The electrical grid is at the heart of our daily activities, yet we rarely think about how electricity is delivered to us. In its simplest form, the grid is made of a series of wires that carry electricity from the source of generation to our homes and businesses, as well as equipment like transformers that regulate the voltage of the power delivered. This is the electricity we use to power almost everything, from computers, televisions and air conditioners, to our traffic lights, hospitals and shopping malls.
In my Annual Energy Conservation Progress Report – 2010 (Volume One): Managing a Complex Energy System, I discussed the importance of a smart grid, which is the next step for our electrical grid.
Tomorrow's Smart Grid, as shown on pg. 45 of Managing a Complex Energy System.
What is a smart grid?
A smart grid involves monitoring and controlling the electrical grid to ensure it remains balanced and reliable. This will allow us to adopt newer and greener technologies, such as electric vehicles, without compromising our electrical grid’s reliability. This is a simplified diagram of a smart grid, illustrating how the different components of the grid are connected together.
Report highlights
My report highlights some important components of a smart grid, including smart meters, distributed generation and energy storage. For example, smart meters record when and how much electricity is used, allowing consumers to learn more about their electricity consumption habits.
Several Ontario utilities (such as Toronto Hydro) have taken the lead by providing Internet applications that show users their metered electricity consumption data collected from smart meters. At these websites, consumers can monitor their electricity usage to identify sources of electricity waste and shift some of their electricity use to times when the overall demand is lower. This will reduce the strain on our electrical system and help avoid the need for new and costly peaking power plants that are built for use during times of very high electricity demand. I believe that for the smart grid to succeed, one organization must establish the vision and provide overall leadership necessary to guide all participants towards the common goal of modernizing the grid.
Conserving electricity in this province has never been more important. According to Ontario’s Long-Term Energy Plan, provincial electricity consumption will grow by 15 per cent between 2010 and 2030, meaning that we will need more generating stations to provide power. However, if we use what we already have more efficiently, we could decrease the amount of new generation required. Due to the physics of delivering electricity over wires, Ontario loses about 6% of its electricity between the generating stations and consumers. By minimizing these losses, we can get more power from our existing generation stations to the end-users. In fact, my report recommends that the Ontario Energy Board encourage and facilitate smart grid investments that reduce line losses, putting these investments on an equal footing with conservation investments.
Ontario’s existing grid was developed long-ago and, although our electricity needs have increased and evolved, our grid has not changed in a similar way. We expect that our grid will continue to provide us with reliable electricity, and modifications are needed to ensure the grid remains reliable and dependable.
For more information on Ontario’s smart grid, you can visit the websites for Ontario’s Smart Grid Forum and the Smart Grid Working Group. These groups are monitoring and facilitating progress in developing the smart grid.