Itron, Inc., a leader in grid edge intelligence, and Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, are expanding their collaboration with Microsoft to deliver a comprehensive Grid Edge Intelligence solution that addresses utility grid visibility and control challenges.
This collaboration takes advantage of Itron’s distributed intelligence technology, accelerating the path to bring grid edge intelligence to the utility control center. This will improve grid reliability by establishing high-bandwidth, real-time and scalable data integration between the companies’ systems and enable the use of AI and big data analytics. For utilities, this means unlocking a range of new use cases that improve overall efficiency of the distribution system, its reliability and service restoration during unplanned events. These analytics are also a strong foundation to incorporate distributed energy resources (DERs) to benefit the same.
This collaboration of industry leaders in grid edge intelligence, energy management, automation, AI, data, and analytics will further enable utilities to manage the electric distribution grid with a myriad of use cases that require central control system applications to share enormous amounts of data with low latency. The companies are bringing to market a non-wires solution that addresses utility challenges during a critical period of infrastructure constraints where lead times for components like transformers are upwards of one to two years. With this non-wires solution, utilities can optimize the grid edge and central control system, enhancing grid capacity of utilities’ existing infrastructure by as much as 20%, while maintaining grid asset loading within current design limits.
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The collaboration will integrate Itron’s Grid Edge Intelligence solutions, Schneider Electric’s Digital Grid solutions, and Microsoft data and AI solutions to facilitate seamless data flow and provide visibility into distribution grid bottlenecks. With the combined solution, Itron’s distributed-intelligence (DI)-enabled meters send real-time insights from behind the service transformer, as well as from individual DERs, to Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure ADMS, which enable seamless operation of distribution power system. This data exchange is housed in Microsoft’s unified AI-powered SaaS platform that brings together data and analytics into a single experience, which allows the utility to dramatically improve system visibility for both load and voltage conditions. It also provides a mechanism to reliably manage behind-the-meter DERs, such as EV charging equipment, without relying on the customer’s broadband connection.
Through this collaboration, the companies are accelerating use case adoption and integrating more data through distributed intelligence to enable new grid edge use cases, including:
1) Transformer-to-Meter Mapping enables utilities to map which meters are wired to each service transformer. Accurate mapping helps utilities manage distribution system load more effectively, minimizing the degradation of transformers and ensuring optimal performance and grid reliability for the planned lifetime of the asset.
2) State Estimation / Load Flow Accuracy Improvement helps grid operators understand exactly when and where the power grid is under strain, providing time to make adjustments and prolong the life of existing infrastructure while simultaneously improving overall power quality for consumers.
3) Enhanced Volt-VAR Optimization (VVO) reduces the amount of energy required to move electricity through the distribution grid. VVO is a process used to actively manage voltage levels and reactive power on distribution circuits to reduce energy losses and improve efficiency and reliability.
4) Local DER Groups for Forecast and Management allow utilities to build more accurate planning models to increase the efficiency of their future capital spending and reprioritize existing spend for infrastructure projects that are higher priority than historical planning methods.
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“Electricity demand is rapidly increasing due to the electrification of transportation, heating and more. By 2050, the U.S. grid’s capacity will have nearly doubled compared to 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in Canada, grid capacity is projected to reach 226 GW by 2050. This coupled with the increased adoption of DERs—like rooftop solar, battery energy storage, electric vehicles, and microgrids—is adding immense complexity to the electric grid,” said Don Reeves, Itron’s senior vice president of Outcomes. “Historically, utilities have had little visibility into the distribution grid below the substation and, to date, have relied on models and assumptions that are outdated, potentially leading to suboptimized power and load assumptions. With this collaboration, utilities can modernize these models with near real-time measurements, extending the observability of system loading and performance all the way to the customer premise.”
“Today’s changing energy landscape and evolving complexity of the energy value chain requires new ways to optimize supply and demand. Itron’s solutions deliver scalable real-time insight at the grid-edge and by expanding our collaboration to include Microsoft, we are furthering our commitment to digitizing, optimizing and automating utility operations for grid flexibility, resiliency and risk mitigation,” said Matt Schnugg, CPO at Schneider Electric. “Improving insights and decision-making for utilities is urgent as utilities experience long lead times on transformers and other critical infrastructure components. Gaining a better understanding of bottlenecks in the distribution grid is critical.”
“Collaboration is key to addressing complex global energy challenges and creating the grid of the future. Working with Itron and Schneider Electric, we are enabling utilities to manage, interpret, and act on data-powered insights from the edge to the cloud. Together, we are broadening the reach of data integration and industry-specific AI, helping utilities drive better business outcomes,” said Darryl Willis, Corporate Vice President, Energy & Resources Industry at Microsoft.
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Source – globenewswire
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