Proposed System for a Smart Grid Implementation at Oklahoma State University

Abstract

The concept of a Smart Grid has so far been the biggest technological boom for the mature energy and power industry. With billions of dollars in smart grid investments, it has been the talk of the town in an era of climate change and globalization. The effective utilization of smart grid technologies for bi-directional power flow, integration of renewable energy generation technologies, internet and high-speed two-way communications are vital. Further, intelligent sensing and switching technologies with higher redundancy in the power delivery sector are needed to provide effective system restoration, increasing power quality and overall system reliability. This study provides a brief overview of the current distribution system at the Stillwater campus of Oklahoma State University and the challenges it faces. It further presents how the campus may adapt different strategies involving distribution automation and smart grid concepts in terms of voltage sensors and current sensors to transform the current grid into a Smart Grid, thus reducing power outages and improving voltage profiles at critical buses. Different scenarios are proposed with corresponding simulation results and operational logic diagrams illustrating the implementation of the proposed system at the Stillwater campus of Oklahoma State University.