technology could itself pose a practical problem. Right now, a utility with five million meters has about 30,000 devices for monitoring the grid. As the smart grid develops, that number could increase a thousand-fold, with each device conveying a thousand times as much information as one of its counterparts does now.  Will it bring the grid to a halt instead of helping?

 

• Stability of the Grid: Integration of renewable energy sources and EV require careful planning not to impair the power delivery system.   How will hardware and software solutions manage the flow of data to better equilibrate supply and demand?
  

 

• Security and Privacy: The smart grid raises questions about national security. As more technology is brought into the grid, providing more connections to the energy infrastructure, there are escalating concerns about protecting that infrastructure.  The technology also raises serious privacy concerns as well.

 

In the course of our local seminar and international conference we will get the perspectives from Smart Grid participants on these challenges:

 

·         Suppliers of Software, Solutions, and Applications

·         Suppliers of Networking/Communications

·         Energy Providers

·         Providers of Energy Storage

·         Utilities