INDUSTRY WATCH
This due diligence must be
accompanied by a recognition amongst
utilities that there is rarely a single
technology that can efficiently fulfill
the requirements of nation-wide
deployment. They should therefore
plan and be ready to harness a mix
of technologies to cover all conditions
and situations. It is also important to
build links with a number of providers to
avoid becoming the locked-in prisoner
of a vendor with a proprietary and
closed product.
(Left to right)Dr Walid Fayad, Executive Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton MENA; and Dr
Adham Sleiman, Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton MENA.
fundamental smart grid building blocks
stand to gain, including: transmission
upgrades, substation automation,
distribution automation, smart
metering, utility enterprise IT.
Utilities must navigate a plethora of
planning, design and implementation
challenges on the path to successful
deployment, with absence of a
one-size-fits-all solution counting
as the overarching issue. Just as no
two companies are alike, smart grid
needs, too, can vary widely between
organisations. With this in mind, it is
important that smart technologies are
selected carefully on a case-by-case
basis. The task of hand-picking them,
however, is complicated in a context of
technological immaturity.
Getting technology in place
Deploying a smart grid without
adequate security could result in serious
consequences such as utility fraud, loss
of user information and grid stability.
The smart grid’s complexity and multiple
entry points—from smart meters to
distributed energy resources—create
significant vulnerabilities that leave the
grid open to breaches and attacks that
can target customer data and inflict
physical damage.
In managing these cybersecurity threats,
big data and analytics also have a
critical role to play, yet they, too, present
new and growing challenges to utilities
with smart grid ambitions. The sheer size
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of the smart grid means that handling
and processing the vast amount of data
generated is problematic.
More than a question of tweaking
existing capabilities, converting
this deluge of information into
meaningful intelligence requires a
complete overhaul of IT and analytics
infrastructure, with the importance of
analytics rising to the fore, particularly
vis-à-vis demand response events.
The deluge of information now at
utility fingertips poses a challenge
not just for data management, but
for communications systems, too. In
a context where different vendors and
service providers work independently,
it is crucial that utilities develop
interoperable systems with capacity
to exchange large amounts of data
between multiple systems.
When procuring technology for smart-
grid rollout, utilities need to consider
several key factors if they are to avoid
becoming an unsuccessful field trial of
unproven technology, or the dumping
ground for obsolete technology.
First up is the sheer number of
vendors, each pushing competing
or complementary technologies.
Navigating through this maze of
products and features can be a
daunting task. Rather than a kneejerk
choice of one product that seems
to fulfill its needs, the utility should
conduct thorough due diligence.
Evidence that the technologies
comprising a smart grid can
successfully integrate should not be
left until rollout. Instead, the roadmap
to deployment should include a proof-
of-concept stage, during which the
vendors can demonstrate that their
products work together, in a closed
and controlled environment.
The next step should be to pilot the
technologies in real-life conditions at
all the different types of sites in which
they are set to be used. This measure
is intended to prove that the chosen
Key takeaways
• Big data and analytics have
critical role to play yet they
present challenges to utilities
with smart grid ambitions
• Converting the deluge of
information into meaningful
intelligence requires complete
overhaul of IT and analytics
• Deluge of information at utility
fingertips poses a challenge for
communications systems
• Navigating through the maze of
vendor products and features
can be a daunting task
• Pilot the technologies in real-life
conditions at all sites in which
they are set to be used
• Plan and be ready to harness a
mix of technologies to cover all
conditions and situations
• Rollout of a smart grid will
necessitate changes to the
structure of the business
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