Using Data is Key to Grid Development
Information Can Heighten Grid Security, Top Government And Utility Leaders Tell Icons Of Infrastructure Washington Conference.
The public and private sectors are increasingly focused on using analytics to make the nation’s electrical grid more secure.
“We’re looking at how do you get information out of the data you already have,” Eric Lightner, director of the Department of Energy’s Smart Grid Task Force, said during Icons of Infrastructure’s June 28 Advancing the Electrical Grid event in Washington.
“You have data coming from your advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network; you have weather data; and all kinds of voltage data, he said.
“I’m thinking about how you share measurements and applications to determine value you didn’t see before,” Lightner said.
Lightner noted that DOE sees great promise in using algorithms and analytics to extract data. He added that, for the most part, the department’s emphasis has moved away from research and development and more toward the application of existing technology.
“We’re looking at sensors, controls, storage and transmission lines,” Lightner said. “I’d say predominantly, maybe 85 percent of what we’re looking at is how to use the same technology to accomplish different things.”
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