SUNDAY 5TH OCTOBER, 2014 – UWI TODAY
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we have wealth, infrastructure and technology.”
And thoughT&T’s energy costs are the lowest in the region,
Dr Sharma points to many other benefits to a smart grid. These
include the previously mentioned opportunities for consumer
participation in the power generationmarket, greater reliability
and consistency of service due to smart grids’capability for self-
maintenance, and a reduction of the environmental impact of
the nation’s power generation industry.
“We are worried about carbon dioxide emissions,” Dr
Sharma explains. “Due to its abundant fossil fuel resources,
Trinidad andTobago has become one of the highest greenhouse
gas emitting countries on a per capita basis. There is a need
to develop smart grid technology to improve the energy
efficiency of existing power grids to reduce costs and to allow
amuch greater utilisation of renewables in the grid to decrease
greenhouse gas emissions.”
Phase One of the project (already underway) includes
the creation of a network of stakeholder “field professionals.”
Through this initiative, the UWI research team has assembled a
group that includes players fromT&TEC, TSTT, several ministries
and TATT. The group held its first meeting in May 2014, an
information sharing exercise through which the parties could
discuss the project and operating environment.
Out of the meeting it was discovered that T&TEC has
upgraded the vast majority of the country with “smart metres.”
These are critical to establishing a smart grid, as Dr Patrick
Hosein, Senior Lecturer in UWI St Augustine’s Department of
Computing and Information Technology explains:
“Trinidad andTobago’s major advantage is that almost the
entire population has smart meters installed in their homes.
These are only used to collect electricity usage information for
billing purposes. However, this is a rich trove of data that can
potentially be used to improve the efficiency of the grid as well
as for detecting fraudulent usage.”
Dr Hosein is the member of the research team responsible
for capacity building and research onwireless communications
for the smart grid. Powerful, Internet-based communications
technology is essential for a smart grid to function. Dr Hosein
has included two of his students on the project.
“OneofmyMSc students, SudeshLutchman, has developed
a platform (server) that can be used to collect sensor/metre data
that is periodically generated,” he explains. “Applications can
then be used to display appropriate information via the Web
or mobile devices.”
Laura Bigram, one of Dr Hosein’s PhD students, is working
with T&TEC to help improve their smart metre network and
also process (or datamine) the information received from these
devices. When asked what was needed for the success of the
project, the UWI Senior Lecturer said,“brilliant students who are
interested in this area of research. I already have a couple.”
What is a
Smart Grid
?
Asmart grid
is an electricity generation anddistribution
infrastructure that uses information and communication
technology to improve performance of the system.
Smart grids integrate advanced sensing technologies,
control methods and communications technologies
into the contemporary electricity grid. It is a merger of
ICT and power system engineering.
Smart grids:
Use information technology to improve how
electricity travels from power plants to consumers.
Allow consumers to interact with the grid and
participate in electricity market.
Integrates new and improved technologies into
the operation of the grid.
Integrates renewable energy systems like solar and
wind power into the grid.
Merger of ICT and power systems
Communications technology is one of three components
required to implement a smart grid. The other two are high
performance computing to control and regulate the grid and
the numerous household and personal devices that will interact
with it; and of course the power systems, both electrical and
renewable such as solar and wind, which will utilise the grid.
Dr Ajay Joshi, Senior Lecturer in theDepartment of Electrical
and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, is
responsible for overseeing the computing infrastructure and
parallel software design aspect of the project.
“We need very powerful computers for a smart grid.
One customer has at least 10 appliances and a thousand
customers means thousands of appliances. This will generate
a large amount of data, which in turn will require considerable
computing capability. Dr Joshi’s researchwill allowus to acquire
the capability to build and handle massive computational
platform for this work.”Dr Sharma says.
“The module of SG technology being focused on is that
of high performance computing. In particular, this accounts
for the computing needs for building a high performance
computing facilitywhich includes aparallel computingmachine,
development of parallel algorithms and entails examining the
existing computer infrastructure and integration challenges
to determine whether or not it can address the needs of the
grid,” says Dr Joshi, who has more than 15 years of experience
in this area.
His MPhil student, Daniel Sooknanan, is developing
algorithms and the application of high performance computing
to facilitate the deployment of smart grids in the Caribbean.
As lead researcher, Dr Sharma has overall responsibility
for the project, but his role is also modeling renewable
energy systems for the smart grid. Essentially, this entails
creating a model in which renewable systems like solar cells
that are independent of the power provider can be attached
and functional without disrupting the grid. It is through this
interaction that the regular citizen can participate in the
electrical power marketplace.
But this technology is very challenging to implement
properly, as introducing new forms of energy to the grid can
have a disruptive effect. This is why Dr Sharma has to create
a model for the grid rather than carry out research on T&T’s
electrical infrastructure. One of Dr. Sharma’s MPhil students,
Miguel Andrews, is doing research on themodelling of fuel cells
(another possible source of renewable energy in the Caribbean)
for their integration with the smart grid.
“We can’t simply attach any renewable sources like solar
panels and fuel cells to the grid, as this could destabilize or
disturb the normal functioning of the grid,” he explains. “We
need to understand the intermittent behaviour of renewable
energy sources, especially solar and wind, before integrating
it with the grid. That is why we are modeling these systems to
develop an understanding of that behaviour.”
The fourth member of the research team, Dr Sanjay
Bahadoorsingh, Lecturer of Energy Systems in the Department
of Electrical andComputer Engineering at UWI isworking closely
with T&TEC on this project. His undergraduate student has
developed a prototype for a smart grid low voltage disturbance
detector and generator status monitor.
Following their networking initiative, the team has been
involved in raising awareness and developing a cadre of
smart grid “specialists” by hosting three events: a workshop
on electrochemistry, emphasising fuel cell modeling by
US-based firm Consol Inc; a forum on “Internet governance”
(proper guidelines for the communications infrastructure are
important for smart gridmanagement); and a seminar on“Power
Generation in Trinidad and Tobago.”
Theaimis togenerate interest among industryprofessionals
who could eventually be involved in implementing a smart grid,
as well as citizens. Smart grids aren’t the easiest sell in an oil and
gas rich country.
“It is very difficult in Trinidad,” concedes Dr Sharma.
“Countries like Barbados and Guyana are doing their own thing
with smart grids but here in T&T people are not taking much
interest. They will say that the cost of energy is so low, why
should we be interested in this? But fossil fuels are not forever.
What could happen in 20 or 30 years? We have to think about
the future.”
Apart from their capacity-building exercises, the team
continues its research into the computing, communications
and power systems aspects of smart grid technology. Next on
the agenda (in the project’s third year) is to provide formalised
trainingon the technical aspects of implementingandmanaging
the smart grid; establish a state-of-the-art Smart Grid Research
Laboratory at UWI St Augustine; and prepare a green paper for
the creation of a smart grid in Trinidad and Tobago.
But when all the research is collected and the human
capacity is built, a decade from now, will Trinidad and Tobago
have a smart grid? Dr Sharma believes it is possible.
“We have twomajor challenges,”he says.“At the policy level
there is at present no policy regulating howpeople can connect
renewable energy sources to the grid. At the technical level it is
amajor challenge integrating renewable energy resources to the
gridbecause of their unpredictable behaviour. But this country is
a good location for a smart grid because of its size and resources
in terms of infrastructure and technology. Implementing a
smart grid will not be expensive. It will mean a little upgrade
to the infrastructure. 4G (fourth generation wireless Internet)
communication can be used for the grid.”
For now, the UWI research team is working to complete
every aspect of the three-year project so that when the
nation has its flash of insight on the importance of smart grid
technology they will be prepared to make it reality.
