Historically, distribution networks have not been equipped with high levels of automation – but market dynamics and the advent of smart grid technologies are rapidly changing this. Nowadays, energy generation and distribution rely on advanced digital technologies and intelligent devices to satisfy customer demands and business requirements. To the distribution system operator, digitization is the key to new distribution automation technologies for better performance.
The changing market landscape is creating a growing demand for advanced storage systems, especially with regard to renewable energy inputs. Toshibas’ Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) does a lot more than make it possible to control fluctuations in frequency of wind and solar inputs. It automates voltage regulation, optimizes demand and supply, and provides reliable back-up in blackout or disaster situations. Little wonder this 1.2 MW battery storage unit is rapidly gaining favor with major utilities.
Grid digitization offers utilities the chance to redefine their business models by improving their internal operations and the services they deliver to end consumers.
In late 2017, more than a quarter of a million homes in the Austrian state of Styria will receive some of the most advanced smart electricity meters in the world, after Landis+Gyr won a tender to supply a consortium of Austrian utility providers with 330,000 E450 G3 power line communication (PLC) smart meters.
AMI technology provides energy data from millions of energy consumers. The information on energy consumption and power quality is deeply integrated into the internal processes of the utilities and is crucial for their business continuity. The performance of the smart metering solution goes beyond the technical quality of individual AMI components.
Cyber security is widely discussed in the energy sector, but until now it has been rather unclear in many energy utilities how to start developing it in concrete business terms. This summer, two announcements in the EU provide guidance from the regulatory side and support in defining the direction of the next steps. For the daily management of information security, industry standards provide a practical framework.
