Intelligent Power Networks - IPN's

IPN's have been the Holy Grail of the global power industry for quite some time.
Smart Grids are but a stepping-stone towards the development of Intelligent Power Networks (IPNs). 

   The Smart Grid and Intelligent Power Networks will Challenge the Role of Incumbents in Every Layer of Technology and Infrastructure
  Traditional Grid   Smart Grid   Intelligent Power Networks
Communication
and control
infrastructure		 Technology: u Technology: u Technology:
Data transmission along the power grid (e.g. unidirectional control of demand)  

Multi-directional broadband-communications network

   Wireless mesh network i.e.: distributed computing.
Purpose: u  Purpose: u Purpose:
Remote (fault) sensing and substation switching   Enabling smart features such as remote performance analysis and automatic remediation, and demand-generation matching  
  • Guaranteed bandwidth
    per node,
  • symmetry of operation,
  • very low latencies,
  • very high scalability, etc.).
Metering: u Metering: u Metering:
Mainly manual meters   Digital smart meters (actively remote-control and remote-readout devices   The key challenge is in the communication networks required
to achieve true energy network intelligence.
  Systems u Systems u Systems
Grid and energy-
management-
software solutions		 Support the operation of manual control centers
(from network control stations.
  • Monitoring and remote-sensing systems
  • Manual remote controls and switches

 

  

Provided "intelligence" that
facilitates smart-grid behavior

  • power routing and flow optimization

  • Pricing for feed-in and consumption

 

   Energy is deposited or withdrawn and where the intelligence built into the network manages the network
  •  load balancing,
  •  distributed energy storage management,
  • demand side management,
  • distributed supply management,
  • distributed power factor correction, in real-time, i.e. by the millisecond,
  • remote energy metering
   Power u Power u Power
Energy
infrastructure		 Is distributed to customers from central sources and power hubs
  • Tree-shaped structure
  • Slow response to changes
  

Is distributed between central and decentralized elements, sometimes
switching the roles of source and consumer

  • Mesh-and-ring structure

  • Fast response to charges

  

Integration of a number of point-of-use generators into

  • non-centralised,

  • non-hierarchical, energy network 
    (non tree-shaped structure)

  • with surplus being fed
    into the grid.

 

Run by grid operators
 

Competition from New Players
 

2nd Generation New Players

Smart Grids v Intelligent Power Networks (IPN's)

IPN's must be clearly differentiated from “Smart Grids”.  Smart Grids refer essentially to the use of advanced forms of electricity metering that enable better management of electricity use on site (DSM - Demand Side Management), better pricing of power according to time of the day and seasons, load levels on the grid, and better management of existing grids. 

“Intelligent power grids or networks” that “will operate more like the Internet, as part of a complex web through which people will supply electricity as well as downloading it”.
Quoted in Pearce, Fred, 2000, “People Power”, in New Scientist, 18 November.

 “Every node in the power network of the future will be awake, responsive, adaptive, pricesmart, eco-sensitive, real-time, flexible, humming - and interconnected with everything else” Silberman, Steve, 2001, “The Energy Web,” in Wired Magazine, July

Two fundamental requirements for IPN's are:

bullet

Highly efficient and cost-effective point-of-use energy systems enabling the matching of grades of primary energy inputs and energy use (such as electricity, hot water, process heat, air conditioning, chilling and refrigeration), recycling of waste heat, recycling of grey water, and energy storage, with extremely low capital, operation and maintenance costs; and the

bullet

Integration of millions of the above point-of-use energy systems into IPN's. Instead of being a centralised and hierarchical one-way distribution system as in highly inefficient legacy grids or even in emerging Smart Grids, with IPN's the grid functions like a bank, with the many point-of-use systems ceaselessly depositing or withdrawing electrons to the IPN. The benefits are high levels of synergy and resilience, minimal cost, high flexibility, and ability to optimise the competitive use of sustainable, renewable energy sources. 

In most countries a high percentage (e.g. in New Zealand currently about 74%) of electricity  is used to generate low-grade heat in the forms of

  • hot water

  • space heating,

  • air conditioning

  • refrigeration. 

Instead it would be more effective (and substantially cheaper) to use low-grade heat inputs (and recycling waste heat) for low grade uses and to reserve electricity for higher grade requirements (such as the operation of computers, electronic appliances, lighting, etc.).  
For more information see IndraNet Technologies


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