Currently, the accelerated pace of urbanization, digitalization, and industrialization globally has brought unprecedented energy consumption challenges—rapid growth in electricity demand, a surge in the number of interconnected devices, and an increase in the proportion of renewable and distributed energy resources are strongly impacting and reshaping the traditional operating models of power companies. At the same time, an increasing number of external environmental factors are also posing challenges to the design, construction, and operation and maintenance technologies of power grids. For example, changes in electricity market supply and demand require grid managers to have the ability to accurately predict power generation and load generation; the trend towards highly networked technologies places higher demands on the grid's rapid response capabilities; furthermore, the continued demands from governments and consumers to maintain low electricity prices are also putting pressure on grid managers.
In response to these challenges, Schneider Electric believes that power grid management companies need to streamline operations and reduce costs in two ways. Firstly, they need to carefully control investments in upgrading and expanding distribution networks; secondly, they need to extract more value from existing assets and past investments. Power grid management companies need to enhance their digital capabilities and value through more effective operation and maintenance technologies and smarter investment planning methods to seek new opportunities for development.
In the journey to achieve digital transformation of the power grid, Schneider Electric believes that the following four digital technologies should be given priority:
I. Advanced Distribution Network Monitoring System Technology. The development of homes, buildings, and even electric vehicles requires power grid management companies to acquire data from intelligent infrastructure, utilities, and a large number of other devices. An advanced distribution network monitoring system will establish a "system within a system" for operation and maintenance personnel, allowing them to identify the impact of changes in a subsystem on the overall system and other subsystems. This monitoring system not only facilitates data analysis but also predicts the lifecycle of equipment within the system, provides early warnings, and ensures that equipment replacement does not disrupt system operation, thereby simplifying the maintenance process.
II. Standardized and Compatible Technical Standards. Standardized and compatible technical standards will ensure interoperability across systems, while also facilitating the provision of unprecedentedly flexible sensing facilities to adapt to a variety of specific needs. Plug-and-play devices, web services, communication standards, and modeling protocols will ensure direct data flow between systems, improving the efficiency of the entire power grid system.
III. Online Sensing Technology. Online sensing technology plays a crucial role in improving the safety level of the entire power grid industry. Photothermal self-excited multifunctional sensors can provide more forward-looking predictions and can quickly detect anomalies by monitoring and analyzing accident models and actual conditions, detecting them before accident conditions are met and immediately triggering response measures. For example, in the field of arc detection, any arc in switching equipment can be detected immediately before it reaches its hazardous intensity, and the relevant feeder circuit that generated the arc will be immediately shut down.
IV. Human Error Control Technology. Human error control remains a key technical design aspect, and digital tools will assist operators in controlling their operational behavior. Before simulation and modeling, digital tools will prompt operators to avoid erroneous operations, and the design of intelligent equipment will also prevent dangerous operations. The power distribution network control system will define safe control parameters for switching operations. Operators will use virtual reality technology to understand the live parts in the operation process from portable mobile devices and complete the operation under step-by-step guidance. Simultaneously, more innovative technologies will help transformers with built-in self-extinguishing materials become more standardized and industrialized, achieving higher operational safety.
From the control rooms of power distribution companies to the switches and sockets in consumers' homes, the operational capabilities of a vast number of devices are being enhanced through the integration of IoT technology, making energy use smarter and more efficient. As a global leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, Schneider Electric is committed to helping power distribution companies achieve their vision of an advanced digital grid through continuous grid technology innovation and deployment, elevating their energy efficiency and operational levels to new heights.
