Southern CompanySmart Grid Demo

Research & Technology Management

Joe Schatz

Southern Company – At a Glance

• One of the largest producers of electricity in the United States.

• Four retail operating companies: Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power, serving 120,000 square miles in four states.

• 149 on the latest FORTUNE 500 listing of the largest U. S. corporations.

• More than 500,000 shareholders; NYSE: SO since Sept. 30, 1949.

• Higher-growth competitive generation business, Southern Power, serves wholesale customers in the Southeast, primarily through long-term contracts.

• About 26,000 employees.

Smart Grid Demo Critical Elements

Southern Proposed Demo• Southern submitting proposal to become a Smart Grid

Demonstration Host Site• Proposal to include incorporation of various Distributed

Energy Resources• Will include Smart Grid Investment Grant, Integrated

Distribution Management System and other co-funding projects as examples of leveraged funding

• Will include the IntelliGrid process with EPRI support for development of Smart Grid Demo Use Cases

Distribution Energy Efficiency Program

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D is tan ce

Volts

W ith o u t D E PW ith D E P

L o w er Vo ltag e L im it

U p p er Vo ltag e L im it

S u b sta tio n

L o w er C V R L im it

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Distance

Volts

Upper Voltage Limit

Lower Voltage Limit

With DEP

Normal Voltage Profile

Lower CVR Limit Proposed DROP Profile

GreenSmith Demo• Southern Company Research

installing 10 Li-Ion battery storage systems to demo on the system.

• Will show the benefits of distributed storage

• 6kW, >24kWh• One unit will stay in our lab for

testing, the remainder will be in field demos.

• Integrating into our communications infrastructure

Premium Power Demo• SCS Research, EPRI, and

two other utilities set to demo a TransFlow 2000

• 500kW, 2.8MWh, 480V 3φoutput

• ZnBr Flow Battery with an estimated 30 yr life

• Transportable • Integration to show

feasibility of transportable DER tied into operations

Renewable Energy Solar Photovoltaics

• Incorporating Demos at GPC and APC HQs as well as any available customer installations

• Performance and reliability of different PV technologies will be monitored

• Install 50 single-module, utility-connected photovoltaic (PV) sites in Georgia

• Monitor each ac module’s output and sunlight input at 1- to 5-sec intervals for 18 months

• Generate datasets to feed into detailed distribution system circuit models

• Study the impacts of bringing high penetration of PV onto the distribution system

Renewable Energy Solar Photovoltaics

Customer Interaction

Energy Mgt System

Utility Meter

Programmable Communicating

Thermostat

In-home display

Direct Load Control and EV Charging

Home Area Network (HAN)

AMIProtocol

HANProtocol

Entertainment system

Smart Appliances

Other Gateways

Bridge(

AMI protocol extends into home

Gateway

HAN protocol changes with time, industry choices, and customer choices

ZB

ZB

Z-Wave

Wi-Fi

Other

ZB

ZB

RemoteSource

Open Communication

Why Electric Transportation?• It’s no longer “if” or “when”• It is “how large” and “will we be ready”

• 47 models of PEVs are announced to be released between now and 2012

• Nissan Leaf Pricing Announced 3/30– $32,780 MSRP– $7,500 Federal Tax Incentive– $5,000 State of Georgia Tax Incentive– Final Price in Georgia = $20,280– Currently Taking Reservations!

Photo courtesy of www.NissanUSA.com

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Plug-In Vehicles ---on the way

Dodge

BMW

Mercedes

Cadillac

Miles

Saturn

SmartTesla

Chrysler

Chevrolet

Ford

Nissan

Mitsubishi

Toyota

Ford

BYD

… and ALREADY Here!!

Vehicle To Grid

• Safe, intercompatible, and intelligent interface

• Common connector and communication standards

• Smart Grid enabled• Distributed Generation• Understand system impacts• As-needed public infrastructure• Long-term R&D

EfficientBuildingSystems

UtilityCommunications

DynamicSystemsControl

DataManagement

DistributionOperations

DistributedGeneration& Storage

Plug-In Hybrids

SmartEnd-UseDevices

ControlInterface

AdvancedMetering

Consumer Portal& Building EMS

Internet Renewables

PV

Intelligent Universal Transformer• Traditional distribution transformers were designed to perform one function —

reduce primary system voltage to a level which can be used by customers • We are seeking an all-solid-state solution without liquid coolants or gas (SF6) as an

insulating medium• A power electronic topology that has the potential for low cost, low parts count, and

high reliability; and provides far more capability than just voltage transformation

Graphic from EPRI

Other Proposal Aspects• Residential Time of Use Rates and Customer Response• Using AMI Data for short term Generation Dispatch and

Planning (DER and Central Station)• Demo Smart Grid Communications with Commercial Carrier

Cost Benefit Analysis Methodology• Accomplishments

– Framework Developed with DOE– Application Methods requirements

defined • DOE Requirements• EPRI Extended Requirements

• Continuing Activities– DOE Coordination to ensure

comparability and compatibility– Application Guide underway– Test Runs Underway

• Next Steps– Initial Application to all projects

Questions?

Contact: Joe Schatz205-257-5047

jeschatz@southernco.com