Open Standards for a Smart Grid

 

AS THE NUMBER ONE PURCHASER of renewable energy in the United States and a strategic investor in renewable energy startup companies, Intel is helping lead the development of the clean energy industry. An imperative that is closely linked to clean energy is to help make smart energy a global reality.

We must accelerate the integration of and synergy among intelligent renewable energy sources, smart grids, smart buildings and empowered energy consumers.

According to a report by The Climate Group, the application of information and communication technologies to enable smart grids and smart buildings has the potential to avert 3.71 gigatons of CO2 equivalent global emissions, worth $464 billion in global energy cost savings, by 2020. To achieve this goal of energy savings and CO2 avoidance the energy sector must undergo a significant transformation, including rapid integration of renewable energy sources, the build-out of smart grids and technology-based empowerment of energy consumers.

An issue facing smart grids is the absence of an agreed-upon specification prescribing how all grid components should be designed and made to communicate with each other. There are many competing open standards and proprietary protocols. To help address this interoperability challenge, key grid subsystems and consumerside systems should be open platforms designed to flexibly support a variety of standard interfaces. In addition, grid systems should be future-proof, supporting new innovations and the integration of future applications and services.

Grids need to be smart, programmable and adaptable. A way to achieve this is to use open standards and microprocessor-based intelligence throughout the grid.

Distributed intelligence, throughout the grid and its end points, enables optimized levels of automation and decision-making at each link in the chain. It also enables greater communication, visibility and collaboration across the entire energy chain.

Distributed, connected, collective intelligence is optimizing effectiveness in the energy network as a whole. Embedded microprocessors in distributed renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar systems, enable them to exchange data and operational status with the grid. Real-time monitoring, analysis and control are enabled by microprocessor-based intelligence in the electricity transmission and distribution networks. Energy management dashboards running on PCs and other microprocessor-based systems empower energy consumers to view and optimize the behavior of the networked energy assets within their personal smart grid - from appliances to rooftop solar systems and electric vehicles. And networks of efficiency-minded consumers are using PCs and online social networks to share best practices, aggregate energy savings and participate in carbon-reduction competitions.

Utilities, government regulators, technology and grid vendors should get involved and participate in the discussion by joining consortia and smart grid efforts, such as the Gridwise Alliance, the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative and the Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition. The successful transformation of the energy sector to the smart energy sector requires the ability to harness the full potential of renewable energy sources, distributed microprocessor intelligence, open standards, consumer empowerment and network effects.