Smart-Grid Integration Technologies
Pinpointing and prioritizing smart-grid solutions to enable 50% renewable penetration on medium-voltage feeders for a coalition of investor-owned utilities.
Client
Coalition of Investor-Owned Utilities
Objective
Enable 50% Renewable Penetration by 2030
Timeline
10-Week Program
Key Focus
DER Orchestration & Cybersecurity
The Challenge: From a One-Way Street to a Dynamic Network
Utilities must now manage grids that absorb gigawatts from distributed energy resources (DERs) like rooftop solar and EV chargers. Doing so safely and profitably hinges on overcoming challenges in real-time analytics, bidirectional power flow, interoperability, and cybersecurity.
Legacy Grid
A one-way flow of power from large, centralized plants to passive consumers, managed by slow, decades-old SCADA systems.
Smart Grid
A dynamic, bidirectional network with thousands of active DERs, requiring sub-second visibility, AI-driven orchestration, and robust cyber-resilience.
Key Outcomes: Five Priority Solutions for a High-Renewable Grid
Our 5-phase program delivered a ranked shortlist of technology stacks that enable ≤1-second situational awareness and can orchestrate ≥25 MW of DERs per feeder.
AI-Optimised DERMS
Model-predictive control that keeps voltage within ±1.5% with 500ms set-point updates.
µPMU + 5G Edge-Gateway Mesh
Provides high-speed (120 sps) data with 40ms latency at a cost of only $325 per node.
Protocol-Translation Data Fabric
Bridges legacy (DNP3) and modern (IEC 61850) systems without protocol gaps.
Zero-Trust OT Gateway
A NERC CIP-ready gateway with TLS 1.3, signed firmware, and behavioral anomaly detection.
Transactive-Energy Billing Engine
Markets grid flexibility at <5-minute granularity, aligning costs with DER owners.
Strategic Impact
The utility coalition green-lit a 15-feeder pilot using the recommended AI-DERMS, µPMU mesh, and zero-trust gateway stack. Success will validate a scalable template for secure, interoperable smart-grid integration, paving the way for high-renewable grids without compromising reliability or cyber-safety.