Cracking the Code to Grid Congestion
The design of the electric transmission system by 20th Century engineers has left utility service vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, natural disasters, and other challenges to grid reliability that are escalating rapidly in the 21st Century. Already, transmission bottlenecks are adding billions of dollars to the cost of moving bulk energy from place to place. Rising electricity demand and the increased deployment of distributed energy resources introduce an extra layer of complexity to the job of grid management. To reduce grid congestion, utilities need technology solutions that effectively deliver energy wherever needed at the lowest delivery cost.
The Greensmith Energy white paper, Cracking the Code to Grid Congestion, addresses data management practices in the utility industry, identifying deficiencies that disrupt energy transmission and remedies that can vastly improve system performance. The modernization effort builds upon information technology solutions that have revolutionized other industries, such as passenger transportation and hospitality, as evidenced by the rise of companies like Uber and Airbnb. In this context, the emergence of energy storage is transformative, taking a system made for centralized power generation and one-way power flow and tapping unlimited potential for energy production and consumption on the network’s every node.
- The 2003 Northeast Blackout
- Regional electricity usage data
- Advanced metering infrastructure
- Roadmap for a congestion-free grid
- High-penetration energy storage scenarios
