Plant operation and control within smart grid concept: Indian approach

With smart grid typically characterized by attributes like, reliable and secure, efficient and economic, environment friendly and safe to the extreme extent as feasible, it calls for quality transmission and distribution operation backed by generation with optimum utilization of assets considering expected level of commitment from all stakeholders. Latter encompass investors, owners, traders, service providers, operators, and consumers of different categories. Such being the concept plant operation and control assumes an important, but difficult task at every instant of time to go. With Indian grid still growing to meet demand along with expansion of network whether from new generation or strengthening intermediate power systems, stabilization of the process would definitely take some more years. But aspiration of consumers nevertheless is not going to stop from the point of view of quality, besides quantitative adequacy at every instant of time. This calls for on the one hand smart grid to adjust with generation and its possible storage with availability whenever and wherever called for, self-healing mechanism in the face of disturbance, optimum utilization of assets achieving high level of efficiency in operation, while at the other hand consumer getting quality electricity as per quantitative requirement, through successfully enabled provision of services, products marketed, etc. Extensive usage of digital technology in terms of communication and information technology on real-time basis is an essential feature for achieving success in the matter considering the demand-supply scenario accurately at every instant. Depending upon the same means of automatic or intelligent operation and control within smart grid concept has been deliberated in the paper.