Page 25 - Power Electronics News - December 2020

Smart Energy Smart Energy

Designing for energy automation (Fig. 1) introduc- over electrical power grid functions at the dis- TECHNOLOGY ENABLERS escalate to the controller, thereby improving

es issues related to energy efficiency, solution tribution level and beyond. Electric utilities with Distribution automation (DA) systems use a va- throughput and reaction time.
size, system safety, and reliability of the electron- supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) riety of wired and wireless communication me-
ics used. This whitepaper reviews the megatrends systems have extensive control over transmis- dia, depending on the particular segment of the
underlying the energy distribution automation sion-level equipment and have increasing control communication network. Intelligence, networking, CHALLENGES
evolution and its associated system challeng- over distribution-level equipment via distribu- and control are enabled by phenomenal advances The proliferation of intelligent, internet-con-
es, from networking protocols all the way to the tion automation. Energy distribution automation in hardware and software. nected equipment places new requirements on
hardware. It then examines new solutions for the results in higher availability, serviceability, and system hardware: reduced component size to
power management of field devices used in ener- predictive maintenance, as well as fault detec- At the field level, it is manifested through con- fit additional electronics in the same chassis or
gy applications through several case studies. tion, isolation, and mitigation. trollers, sensors, I/Os, and actuators. A control- even smaller chassis, improved energy efficien-

ler can include a programmable logic controller cy to perform within the same or lower thermal
(PLC), motor/motion controller, or a distributed budget, and increased electrical/mechanical
ENERGY AUTOMATION SYSTEM control system (DCS) using advanced proces- safety and reliability to reduce downtime.

Energy automation system architecture (Fig. 2) sors and microcontrollers. Sensors can be either
includes different layers for management, con- digital or analog and be used to measure tem- In summary, the challenges for the electronic
trol, and the field. The management layer oper- perature, humidity, vibrations, opens, and shorts. components are:
ates and controls the energy distribution from Actuators can control energy flow, temperature,

one central location, recording and optimizing humidity, and other parameters. Sensors and 1. Higher energy efficiency
data as necessary. Problems are spotted in real actuators communicate on wire or wireless gate-
time so that action can be taken immediate- ways to the control center. They are powered by 2. Reduced solution size
ly. The control layer deals specifically with the batteries or wired DC voltages, typically in the
I
equipment control at the hardware level. At the 5-V to 24-V+ range. Fig. 3 shows a transformer 3. ncreased safety and reliability
Figure 1: Power substation electrical switchgear.
field layer, intelligent sensors and actuators col- substation control panel with its switches, signa-
MEGATRENDS IN ENERGY lect data and perform tasks. Sensor and control ling lamps, sensors, and scales.
DISTRIBUTION AUTOMATION systems embedded in the distribution system In the following sections, we will present a few
More and more energy operators are remotely help signal the reduction or elimination of out- The controller receives inputs from sensors in examples of how power management electronics

managing energy distribution using the cloud. age time, hot-running equipment, circuit-breaker the field, processes them, and drives the prop- can come to the rescue in each case.
Their software platforms provide performance trips, and flickering and blinking lights. er actuators. Today’s sensors and actuators are
monitoring, data analytics, visualization, fault equipped with internal processors that make
detection and diagnostics, and portfolio simple decisions locally without the need to SOLUTIONS
energy management. These automation High Energy Efficiency
systems can monitor several variables in The smaller PCB size that results from miniatur-
real time and analyze historical data to ization presents a challenge for thermal dissipa-

adjust devices to provide energy manage- tion. Thermal management options, such as heat
ment while complying with government sinks, are ruled out because board space is at a
regulations and tariff policies. premium. Fans for forced airflow cannot be used
due to sealed enclosures that prevent dust and
By networking equipment data to the pollutants from entering. Therefore, it is crucial
cloud, analytics can be run in real time that the power-supply solution is extremely effi-
using advances in AI to determine action cient while delivering higher power and occupying
to be taken. Advanced distribution auto- an area that is smaller than ever before.
mation (ADA) extends intelligent control Figure 2: Energy distribution automation system. Figure 3: Transformer substation with switches and sensors.

24 DECEMBER 2020 | www.powerelectronicsnews.com DECEMBER 2020 | www.powerelectronicsnews.com 25