Reported by Roger Lawerence

IEEE ENCS PES/IAS Meeting 10 February 2009

Smart Grid: In Search of a Model by Subroto Bhattacharya

The subject of the Smart Grid is topical and of great interest; it attracted a large crowd of members and their guests to our February meeting. The audience comprised students and young engineers together with many very experienced engineers. Subroto created an informal atmosphere conducive to interaction and questions. The presentation can be found on the IEEE ENCS website http://ewh.ieee.org/r3/enc/ .

The first part of the program addressed federal mandates and concepts. The second part dealt with the assertion that engineers need an overarching system to coordinate the many Smart Grid models.

The government and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) paved the way and developed clear visions of the benefits to be obtained from the advances attributed to the Smart Grid. Subroto gave a pair of contrasting examples of smart grid enactment:

·         The Pecan Project in Austin, TX focused on researchers interest

·         The Xcel Energies Smart Grid City focused on empowering power consumers

The Smart Grid maturity model was conceptualized by the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC). Intelligent Metering will be at the center of the new grid structure. The Grid Wise Architectural Council (GWAC) has published a simple model for collaboration between power systems.

In conclusion Subroto described three existing commercial systems and used these examples to illustrate that we have a long way to go to achieve the integrated model for the Smart Grid. However, we now know enough to realize that the potential benefits of these concepts are considerable.

The audience enjoyed the well thought out presentation and the method of delivery. Many thanks to Subroto for an interesting and thought provoking presentation.

Our next PES/IAS meeting is scheduled for 14 April 2009: “Advanced Passive Nuclear Power Plants” by Gary Miller. Details are posted to the calendar http://ewh.ieee.org/r3/enc/ . We are looking forward to a good turnout. Hope to see you there.