The Union Minister for Power has launched the Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge Center (Virtual SGKC) and Innovation Park. Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge Center. Located within the powergrid centre in Manesar (Haryana), Virtual Smart Grid Knowledge Center (Virtual SGKC) is the first of its kind initiative by the Union government.
The initiative, as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav Programme, will be one of the leading centers of Excellence globally to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and research in smart grid technologies. It has been established by POWERGRID with support from the Union ministry of power and technical assistance from US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) for demonstration and advancement of frontier smart grid technologies.
Smart Grid Knowledge Center (SGKC) aims to be one of the leading centers of Excellence globally to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and research in smart grid technologies and create capacities in the power distribution sector. It will enable a digital footprint of the physical setup of SGKC, the need for which was felt during Covid-19 pandemic.
Smart Grid
Smart Grid is an Electrical Grid with Automation, Communication and IT systems that can monitor power flows from points of generation to points of consumption (even down to appliances level) and control the power flow or curtail the load to match generation in real time or near real time.
Smart Grids can be achieved by implementing efficient transmission & distribution systems, system operations, consumer integration and renewable integration. Smart grid solutions helps to monitor, measure and control power flows in real time that can contribute to identification of losses and thereby appropriate technical and managerial actions can be taken to arrest the losses.
A smart grid serves several purposes and the movement from traditional electric grids to smart grids is driven by multiple factors, including the deregulation of the energy market, evolutions in metering, changes on the level of electricity production, decentralization (distributed energy), the advent of the involved ‘prosumer’, changing regulations, the rise of microgeneration and (isolated) microgrids, renewable energy mandates with more energy sources and new points where and purposes for which electricity is needed (e.g. electrical vehicle charging points).
However, a smart grid is about much more than just smart metering and some other elements include the distribution lines and substations (substation automation and, increasingly, digital substations), technologies and mechanisms to prevent power outages and ensure power quality (availability, reliability, etc.), the integration of energy from various sources with an increased focus on ‘green energy’, smart power generation, sensing along transmission lines, power system automation, the inclusion of microgeneration whereby especially organizations and larger facilities can generate their own power and supply it to the central network grid (on top of prosumers), better and more power storage capabilities, ways to enhance security, alternative transmission methods to save on precious metals and the design of more modern and stable electrical grids in countries and areas where old grids need replacement.
Benefits of Smart Grid Deployments
- Reduction of T&D losses,
- Peak load management, improved QoS and reliability.
- Reduction in power purchase cost.
- Better asset management.
- Increased grid visibility and self-healing grids.
- Renewable integration and accessibility to electricity.
- Increased options such as ToU tariff, DR programs, net metering.
- Satisfied customers and financially sound utilities etc.
