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Maguire: Innovators re-engineer the creaky US grid to handle higher loads

Power grids in the United States are a major weakness. They have aging transformers and lines that cannot handle the expected rapid increases in power demand and supply.

As they struggled with the record volume of renewable energy and the surge in electricity demand from homes, businesses, data centers and electric vehicles, several major networks are already on their knees.

Power analysts say that the grid is a bottleneck, as it takes a decade or more to build new transmission corridors. This could limit the growth in power supply and the economy.

The tightening of power supplies, and any subsequent rise in power costs which eats into profit margins for corporations could put plans to reshore energy-hungry factories at risk.

There are several innovative solutions that grid operators can use to increase the transmission volume over their existing networks, ensuring that U.S. electricity supplies continue to grow.

Here are a few grid-centric solutions that can be mass deployed to help U.S. grids handle the rapidly increasing power load without needing new or expanded transmission network.

DYNAMIC LINES

Grid operators are faced with a number of challenges, including the fact that they often consider their networks to have a limited distribution capacity which cannot be exceeded without causing an outage.

Windy conditions allow transmission lines to be cooled and distribution loads to increase.

Gridraven from Estonia, which has expanded into the U.S.A., is a pioneer in the use of weather forecasts and grid power flow predictions that allows grid operators to increase transmission capacity by 30 percent without any new infrastructure.

Grid operators can use Dynamic Line Ratings, which are a combination of wind speed measurements at hyper-local scales and load assessments.

DLR can be widely deployed to allow grid firms maximize their bandwidth and dispatch more intelligent and dynamic power flows, which can exceed the current demand and accommodate future growth.

PREVENTIVE CARE

VIE Technologies, another company that helps utilities extract more energy from their existing networks is VIE Technologies. They do this by preventing critical system disruptions.

The California-based company uses a combination of proprietary sensors, artificial intelligence models and other tools to alert grid operators about potential problems with critical equipment such as transformers.

According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, there are approximately 80 million transformers in the U.S. electrical system.

Transformers are used to transfer power from one circuit across grids and to adjust voltage levels. They play a crucial role in keeping lights on throughout the country.

According to NREL the average age of U.S. Transformers is more than 40 years old. Their mechanical parts are prone for wear and tear, which can be difficult to detect before a breakdown.

Utility engineers can quickly fix problems by installing sensors on transformers. These sensors can alert them to specific issues, such as changing current bias, excessive heating, or insulation loss.

Grid operators can avoid costly and critical shutdowns by performing preventive maintenance on transformers. They also won't have to wait years for a new transformer.

DISTRIBUTED STOCKAGE

Grid operators can also accommodate fluctuations in the network's needs by deploying networks of batteries to provide backup power.

According to the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, battery energy storage systems (BESSs) will be deployed at a rate of rapid expansion, with nearly twelve gigawatts in capacity by 2024.

The majority of BESS capacity growth is among utilities that want to store excess clean energy from solar and wind farms for later deployment, when demand levels increase.

Residential battery systems, however, are also growing rapidly and can provide additional grid stability if local utilities have access to the stored power in them.

Base Power in Texas leases batteries to homeowners at a fixed price and sells power stored in the batteries to utility networks in peak demand periods.

Base can offer homeowners a battery system at a reasonable price that will protect them from power outages. It also gives utilities the ability to access a growing battery network that provides additional power in times of need.

Smarter Materials and Planning

Grid operators also upgrade the software and materials used in their current systems, to boost output and minimise outages.

DexMat is a materials company that works with utilities to replace steel cables with lighter and more conductive cables made of aluminum and carbon. These cables require less support towers and are more resistant to sagging.

Grid operators can better predict peak energy needs with Amperon's AI-driven power flows. They can also optimize their existing assets to maximize energy flow.

Combining the solutions above with the continuous improvements that have already been made across the U.S. Grid systems, these solutions can increase the carrying capacity of the U.S. Grid and prepare the system for future growth.

These are the opinions of a market analyst at.

(source: Reuters)