Technological innovation is changing the way we use electricity from a conservation and demand perspective. We have electric vehicles, microgrids, energy storage, solar power, wind power, smart grid, smart meters, smart homes, big data, energy-efficient appliances and lighting. We have apps on our phones, Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri and Cortana.
Did you get all of that?
These are just samples of innovation impacting the electricity industry and changing our lives – hopefully for the better.
I will post a separate series of articles which will provide a high-level overview of the most relevant innovations without getting too far into the weeds.
Opportunity
Solar Energy
Had you been paying attention to the opportunities that technology has offered you could have been one of more than 26,000 ratepayers and businesses that took advantage of installing solar panels on their property as part of the feed in tariff (FIT) program. A 20 to 30 thousand dollar investment could have grossed almost $200,000 dollars over the 20 years contracts that were being offered.
Smart Home
According to data from the NPD Group as of 2015 only one in 6 Canadians had invested in home automation. While home security is the primary driver for the smart home, energy management ranks second in the list of consumer priority. The market for smart thermostats has already been well established. There will be many more opportunities for businesses to develop energy management devices for consumers.
Integrating Technology for People
Integration is another key element in the success of new technology. Society has limitations when it comes to managing change and learning how to use technology. The human-machine interface must keep pace with the proliferation of technological solutions. Otherwise, society will be unable to adapt to the rate of change and realize the benefits of technology.
Examples of integrating technology would include
tools that households can use for home energy systems such as mobile apps or web interfaces.
Data integration platforms that draw from multiple systems including energy monitoring, consumption, weather and GIS systems.
Big Data
Access to data is facilitating change. We can determine how much electricity we use at different times of the day and make conservation decisions. Some distributors have programs that will remotely control energy use to minimize peak power consumption. Energy markets rely heavily on data for trending and pricing.
Your local distribution company can provide ratepayers with extensive data on energy consumption and use patterns to facilitate conservative and minimize bills. If you are a time-of-use customer your consumption data is downloaded daily and should be available to customers the following day.
As a part of the bigger picture, data is used for engineering planning and reliability analysis to optimize grid development.
Cyber Security
There are two distinct categories for cyber security considerations. The one that has been most visible recently is on the business administration side. Customer information systems are vulnerable and constantly targeted by hackers. Many major private and government agency data centres have been compromised over the last decade.
The other cyber category covers the power system itself. Much as business enterprise security is of high importance, the integrity of the electrical grid is considered critical and is mandated by international standards. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (US-based) became recognized as the reliability authority in Ontario in 2006 and has since developed stringent cyber security requirements for all utilities.
In 2007 Idaho National Laboratory performed a demonstration of a cyber attack by using a computer to hack into a generator’s circuit breaker controls. They proceeded to destroy the generator by rapidly opening and closing the breaker through remote control. It was called the Aurora Generator Test and served as a stark indicator of cyber vulnerability.
Here is the CNN video of the demonstration:
‘Aurora’ vulnerabilities no longer exist, however the capabilities of cyber criminals are continuously changing and the industry is working diligently to stay a step ahead.
In Ontario, utilities have been improving cyber security practices to keep pace with the changing technology and standards compliance.
Derek
Next article… Smart Grid
