# Presentation: 699098

## Grid Reliability –  Technology Solutions for Today and Tomorrow

**Bill Parks**
**Office of Electric Transmission and Distribution**
**U.S. Department of Energy**

**Presentation to the **
**Federal Energy Regulatory Commission**

*Grid Reliability –  Technology Solutions for Today and Tomorrow*

**Notes:**
Chairman Wood, Commissioner Brownell, and Commissioner Massey...  
Thank you for providing me the opportunity to speak to you today on the role that technologies can play in improving the reliability of the electric grid. 
My name is William Parks, Deputy Director of the Office of Electric Transmission and Distribution at the United States Department of Energy.
This office leads the research and development of a diverse portfolio of technologies applicable to the electric grid, including high temperature superconductivity and electric storage.
While our mission focuses on technology development, we recognize that technologies cannot be fully developed without markets and rules and regulations that are conducive to their use.
To get input from industry on directions and priorities, and to help lead a national effort to modernize and expand the grid, we have embarked on a vision and roadmap process. Through 2 major workshops, we have consulted with over 250 business and government leaders and industry practitioners and have developed a national vision for electricity’s second 100 years, and an Electric Delivery Technologies Roadmap.  These are available from our website.www.electricity.doe.gov.

## Electricity and Economic Growth

**“****If the **_**energy structure**_** of this country is **_**inadequate**_** or in some way excessively costly, it will **_**undermine economic growth**_**, and is therefore a major issue that must be addressed.”**
**Alan Greenspan**
**Chairman, Federal Reserve Board**
**January 25, 2001 **

_**August 14th Blackout**_
***By-The-Numbers***
**2**** Canadian Provinces **
**3 ****deaths **
**8**** U.S. states**
**12 ****airports closed**
**23**** cases of looting in Ottawa**
**100**** power plants**
**9,266 ****square miles **
**61,800  ****MW of power lost**
**1.5 million****	****Cleveland residents without water**
**50 million ****people **
**$4-6 billion****	****in economic activity lost**

**Notes:**
A few minutes after 4PM Eastern Daylight Time on August 14, 2003, an estimated 50 million people in large portions of the Midwest and Northeast United States and Ontario, Canada experienced an electric power blackout.  As you can see, the numbers are staggering.
However, this is not the first time that there was recognition of our Nation’s dependence on a secure and reliable electric system, and the need for improvement.   In the National Transmission Grid Study, released in May 2002, Secretary Abraham stated that “our nation’s transmission system over the next decade will fall short of the reliability standards our economy requires and will result in additional bottlenecks and higher costs to consumers.  It is essential that we begin immediately to implement the improvements that are needed to ensure continued growth and prosperity.”
I am here to show you that these improvements are not just for tomorrow, but are available today.

## National Reliability Challenges

** **_***Prevention***_** – keep problems from occurring**
** **_***Detection***_** – ready for immediate action**
** **_***Response***_** – proper ”tool kits” for any contingency**
** **_***Modernization ***_**– “next generation” of grid technologies**

**Notes:**
I have grouped my discussion along 4 lines - 
First, there are technologies available today that can be installed to reduce the likelihood of reliability events from occurring in the first place.  For instance, we can increase capacity.
Second, when there is a reliability event, operators need to be able to detect it.
Third, operators need the “tools” to effectively and efficiently address the problem, and prevent it from cascading through the system.
Finally, I’ll highlight a few technologies that show promise for revolutionizing the way we think about the grid.

## Prevention

***Stop reliability problems from occurring in the first place***

** ****Advanced conductors and tower designs**
** ****Modeling and system planning tools**
** ****Communications**
** ****Training**

**Composite Core Conductors**

**Modeling and Simulation Packages**

**Communications Systems**

**Training Seminars**

**Technologies for Today**

**Notes:**
Prevention - i.e. what can we “proactively” do to reduce the likelihood of reliability events from occurring?
Advanced composite conductors are aimed at increasing capacity with minimal environmental impact. (explain?)  They are undergoing testing at our Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s transmission testing facility.
Just as important is the standardization of protocols, procedures, and terminology.  This involves proper operator training as well as system planning.  To those who say regional differences pose an insurmountable problem, I’d like to raise the example of the airlines.  Do regional differences impact our ability to fly?  Standardization of protocols and procedures play a fundamental role in our ability to safely fly anywhere.  We need the same in the electric system.

## Detection

***Improve grid operator readiness for taking action immediately***

** ****Monitoring Systems**
** ****Frequencies**
** ****Voltages**
** ****VARs**
** ****Phasors**
** ****Line Sag**
** ****Data Acquisition**
** ****Visualization Tools**
** ****Communications**
** ****Training **

**Voltage and VAR Monitoring**

**ACE Frequency Monitoring**

**Synchronized Phasor Applications**

**Distributed Sensing and Controls Systems**

**Notes:**
Detection - operators need to see the problems when they occur.  
Prototype monitoring system has been installed in Western Interconnect - need to expand to the eastern interconnect.
Present information to operators in way that they will understand - cueing, where applicable.
Training operators receive is often steady-state ---  need Federal leadership in developing simulations and implementing procedures for proper use of these visualization systems in daily operations.

## Response

***Equip operators with a portfolio of resources comprising the best available tools and techniques***

** ****Distributed Generation**
** ****Energy Storage Systems **
** ****Demand Response**
** ****Communications   **

**Industrial Gas Turbines**

**Aggregated Water Pumping Loads**

**Smart Thermostat**

**Microturbines**

**Reciprocating Engine Gen Sets**

**Zinc-Bromine Battery System**

**Technologies for Today**

**Notes:**
Once operators detect a reliability event, they need the ability to take action to prevent the event from cascading through the system.  Distributed generation, energy storage, and demand response are some great technologies available today.
In addition, as evident from the August 14 blackout, operators need to be able to quickly communicate that there is a problem to those who might also be affected (e.g. neighboring utilities; regions/RTOs; reliability monitor).  

## Modernization

- _Modernization_

** ****“****GridWorks” Technologies**
** ****High temperature superconducting devices**
** ****Cables**
** ****Transformers**
** ****Motors**
** ****Fault current limiters**
** “****GridWise” Technologies**
** ****distributed intelligence**
** ****distributed  energy**
** ****distributed communications and controls**
** ****Advanced materials**
** ****Power electronics**

**Fault current limiter**

**Grid-Friendly Appliance Controller**

**Diamond Devices**

**Superconducting Flywheel**

**SuperVAR System**

**Superconducting Transformer**

**Advanced Energy Storage**

**Superconducting Cable**

*“****Next generation” technologies for meeting future needs***

**Technologies for Tomorrow**

**Notes:**
So far, I’ve highlighted technologies that exist today and can be deployed “now” to improve reliability.  But here are some technologies that could revolutionize the grid of the future. 

 I wanted to highlight them here because while you are concerned about generating rules and regulations for today, you must also consider what the future holds, and not inadvertently limit future possibilities.

## Backups

## Blackout Example

_**Rochester International Airport, NY**_
-  **Two 750-kW engines with absorption chiller provide base-loaded CHP for heating, cooling, and electricity.**
** ****Critical loads in the airport were supported by the CHP system and avoided loss of power during the blackout.**

## Blackout Example

_**Harbec Plastics, Ontario, NY**_
-  **The facility has an array of 25 ultralow-emission 30-kW Capstone microturbines.**
** ****Heat from the array is used for both heating and cooling.**
** ****The system operated during the blackout without interruption.**