Smart grids offer something radically different: a bi-directional flow of information between consumers and utility companies.Īt Smart Energy Summit 2022, Dr. The one-way flow of a traditional grid is purely demand-based-when there’s an uptick in demand for electricity, operators send more to the grid. Within the confines of the traditional grid, electric utility providers have little insight into how consumers actually use electricity. As Forbes put it: “Now, as consumers become producers of energy due to maturing solar panels, wind turbines, and other sources of energy, the power flow is 2-way.”Īs we’ll see, IoT applications through the smart grid and overarching smart energy infrastructure are poised to change the way energy solutions are conceived-both now and in the future. Consumers, who were previously limited as recipients of energy, are now able to locally generate and store energy themselves at the edge-via commercial wind turbines and solar farms, but also through consumer solar storage systems in residential settings. The new smart energy ecosystem also brings about a fundamental shift in the transmission of energy. In the same way the Internet facilitates a flow of information and data between computers tapped into a single network, the smart grid system is powered by a web of interconnected devices.īut digitizing and automating energy communication signals isn’t the only thing the smart grid does. The addition of intelligent Internet of Things sensors, microgrids, digitization, distributed renewable energy sources, and automation is forming the new smart energy ecosystem, of which the smart grid is part. However, technology is now changing the way energy is produced, stored, and saved on the grid-and opening the door to a burgeoning smart energy infrastructure. In the United States, the traditional electric grid was built over a century ago and relies on a one-way flow of electricity from source to destination. Let’s take a look at how the IoT fits into the smart grid-how it works, its applications, and its potential benefits.Įlectric grids are the complex system of networks that deliver energy from its production origin, like power plants, to users such as residential consumers and businesses. When plugged into the traditional energy infrastructure, smart grids can optimize energy solutions through flexible management of diverse energy resources, increased operational insights, better maintenance forecasting, and added security. In particular, smart grid technology powered by the Internet of Things is a significant tool for the sustainable and secure energy future we need. The power of interconnected devices offers an important piece of the complex energy crisis puzzle.

Now, both the public and private sectors are focused on deploying secure, clean, and efficient energy solutions, quickly and at scale. 318-338.Between population growth and urbanization, the effects of climate change have made developing carbon-neutral energy solutions imperative.īut the limitations of traditional energy grids are often exposed in dramatic fashion, as with the blackouts across Texas in 2021. (2022), 'Integrating artificial intelligence and analytics in smart grids: a systematic literature review', International Journal of Energy Sector Management, Vol. Khosrojerdi, F., Akhigbe, O., Gagnon, S., Ramirez, A. The authors are grateful for a research grant from the National Capital Management Research Fund (NCMRF). These AIA technologies must be further integrated with smart grid project management methodologies and enable a greater diversity of renewable and non-renewable production sources. Research may converge toward more focus on business rules systems, that may best support smart grid design, proof development, governance and effectiveness.

Given the diversity of issues reviewed, a more capability-focused research agenda is needed to further synthesize empirical findings for AI-based smart grids.

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