Facing up to the immense challenges of integrating renewable energy supplies, with their variable output, into the distribution grid, this book examines the innovations required to create 'smart' grids able to operate effectively in the decades to come.

Nowadays, Smart Grid has become an established synonym for modern electric power systems. Electric networks are fed less and less by large, centrally planned fossil and nuclear power plants but more and more by millions of smaller, renewable and mostly weather-dependent generation units. A secure energy supply in such a sustainable and ecological system requires a completely different approach for planning, equipping and operating the electric power systems of the future, especially by using flexibility provisions of the network users according to the Smart Grid concept. The book brings together common themes beginning with Smart Grids and the characteristics of power plants based on renewable energy with highly efficient generation principles and storage capabilities. It covers the advanced technologies applied today in the transmission and distribution networks and innovative solutions for maintaining today's high power quality under the challenging conditions oflarge-scale shares of volatile renewable energy sources in the annual energy balance. Besides considering the new primary and secondary technology solutions and control facilities for the transmission and distribution networks, prospective market conditions allowing network operators and the network users to gain benefits are also discussed. The growing role of information and communication technologies is investigated. The importance of new standards is underlined and the current international efforts in developing a consistent set of standards are updated in the second edition and described in detail. The updated presentation of international experiences to apply novel Smart Grid solutions to the practice of network operation concludes this book.

The book provides an insight into: The transmission and distribution networks under the challenging conditions of large-scale shares of volatile renewable energy sources The growing role of information and communication technologies International standards The authors are experts in the field of Smart Grid solutions

Autorentext

Dr. Bernd M. Buchholz and Prof. Dr. Zbigniew A. Styczynski worked for many years to develop Smart Grid solutions within national and international projects and to introduce them in the practice of network operations.

Inhalt

Vision and Strategy for the Electricity Networks of the Future.- Smart Generation Resources and Potentials.- Modern Technologies and the Smart Grid Challenges in Transmission Networks.- Design of Distribution Networks and the Impact of New Network Users.- Smart Operation and Observability at the Transmission Level.- The 3 Pillars of Smart Distribution.- Design of the Smart Energy Market.- Advanced Information & Communication Technologies: The Backbone of Smart Grids.- Smart Grids Worldwide.