Smart Grid Technology

The interoperable smart grid is a power grid in which devices, systems, and applications from different agents communicate and work together seamlessly. This is achieved through common standards and protocols. Communication and data exchange enable real-time monitoring and control and active customer participation.

Learn more about the potential of a smart power grid and the strains on our current electrical grid system.

Smart Grid Benefits

MORE

resilience in emergencies

ADDED

renewables profitability

$50 B

annual consumer savings

$15-35B

utility capacity savings

HIGHER

grid reliability

Smart Grid Challenges

The national electrical grids are in need of major investments and maintenance
⇒Electricity infrastructure grade: C- (ASCE)
• Transmission and Distribution Lines (6.1 million miles!) are old
• 70% are 30 years or older
• They lose 5% of energy (enough to power all of Central America 4x).
• They do not always connect to where renewable energy is produced
⇒Outages Annually
• Frequency increased from 1.2 to 1.42 per customer
• Length increased from 3.5 to 7 hours per customer
⇒Climate-driven weather events put additional stress on the system

Supply and demand are more difficult to align
⇒Population growth, electrification, and climate change drive demand increase:
• 2022: historical high for US electricity consumption (4.05 trillion kWh)
• Energy efficiency offsets demand but not fully – demand growth 1% p.er year until 2050
• 16% of households are energy poor
⇒Share of wind and solar has quadrupled and is predicted to increase further
• non-dispatchable, very dynamic, smaller, more decentralized; does not fit too well with the old T&D network
• still a small share US-wide: 9.9% wind, 4.7% solar (US Energy Information Agency, Electricity Data Browser).
⇒Solutions for grid-side, utility-scale energy storage (BESS) are emerging, several regionally

The need for a different grid has only become more urgent, and PSU and its partners are working to meet this need with National Science Foundation (NSF) Engines Development Award: Advancing Smart Grid Technologies in the Pacific Northwest in the Pacific Northwest.

SEQUINS

Our Regional Innovation Engines Development Award will achieve energy equity and prosperity through an ecosystem that is Smart, EQUitable, INteroperable and Secure.

The SEQUINS mission is to be an engine of regional innovation by coordinating and connecting the activities of academic institutions, new and established businesses, risk capital, and governments across the Pacific Northwest.

SEQUINS will promote development and innovation through five Engine Activities:
1. Entrepreneurship and Business Development
2. Use-inspired Research and Development
3. Interoperability and Standardization
4. Consulting, Advocacy, and Policy Support
5. Workforce Development

These activities will foster smart grid technology ecosystem growth that enables large-scale participation based on open communication protocols, customer-driven transactions, privacy protection, state-of-the-art cybersecurity, and open-to-all practices.

SEQUINS PARTNERS

SEQUINS partners will innovate smart energy products and services based on the principles that technology must be dependable and safe, and under a common socio-technical framework.

Portland State University
Galois, Inc.
Oregon MESA
Oregon State University
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
QualityLogic, Inc.
University of Oregon
Bonneville Power Administration
Business Oregon
City of Portland
EnergyTrust of Oregon

Heritage University
LinkOregon
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Pacific Northwest Center of Excellence for Clean Energy
Portland General Electric
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Technology Association of Oregon
University of Portland
U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
VertueLab
Worksystems, Inc.

Further details about the SEQUINS project are available.

Powerize

Led by PSU, The Powerize Northwest Consortium (PNWC) is a group of 61 public, industry, higher education, and community organizations leveraging regional talent and assets to to become a global leader in the rapidly expanding energy storage and smart grid markets, on pace to triple in a decade.

PNWC is the recipient of strategy and planning grants to scale the ecosystem necessary to unleash this potential. Members collaborate for a brighter energy future for all-- and to ensure that this catalytic economic opportunity is centered in Oregon and Washington.

PNWC MEMBERS

PSU and other Oregon universities
PGE and other utilities
Intel
home-grown publicly-traded battery manufacturers ESS Inc. and Powin
early stage battery companies such as Skip Tech
international renewable energy organizations with Portland footprints such as Avangrid
private-equity backed energy storage developers Akaysha and GridStor with Portland offices
government and quasi-governmental organizations such as City of Portland (Prosper Portland), State of Oregon (Business Oregon) and the Port of Portland; Pacific Northwest National Labs (PNNL)
private service firms located in Oregon but doing global energy development and consulting such as PowerSwitch and Galois
community organizations such as WorkSystems, Inc. and Meals on Wheels, whose Portland chapter is a national pioneer in energy resilience.

For more information, contact

Angela Jackson, CEO, Powerize Northwest Consortium
Dr. Antonie Jetter, Principal Investigator
Dr. Bob Bass, Principal Investigator