Smart Grid: It's More than you Think

 
While many conversations about the Smart Grid center on communications and metering technologies, the actual definition of Smart Grid is much broader and encompasses grid infrastructure -- the brawn as well as the brains.  The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Modern Grid Team has detailed seven key characteristics of the Smart Grid.

These include:
      ·       optimizing the grid’s utilization and efficiency,
      ·       providing greater power quality,
      ·       enhancing resiliency against attack and natural disaster, and
      ·       anticipating and responding to system disturbances.

The DOE has explicitly called out superconductors as one of the fundamental technologies needed for the Smart Grid.  Superconductor cables can significantly enhance the flow of power on the transmission system, relieving grid congestion and increasing efficiency. Applied under our city streets, they can enable, for instance, widespread adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.  These same cables also can automatically suppress power surges and enable resilient power grids that can survive attacks and disasters. 

AMSC provides a host of other Smart Grid Infrastructure technologies that address grid reliability, efficiency and utilization. Our D-VAR® technology and SVCs, for instance, interact with the grid on a real-time basis to regulate voltage, prevent blackouts and relieve congestion on existing transmission lines. 

These technologies are all identified by the DOE as Smart Grid Advanced Components.
 

U.S. Department of Energy Smart Grid Activities
 

Contact Us
For more information regarding the Smart Grid, please contact us at: smartgrid@amsc.com

Smart Grid Solutions

• » Superconductor Cables
• » Secure Super Grids™ Technology
• » D-VAR®
• » SVC
• » FCL 

U.S. Government Documents

• » What is The Smart Grid?
• » Smart Grid Activities at the Department of Energy
• » U.S. Dept. of Energy's The Smart Grid: An Introduction
• » Summary: American Recovery and Reinvestment from the Committee on Appropriations
• » Smart Grid Advanced Components
• » EAC's Smart Grid: Enabler of the New Energy Economy  

Literature

• » Smart Grid Infrastructure brochure
• » Power Delivery Solutions Brochure

More Literature »

Next Steps…

• » Request more information
• » Request a quote
• » Contact us
• » Attend an event/ webinar