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With an increasing need for enhanced connectivity and transparency among the operating devices, the smart grid greatly empowers the utilities.
FREMONT, CA: Smart grid technology helps in the effective management of renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydrogen. The smart grid connects a number of distributed energy resource assets to the power grid. Utilities would be able to quickly identify and resolve service glitches via the internet of things (IoT) that helps gathering data on the smart grid. The connected system is of immense value to the users, as they do not need to depend on customers to report outages. This capability plays a major role in the proliferation of renewable sources of energy. Here are the ways in which the smart grid is empowering the utility industry.
Facilitating Growth and Management
The role of IoT as a key component of a renewable energy grid will be crucial for privately maintained microgrid environments as well as those supported by regional utilities. Smart grids will be especially useful for the wind farms that typically depend on a complex mechanical gear the needs each node to support an increasing number of sensors. The sensors can be connected through the smart grid to offer useful insights to the concerned personnel.
Enhancing Grid Connectivity
The advancements in IoT connectivity and the ability of the disparate devices to interact with each other are truly revolutionizing the renewable energy sector. The traditional mode of communication among the grid devices included Ethernet over wires, Wi-Fi, or fiber. However, these mediums are costly to implement and maintain. Alternatively, the ubiquitous cell technology LTE has emerged as an affordable alternative that can offset the intercommunication gap among the grid devices.
Improving Security Aspects
Various security techniques can be applied to renewable energy grids to help protect against any possible threat. Grids laced with time-tested technologies such as virtual private networks (VPNs) can offer additional security to the devices. Hardware-based encryption can enhance data security among the grid devices without compromising the gird efficiency.
