Next-gen grid infrastructure is smart

Smart grids enhance electricity generation, transmission, and consumption with digital technology while improving efficiency and boosting grid reliability through real-time monitoring.

- Soumya Doddamani

Smart grid technologies facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydropower into the electricity grid. Traditional grids struggle with the intermittent nature of renewables, smart grids use advanced forecasting systems and real-time monitoring, such as supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, to balance supply and demand effectively, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Smart grids enable distributed generation, producing electricity closer to consumption points using smallscale sources like rooftop solar panels and small wind turbines. Microgrids and distributed energy resource management systems (DERMS) enable this decentralised generation, resulting in reduced transmission losses, enhanced grid resilience, and the empowerment of consumers to become prosumers.

Electricity transmission