Leading IEEE Journal Addresses Key Smart Grid Tech Issues; Prioritizes Challenges

Comprehensive Assessment of Electric Drive Vehicles; Smart Grid Security and Wireless Network Reliability

PISCATAWAY, N.J., July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To convert a critical mass of drivers to electric vehicle (EVs), we must first drive market penetration by establishing policies to reduce ownership cost of (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). This is according to an update on the challenges to Smart Grid in a new issue of Proceedings of the IEEE. Electric vehicles (EVs), essential to Smart Grid's future, are considered one of the most promising ways to reduce fossil fuel dependence.

This Smart Grid special issue, "The Electric Energy System of the Future," published in the Proceedings of the IEEE which is the world's most highly-cited general-interest journal in electrical engineering and computer science since 1913, is one of the most comprehensive assessments of this topic to date.

According to authors of this 13-article report, there is still a lot to be accomplished in three dominant areas: governmental policies at both federal and state levels, customer efficiency needs and new intelligent computer software and hardware technologies.

In an article on (EVs), "Vehicle Electrification: Status and Issues," the authors concede while automakers recognize that electric vehicles are critical to the future of the industry, widespread consumer adoption of EVs is inhibited not only by actual costs but perception of costs.

Other EV issues which need to be addressed include best practices for extraction and mining of rare earths and lithium; development and deployment of EV technologies; standardization of industry protocols of plugs and chargers; deployment of charging infrastructure; public education and national and global political will for the adoption of smart grid technology and renewable energy sources.

One of the most important challenges in Smart Grid is providing reliable last mile network communication, according to the paper "Multigate Communication Network for Smart Grid" by Hamid Gharavi, Fellow IEEE and Bin Hu, Member IEEE. The paper describes various techniques such as multigate, multi channel routing as well as a packet scheduling technique to enhance the network performance in terms of reliability, latency and throughput. According to the authors, "The results indicate that a combination of multipath routing and the backpressure-based packet-scheduling scheme can show a significant improvement in the network reliability, latency, and throughput performance."

Cyber security of the Smart Grid is another major priority. In the article by George W. Arnold, National Coordinator for Smart Grid Interoperability at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), it is noted that "If Smart Grid is to become the electric system of the future, we must deal today with the challenges it faces in terms of reliability and security… in both wired and wireless communication environments."

In "High Assurance Smart Grid: A Three-Part Model For Smart Grid Control Systems," the authors admit that there is no single solution to Smart Grid Cyber-security. "Rather, it's only through a combined approach can grid control systems be sufficiently engineered."

According to the authors, the electric service reliability that defines a multi-level framework and for architecture to be used throughout the electrical system, a High-Assurance Smart Grid architecture that is both an architectural approach and an aspirational goal is required.

SOURCE IEEE