“To
enable the transition
of the legacy electrical energy infrastructure
from
‘centralized top-down slow dispatched control’
to
‘distributed edge-up real-time autonomous control’
using
smart coordinated and connected power electronics devices”
The existing electricity infrastructure operates in ‘open-loop’ as a planned network with broad operating bands, unidirectional power flows, scheduled generation, high asset redundancy to handle contingencies, and a focus on reliability at any cost.
This will need to evolve into a more dynamic real-time system, with prosumers, smart devices, bidirectional power flows, flexible loads that automatically match variable-generation, and self-organizing networks that are resilient and secure.
The CDE approach is to augment the existing infrastructure in mature markets, and to leapfrog with a new distributed architecture in emerging markets. The solutions developed must be holistic, looking at all elements of the system that delivers the enhanced value to energy producers, transmission and distribution operators, and end-consumers alike.