Smart Electricity Grid Technologies

Adjunct Professor at RMIT University. Alan has contributed to Environment and Planning’s teaching program since 2001. He has worked in the sustainable energy and environment fields since the late 1970s for community groups, government and the private sector. He is recognised as an expert in renewable energy and energy efficiency and writes widely in these fields.

 

Rooftop solar power has slashed Australians' demand for electricity during the day, but left evening peak power demand largely unchanged. 

With a mix of individual household, power company and government action, we could significantly reduce our demand for the most expensive peak-power that requires massive, wasteful infrastructure spending.

In doing so, we’d be tackling one of the biggest, most unfair, hidden charges built in Australians' power bills: we could reduce the A$350 a year that households without air conditioners are being charged to subsidise the bills of households running air conditioning at peak times.And Australia’s 1 million-plus solar homes can play an important role in reducing that hidden air conditioning subsidy, while also defusing the argument that solar homes aren’t paying their share of electricity costs.

 

 

Research Fellow School of Earth Sciences University of Melbourne

 

The energy system of the future will certainly look different to today's, and it might feel very different too, depending on how the revolution to a low carbon generation system occurs.  And, as in any complex system, everything is dependant on everything else, so one technology may advance or hamper another, making predicting the likely mix a significant challenge.  In this presentation I will discuss a range of generation technologies (i.e. small and large scale solar, fossil with carbon capture and storage, geothermal, biomass) and enabling technologies (distributed storage, demand side management, virtual power stations) and discuss how the success of failure of these different may influence the overall pathway to low emissions.

 

 

Head, Smart Grid Energy Automation Business Unit, Siemens

 

Warner’s expertise and focus are around Protection / Automation Systems and in particular the Ethernet communication standard IEC 61850. He has a global view of Energy applications for Utilities, Oil & Gas, Industry, Metals & Mining,

Renewable Energy and MicroGrids, with extensive experience in the field of Protection / Automation and Control for

Energy Systems ranging from 400V up to and including 400kV.

 

Secondary Distribution Automation and MicroGrids
The Smart Grid – Constant Energy in a World of Constant Change

 

For the operation of power grids in both local and remote locations,

be it for corporations, governmental organizations, municipalities,

universities, remote communities, mining operations, factories / industrial

plant, the advances in renewable energy sources offer both opportunities and

challenges:

 

by incorporating renewables and storage facilities in a supply system,

operators can cut their power costs dramatically while increasing grid

availability even in poorly supplied areas. Wherever there is a reliance

and / or transportation of fossil fuels, especially over long distances, it can

be both costly and unreliable, the use of wind or solar plants can make a lasting

improvement in terms of both independence and economic efficiency.

 

Warner will talk about some of these MicroGrid applications and in

particular the all important MicroGrid Management System that

monitors and controls grids with large and small distributed energy

generators, renewable assets, storage and loads.