What are Smart Grids?
Smart grids generally refer to the progressive application of new telecommunication, control and automation, protection, and information technologies to address electricity sector challenges: guarantying supply, increasing the efficiency and reliability and security of networks, and integrating renewable sources of energy.
These technologies can provide substantial benefits for utilities and energy users. They are instrumental in transforming electricity networks from centralized, producer-controlled systems to ones that allow for distributed generation and storage, and that are responsive to consumers. A smarter grid is a more robust, resilient, reliable, efficient and responsive grid.
For decades, utility workers have been sent out to read meters, look for broken equipment and measure voltage. Now, each device on the network can be given sensors to gather data (power meters, voltage sensors, fault detectors, etc.), plus two-way digital communication between the devices in the field and the utility’s operations center, which combined with forecasting techniques can be used to meet the demand at the lowest cost and integrate efficiently distributed generation, variable renewables and even electric vehicles consumption in the energy balance. The number of applications is growing as fast as creative companies can produce them.
Policymakers, regulators, and utilities adopt their own definitions of what it is considered to be a smart grid based on their view of the sector, competitive advantages, and vision for the future. And since power networks face different challenges and are at different stages of development, not all of them can benefit equally from the same technologies. Many low- and middle-income countries require a customized strategy or roadmap for the modernization of their systems starting with the implementation of the most cost effective applications, and therefore, there is an increasing need to share experiences among them.
Background
This portal, a joint initiative of the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) and the Sustainable Energy Department of the World Bank, aims to promote the exchange of knowledge about smart grid implementation and operations, as well as on smart grid applications for specific electricity sector contexts.
Objective of this Portal
The portal focuses on transmission and distribution planning at different levels (country, regional and city level), cost-benefit analysis, policies and deployment experiences, as well as the technological, institutional and regulatory aspects of smart grids. This is an iterative initiative and the portal’s information resources will grow over time.
This collaborative platform is open to external participants upon request. Power engineers, technology and automation vendors, financial specialists, regulators and policy makers working in developing countries are particularly encouraged to join the group and share their experiences.
Related Resources
For more information, please contact Silvia Martinez Romero at esmap@worldbank.org
Clean Energy > Smart Grids Knowledge Exchange Portal