SBIR-STTR Award

It is becoming increasingly apparent that we, as a nation, need to quickly develop smarter solutions to control the overall generation and distribution of electrical energy as power demand across the grid expands in response to the increasing population and the growing prospect of energy intensive technologies coming online. Peak demand spikes occurring regularly throughout the power grid have reached unsustainable conditions, and, as a result, more intelligent solutions are needed to: 1) conserve energy by maximizing efficiencies and minimizing energy loss; 2) reduce the burden on the power grid infrastructure during periods of peak demand; 3) reduce the requirement for additional generating capacity; and 4) save the consumer money. The overall goal of the Phase I and Phase II project is to develop an integrated control system software platform in connection with Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (BTES) that measures real-time system demand across a distributed power network and, via closed loop feedback control, responds dynamically by controlling the voltage across the grid on a substation level and the activity of consumer devices (hot water heaters, car chargers, HVAC, etc). Closed-loop control is used to create an optimal solution for: 1) reducing the Power loss associated with long-range distribution, and 2) redistributing the power demand peaks over time to create a flatter power demand curve for both the generators and the distributors. Commercial Applications and Other

Benefits:
Realizing this technology to its fullest potential would result in a fully deployable software control platform that, initially, can be logistically phased into the 32,000 customer base of BTES, and then systematically delivered across the entire Tennessee Valley Authority distribution system which provides power for approximately 9 million customers. Ultimately, in the more distant future, this solution can be deployed across other electrical power distribution networks across the nation.

The variation between peak and off-peak electricity demand fluctuates up to 70 percent over the course of a 24 hour cycle. This degree of variability is a driver for costly inefficiencies within the power gridto prevent blackouts and meet customer demandas well as power sell offs to consume excess generation available during off-peak hours. Projections estimate the power demand to double by 2050 resulting in an estimated 1.5 trillion dollars in infrastructural updates. Projected growth in the scale of energy consumption mandates a more efficient solution to meet peak demand and consume excess generation capacity during non-peak cycles. The solution incorporates a systematic software system for managing voltage and demand in real-time while adjusting the necessary devices on the network to manage and accommodate the actual current load on the grid. The collective goal of the DCEDMS project is to provide a state- based control system that will monitor and manage devices within the distribution network for optimal efficiency and responsiveness. This solution is the only software that addresses the supply side (generation) as well as demand side (consumption) in a unified decision model. The software was tested with 1,200 water heaters and 73 capacitors in an existing network, and the software demonstrates the capacity to monitor voltage readings throughout the network in real-time while independently monitoring and controlling water heaters and capacitors. Phase I testing was extremely successful, and Bristol Tennessee Essential Services is realizing over $1.75 million in annual savings as the result of the DCEDMS. Energy savings derived from the capacitor control program averages 9.3 MW per day. The Carina water heater component (1,200 water heaters) shifts an average 2.75 MW per day from peak to off-peak times. Phase II objectives focus on developing a solution that is scalable, secure and sustainable. Critical milestones of the Phase II research effort include completing the solution implementation at BTES, packaging the DCEDMS for distribution to a second customer and developing additional device capacity to enhance the scalable impact of the system. Commercial Applications and Other

Benefits:
DCEDMS shifts load to off-peak hours and minimizes loss over transmission thereby reducing the requirements for additional generation capacity. These factors result in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and increased stability of the current grid infrastructure. DCEDMS is the ideal controller for managing the sustainable smart grid solution.