Remote Site & Equipment Management 2016 - (Page 8)

Feature Article Managing Distributed Energy Resources with IoT and Cloud Technologies Brad Williams, Vice President, Industry Strategy Oracle Utilities Billions of connected devices, from smart vehicles and smart meters to smart thermostats, smartphones, wearables and more, make up what has come to be known more broadly as the Internet of Things (IoT). More simply, this is a moniker that had been coined to better define the proliferation of "things" or devices with intelligent sensors, the networked connectivity of those things, and the ability to leverage the data being gathered by them. This explosion of smart devices has created opportunities for new business solutions based on IoT technology. Businesses are increasingly finding new ways to harness the data coming from these devices, and using it to drive smarter decision-making, enable new services and reduce costs. The utility industry is already solidly invested in the IoT. The smart grid, after all, is essentially the application of IoT technology (smart sensors, two-way communications and analytics) to our electric grid infrastructure to enable better efficiency, improved reliability, the integration of more renewables and distributed energy resources, reduced emissions, and more engaged and empowered customers. In fact, in coming years the utility industry is expected to drive exponential growth of new IoT applications to communicate machine-to-machine (M2M) to new field devices and to consumer energy technology devices at the edge of the grid. But even more important than this increased ability for M2M communication is how the sensor data being gathered can be operationalized for more efficient and proactive efforts by the utility. Using IoT Technologies for Distributed Energy Resources In recent years, residential and business customers alike have begun to take advantage of decreasing technology costs and favorable government policy to adopt distributed energy resources (DER), including solar photovoltaic (rooftop solar), wind turbines, diesel generators, energy management systems, electric vehicles and energy storage. These rapidly proliferating resources have the ability to extend and change the electric distribution grid in a number of positive ways, but they also have the ability to affect grid reliability and performance unless adeptly managed by utilities. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on three specific areas in which IoT and associated technologies can be successfully leveraged to best utilize the distributed energy resources (DER) being incorporated into the grid, both by customers and by the utility itself. These include: 1. Minimizing asset risk by identifying and managing negative performance patterns via cloud-based analysis and network modeling of distributed energy resources (DER) sensor data. 2. Increasing customer choice to participate in demand response, load shifting, and the sale of excess and stored DER generation into other markets. 3. Alleviating utility constraint via demand response by leveraging both utility and consumer assets to dynamically shift output among generation resources. As DER are integrated into the distribution grid, utilities will need communication channels that permit many different systems and devices to send commands based on customer choices. In certain instances, the utility will need to communicate beyond the meter and directly into DER to ensure these choices are effectively executed. Additionally, data and commands must also flow among DER, operational systems, equipment like grid sensors, and load control devices to maintain reliability and meet peak demand. 8 www.RemoteMagazine.com http://www.RemoteMagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Remote Site & Equipment Management 2016

Editor's Choice
Integrating Local HMI with the Cloud
Managing Distributed Energy Resources with IoT and Cloud Technologies
Three Considerations for M2M/IoT Connectivity
Creating Value from IIoT Data
Wireless Sensor Networks - Applications in Oil & Gas
Applying Remote Monitoring & Predictive Analytics to Satisfy Customers While Keeping Costs Down
M2M & IoT Products
Industry News

Remote Site & Equipment Management 2016