A specter of logical challenges haunts smart grid

Abstract

Smart and super grid visions have attracted electrical engineers worldwide. Smart grid offers innumerable advantages over conservative electric grid due to widespread integration of information and communication technologies (ICT). Information technology (IT) stimulates conscious in dumb electric grid hardware to think at its own how to operate economically in varying load conditions conducting real-time state estimation. Smart grid promises to offer bidirectional power flow capability and self-healing ability against faults. Advance metering infrastructures (AMI) help utilities track down power thefts supplying consumer home automation facilities. Smart grid helps stiff utilities to reduce operational losses and generation deficient utilities to implement live load shedding instead of revolving blackouts to help customers keeping their lights on during virtual load shedding. Smart grid promises package is subject to its complete implementation by the end of long road ahead. Communication capacity and speed limitations, cyber security risks, faults and traffic congestions have to be considered prior to rollout. This paper describes a live load shedding scheme for existing electric grids on 11kV feeders using smart grid option and evaluates technical, economic, societal and bio-effects challenges that smart grid vision might face ahead.