-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
Getting to Know Your Designer
In this issue, we examine how fabs work with their design customers, educating them on the critical elements of fabrication needed to be successful, as well as the many tradeoffs involved. How well do you really know your customer? What makes for a closer, more synchronized working relationship?
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
The Smart Grid Opportunity
December 4, 2014 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Abstract
The growing demand for electrical power coupled with aging infrastructure is placing considerable strain on the electrical power grid. In addition, migration of electric power generation to the periphery of the grid is presenting new challenges for load balancing and synchronization. The continuing need for greater efficiency in electric power utilization and control also means that control systems are in the process of migrating toward individual loads. As a result, greater intelligence is required throughout the grid, from point of power generation to point of power consumption. This combination of power and intelligence is presenting both challenges and opportunities to the electronics designer: Challenges because small, cost-effective intelligent power management modules need to combine digital logic with mains power, and opportunities because new and innovative board level technologies will be required to meet this challenge.
What is the Smart Grid?
The electric utility industry is transforming from a unidirectional commodity business where power flows one way from producer to consumer toward a services-oriented business in which customers are both producers and consumers. In addition, economic imperatives, ecological concerns, and an aging infrastructure demand improvements in generation and transmission efficiency, as centralized load balancing in the current grid requires standby capacity which represents additional capital and operational costs. This new configuration involves active demand side management in addition to the supply side management formerly done through passive metering systems. Consumers will be making choices as to how, when, and from whom they purchase electricity or provide demand reductions, and whether to become producers themselves. The addition of IT intelligence to the power generation and transmission network necessary to make this all happen has given rise to the term smart grid.
While much of the activity connected with the smart grid concept is concerned with integration of distributed power generation into the grid and load balancing through the introduction of parallel IT infrastructure as shown in Figure 1, the introduction of intelligence out on the periphery (i.e., at point of consumption) and distributed generation basically involves the creation of active crosspoints. These have to be capable of controlling power either in the form of supply or demand, thereby providing improved stabilization of the network from the periphery inward.Read the full article here.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the October 2014 issue of The PCB Magazine.