PR - Texas utility Austin Energy is embarking on the first phase of its smart
grid deployment, which is also one of the first in the nation. This
phase-one deployment will help Austin Energy to better manage its assets
using GE Energy’s smart grid software
solutions. The software will improve Austin Energy’s
ability to prevent outages and quickly restore power if outages do occur.
GE Energy’s smart grid software solutions will
help enhance power reliability and increase energy productivity. These
solutions also will help manage alternative renewable power sources,
like solar, maximize the utilization and life of assets and pinpoint
areas of concern on the grid—similar to online
mapping tools that pinpoint traffic congestion on roads and highways.
“Unlike many utilities that lead their smart
grid initiatives with smart meters, Austin Energy is leading with
innovative software solutions that make products, like smart meters,
even more impactful,” said Bob Gilligan, vice
president of GE Energy’s transmission and
distribution business. “While the smart meter
is one of the most tangible smart grid components, the capabilities of
the smart meter are enhanced greatly by the addition of other smart grid
technologies.”
Elements of the Smart Grid
The efficiency gains achieved by upgrading to a smarter grid from a
conventional one would be like switching from a typewriter to a
word-processor. The smart grid is, in fact, a banner for many products,
including hardware, like smart meters and capacitors, and software, like
geospatial information systems and demand response technologies. The
smart grid is not “one”
product, but rather, a solution suite of products and software
technologies improving the grid’s overall
performance.
To enhance power reliability and improve asset management, Austin Energy
has most recently integrated GE Energy’s
distribution management system technology into its existing outage
management system. These applications will work in combination with the
geospatial information system—essentially, a
GPS for the grid—to help notify the utility
when a portion of the grid goes down (or is in danger of doing so), thus
maximizing power reliability.
Overall, the benefits of the smart grid components being implemented by
Austin Energy include:
-
reduction in electricity losses in the transmission and distribution
of power;
-
improved knowledge of real-time grid status to proactively reduce
outage impact;
-
increased energy efficiency and decreased CO2 output of their existing
electrical infrastructure through the integration and optimization of
renewables and alternative distributed energy sources; and
-
better optimization of power assets, reducing the need for expensive
peaking power plants
Austin Energy is the ninth largest public power utility in the United
States, serving 388,000 customers and a population of more than 900,000
within the city of Austin, Travis County and a small portion of
Williamson County. It powers the capital city of Texas through a diverse
generation mix, with a portfolio that includes nuclear, coal, natural
gas and renewable energy sources. Austin Energy has created the top
performing renewable energy program in the nation, owns the nation’s
first and largest green building programs, and is home to one of the
nation’s most comprehensive residential and
commercial energy efficiency programs.
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