The term smart grid (also sometimes called the advanced grid) applies to deployment of various digital technologies at points throughout the transmission and distribution grid as well as in the transmission and distribution operations center. These are combined with the implementation of internal procedures and external services that make use of the capabilities of the new technologies. Key activities the technologies may enable include:
- Two-way communication with system components and customers
- Real-time collection and presentation of system and customer data
- Improved grid modeling and real-time diagnostics
- Remote control of system and customer devices
- Automatic response to abnormal system conditions
- Information-based scheduling of maintenance
- Automatic outage detection and response
- Remote turn-on/turn-off of customers
- Remote meter reading
- Enhanced energy theft detection
- Integration of distributed storage and possibly electric vehicles
- Implementation of advanced demand response and distributed generation services
Visualization of components of the smart grid
Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST Framework and Roadmap or Smart Grid Interoperability Standards, Release 4.0