With wildfires and heatwaves sweeping across the globe over the last year, the need for decarbonization is starker than ever. The utility sector knows that decarbonization will entail increased electrification as well as greater use of renewable energy sources. For transmission and distribution (T&D) utilities, this also means transferring electricity from windy and sunny locations where it’s generated to population centers where the most power is needed — often a significant distance from one to the other.

These monumental shifts in power supply and demand come at a time when grid infrastructure is increasingly past its lifespan. To handle increased demand and more renewables, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates an additional 1,400 to 10,100 miles of new high-capacity lines are needed each year. The capital expenditures are staggering, and regulatory hurdles often mean construction can take years. 

How can utilities balance the challenges of adding greater capacity to aging infrastructure, building new lines and incorporating more renewable energy sources all at the same time?

They can start by revamping their grid monitoring processes to use real-time technology, which provides immediate capacity improvements and greater renewables integration. While longer-term infrastructure planning continues and the regulatory landscape evolves, real-time monitoring technology improves grid functioning and resilience not years in the future, but right now.

Increasing capacity while reducing congestion

To measure line capacity, utilities currently rely on supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) from substations along with seasonal historical data. In today’s environment, however, SCADA data at five- or 10-minute intervals isn’t fast enough to manage a responsive smart grid, and historical data is increasingly inaccurate as climatic conditions change. 

The result is an underestimate of T&D lines’ ampacity, or the maximum amount of current they can carry without overheating. Running under capacity means utilities aren’t fully utilizing their power generation sources, and it contributes to grid congestion. 

Real-time monitoring provides immediate data on the factors affecting ampacity, such as weather conditions, fault locations and voltage levels. This means utilities can more accurately manage loads and fully utilize their infrastructure by running at capacity. “Utilities need real-time information, not static or historical, to make the best decisions,” says Dr. Alex Levran, CEO of Electrical Grid Monitoring (EGM), a leading technology provider for utilities. “The right tools also monitor between substations and over long distances. With the full up-to-date view of their systems, utilities can more effectively manage loads and make better forecasts,” he explains.

For example, EGM’s Meta AlertTM platform measures a large number of electrical, mechanical and environmental parameters at a high sampling rate in real-time. The software then continuously analyzes this data using machine learning algorithms and AI, and the analytics can reside in the cloud or on-premise utility servers.

This information allows utilities to use all available capacity safely before needing to build new infrastructure. The ROI from such visibility and utilization is immediate, and these insights can then guide future capital investments once the grid’s full capacity is being used. And, with greater understanding of the grid’s status at every moment, utilities can more accurately predict future energy needs and better plan for fluctuations in supply and demand.

Facilitating renewables integration to the grid

With current monitoring processes, it’s not just the T&D infrastructure itself that goes underutilized — power congestion and curtailment mean renewable energy sources aren’t used to their full potential either, as utilities aim to lighten loads on T&D lines. 

With better monitoring, analysis and forecasting, however, utilities can more fully integrate electricity from solar and wind sources. They can take on greater loads to run at full capacity and ensure they’re utilizing as much renewable energy as possible.

With solutions such as EGM’s Meta AlertTM, utilities can also monitor and analyze harmonics to ensure a consistent current. “For commercial and industrial customers with digitized equipment, harmonics are a significant challenge,” Levran says. “By monitoring and adding the right filtering, utilities can safely add more solar resources to their energy mix,” he adds.

The detailed information provided by real-time monitoring overcomes the diurnal and seasonal variations that are inherent to renewable energy sources, and it allows utilities to provide continuous and consistent power at all times. 

The future of grid resiliency

Increasing renewables and greater grid capacity are keys to the electrification and decarbonization efforts the entire energy industry must make. And while new infrastructure investments will be vital, utilities can take steps today to modernize and maximize their current systems. 

Real-time monitoring informs the level of capital investment needed because utilities will have a  more accurate understanding of their grid’s full capacity. Monitoring and analysis of expanded parameters also provide greater visibility into current conditions, and this supports better load management and forecasting. 

Such flexible management allows utilities to manage the variations in both supply and demand that the grids of tomorrow have to be capable of handling, particularly as solar and wind generation increases. Levran adds, “With more accurate data delivered faster, utilities will be better prepared to meet conditions as they change in the future.”