BC Transmission Corporation:

Transcription

1 BC Transmission Corporation: Working Towards a Smarter Grid PSERC Smart Grid Meeting August 10, 2009 Janos Toth Program Manager, R&D

2 Working Towards a Smarter Grid BCTC s View of Innovation and Technology Transmission Technology Roadmap BCTC s strategy for a smarter grid Smart Grid Initiatives Long Term Transmission Planning and the Smart Grid Closing remarks

3 BCTC s View of Innovation & Technology The BC Transmission System Challenges The majority of the system was built Many facilities reaching their capacity limits Some assets are reaching end of useful economic life

4 BCTC s View of Innovation & Technology The BC Transmission System Challenges Maintaining a Unique System Rough terrain Regionally dispersed Challenging climate Heavy vegetation

5 Transmission Technology Roadmap BCTC s strategy for a smarter grid 20 Year View of Potentially Impactive Technologies Roadmap Objective Create business value through the research, demonstration and implementation of technology innovations that enhance the reliability, efficiency and public acceptance of electricity transmission in BC Four Focus Areas Energy Security Conservation, Reliability, and Environmental Leadership Smart Grid Future Grid

6 Transmission Technology Roadmap BCTC s strategy for a smarter grid Energy Security 1. High voltage cable technology 2. System congestion reduction 3. Risk assessment 4. Weather & climate modeling / response 5. Energy storage 6. Physical & cyber security 7. Integration of renewable energy Conservation, Efficiency and Environmental Leadership 1. System loss reduction 2. Environmental & public impacts of transmission 3. Greenhouse gas reduction

7 Smart Grid Initiatives BCTC s View of the Smart Grid / Future Grid New era of power system management based on extensive communication systems that monitor and allow automatic optimization of interconnected elements of the power system. The goal is to advance information and grid based technologies to increase efficiency, reliability and flexibility of the delivery infrastructure C o m m u n i c a t i o n s a n d i n t e l l i g e n t a u t o m a t i o n Impact on planning, design/construction, operation, & maintenance

8 Smart Grid Initiatives Existing transmission networks already exhibit many of the attributes of Smart Grid, which are essential for instantaneous matching of generation resources to loads, while ensuring reliable and stable operation for credible contingencies BCTC has made a number of innovations over the past several years to apply smart technology to the transmission system Strategy is to continue to make BC s Smart Grid smarter, moving toward the vision of a more intelligent, self-monitoring, adaptive and resilient network that can be operated safely to the limits of its design capacity. Application of incremental, prudent investments in grid intelligence, focused on delivering business value to all users of the transmission system. Smart Grid expenditures will be balanced with other critical infrastructure technology needs, such as physical structures, switching equipment and rights-of-way. Smart Questions? Grid

9 Projects Control Smart Grid Initiatives Observation Vision Today 20 Years + Synchrophasors enabled wide area control & security assessment Dynamic rating of assets Smart Grid Smarter Grid Future Grid Research Pilots Local Production Deployment Wide area deployment Local Local Smart Centralized Intelligent Wide Area Autonomous Agent-based Smart equipment monitoring & remote sensing Integrated information flow, simulation & analysis Advanced control centre technologies Next generation lines & stations Next generation control centre technologies Power electronics Advanced asset materials (composites, superconductors, nano-materials) Field Work methods and robotics

10 Smart Grid Initiatives Smart Equipment Monitoring and Remote Sensing Real-time dynamic thermal ratings Condition sensors for transformers, circuit breakers & other substation equipment Mass deployment of sensors Advanced condition assessment techniques Real-time dynamic line ratings Advanced imaging for vegetation management Weather modeling LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) for Vegetation Management

11 Smart Grid Initiatives IREQ s LineScout Robot high resolution imaging and infrared corrosion detection conductor / splice condition assessment repairs Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) helicopter & fixed wing tower and line inspection future autonomous operation?

12 Smart Grid Initiatives Aesthetic/Landscape Structures public acceptance decrease visual pollution engage public Advanced Composite Materials for Transmission Structures helicopter & fixed wing tower and line inspection future autonomous operation?

13 Smart Grid Initiatives Smart Equipment Monitoring and Remote Sensing

14 Long Term Planning & the Smart Grid 30 year time horizon = uncertainty necessary to explore a wide number of possible futures influenced by such factors as, Global Economy Regional development Policy changes Climate change Merchant transmission projects Emerging technologies including smart grid How will Smart Grid technologies influence load and generation, and how transmission is planned, operated, and maintained?

15 Closing Remarks BCTC is committed to innovative solutions to achieve it s business goals The transmission system currently has many attributes of a smart grid Smart Grid technologies may impact all aspects of the power system For BCTC: planning, design, operation, maintenance BCTC s Transmission Technology Roadmap forms a framework for Smart Grid technologies BCTC is taking an incremental approach Consideration of the evolution to a smart grid is critical in long term transmission system planning