Landstown High School Governors STEM

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Landstown High School Governors STEM Technology
Academy
Origins of Electric Power
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Lightning The First Power Source

• Cannot be used commercially unless someone can
  figure out away to store a 100,000,000 volts in a
  few microseconds.
• Most energy in a lightning strike is converted to
  heat, sound, and light energy, so there is little
  left to capture and store.

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Origin of usable Electric Power

• The first water turbine was used on August 26th,
  1895 at Niagara Falls,
• The power generated was used to manufacture
  aluminum and carborundum,
• The following year, Buffalo, New York became the
  first city to receive power from the Niagara
  Falls turbines.
• This power was used to power street lights and
  street cars,

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Origin of usable Electric Power

• The first practical widespread use of electric
  power was the telegraph.
• The first telegraphs used batteries to produce
  electric current,
• This current traveled via wires over substantial
  distances,
• electromagnets produced an effect at one end when
  a switch was closed at the other.
• By using magnets with many windings telegraphs
  were able to operate with low electric currents.
• This was important because the long conducting
  wire had an appreciable resistance to the flow of
  the current, resulting in lost energy.

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Emergence of Electric Utilities in America

• The modern electric utility industry in the
  United States can be traced to the invention of
  the practical light bulb in 1879 by Thomas Alva
  Edison.
• Always looking toward the marketplace, Edison
  realized that his light bulb would mean nothing
  unless he developed an entire electric power
  system that generated and distributed
  electricity.
• By 1882, he had developed such a system, and he
  installed the world's first central generating
  plant on Pearl Street in New York City's
  financial district.

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Transmission of Electrical Power

• Electric power transmission is the bulk transfer
  of electrical energy
• the first step in the delivery of electricity to
  consumers.
• Transmission of electric power moves
  electricity over long distances.
• Electricity can be transmitted in two forms,
• AC- Alternating Current
• DC- Direct Current

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Simplified Diagram of AC Electricity Distribution
from Generation Stations to Consumers
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Transmission, cont

• Power is usually transmitted as alternating
  current (AC) through overhead power lines.
• Electric power transmission allows distant energy
  sources (such as hydroelectric power plants) to
  be connected to consumers in population centers.
• Underground power transmission is rarely used
  because of its higher cost of installation and
  maintenance, compared to overhead wires, as well
  as the difficulty of voltage control on long
  cables.

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Transmission, cont

• Electricity is transmitted at high voltages (110
  kV or above) to reduce energy loss during
  transmission.
• Lower voltages such as 66 kV and 33 kV are
  usually considered sub-transmission voltages but
  are occasionally used on long lines with light
  loads.
• Voltages less than 33 kV are usually used for
  distribution.
• Voltages above 230 kV are considered extra-high
  voltage and require different equipment designs
  compared to that used at lower voltages.

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Distribution of Electrical Power

• In the early days of commercial use of electric
  power, electric power was tranmitted at the same
  voltage as used by lighting and mechanical
  devices,
• This restricted the distance between generating
  plants and consumers.

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Distribution, cont

• Then came the Universal System,
• Regarded as one of the most influential
  innovations for the use of electricity, the
  "universal system" uses
• transformers to step-up voltage from generators
  to high-voltage transmission lines,
• Transformers then step-down voltage to local
  distribution circuits or industrial customers.

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Distribution, cont

• Electricity travels at nearly the speed of light,
  arriving at a destination at almost the same
  moment it is produced. 
• Unlike oil or natural gas in a pipeline,
  electricity cannot be easily stored. 
• It must be generated and delivered at the precise
  moment it is needed. 

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Distribution, cont

• Distribution is the final stage in the delivery
  of electricity to end users.
• A distribution system's network carries
  electricity from the transmission system and
  delivers it to consumers.
• Typically, networks include
• medium-voltage (less than 50 kV) power lines,
• electrical substations and
• pole-mounted transformers,
• low-voltage (less than 1 kV) distribution wiring,
  and
• electricity meters.

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Distribution, cont

• Example of a Typical Residential Service Line
• Power distribution line
• Grounding line
• Step-down transformer
• Service line to house

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The Power Grid

• A power transmission network is referred to as a
  "grid".
• Multiple redundant lines between points on the
  network are provided so that power can be routed
  from any power plant to any load center (the
  customer).
• Much analysis is done by Power companies to
  determine the maximum reliable capacity of each
  line in the Grid,

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The Grid, cont

• Transmission Grid Inputs
• At the generating plants the energy is produced
  at a relatively low voltage between about 2,300
  volts and 30,000 volts, depending on the size of
  the unit.
• The generator voltage is then stepped up by the
  power station transformer to a higher voltage
  (varying by country) for transmission over long
  distances.
• Transmission Grid Exit Points
• At substations, transformers reduce the voltage
  to a lower level for distribution to commercial
  and residential users.
• At the point of use, the energy is transformed to
  low voltage (100 to 600 V, varying by country and
  customer requirements).

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Current Grid Configuration
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The Smart Grid

• Many experts have been calling for power
  companies to create a Smart Grid,
• A smart grid is an electric distribution system
  that leverages computer technology software,
  sensors at power plants, and power-line
  improvements to increase the efficiency of the
  transmission of power from the producer,
• Smart Grids can make it easier for consumers to
  cut their energy use.

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Where is the Smart Grid?

• In early October, 2009, then Energy Secretary,
  Steven Chu warned that China was ahead of the
  United States in the development of smart grid
  technologies.
• The 2009 Energy Department announced it would
  spend 100 million to train workers to upgrade
  the electric transmission system.
• New worker-training programs are currently being
  paid for by federal stimulus money.

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Smart Grid, cont

• Improving the grid is central to another goal
  expanding renewable energy usage.
• The availability of Renewable energy varies from
  community to community, which makes it much
  tougher for utility engineers to design systems
  that utilize renewable energy.
• Wind Power
• Even windy areas have calm days,
• Solar Power
• sunny regions can be cloud-covered from time to
  time.
• Like most matters involving energy, transmission
  of electricity is a political issue.
• Controlling who builds transmission lines
  involves state versus federal rights and has been
  a difficult issue for Congress.

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Smart Grid, cont

• Along with developing to develop a Smart Grid,
  increased use of Alternative Energy would
  eliminate some of the load on the current aging
  Electric Grid,
• But, the United States is already behind in the
  development an implementation of Alternative
  Energies,
• Solar photovoltaics, manufacturing of hybrid
  vehicle batteries, energy efficiency, and nuclear
  power are all options that many countries have
  already implemented.
• Chu said "They (China) are ahead of the rest of
  the world right now, and he added, "We are the
  pioneers. But, We are not the leaders."

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We use them to develop and implement Smart Grid
Technologies!

• So how do we develop Alternative Energies?

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Smart Houses
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Net-Zero Energy Buildings

• Produce as much energy and power as they use.
• And many times, they produce more power and
  energy than they use, and in doing so, if
  connected to the grid with Net Energy Metering,
  the meters reverse and the building or home owner
  receives one or more credits for the power
  supplied to the grid.

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Net-Zero, cont

• Eco-generation refers to a power and energy
  system that uses the natural energy or fuel
  that is available for a specific site or location
  (e.g., solar, wind, biomethane, geothermal, and
  ocean power, including ocean tidal and ocean
  thermal energy conversion.)

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Electric Car-to-Grid Communications

• Ford has developed an onboard device for car
  owners to program when and for how long to charge
  their cars.
• Consumers would program the charging of their
  car, via an onboard touch screen.
• They could even decide whether to charge their
  cars only when renewable power is available over
  the grid.

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Car-to-Grid, cont

• The car's computer would send charging
  instructions to the grid via advanced electric
  meters (smart meters) provide by the utilities.
• Ford has received about 100 million in grants
  from the U.S. DOE, of which 30 million will be
  used for vehicle demonstration and grid
  integration.

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Smart Meters

• Unlike the conventional meters that have been
  around for decades, this new breed of meter comes
  with sensors and wireless communications
  abilities that enable it to report each
  customer's energy consumption in real-time and to
  alert utilities of any equipment problems.
• Smart meters transmit their data back to
  headquarters, without the aid of a meter reader,
  and can be used, with a customers permission, to
  remotely manipulate energy-using devices like air
  conditioners.

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Smart Meters, cont

• That, of course, requires pricing power by the
  hour.

• Another function would be telling customers, hour
  by hour, what the price of electricity is, thus
  giving homeowners or business owners the ability
  to limit use during peak periods, when power is
  more pricey.

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Smart Meters, cont

• Current technology would allow a standard
  communications protocol so that the grid and
  appliances could talk to each other.
• Thus, a smart grid would allow an electric system
  to absorb more intermittent power sources, like
  wind and sun, and stay balanced, by shedding load
  as required.
• Simply having detailed information about use and
  price would lead many consumers to shut off
  devices they are not using.

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Threats to the Power Grid

• Cyber-Warfare
• The Federal government admits the power grid is
  susceptible to cyber-warfare.
• Massive power outages caused by a cyber attack
  would cause a crisis making it difficult for
  government and emergency workers to respond to
  critical concerns.
• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security works
  with industry to identify vulnerabilities and to
  help industry enhance the security of control
  system networks.
• The federal government is also working to ensure
  that security is built into the next generation
  of smart grid networks.

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• Credits

Dr. Richard J. Fogg Associate Vice
President Institutional Advancement Manhattan
Area Technical College Manhattan, Kansas
Dr. James Barger Department Chair,
Pre-Engineering Landstown High School and
Technology Academy Virginia Beach, Virginia