Smart Grid

Substation Automation, Demand Response (DR), and Clean Power Convergence

ELM Energy was formed to use its ecosystem of partners for the purpose of meeting future Energy Demand Growth. Clean Air Act and other pending CO2 emissions requirements, modernization of the aging utility infrastructure and emerging countries increasing energy demands create a need for development of a Smart Grid that provides efficiency with stable best practices in mind.

Purpose

1. Demand Response – The ability to provide dependable, stable power through automated systems or request power from multiple power sources to meet demand.
2. Clean Power – Use of advanced power generation equipment with lower emissions of green house gases (GHGs).
3. Substation Automation – Upgrading grid components to take advantage of Industrial, Commercial and Household Advanced Metering Infrastructure as well as managing DR 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0.
4. Project Management and Financing – Ability to complete large initiatives and secure funding and financing of projects.

Area of Focus

Wind/Solar Stability

• Ability to guarantee power levels from Wind/Solar to consumer 
• Meet contracted power levels
• No rolling brown outs
• Wind inconsistency
  •    “… the unreliability of generation from wind and solar means that reliable generation must backup every kilowatt-hour…” (Dr. Lester Lave, Carnegie Mellon, U.S. Senate Testimony, Feb 2009)  

Efficiency

• Up to 60% loss of power from long distance transmission
• Consumer consumption changing intermittently

Emergency

• Distributed Power
• Power close to source

Renewables Facilitation

• BioDiesel in Stationary sources
• Better Utilization of Solar and Wind

Financing

Facts

• Distribution Grid Management (DGM) and Substation Automation have greater promise of efficiency than Smart Grid metering solutions
• Wind and Solar alone will not meet the future needs due to consistency and Peak Demand requirements
• Technology exists to generate power form Clean Diesel or Natural Gas with the ability to use future Bio fuels for demand response systems
• As the economy recovers industrial demand will increase

Opportunity

Projects centered on State, Municipal, Commercial, Industrial and Utility support to develop a comprehensive DGM plan that includes:

• Substation Automation
• Distributive Power
• Renewable Power Integration
• Automated Demand response monitoring
• Grid Efficiency
• Disaster Response
  • “The main problems with electricity are the fragility, and… vulnerability, of the national grid… It is susceptible to extended outage from natural disaster or sabotage…” (Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Department of Defense Energy Strategy, Feb 2008)
• Secure Power Availability due to proximity
• Increased Revenue
• Quicker Response Time with less customer outages
• Ability to provide varying grades of power quality