PLC/BPL-An Ideal Communications Platform For A More Intelligent Electric Grid?

1. PLC/BPL-An Ideal Communications Platform For A More Intelligent Electric Grid? Bruce Renz Principal Technical Architect Amperion, Inc. www.amperion.com ISPLC Vancouver April 6, 2005

2. Panelists • Bruce Renz Amperion Principal Technical Architect • Matt Oja Idacomm VP and GM BPL Deployment • Gerd Bumiller iAd Chief PLC Developer • Don Von Dollen EPRI Program Manager IntelliGrid

3. During the 90’s, With Increasing Deregulation, Utility Investment was Redirected to Non-Regulated “Opportunities” • European wires companies • Overseas generation • Telecomm ventures • Energy trading • Other

5. Results Were Not Favorable • Sold overseas assets at a loss • Gave up on telecom • Enron killed energy trading • Lots of write-offs Net result was a return to the core utility business • Renewed focus on electric reliability and customer satisfaction • Security • And pleasing the regulators

6. Massive Blackouts in the 90’s

7. The Quest for New Solutions Convergence of industry thinking around a smarter grid

8. With Today’s Increasingly Inadequate Transmission Grid and Long Approval Times for New Lines, the Practical Focus Is Shifting to Distribution • Demand Side Management, Advanced AMR, Distributed Generation and Distribution Automation Come Into Clear Focus • New Digital Technologies Make New Approaches Possible

9. Yeager’s 21st Century Transformation • Integrating communications to create a dynamic, interactive power system as a new “mega-infrastructure” for real-time information and power exchange. • Automating the distribution system to meet changing consumer needs. The value of electricity distribution system transformation—fully automated and integrated with communication—derives from four basic functionality advantages: 1. Reduced number and duration of consumer interruptions, system fault anticipation, and faster restoration. 2. Increased ability to deliver varying “octane” levels of reliable, digital-grade power. 3. Increased functional value for all consumers in terms of metering, billing, energy management, demand-response, and security monitoring, among others. 4. Access to selective consumer services including energy-smart appliances, power market participation, security monitoring, and distributed generation.

10. 21st Century Transformation (cont.) • Transforming the meter into a consumer gateway that allows price signals, decisions, communications, and network intelligence to flow back and forth through the two-way energy/information portal. • Integrating distributed energy resources. The new system would also be able to seamlessly integrate an array of locally installed, distributed power generation (such as fuel cells and renewables) as power system assets. 

11. The GridWise Alliance

12. GridWise Alliance Declaration

13. RAND Study of GridWise Benefits

14. CEA’s Critical Technologies – The Top 10! • Asset Management IT Systems • Asset effectiveness monitoring • Fault detection and reporting, automated • Broadband Over Power Line (BPL) • Device self-reporting • Maintenance, Reliability Centered • Rates, market-based • Modeling, real-time dynamic load • Photovoltaic (solar cells) • SCADA network penetration 9 of the 10 are Information Technology related and/or dependent. We are headed to a two way, information intensive system!

15. Regulators, Governments And Standards-Makers Are Very Supportive • FCC • FERC • NARUC • OEB • CEC • DOE • IEEE

16. NARUC 2005 BPL Report • BPL technology holds promise for extending service to underserved areas, facilitating broadband competition, and enhancing both security and reliability through a “smart grid.” • While operational enhancements have always been of interest to the electric industry, the August 14, 2003 Northeast power blackout and its aftermath broadened interest in the preventative measures that might be achievable though BPL.

17. FCC and FERC Endorse BPL Specifically, FERC Chairman Wood and FCC Chairman Powell believe: • that ubiquitous broadband deployment is important to the economic, educational, social, medical, and cultural welfare of the country.  In order to achieve this goal, national policies should facilitate rapid deployment of all broadband technologies, including BPL. Policymakers at all levels should coordinate their efforts to promote a minimally intrusive policy framework for such technologies.  • that the provision of high-speed communications capabilities over utility poles and electric power lines (Access BPL) provides an opportunity to increase the competitive broadband choices that are available to customers and the power supply system management options of utilities. • that Access BPL may help provide additional power supply system communications and control capabilities to improve reliability and efficiency.  Such capabilities include “self-healing” network capabilities; improved security from physical and cyber threats; facilitating use of distributed generation; customer and utility control of appliances and equipment energy use; improved load management and electric grid utilization

18. DOE’s 2004 Delivery Technologies Roadmap • “The revolution in information technologies that has transformed other industries has yet to fully take hold in the electric power business” • “Greater use of distributed intelligence, smart controls, and distributed energy resources, including demand response, will play an increasing role in addressing the needs of the electric grid” • Integration to “optimize the flow of both information and electric power- in real time, and give customers a greater opportunity for involvement in electric markets” • “More rapid integration of distributed energy technologies and smart systems for optimizing customer and local distribution system operations needs to occur” • DOE's “Grid 2030-A National Vision of Electricity's Second 100 Years” outlines the characteristics of a modernized electric grid

19. Advanced interval capable meters with communication links will be installed on all customers. Critical peak pricing will become the default tariff for all customers. Customers will have the option to ‘opt-out’ to real-time pricing or risk-adjusted time-of-use, tiered, or other rate forms. Advanced Metering Coming to California; The Regulators' Vision

20. “A Smart Met“A Smart Meter in Every Home and Business in the Province by 2010” Ontario Energy Minister Dwight Duncan er in Every Home and Business in the Province by 2010” Ontario Energy Minister Dwight Duncan · Smart meters that are capable of recording hourly data for every customer; · A two-way communication system that transfers data to and from the meter by the distributor, including reading from remote locations, which is not possible with existing meters; Ontario’s Smart Meter Edict“A Smart Meter in Every Home and Business in the Province by 2010” Ontario Energy Minister Dwight Duncan

21. IEEE Has Begun Development of BPL Standards and Guides • Safety and Reliability • EMC • Media Characterization • MAC/PHY • IEEE BPL White Paper

22. BPL Can Enhance Utility Operations DIAGNOSTIC MONITORING Measure conductor temperature, line voltage, status of line arrestors, fuses, line transformers, sag, etc Analyze line noise (EMI analysis) Gas and Corrosion monitoring Improved real-time monitoring of underground networks Better knowledge of electrical losses Station to station networking Detection of cable deterioration Vegetation management Detection of momentary outages OPERATIONS IMPROVEMENT Lineman access to maps, instruction books, etc Condition-based Maintenance Work management; crew reporting via PLC/radio link Asset security monitoring Real time power flow profile along entire line Communications between/to substations SYSTEM PROTECTION Fault recognition and location Adaptive relay setting • LOAD and DISTRIBUTED GENERATION MANAGEMENT • Demand-side management • Real-time price signaling to customers • Dynamic loading of station transformers • Centralized dispatch of distributed generation • Islanding of distributed generation and matched loa • Circuit load measurement to trigger distributed gen. (peak shaving) • DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION • Automation of line sectionalizing devices (recloser or switch) • VAR control (capacitors, regulator settings, voltage measurement • Isolation of faults; faster restoration • Verification that capacitor banks are switching as expected • Outage location (within 1,000 feet or so) and notification • Communication to coordinate premium power devices • CUSTOMER INTERFACE • Automatic meter reading(including high bandwidth applications • Home gateway (banking, bundled services,appliance monitoring • Service connect/disconnect • Energy theft detection • Prepaid metering • Pinpointing of power quality problem source • 802.11 for customer representative applications • 802.11 availability to police/fire