SMART GRID

and ethical concerns about smart grid technology

The electric industry is poised to make the transformation

from a centralized, producer-controlled network to one that is
less centralized and more consumer-interactive. The move to
a smarter grid promises to change the industrys entire
business model and its relationship with all stakeholders,
involving and affecting utilities, regulators, energy service
providers, technology and automation vendors and all
consumers of electric power.

Through the 1970s to the 1990s, growing demand led to increasing numbers of power
stations. In some areas, supply of electricity, especially at peak times, could not keep up with
this demand, resulting in poor power quality including blackouts, power cuts, and brownouts.
Increasingly, electricity was depended on for industry, heating, communication, lighting, and
entertainment, and consumers demanded ever higher levels of reliability.
Since the early 21st century, opportunities to take advantage of improvements in electronic
communication technology to resolve the limitations and costs of the electrical grid have
become apparent. Technological limitations on metering no longer force peak power prices
to be averaged out and passed on to all consumers equally. In parallel, growing concerns
over environmental damage from fossil-fired power stations has led to a desire to use large
amounts of renewable energy.

What is a smart grid?

A smart grid is an electrical grid which
includes a variety of operational and
energy measures including smart meters,
smart appliances, renewable energy
resources, and energy efficiency resources.
Electronic power conditioning and control of
the production and distribution of electricity
are important aspects of the smart grid.
An electrical grid is an interconnected network
for delivering electricity from suppliers to
consumers. It consists of generating stations
that produce electrical power, high-voltage
transmission lines that carry power from distant
sources to demand centers, and distribution
lines that connect individual customers

Pros
A Smart Grid employs innovative products and services together with intelligent
monitoring, control, communication, and self-healing technologies to:

facilitate the connection and operation of generators of all sizes and

technologies;
allow consumers to play a part in optimizing the operation of the system;
provide consumers with greater information and choice of supply;
significantly reduce the environmental impact of the whole electricity supply
system;
deliver enhanced levels of reliability and security of supply.

WHAT
IS
FREQUENCY?

What is angular frequency and why do we use it?

What is Impedance
the effective resistance of an electric circuit or component to alternating current, arising from the combined effects of ohmic resistance
and reactance.

Z = R + jwL + 1/(jwC)

Why is frequency important?

A circuits Characteristics Depend on The Frequency
Electronic devices are designed to work at a certain
small frequency range
If the whole grids frequency changes it causes the
system to collapse.

What other questionable issues?

One of the goals of building smart grids is to allow consumers to choose between
Power Companies.
If a consumer buys some certain minimum value of power each month, then that
consumer is allowed to choose a power utility company. If you are running a
university for instance, you can choose from which utility company you will buy
your electricity.
The price the companies offer changes even during the day hours. It depends on
the demand.
Nowadays this minimum value for being able to choose utility company is planned
to be decreased from 1000Mwatts to 1Mwatts.

If smart grids are built successfully then every consumer will be able to choose
power companies. This is one of the goals of this technology. But will it be fair for
us to pay different amounts of money for the same amount of energy?
For instance the power utility company supplies a huge amount of power when
Erelidemir A.. melts down iron. At that time power will be very expensive.
Just an example, will old people be able to involve in this new technology market
as well as the younger generation?
Will it be fair at all actually?

Who will control the grid?

The delivery of electricity occurs in two stages. Transmission and distribution.
Transmission is the delivery of the bulk power that is generated. This grid is
controlled by ISOs (Independent system operators) in USA. Like CaliforniaISO,
NYISO. In Turkey TEA makes the transmission.
When the bulk power is carried to cities, the distribution part is done by local
companies. Like Gediz elektrik for zmir. Deda for Diyarbakr.
These are the companies that control the grid.

Smart grids will make electric transmission

and distribution much easier and safer.
As safe as the reliability of the distribution or
the transmission company.
If it is done right a smart grid surely make it
easier and safer to deliver power.
But this is a sophisticated technology, it
needs harder work.
The easy requires a harder work actually.

References
http://www.iec.ch/smartgrid/background/explained.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_grid