The electrification of transport and industry will see the electric grid becoming a single point of failure across the economy so that disruption to power quality will have wider ripple effects than before. And as distribution grids intersect with millions of new appliances from EV chargers to heat pumps, this will drive an exponential increase in harmonic pollution and other potential power quality issues further upstream. As disruptions originating downstream spill over into wider networks, this means that distribution grids must be seen as fundamental to the performance of the entire grid.
This will require a new approach where distribution grids are monitored and managed as intensively as transmission networks. Network operators will need the ability to monitor and mitigate everything from harmonic distortions to voltage variations at source and in real-time to contain any outbreaks. Ultimately, transmission and distribution grids will need to be monitored and managed as a single ecosystem where what happens in one part matters everywhere else. This will help smooth the path to a green economy powered by clean electricity.
Read the full article by Amir Cohen, CEO, as published on Energy & Sustainability Solutions.