1. The Future of the Grid & Emerging Trends
Thomas Gwinn, Jr.
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
Principal Engineer T&D, Business and Technology Strategies

2. Topics:
Future of the Grid
Emerging Trends
Conclusion

3. How did we get to where we are now?
Edison’s invention of the light bulb: patent filed in 1879

4. What was the first battle for the future of the grid?
Thomas Edison
George Westinghouse

5. What was the first battle for the future of the grid?
DC Distribution System
AC Distribution System

6. AC System Became the Grid of the Future
Able to build fewer power plants and take advantage of economy of scale
Predominately designed for one-way power flow
From Power Plant to Load
Been a very reliable system
Until the last several decades there has been little change to the way the distribution system has operated

7. What’s driving the future of the grid?
Reduction in carbon emission
Balanced Scorecard
Safety
Reliability
Cost
Member Satisfaction

8. How can carbon emission be reduced?
Efficient Power Plants
Reduction of load from power plants that produce carbon emissions such as coal plants
Use of methods such as conservation voltage reduction
Load Management Systems
Monitoring and Controlling Distributive Energy Resources
Photovoltaic Systems
Wind Systems

9. What’s the best way for this be achieved?
Distribution System Operator (DSO) Functionality
Monitor and Control both loads and generation on the distribution system
Monitor and Control system automation such as
Automatic Load Transfer
Conservation Voltage Reduction

10. What will DSO Functionality be able to do for Distribution Systems?
Control Cost
Reduce Peak Demand
Take Advantage of Energy Storage Devices
Large Scale Battery Systems
Rechargeable Cars
Control Reliability
Remotely Reconfigure Circuits
Take Advantage of Microgrids

11. What’s the foundation of DSO Functionality?
Interoperability
Different Systems must be able to communicate, share data, and make decisions (Automatically or Supervised) based on the data
Communications
Data Analytics
System Integration

12. IEEE 1547 Standard for Interconnecting DR with Electric Power Systems
Standard is Currently Under Revision
New Standard will go to ballot late 2016 or early 2017
New Standard will be more flexible
Adding Interoperability to the standard
Provides capability to change settings remotely
Provides capability to monitor device remotely
Provides capability to operate the device remotely
Fault Ride Through Support

13. Communications
All devices being monitored and/or controlled must have communications
Communications must be reliable

14. What systems need to be integrated?
Will you use your SCADA system?
Will you use your OMS system?
It will most likely be an integration of multiple systems?

15. What devices need to be integrated?
Voltage Regulators
Reclosers
DERs
AMR
Etc.

16. What software needs to be integrated?
OMS
SCADA
GIS
Model
Etc.

17. How will decisions be made?
Automated
Automatic Transfer Schemes
Operator
Well trained operators will make decisions

18. What are some of the challenges associated with the grid of the future?
Two way power flow
Equipment Sizes
Protective devices
Nuisance tripping

19. What are some of the challenges associated with the grid of the future?
Cyber Security Risk

20. Could you be held hostage?
Ransomware
Seems to be a trend of going after smaller targets
State Sponsored Cyber War on Major Infrastructure like Electric Utilities

21. What’s the potential damage?
Lost time and productivity
Financial loss and cost to recover data and business capabilities
Negative publicity/damage to reputation/brand
Leads to increasingly restrictive information policies

22. Emerging Trends Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Community Solar
Water heaters as a battery

23. What are the current challenges of UAS?
Legislation
Technology

24. UAS: Legislation FAA supports the use of UAS by utilities
FAA Challenges
Need to have a way to safely control air space
Currently cannot fly beyond line of sight

25. UAS: Legislation
The FAA Reauthorization legislation in both the House and Senate contain provisions affecting drone use. 
This includes an amendment adopted in the Senate bill to promote drone use in the utility industry.
The Senate reauthorization bill was passed on the Senate floor by a vote of 95-3 in April. 

26. UAS: Legislation
The House reauthorization bill was approved in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but has not been brought to the House floor for consideration. 
The bill is hung up over other issues, especially House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster’s proposal to privatize the Air Traffic Controllers (ATC). 
For these reasons, it is widely believed that there are not enough votes to pass the bill in the full House of Representatives.
The existing FAA authorization expires on July 15.  It is now expected that a short-term extension will be brought up prior to July 15.  This extension may go into 2017, at which point Chairman Shuster would hope to continue his push for privatizing the ATC, and pass a longer-term extension.

27. UAS: Legislation The existing FAA authorization expires on July 15.
It is now expected that a short-term extension will be brought up prior to July 15. 
This extension may go into 2017, at which point Chairman Shuster would hope to continue his push for privatizing the ATC, and pass a longer-term extension.

28. UAS: Technology Limited flight time due to battery capacity
Capability to filter through thousands of pictures is limited

29. UAS: Success
Some utilities have found it beneficial for pole inspections

30. Community Solar Utility Installs Large Scale Photovoltaic Systems
Sells Shares to Members

31. Community Solar: Benefits
Utility has control over location
Utility controls maintenance
Utility receives recognition for installation of DER

32. Water Heater As A Battery

33. Conclusion The future of the grid is to lower carbon emissions
Efficient power production from carbon emitting power plants
Renewable energy sources
Mixture of methods will be implemented
DSO Functionality

34. Conclusion
Monitor Reliability Indices
SAIDI
SAIFI
CAIDI

35. Conclusion
When the technology fails, the Electric Utility will be expected to maintain quality power to the members!

36. Conclusion: Planning will be a critical objective
System Planning
Technology Planning IT OT
Cyber Security Planning
Physical
Software

37. Six Steps to Improve Performance
1. Measure Performance
2. Understand and compare performance
3. Analyze Performance
4. Identify Improvement Strategies
5. Set Improvement Targets and Goals
6. Implement and Monitor Improvements

38. NRECA T&D, Business and Technology Strategies
Questions
Thomas Gwinn, Jr.
Principal Engineer
NRECA T&D, Business and Technology Strategies