Smart Sensors

The Smart Grid will rely on sensors deployed across the distribution system that monitor the system and provide data to enable applications. These sensors must be reliable, have low installed cost and leverage existing communications infrastructure that may include AMI and/or public cellular networks.

All smart sensors solutions should have the following characteristics:

Sensor - sensor should be simple, easy to deploy and commission, and be reliable. The sensors should work on overhead and underground systems. The sensors should be line powered by means of “power scavenging” technology or battery powered. If the sensors are battery powered, the battery should preferably have a recharging mechanism and be able to communicate battery status.

Communications - communications technology should be integral to the sensor without requiring external wiring, external power supplies or pole mounted RTUs. When possible, all sensors deployed by a utility should use a common protocol. This will allow for common enterprise software for data aggregation, protocol conversion, device management and data routing. The sensors should use communications technologies commonly deployed on the utility system including licensed and unlicensed radio frequency (RF), public cellular networks including GPRS and CDMA, as well as emerging technologies such as WiMAX.

Software - depending on the sensor and application that it facilitates a utility may choose to view the data on an existing enterprise software platform such as SCADA/DMS/OMS or on vendor software platforms that are hosted and accessible via the Internet.

EAS offers a family of smart sensors called the GridAdvisor Sensors. The GridAdvisor family of sensors includes the OutageAdvisor for detecting fault locations and the VARAdvisor for detecting blown fuses on switched and fixed capacitor banks. There are also other sensors in development.