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Degrees of Freedom in Sharing Control of Smart Grid Connected Devices

Authors:
Kristian Helmholt
Gerben Broenink

Keywords: Smart grid; control sharing; privacy

Abstract:
Abstract—Electricity networks require a balance between supply & demand of power in order to maintain stability and to provide a good power quality. The growth of renewable energy sources makes obtaining balance more difficult, because of their intermittent power profiles. Financial incentives for producing ‘green electricity’ locally also increase complexity due to the larger geographical distribution of electricity generation. Not surprisingly, more sophisticated (distributed) control mechanisms for balance in (smart) electricity grids are being proposed. Some of these proposals attempt to solve the problem of balance by managing demand, and thus introduce the concept of sharing control of devices connected to the grid. However, sharing control could introduce imbalances in ‘societal’ power between governments, companies and consumers. We propose that all parties involved should consciously decide on what amount of control they want to share. We provide a framework for comparison of control sharing mechanisms.

Pages: 34 to 41

Copyright: Copyright (c) IARIA, 2012

Publication date: March 25, 2012

Published in: conference

ISSN: 2308-412X

ISBN: 978-1-61208-189-2

Location: St. Maarten, The Netherlands Antilles

Dates: from March 25, 2012 to March 30, 2012