About the book
Power systems are experiencing substantial changes that will alter their operation forever. Proliferation of distributed generation and the increased ability to monitor different parts of the electrical grid offer unprecedented opportunities for consumer and the grid operators. Energy can be generated near the consumption areas, which decreases transmission burdens and novel control schemes can be utilized to operate the grid closer to its limits. In other words, same infrastructure can be used at higher capacities thanks to increased efficiency. Also, new players are integrated into this grid such as smart meters with local control capabilities, electric vehicles that can act as mobile storage devices and smart inverters that can provide auxiliary support. To achieve stable and safe operation. it is necessary to observe and coordinate all of these components in the smartgrid.
All of this requires extensive communication to collect data from all corners of the network, monitor the system status and send necessary instructions, in case of need. Considering that there are countless many different devices from a myriad of manufacturers, achieving this highly depends on establishing a standard communication approach. Furthermore, connecting different devices that require continuous communication with different bandwidth and security levels is not a trivial task. Novel communication topologies and optimization approaches are needed.
An important piece of the puzzle is controlling smartgrid devices for specific purposes such as Demand Side Management or Electric Vehicle Charging Coordination. Collection of data and successful monitoring of the grid only become meaningful, if there are proper solutions implemented to dispatch storage devices, coordinate EV charging or trigger protection schemes.
This book is intended to cover new approaches developed for communication and control in smartgrids. Traditional power systems use very little communication and dynamic control, therefore, such solutions are direly needed to successfully achieve power system revolution.
