Chapter 3 Flashcards
Introduction to Smart Grid
1
Q
How does the Department of Energy define Smart Grid?
A
Incorporation of the concepts, philosophies, and technologies that enabled the internet, into the electrical grid.
2
Q
What is Peak Load?
A
Refers to the time of day when the demand for electricity is at its highest, typically late afternoon and early evening hours.
3
Q
What is Cascading?
A
A condition in which an outage on a circuit causes outages on interconnected circuits because the interconnected circuits are not able to handle the additional load.
4
Q
When is Cascading most likely to occur?
A
During the time of day when demand is at its peak.
Especially during the Summer.
5
Q
What’s the estimate for resources California needs?
A
$30 Billion
6
Q
What are the ultimate priorities for the dependency on electricity?
A
Public Safety and National Security, and law enforcement agencies are forced into “Chaos-Management” action plans.
7
Q
What best explains why we need a smarter electrical grid?
A
The strain on the grid during the peak loading and the effects if cascading power failures.
8
Q
Modernized
A
The most current technologies that help to combine electrical supply and communications in a manner that equipment can be synchronized together and operate in unison.
9
Q
Intelligent
A
Equipment is able to use information to make quick decisions and execute the appropriate functions that maintain safe and reliable electric service.
10
Q
Efficiency
A
Refers to anything from power quality to streamlining operational processes and procedures.
11
Q
Renewable
A
The grid is able to accept and rely on power generate from more renewable resources such as wind, solar, and hydro-electric, reducing the dependency on pollutant emitting generators.
12
Q
Automation
A
Equipment is able to sense and automatically react to situations without the need for human interaction
13
Q
Remote Control
A
The system operators can operate vie key equipment when needed from remote locations via any means of communication necessary. SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) is a common type of remote control method used in system operations.
14
Q
Self-Healing
A
Uses automation to sense disturbances on the system, and automatically trigger key operations to keep more customers in service
15
Q
Resilient
A
Strong enough to hand major disturbances without experiencing cascading.
16
Q
Secure
A
Resistant to unauthorized operation including cyber attack.
17
Q
Demand Side Management
A
Methods of reducing consumption of electricity by customers, especially during times of peak loading.
18
Q
What does the movement for smarter generation mean?
A
More reliance on renewable energy sources like wind and solar and less reliance on pollutant emitting and non-renewable methods of generation like fossil fuels and nuclear power.
19
Q
Where does most of the renewable energy on distribution lines come from?
A
Dispersed Micro-Generation and Distributed Generation
20
Q
Where does most of the renewable energy come from on Transmission and SubT?
A
Wind and Solar Thermal
21
Q
What do these generation sources help?
A
To offset the dependency on pollutant-emitting and non-renewable generators during peak loading.
22
Q
What is Bi-Directional Energy Flow?
A
Power can flow through the circuits and equipment from either direction.
23
Q
What is Islanding?
A
A portion of the electrical system that can operate independently from the main grid.
24
Q
What are Peaker Plants?
A
Generators that increase operation during the peak loading times of day, if needed.
25
Storage is not always in the form of ________; the end result is ________.
Electricity
26
What is a viable method of producing electricity?
Pumped Storage Hydro-Electricity
27
What is the Hydro-Electric Dam referred to as?
The Lower Reservoir
28
What happens during Peak Demand with the Pumped Storage Hydro-Electricity method?
The water flows back down from the upper reservoir to the lower reservoir, spinning a generator along the way.
29
What is molten salt?
A form of energy storage that is normally combined with solar thermal generation. Salt is melted down to a liquid state in a solar trough system and continuously circulated.
30
How is Molten Salt stored?
Contained in Storage Tanks and kept in a liquid state, used to produce steam for generating electricity when needed.
31
How well are the Storage Tanks Insulated?
The molten salt can remain liquefied for 5-7 days.
32
How does battery storage work?
The charge on batteries is maintained throughout times of low demand, and release short bursts of needed power into the grid during times of peak loading.
33
What are some of the newer methods of storage?
Compressed air and flywheel technology
34
How does Compressed Air Storage work?
Compressed Air is a viable option for storage in caverns, abandoned mind shafts, and empty gas reserves. Compressed Air is forced into the cavity or storage area by a large-volume compressor and released through a turbine when needed.
35
How does Flywheel Technology work?
Produces electricity by rotating a rotor at a very high speed, and then using the rotating energy to produce electricity. Releasing energy back into the grid by winding down.
36
What is ACCC?
Aluminum Conductor Composite Core - Designed to allow much more current to flow at higher temperatures than the same size of AAC and ACSR.
37
What is a benefit of ACCC?
Its lightweight allows transmission circuits to be upgraded in capacity without additional mechanical stress.
38
What's another name for Phasor Measurement Units?
Synchrophasors
39
Where are Phasor Measurement Units located?
They are strategically located in substations that interconnect the generators and transmission systems together.
40
What are Phasor Measurement Units?
They can check the phase angle on the voltage and current waves, as often as 30x/sec and automatically trigger the operation of key substation equipment such as capacitors and reactors to operate when there are disturbances to the phase angles.
41
What is Wide Area Management?
Phasor Measurement Units networked from other substations through Global Positioning Systems allowing all Phasor Measurement Units in the network to operate in unison.
42
What is Dynamic Line Loading?
Philosophy that allows the real time conditions surrounding conductors to be monitored.
43
What is collectively used to give system operators more data to help them make critical decisions regarding the transmission circuits?
Conductor Ampacity Ratings, Wind Speed, Ambient Temperatures, Conductor Temperatures.
44
What is one major advantage of Dynamic Line Loading?
Thermal Monitoring, which allows the operators to view conductor temperature using infrared imaging.
45
Why might cooler weather be very beneficial for cooling conductors?
So system operators can obtain this data though line thermal monitoring systems, and increase or decrease the load on circuits when needed.
46
What does OPGW stand for?
Optical Ground Wire
47
What is OPGW?
Shield wire installed at the tops of structures, offering lightning protection for the supply conductors, but can also contain fiber optic cables that can be used for high-speed data communications.
48
What is a benefit of OPGW for the utilities?
They can use some of the Fibers and sell the rest.
49
What does a smarter distribution include?
Generation systems connected to the Dist. Circuits
50
What do Distributed and Dispersed Micro Generation do for the Dist. Circuit?
Dist. Systems reduce their dependency on the transmission circuits.
51
What are Micro Grids?
When larger portions of circuits begin islanding.
52
How can Transmission Circuits benefit from Micro Grids?
Operators have more available resources to help meet the demands of peak loading. This also reduces the chances of cascading.
53
What're the two objectives for switching type equipment?
- Provide a means for isolation and sectionalizing as per their design
- Change their operating parameters to the opposite direction until the system returns to normal
54
When do companies rely on the legacy components?
For radial portions of circuits.
55
When do companies rely on smart components?
Interconnected portions of circuits.
56
What are Reclosers?
Circuit Breakers
57
Where can Reclosers be installed?
At the substations or out on the circuits.
58
What are the Legacy properties of a Recloser?
- Hydraulic Operated
- Use oil or vacuum to extinguish arc
- A lever can be operated to open or close contacts
- A separate lever can be operated to disable the reclose feature.
- Some are equipped with a counter so that the number of operations can be monitored.
59
What are the Smart properties of a Recloser?
- No oil
- Vacuum is typically used to extinguish the arc
- Electronically controlled
- Hot-line tag can be used to disable reclose, unauthorized operation, and change the setting to be more sensitive for energized work downstream
- Can be set with multiple functions such as single phase reclose-three-phase-trip
- Can be operated with SCADA
- Can limit the fault current that the system can deliver to the fault, reducing the stress on the system
- Provides real-time data on each phase and can operate in bi-directionally for self-healing
- Records operational history
60
What is the one simple function of switches?
Open and close.
61
What are switches designed to do?
Not to interrupt fault current, but they are designed to interrupt a significant amount of continuous line current.
62
What does GOAB stand for?
Gang-Operated Air Break
63
What are the Legacy properties of Switches?
- Gang-Operated
- Equipped with a handle allowing the lineworker or troubleman to open or close the contacts
- Can interrupt continuous line current
- Handle can be locked to prevent unauthorized
64
What are the Smart properties of Switches?
- Gang-Operated
- Equipped with electronic controls allowing them to be operated remotely or automatically
- Provides real-time data on each phase
- Can be automated as part of a self-healing scheme
- Some are equipped with SF6 interruptors allowing for high current interrupt ability
- Can be installed in coordination with a recloser, allowing a permanent fault to be isolated from a recloser, like a sectionalizer
65
What are cutouts?
Single phase switching device that can incorporate the functionality of a switch with the protection of a fuse.
66
What does it mean Fuse Links are universal?
They can be used in different cutout sizes.
67
How do Fuse Links come?
In a variety of speeds and ampere ratings so that fuses can blow fast or slow depending on the needs of the lines or equipment they protect.
68
What are Legacy properties of Cutouts?
- Can be universal fuse link or solid blade
- Fuses are available in different speeds so that they can be coordinated with other protective devices
- Can be used in conjunction with current limiting fuses providing an added degree of overcurrent protection
- Can be loadbreak or non-loadbreak
69
What are Smart properties of Cutouts?
- Tripsavers, Fuse Savers
- Fits right in a conventional cutout
- Single phase recloser
- Reduces the momentary interruptions caused by feeder reclosers
- Can be coordinated to operate powered by the line
- Doesn't trip from load pick-up switching
- Electronically control powered by the line
- Display can indicate how much real-time load is on the device
70
How are Capacitors used?
Normally banked together to provide capacitive load on a line to counteract the negative effects of inductive loads. Fixed and Switched
71
What are the Legacy properties of Capacitors?
- Fixed Capacitor Bank
- Energized all the time to correct power factor for those localized loads that experience continuous inductive reactance
- Protected by fused cutouts to isolate it from the circuit if a cell fails
72
What are the Smart properties of Capacitors?
- Switched Capacitors Bank
- Can be programmed to operate based on various triggers such as temperature, time-of-day, or power factor
- Uses switches to connect/disconnect the capacitor to the line without the need for human interaction
- Can operate in unison with other switched capacitors based on the conditions of the overall system
73
What is "Conservation Voltage Reduction?"
The intentional lowering of system voltage to help reduce demand on the system
74
What are the Legacy properties of Regulators?
- Manually operated controls on site
- Each regulator in the bank has its own control
- Regulators can adjust based on circuit conditions
75
What are the Smart properties of Regulators?
- Controls can be operated manually or remotely, but the regulator controls make the regulator automated
- Controls can use bandwidth, time delay, and various other functions to allow short-duration voltag issues to correct themselves, extending life of the taps
- Newer controls allow the operation of multiple units through one control
- Can be programmed to operate with Conservation Voltage Reduction schemes
- Can function bi-directionally
76
What do Fault indicators and sensors do?
Provide valuable data for troubleshooting and localized power quality disturbances. Some sensors can communicate data to a wireless transmitter/receiver that can get the data to the utilities and/or system operators
77
What is Smart Home?
A communication network that allows a customer to remotely connect and control many automated digital devices throughout the home.
78
What is Demand-Side Management?
Customers will be able to monitor, manage, and control their energy usage through home-area-display units, computers and cell-phones.
79
What are the Smart Home benefits to the utility?
- Utilities are able to implement time-of-use rates during peak demand to lower operating costs.
- Smart appliances and heating/air conditioning can be programmed to reduce usage during peak loading
- Utilities can use excess electricity generated from the customer's distributed generation
- Utilities can use distributed generation to reduce load during peak demand by having the customer switch to their distributed generation for their power source.
80
What are the Smart Home benefits to the Customer?
- Able to monitor energy use in real time instead of waiting for a monthly bill
- Able to adjust the settings on their appliances and HVAC controls based on time-of-use pricing
- Able to use distributed generation to save money during peak rates
81
What are Smart Meters and Systems subject to?
Hacking
82
What are the components of a Smart Home?
- Home-Area-Network with a Smart Meter
- Home-Area-Network without a Smart Meter
- Smart Appliances
- Smart Lighting
- Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles & All Electric Vehicles
- Distributed Generation
83
What will the Smart Meter relay?
Any price changes to the Home-Area-Display unit which will then communicate with the smart appliances and adjust their usage according to the customer's predetermined usage settings.
84
What option is the customer given on their smart appliances?
Whether they want to opt in or out of the setting change recommended.
85
What is a Smart Plug?
Helps the customer see what appliances are costing the most and gives them the ability to turn the appliance on or off remotely from their phone.
86
What is a Smart Appliance?
An appliance with a computer chip installed that allows the appliance to communicate with a smart meter.
87
Approximately how much electricity consumed in homes comes from large appliances, water heating, and lighting?
Half
88
Lighting is estimated at the _____ biggest use of energy in the home.
Second
89
How much can a consumer reduce their energy consumption by using Smart Lighting?
50% in Existing Homes and 35% in New Construction
90
Comparison between LED and Incandescent?
6-8 Watt LED = 60 Watt Incandescent
| 35,000-50,000h LED compared to 750-2,500 hours
91
Comparison between CFL and Incandescent?
13-15 Watt CFL = 60 Watt Incandescent
92
What is Daylight Harvesting?
Using natural Daylight for lighting and reducing artificial lighting from lightbulbs
93
What are the different ways Smart Lighting may be achieved?
- One with sensors based on movement
| - Second to slowly decrease the light's intensity so the human eye doesn't notice the change.
94
What will Smart Lighting help to reduce?
The carbon footprint on our environment and save the consumer money
95
What is a Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle?
Vehicle that runs on battery power until the charge is too low and then switches to a combustion engine for its power source.
96
How can Plug-In Hybrid vehicles be charged?
By plugging them into a standard 120V outlet
97
When would the engine be used?
For extended trips, while the batteries can be used for shorter commutes.
98
What is Range Anxiety?
Driver's fear of being stranded by a depleted battery before reaching their destination.
99
What is an all-electric vehicle?
Vehicle that runs strictly on battery power. When the battery charge is depleted there is no alternative power source.
