Infosys-Oracle Blog

A small but growing number of utilities across the globe are either going for Smart Grid pilot or preparing Roadmap for Smart Grid. To appreciate the impact on Asset Management, let's first understand smart grid in simple words: "Smart Grid is an electrical network consisting of many Small & Big Generators, various Transmission Networks, Distribution Networks, Small & bulk Consumers, in conjugation with Information Network which can manage bi-directional communication of information, data and control signals enabling the electric network to respond in real time."

Smart Grid is aimed at better reliability, security & efficiency of electric grid, optimization of resources, utilization of small scale & renewable generation, integration of Smart appliances & customer devices, Peak demand reduction/shift, enabling the customer with energy as well as energy cost management.

This has tremendously increased the scope and complexity of asset management and has brought in new challenges to focus on. Asset management in Smart Grid aptly called the "next gen" asset management should address the following requirements/issues:

1. AMS as Common Database:   The asset management system is considered as common repository for all asset related data & it flows to downstream systems like GIS, Network Analysis System, SCADA etc. It results in to multiple subset of data in various systems resulting to data redundancy & issues related to synchronization.
2. Transducers, Sensors & Communication devices: In smart grid, transducers, sensors & communication devices will be playing a vital role. It will be attached with every vital asset. The next gen AM system should be able to capture relevant information as a part of main asset.
3. Built in intelligence: To attain the objective of optimization, reliability & security, the system should be intelligent enough to identify the asset health based upon the various operational parameters & trigger condition based preventive /breakdown maintenance. This calls for integration of remote asset monitoring capabilities with asset management system.
4. Managing Operational Data: Now a large quantum of operation data will be flowing to system against each asset because smart grid calls for a shift from periodical operational data gathering to near real time data analysis. The quantum of these data may be much higher than the asset data. The system need to keep this data to built history /intelligence to exploit the technologies like ANN & artificial intelligence for automated decision making.
5. Managing Complex Hierarchy: The Smart grid will be resulting in to much more complex electrical network along with information network. The AM system should be able to capture such complex & multiple hierarchies.
6. Agile and equipped field staff: In smart grid era, the use of assets is optimized with processes defined and executed across the supply chain. Assets are leveraged to maximize utilization, including just-in-time asset retirement, based on smart grid data and systems. The field staff thus needs to be agile, equipped with skills to operate on such assets and provide feedback to the system efficiently using mobile workforce.

It is very important that the next gen asset management system should be able to address all these issues.  The system should be dynamic in nature with built in intelligence so that it may be utilized to achieve the objectives of Smart Grid.

Note: I would like to specifically mention Abhishek Prasad Verma, Lead Consultant with Infosys for sharing ideas for this blog.