With GIS and IoT, turning Power Grids to Smart Grids
In India, one has to go through is a constant and annoyingly consistent power failure. Sometimes its power cut, other times you have to deal with low voltage or high voltage. The power cuts are troublesome and bothersome for everyone especially when it lasts for hours on end. Many have been trying to find a solution to this problem.
Another major concern the power industry faces is the exponential increase in demand. Then there is the issue of transmission of the generated power and tampering (theft) of the same which causes a loss for the power generating companies.
Smart Grid as a solution:
Smart grids are a modern intelligent power grid system made to achieve enhanced efficiency and reliability that integrates various technology like automated control, high power converters, sensing, and smart metering along with modern communication management for energy management techniques basing it on optimization of demand, energy, and network availability.
GIS & Smart Grid: GIS (Geographic Information System) acts as a tool to provide higher levels of efficiency to designers and engineers thereby increasing their customers. GIS helps to make location as a standard requirement for effective system management. This method helps to achieve enhanced duplex communication between consumers and suppliers.
Why Location is Importance:
Location plays a major role when balancing loads or when calculating losses. Location is always taken into consideration when planning new extensions. With GIS technology, which uses location as a standard component, planning and analyzing the optimal location for setting up communication devices. It also supports software and services of the entire system like from generation plant to the consumer’s meter.
The GIS helps Smart Grid in the following aspects:
- Location of communication infrastructure.
- Monitoring Demands
- Data Analytics
- Outage Management
- Location for the installation for Controlling devices
A smart grid system designed with GIS technology is an energy network that can efficiently deliver economic and secure electric supply. It time to switch to the smart grid which offers better energy management practices and energy utilization.
