SCIENTISTS CITE POSSIBLE POWER SHORTAGES DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Drought, heat likely to affect U.S. West's power grid
Scientists recommend looking at power plants' capacities in view of expected changes

Electricity generation and distribution infrastructure in the U.S. West should be “climate-proofed” to decrease the risk of future power shortages, according to new research results.

Expected increases in extreme heat and drought will bring changes in precipitation, air and water temperatures, air density and humidity, write scientists Matthew Bartos and Mikhail Chester of Arizona State University in a paper published in the current issue of the journal Nature Climate Change.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Water, Sustainability and Climate (WSC) Program.

"Society depends on agriculture, energy and water availability to prosper," said Tom Torgersen, NSF WSC program director. "Security in these areas requires an understanding of the complex links between humans and nature."

Changing conditions could limit energy production

The authors say that changing conditions could significantly constrain the energy generation capacity of power plants--unless steps are taken to upgrade systems and technologies to withstand the effects of a generally hotter and drier climate.

The scientists report that power stations are particularly vulnerable to the climate conditions predicted to occur within the next half-century.

“In their development plans, power providers are not taking into account climate change effects,” Bartos said. “They are likely overestimating their ability to meet future electricity needs.”

U.S. West will see higher demand in years to come

The U.S. West in particular is expected to see greater energy demand due to population growth and higher temperatures.

Bartos and Chester say that power plants should strengthen their transmission capacities and conservation strategies if they are to remain capable of reliably supplying power as conditions change.

Scientists recommend that power providers consider climate constraints

Power providers also should invest in more resilient renewable energy sources and consider local climate constraints when selecting sites for new generation facilities, the researchers said.

“Diverse arrays of energy-generation technologies are used by the U.S. West’s power grid," said Chester.

The scientists looked at five power-generating technologies: hydroelectric facilities; steam, wind and combustion turbines; as well as photovoltaics.

“We’re finding that some power generation technologies may be more climate-resilient than others," Chester said.

"Renewable energy sources are generally less susceptible to climate change effects. More use of renewable sources may contribute to a better climate-proofed power infrastructure."

-NSF-
Media Contacts
Cheryl Dybas, NSF
Joe Kullman, ASU,

NSF ON THE 'ENERGY INTERNET'

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Creating the energy Internet
How leaders in research, industry and engineering education are working to create the energy network of the future

It only takes a power outage of a few minutes in the middle of a busy workday to drive home the hazards of relying on an energy infrastructure rooted in the Industrial Age. Without the electricity delivered over the nation's power grid, commerce would grind to a halt, communication networks would fail, transportation would stop and cities would go dark.

Simply put, nothing would work.

Plus, blackouts aren't easy to contain. Because the power grid is a vast interconnected network, the failure of one part can have a cascading effect, triggering successive outages down the line.

"The power grid is based on technology from the early 20th century," says Iqbal Husain, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at North Carolina State University. "That needs to change."

Husain is director of the FREEDM Systems Center, a collaboration of leaders in research, industry and engineering education working to envision and then create the energy network of the future. With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) leveraged by additional industry support, the Engineering Research Center has sparked the growth of dozens of clean energy businesses in Raleigh's Research Triangle, making the region an epicenter of smart grid development.

"We're trying to create a new electric grid infrastructure that we call the energy Internet," says Alex Huang, an NC State researcher and co-inventor of a newly patented soft-switch single-stage AC-DC converter. "We're looking at the whole distribution system. That's a huge engineering system. It's very, very complex."

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the smart grid will be more efficient and capable of meeting increased consumer demand without adding infrastructure. It also will be more intelligent, sensing system overloads and rerouting power to prevent or to minimize a potential outage. It will accept energy from virtually any fuel source and--building on NSF-funded research--offer improved security and resiliency in case of a natural disaster or threat. It also will allow real-time communication between the consumer and utility, ushering in a new era of consumer choice.

Energy innovation

From its headquarters on NC State's Centennial Campus, FREEDM (short for Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management) is coming at the challenge on many fronts, from the creation of new devices that will allow energy to flow in more than one direction to the development of the software architecture that will give the smart grid its brainpower.

The facility boasts a 1-megawatt demonstration hub and real-time digital simulation lab, as well as labs specializing in computer science, power electronics, energy storage and motor drive technology. Under the FREEDM umbrella, researchers and students are tackling more than a dozen research projects in partnership with colleagues at Arizona State University, Florida State University, Florida A&M University and Missouri University of Science and Technology.

That's just this year. In seven years, the center has launched dozens of projects in fields ranging from systems theory to intelligent energy management.

The result is one innovation after another. Researchers have developed a technique that allows a common electronic component to handle voltages almost seven times higher than existing components; created an ultra-fast fault detection, isolation and restoration system; and invented a new solid-state transformer to replace the 100-year-old electromagnetic transformer.

These innovations hold promise for making the power grid more resilient, fostering sustainable energy technologies that play an important role in the nation's energy infrastructure, and driving economic growth.

Startups spawn new technologies

For example, the startup company General Capacitor is focused on developing energy storage products based on the "ultracapacitor" discoveries made by Jim Zheng, a professor at Florida A&M University and Florida State University who serves on FREEDM's leadership team.

Zheng's ultracapacitors open the door to a new generation of energy storage technologies that can be used to help stabilize the flow of energy from renewable sources--such as solar power--into the grid. This would have the effect of making renewable sources more viable, while also making the grid itself more resilient.

For the future power grid, incorporating these new technologies will be like plugging in a lamp. The smart grid will be able to collect and process thousands or even millions of bits of data and intelligently manage the flow of power across the network, ideally doing most of its work at the edge of the grid, close to the customer. This kind of system--called distributed generation--is potentially more efficient and environmentally sustainable than the existing system.

A mile from the NC State campus in Raleigh, a startup company called GridBridge is working to commercialize FREEDM technology in the form of a smart grid router that can integrate renewables and energy storage devices, including electric vehicles, into the grid. GridBridge was funded by the NSF Small Business Innovation Research program.

"We don't expect the utility companies to rip out their existing infrastructure," says CEO Chad Eckhardt. "But they need products that can help the infrastructure operate better and more efficiently."

Another FREEDM partner, energy giant ABB, is working to perfect the technology behind microgrids, which could significantly enhance grid security and reliability.

A microgrid essentially simulates the operations of the larger grid but, as the name suggests, provides power on a smaller scale, serving a town, military base or university, for example. Microgrids can operate independently of the main grid or run parallel to it. ABB's microgrid is designed to seamlessly integrate renewables, with their fluctuating energy profiles, and output reliable power. If the main grid goes down, its microgrid system isolates itself from the larger grid and continues to provide power to its customers. When the larger grid comes back online, the connection is re-established.

"Anything that produces power could potentially be a microgrid," says Brad Luyster, vice president and general manager of ABB's Microgrid Regional Execution Center. "If the power goes off from the main grid, the microgrid has its own generation on site."

The global marketplace

GridBridge and ABB aren't the only companies in the region eyeing the opportunities for energy innovation.

A recent study identified 169 firms within the 13-county Triangle region, including 16 Fortune 500 companies, working to develop sustainable solutions to the world's energy needs. The sector, called cleantech by the industry, spans every county in the region.

Lee Anne Nance, executive director of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, spearheads a collaborative network called the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster that promotes the region's competitive edge in the global marketplace. Its members include some of the industry's biggest players, including Duke Energy, Siemens Energy, ABB Inc. and Schneider Electric, as well as major high-tech companies such as SAS, Cisco, Power Analytics, Sensus, Power Secure, RTI International and Field2Base.

Combined, they pack a powerful punch, employing thousands of high-skill workers and driving innovation in energy management, water, transportation, data analytics, information technology, renewable energy, electronics and engineering.

"This is a disruptive and transformational time in infrastructure delivery throughout the world, and our region is leading the way," Nance says. "We're right in the middle of the action and that's good for the economy, the people who work here and the people who live here."

-- David Hunt, North Carolina State University
Investigators
Jim Zheng
Alex Huang
Gerald Heydt
Iqbal Husain
Mariesa Crow
Steinar Dale
Chad Eckhardt
Christopher Edrington
Related Institutions/Organizations
GridBridge, Inc
North Carolina State University

U.S. OFFICIALS REPORT ON CREATING A POWER GRID ACROSS CENTRAL AMERICA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Investing in a Power Grid to Connect Communities Across Central America
Bureau of Energy Resources
December 3, 2014
Investing in a Power Grid to Connect Communities Across Central America

By Roberta S. Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs; Amos J Hochstein, Acting Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs; and Scott Nathan, Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs, United States Department of State

Western Hemisphere energy markets are in a period of profound transformation, as the United States and partners throughout the region seize opportunities to reform and expand energy production, integrate economies, create jobs, and enhance stability and citizen security. U.S. leadership in the energy sector is helping to catalyze and support more sustained and equitable economic growth.

Nowhere does this prospect of energy-led economic growth offer greater potential than in Central America’s electricity sector, where countries have the opportunity to build a future of clean, reliable, and affordable electricity by connecting power grids across borders and developing a regional electricity market.

Those of us who enjoy reliable access to affordable electricity are prone to take it for granted. However, without it, businesses of all sizes cannot compete in today’s global economy, pushing prosperity out of reach for too many workers and their families.

With this in mind, President Obama, Colombia’s President Santos and the region’s other leaders agreed at the 2012 Summit of the Americas to make electricity supplies cleaner, more reliable, and affordable by expanding electrical interconnections and scaling up low-carbon power generation. They set a ten-year deadline under the initiative Connecting the Americas 2022, or Connect 2022.

In the two years since, the United States, Central American countries, Colombia, and Mexico have worked to advance the Connect 2022 vision. President Obama and Vice President Biden have engaged the region’s leaders to build support for energy integration, especially in Central America and the Caribbean. As President Obama told leaders in Costa Rica last year, everybody stands to benefit from a more free flow of electricity across borders.

Through our energy diplomacy, we have brought Central American policymakers together with the private sector to identify a clear path forward. Through U.S.-funded technical assistance, we are helping Central American regulators and grid operators meet their power sector investment requirements and clean energy goals.

The results are promising. Last year, the Central American Electricity Interconnection System (SIEPAC) adopted rules for cross-border power trade that unleashed impressive growth in the regional electricity market. A more active market will make it easier to replace expensive, dirty oil-fired generation with cleaner, cheaper sources of power, whether renewable energy or natural gas.

And last month, the final stretch of the SIEPAC regional transmission line was completed. This is a milestone achievement that links six Central American countries and forms the backbone of the regional market. Countries have already used the SIEPAC line to swap power in times of shortage, keeping schools and businesses open, instead of suffering through blackouts due to droughts.

As a result of these efforts, power infrastructure is now connected from Canada to Panama.

Yet there is more to be done. Central Americans still pay the second highest electricity rates in the Americas, second only to the Caribbean. These high prices constrain needed economic development and direct foreign investment that can create new opportunities for families and businesses alike.

Central America needs to upgrade and better integrate national and regional transmission capacity, improve market rules, and attract investment. If Colombia and Panama move forward with the planned interconnection, Andean markets would connect to Central America, increasing the market size and investment opportunity for all. If the region introduces natural gas, it will need to set clear and predictable rules.

These changes are not easy; some will require tough political decisions. But the result will be worth it: greater competition, increased efficiency, and reduced prices for consumers. It will create attractive new opportunities for investment and increase overall competitiveness.

It will also affect millions of lives throughout the region in real and immediate ways. Children will be able to do school work or read at night by electric light. Once towns are connected to the power grid, those children will be able to teach their parents how to use a computer and introduce them to the limitless opportunities of the internet. Health clinics will maintain cold chains for vaccines, and electric cooking will improve indoor air quality and the health of families.

On November 4, President Otto Perez Molina of Guatemala hosts energy policymakers, regulators, and private sector representatives at the Connect 2022 Mesoamerican Energy Investment Summit in Guatemala City.

The United States strongly supports this Investment Summit, in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank. We urge policymakers from the region to use the Summit to demonstrate progress on regional integration and showcase the opportunities that are emerging as a result of increased electricity trade and new interconnections. We encourage the private sector to convey clearly what policymakers and regulators still need to do to attract private capital. We look forward to a successful Investment Summit that motivates all who participate to work hard to advance Connect 2022 goals and give Central America’s citizens the opportunity for prosperity that we all deserve.

Central America has set a strong example for the hemisphere by completing the SIEPAC line. Now it must take the next steps to allow energy to flow across the line in ways that reduce prices, spur economic growth, attract needed investment, and lead to broader regional integration. We congratulate the region and look forward to working together to achieve our Presidents’ vision for Connecting the Americas by 2022.

QUANTUM CRYPTOGRAPHY AND ELECTRIC GRID CYBERSECURITY

Photo caption: The miniature transmitter communicates with a trusted authority to generate random cryptographic keys to encode and decode information. Photo Credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory.

FROM: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
Quantum Cryptography Put to Work for Electric Grid Security
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Feb. 14, 2013—Recently a Los Alamos National Laboratory quantum cryptography (QC) team successfully completed the first-ever demonstration of securing control data for electric grids using quantum cryptography.

The demonstration was performed in the electric grid test bed that is part of the Trustworthy Cyber Infrastructure for the Power Grid (TCIPG) project at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) that was set up under the Department of Energy’s Cyber Security for Energy Delivery Systems program in the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.

Novel methods for controlling the electric grid are needed to accommodate new energy sources such as renewables whose availability can fluctuate on short time scales. This requires transmission of data to and from control centers; but for grid-control use, data must be both trustworthy and delivered without delays. The simultaneous requirements of strong authentication and low latency are difficult to meet with standard cryptographic techniques. New technologies that further strengthen existing cybersecurity protections are needed.

Quantum cryptography provides a means of detecting and defeating an adversary who might try to intercept or attack the communications. Single photons are used to produce secure random numbers between users, and these random numbers are then used to authenticate and encrypt the grid control data and commands. Because the random numbers are produced securely, they act as cryptographic key material for data authentication and encryption algorithms.

At the heart of the quantum-secured communications system is a unique, miniaturized QC transmitter invention, known as a QKarD, that is five orders of magnitude smaller than any competing QC device. Jane Nordholt, the Los Alamos principal investigator, put it this way: "This project shows that quantum cryptography is compatible with electric-grid control communications, providing strong security assurances rooted in the laws of physics, without introducing excessive delays in data delivery."

A late-2012 demonstration at UIUC showed that quantum cryptography provides the necessary strong security assurances with latencies (typically 250 microseconds, including 120 microseconds to traverse the 25 kilometers of optical fiber connecting the two nodes) that are at least two orders of magnitude smaller than requirements. Further, the team’s quantum-secured communications system demonstrated that this capability could be deployed with only a single optical fiber to carry the quantum, single-photon communications signals; data packets; and commands. "Moreover, our system is scalable to multiple monitors and several control centers," said Richard Hughes, the co-principal investigator from Los Alamos.

The TCIPG cyber-physical test bed provides a realistic environment to explore cutting-edge research and prove emerging smart grid technology in a fully customizable environment. In this demonstration, high-fidelity power simulation was leveraged using the real-time digital simulator to enable hardware in the loop power simulation to drive real phasor measurement units (PMUs), devices, deployed on today's electric grid that monitor its operation.

"The simulator provides a mechanism for proving technology in real-world scenarios," said Tim Yardley, assistant director of test bed services. "We're not just using perfect or simulated data, so the results demonstrate true feasibility."

The power simulation was running a well-known power-bus model that was perturbed by introducing faults, which drove the analog inputs on the connected hardware PMU. The PMU then communicated via the standard protocol to the quantum cryptography equipment, which handled the key generation, communication and encryption/decryption of the connection traversing 25 kilometers of fiber. A phasor data concentrator then collected and visualized the data.

"This demonstration represents not only a realistic power model, but also leveraged hardware, software and standard communication protocols that are already widely deployed in the energy sector," said William H. Sanders, the Donald Biggar Willett Professor of Engineering at UIUC and principal investigator for TCIPG. "The success of the demonstration emphasizes the power of the TCIPG cyber-physical test bed and the strength of the quantum cryptography technology developed by Los Alamos."

The Los Alamos team submitted 23 U. S. and foreign patent applications for the inventions that make quantum-secured communications possible. The Los Alamos Technology Transfer Division has already received two licensing inquiries from companies in the electric grid control sector, and the office plans an industry workshop for early 2013 when the team’s patents will be made available for licensing.

The Los Alamos team is seeking funding to develop a next-generation QKarD using integrated electro-photonics methods, which would be even smaller, more highly integrated, and open the door to a manufacturing process that would result in much lower unit costs.