Cut electricity consumption with automation - Watt Now Magazine

Shahidehpour says that the term smart grid applies to the
optimisation of the distribution infrastructure which can be achieved
by using a wide range of information technologies that analyse
complex energy systems on a minute-by-minute basis and optimise
the electricity usage in a cost-effective way.
In explaining the concept Shahidehpour says that demand-response
(DR) is the best example of how an effective smart grid operates.
“People in South Africa, for instance, are asked to reduce power
consumption at peak times and I’ve even seen announcements on
television requesting viewers to switch-off unnecessary lights and
appliances because power consumption was reaching critical levels.
“What smart grids do is control consumption using different
technologies to reduce power usage when the consumption is at a
peak.”
He says that demand-response mechanisms could substantially
reduce the billions of rands invested in power generation by cutting
the need for costly peak power infrastructure to keep the electricity
supply constant.
“Consider that about ten percent of infrastructure costs are spent
to meet peak demand that occurs less than one percent of the time
so it’s evident that grid operators have a good reason to reduce the
peaks,” he adds.
Referring to statistics in the United States, Shahidehpour says
that commercial and industrial buildings represent about 40 percent
of the US energy use and homes account for about 30 percent. This
means that demand-response technologies could provide a significant
opportunity to conserve energy.
Explaining how the smart grid works, Shahidehpour says that
today’s electrical wall sockets are the power equivalent of a dumb
terminal connected to a mainframe computer. Each access point – or
wallsocket – can be identified in much the same way as a computer
device has an address on the Internet.
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