‘Green’ is bringing in newer opportunities to the use of IT (information technology) in the energy area, avers Govi Rao, President and CEO of US-based Noveda Technologies ( >http://bit.ly/F4TGoviRao ). As we have experienced with the Internet, affordable, rapid and universal communication can enable sophisticated transactions, create entirely new business models (Grameen Bank), and move through society with agility and speed (Facebook, Twitter, etc), he reasons, during the course of a recent interaction with Business Line.
“We had no idea that the Internet would revolutionise so many aspects of our lives. The Smart Grid represents the relatively simple extension of this movement to energy consumption.” Our conversation continues over the email… Excerpts from the interview.
You have been watching the energy scene for several decades. Would you like to trace the major defining points in the increasing use of IT in energy management over the years? A historic question, for starters.
Murali, I am not sure if I’ll be able to break down the historical perspective into defining points as I believe we are still in the nascent years on integrating IT in energy management. I believe the ever-advancing field of wireless communication and digital processing technology, combined with the emerging platforms like cloud, are key milestones; however, we have not started true large-scale integration yet.
Some of these advanced concepts have been in existence for some time now, and I believe these could serve as defining points in our dynamic roadmap of ‘adding intelligence’ to the grid.
Similarly, true integration of IT with energy management started with ‘building automation systems’ which have become extremely sophisticated now and work seamlessly, transmitting pulse data on consumption over the Internet. Based on the type of system, messages to control the building systems like HVAC and lighting can be programmed into the automation system so as to optimise usage.
This, along with its equivalent SCADA system used in industrial processes, I believe, can be identified as early-stage milestones or defining points in the transformational roadmap of leveraging IT to make the grid smart.
Can you tell us about some of the key areas of cutting-edge research currently happening in IT-assisted energy management?
There are rapid advances being made in primary areas like meter data management, smart metering, cloud--based analytics, etc. I also believe we currently have existing technologies that can quickly increase the intelligence of our outdated grid – these need to be integrated with the old-world electro-mechanical systems still being used worldwide.
Some Governments in Europe (e.g. the UK) have established clear deadlines by which time they want to transform completely to a smart grid. We are doing research and seeking alliances in linking the real-time data acquisition, analytics and display platforms with real-time billing data which will enable us to substantially improve the grid’s performance as well as efficiency. Real-time two-way communication also enables demand response programs without pain, aggravation and stress on the system.
I believe there’s cutting edge research being done in energy storage, all the way from basic materials to form factors. Also, if you look at the extended eco-system, a lot of cutting edge research is being done in LEDs – from wafers to chip design to thermal management, to materials for optics to the electronics that make up the driver.
Believe it or not, even though we haven’t seen any revolutionary new ideas in HVAC, there’s research being conducted in this space as well, both in improving efficiencies as well as in form factors. Another area where we are seeing a great deal of cutting edge research is in EVs or electric vehicles (e.g. electric cars). This essentially becomes another storage mechanism when done right.
Advanced research is also being conducted in information-age technologies, such as microprocessors, communications, advanced computing, and other information technologies, all of which play a significant role in integration and modernisation of the grid.
The independent non-profit organisation Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is also conducting research on key issues facing the electric power industry and working towards the development of open standards for the Smart Grid. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) recently published EPRI’s IntelliGrid Methodology for Developing Requirements for Energy Systems as a publicly available specification. This specification brings together several of the critical components of the smart grid and begins to lay the foundation for an organised transition to the smart grid.
Is ‘green’ bringing in newer opportunities to the use of IT in the energy area? Examples.
The focus on sustainability and green buildings is definitely creating new opportunities and ways of leveraging IT in energy management – in all the key areas like data acquisition, data analytics, display, integration and building connections with other systems like the building automation system, the accounting system, etc.
Especially since our infrastructure worldwide is extremely diversified, it is giving rise to innovative thinkers sprouting up locally all over the world from the U.S., to Taiwan, to India, and the U.K., and on and on. In addition to these platforms, there’s serious work required to link all the discreet parts of the puzzle and to create an ‘eco-system’ that is safe, reliable and clean/green’.
A fundamental concept being explored for technical solutions is to also manage our use, based on real-time cost or real-time pricing. This will need advanced switching and cost verification technologies – both of which are primarily digital and IT-based.
Extending this to the efficiency side, we have emerging platforms in building controls with connectivity and ‘intelligence’ at the core.
There are new protocols such as Zigbee and RF being developed and tested for controlling and managing our consumption model. We are also beginning to see concepts being worked on to integrate all controls and adding intelligence to it.
Do you see a pattern in the way enterprise users respond to information they get on IT- powered energy dashboards?
Absolutely! We see a clear change in their perception of energy usage; and in 9 out of 10 cases, the users become very driven to reduce their carbon footprint, lower energy consumption, etc. Even those who didn’t have much exposure to the carbon story get completely immersed in lowering their carbon footprint.
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