SMART GRID & MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Power delivery systems face several new challenges, including the sheer complexity that results from the introduction of new devices such as smart meters, electric and hybrid vehicles, photovoltaic arrays, and wind turbines. These challenges must be met while at the same time preserving the reliability and availability of the existing system. The grid is a ship that must be rebuilt at sea. Performance based asset management will be a powerful tool that electric utilities can use in coordination with the fundamental technologies of the Smart Grid: integrated communications, sensing and measurement, advanced control methods, and improved interfaces with decision support. While power delivery asset management concepts have been around for well over ten years, decision makers have had to settle for systems based on incomplete information and inadequate data collection systems. With the advent of the smart grid and its extensive communications infrastructure and computational capability, the asset manager will be able to determine the health and performance of specific assets as a function of system conditions. This opens up a new realm of possibility for optimizing asset management.