Electrical Seminar Topic: Smart Grid

Seminar Topic:

Seminar topics during under graduation course enhances the student to look beyond the textbooks and make them innovative. Seminar topics should be chosen in such a manner that the topic should be simple and explains about the present technology which can be find very little in text books and should be useful to audience. I am introducing a topic called SMART GRID so that  you can add the required resources and present in a seminar or can do a mini projects which helps during the placement.

Electric Grid:

Electrical Grid is an interconnection of power system constitutes generating plants, transmission network and distribution system ( to consumer ends). In normal grid, energy losses takes place due to the poor transmission and distribution networks including power thefts which results in loss in economy.No communication exist between the consumers and grid authorities. Power consumed is charged at same rate during all the day. So many flaws in today power grid makes it weak to sustain small disturbances.

Smart Grid:

Smart Grid is an an intelligent, future electricity system that connects all the generating systems (supply), grid and distribution systems ( consumer terminals) through an intelligent communication system.Smart Grid is a family of network control systems and asset management tools, empowered by sensors, communication pathways and information tools. Simply smart grid is an secure integration of electrical and information infrastructures.

Smart Grid at Consumer's side:

Major focus on the smart grid is on the distribution level or consumers. Demand is what drives the supply, so better management at consumer level helps the overall system. Important component of smart grid is 'smart metering'. Older meters connected to consumers just indicated the units consumed by the consumer. Smart meters evolved in to advanced metering system where the meter not only stores but also communicates loads and other power statistics in real time and even advice the consumers for better and optimal load control for reduction in prices. Smart grid explains and gives choice to the consumers to decide the timing and amount of power consumption based on the price per unit at that instant. Thus smart grid provides many wide features to the consumers for reducing the electricity bills and participating the consumers in improving the performance of the grid.

Smart Grid at Transmission side:

Smart grid helps the Generation and Transmission companies in dealing effectively with the power thefts and system losses through smart metering and advanced communication features. This also reduce in the reduction in the CO₂ emissions in to atmosphere.

Thus smart grid helps in reducing the losses, electricity bills and global warming and makes the electrical grid stronger to disturbances.

Please find some more sources related to this and i hope this can become a good seminar topic as it is the emerging technology and everybody talking about. Add some surveys, reports and case studies while presenting the seminar topic which makes the subject more informative and useful. 

 Resource link from Wikipedia Smart Grid