Author: ON Semiconductor Product Marketing Manager Matt Tyler
Abstract : In recent years, smart grids have become a lively topic discussed by the industry. Today, all building blocks of the smart grid already exist: ambient light sensors, passive infrared occupancy detectors, radio frequency, low-cost power-saving technology, and high-performance lighting control. The next-generation solution will integrate multiple functions into a single cost-optimized device. This level of automation puts information at the user ’s fingertips, optimizing the power demand curve while also reducing total power consumption. The smart grid will provide users with control and information to maintain equipment and optimize load activity time, while providing a net cost advantage.
Smart grid has become a hot topic in the industry, and intensive design and marketing activities have continued for many years. With the evolution of the smart grid, almost every technology supplier is competing to produce solutions that meet this complex issue. If we take away the problems of automation and novel products, we are faced with a key question: "What is the driving force for the development of smart grids?" There is a very basic key question: limited energy. Recent global events have also exacerbated this problem: nuclear power production has declined in popularity, coal mining costs are high and dangerous, Western economies are too dependent on oil, and not every country has a reliable supply of natural gas. The inability of electrical energy producers to store their products complicates the issue and limits their ability to respond to increased total demand. Therefore, it is extremely important to smooth the demand curve and improve the overall energy efficiency. In order to achieve this goal, electric energy producers are actively working on setting up the necessary infrastructure to match the hierarchical billing (the electricity prices at different points in the day are different). This topic may or may not be popular; however, graded billing is inevitable. Therefore, the smart grid is both a problem and a solution.
Smart grid enabled technology
Energy-efficient appliances, lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), and even televisions are just a few examples of the rapidly growing global market segment. The electricity consumption of refrigerators accounts for about 13% of the average household electricity consumption. This makes the return on investment (ROI) of energy-efficient refrigerators quite high, but what about when the refrigerators age? Aging and lack of maintenance may actually lead to excessive power consumption, and residents may be surprised when they receive electricity bills. One possible solution is to measure the power consumption at the load, and then compare the actual power consumption with the predicted power consumption. If the data is accurate enough, it is possible to judge most common failure modes. In the past, it was difficult to do so simply because of the cost of the measurement circuit. The next generation of energy metering equipment is actively addressing this issue. Advanced signal processing and sensor technology make it possible to accurately measure the power consumption of electrical appliances or other AC power loads while having minimal impact on the cost of equipment / appliances.
Connected solutions in the field of smart grids are also increasing. In some cases, this is a natural evolution of residential and commercial automation systems. These automated systems paved the way for connected homes / offices. Low-cost wired and wireless communication solutions are essential for putting information and control in the hands of homes or businesses. Schedule the active time of certain loads and monitor the health or working status of other loads. These measures combine to optimize power distribution and minimize energy costs. The power consumption of next-generation wireless transceivers accounts for only a small portion of existing solutions. With the evolution of automation solutions, both power consumption and costs have dropped significantly.
Figure 1: Smart applications in connected homes
In some environments, walls, snow, distance, radio frequency (RF) interference, and other obstacles may cause connection problems in wireless communication systems. Wired communication methods like power line carrier (PLC) can connect nodes that are traditionally difficult to connect using wireless solutions. PLC is rapidly becoming the solution of choice for many emerging economies in terms of split meters and lighting control, because it is reliable and easy to set up.
Lighting is one of the areas with the largest electricity consumption, accounting for 35% of the average commercial facility electricity budget (about 10% of residential use). The evolution of lighting technology is extremely fast, and we can now see that LED technology is approaching maturity. The next step in the lighting control system is to integrate connectivity and advanced sensor technology to improve the energy efficiency of lighting systems that have begun to approach theoretical limits. These lighting control systems integrate ambient light sensor (ALS), passive infrared (PIR) occupancy detection and color mixing technologies. Lighting system designers will soon have solutions that provide RF or PLC functions. These solutions provide true closed-loop control and provide compensation for external light, occupancy and LED aging conditions. While implementing these functions, you can also use smartphones or other common technologies in the home or business environment to control the lighting system. The result is that work and living spaces are always illuminated with optimal brightness levels, with little or no interference to users.
Figure 2: LED controller with ZigBee, closed-loop control with ALS and PIR
in conclusion
Energy-efficient sensors, communication and control solutions are currently under development, and they will eventually make it possible for the entire home and enterprise to automate at a reasonable cost. All building blocks now exist: ambient light sensors, passive infrared occupancy detectors, radio frequency, low-cost power-saving technology, and high-performance lighting control. The next-generation solution will integrate multiple functions into a single cost-optimized device. This level of automation puts information at the user ’s fingertips, optimizing the power demand curve while also reducing total power consumption. To a large extent, households and businesses are tending to provide complete diagnostic feedback (much like today's cars). This will ensure that every part of the system's work provides the highest energy efficiency and works at the right time of the day. The smart grid will provide users with control and information to maintain equipment and optimize load activity time, while providing a net cost advantage.
——This article is selected from the special issue of “Intelligent Industry Special Issue†published by Electronic Fans Network in September. Please indicate the source for reprinting.
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