Microsoft's Smart Grid Solutions

Microsoft Smart Network Solutions; Microsoft and its partners are preparing to increase the development and automplification of the grid, including the entry of a new energy consumer, an energy producer and stored energy provider.

Indeed, industry visionary, the network of the future between public service companies and consumers; consumption and pricing believes that two-way energy flows and information flows will need to be activated. When this is enabled, millions of new electrical flow monitoring devices send terabytes of data to control systems; future transmission and distribution systems may be capable of self-healing as they are united by end-user intelligent metrics for the delivery of improvement opportunities.

Through customers' distributed production resources or electricity storage of plug-and-play vehicles; to meet the ability to generate and add electricity for the grid, completely new business models can develop. These will be among the new features of the Intelligent Energy Ecosystem, which is much more advanced and complex than the "smart grid" that is popular today. To explain this vision and its related technology requirements, Microsoft is committed to building both the smart grid and the Intelligent Energy Ecosystem; has created and published the Intelligent Energy Application Architecture (SERA) to help respond to application difficulties.

SERA is built on Microsoft observation that government agencies must virtually inte into each operation. It's the one that makes it work. public service companies will be able to better coordinate their operating operations to meet the new demands of customers, shareholders and regulatory makers on production and presentation. Partners from Microsoft and the Alstom Network, ESRI, Itron, OSIsoft, Telvent and others are preparing the u.S. service industry for the era of new integrated networking, transmission and production. Technology systems offer solutions for many energy delivery difficulties, including:

Microsoft Smart Grid Solutions

The following scenarios present the presentation challenges facing energy and u.S. service companies; and describes technology system solutions offered by Microsoft and its partners.

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE AND MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS

Operating Difficulties

Advanced distribution network communication networks and information technology of sensors envisioned by smart network advocates; mathematical analysis capabilities. This vision includes the network's self-diagnostics and the best and fastest response capabilities in real time. For example, when monitoring and control systems detect a potential problem, the team closest to the scene will be sent here by an automated system. If the problem requires expert assistance, the system will identify the most suitable subject matter specialist for the job and automatically notify them to communicate with resources in the region. Such advanced mathematical analysis capabilities need an accurate and complete data model network.  

Benefits

Partners such as Microsoft Avanade and Enspiria; construction and electrical engineers, technicians, plant managers in a u.S. service company; for the use of planners, customer service representatives, security officers, human resources personnel and others. Through data conversion, collection, analysis, reporting, and improvements to Microsoft Office integration; decision ers at all levels of the u.S. service company can access the data they need at any time and in any form. Microsoft Business Intelligence solutions use existing IT assets by ineating with the existing technology and operational environment of u.S. service companies for transmission and deployment. It reduces the need for large expenditures on new public service systems to create a smarter network. Finally, Microsoft Unified Communication technologies enable real-time and automatic warning and announcement between communication channels.  

Microsoft Smart Network Solutions; MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (DYS)

Distribution management systems handle topology; online three-stage distribution balancing energy flows; analyzing failures; it supports electrical system operations through applications that perform analyses for interruption management, which is the most important distribution operation function with operating mode, switch sequence management, short circuits, volt/volt amps responsive power management and loss. DYS applications require connectivity, resistance, equipment, load distribution, and the use of an electrical system model that includes the most likely regions for all components. In order to obtain this data and to make regular updates; Access to data generated in sources such as GIS/AM-FM (geographic information system / automatic mapping – facility management), customer information systems / billing and system operation load flow packages is required.  

Benefits

Microsoft partner Telvent enables u.S. government service companies to use new automation capabilities and related sources of information; state-of-the-art deployment management capabilities to further improve the distribution network. Microsoft is working with the Energy Management System, which plays a key role in the total capability of u.S. government companies to deliver a smarter grid, and the Alstom Network to further assist with market management solutions.  

Microsoft Smart Network Solutions; ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Operating Difficulties

As the smart grid evolves, it will require real-time monitoring and information management as there is a requirement across the intelligent energy ecosystem. New requirements include archiving historical data for use in sub-station automation, market improvement and planning and analysis.  

Benefits

With the use of products and technologies such as Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence tools, and StreamInsight for complex activity processing with partners such as Alstom Grid and OSIsoft, utilities employees can improve transmission and distribution network capabilities. Thus, it can improve operational effectiveness along the public service value chain. In this way, u.S. service companies can transform existing power grid structures into a more reliable, stable and energy-efficient smarter system.  

COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEM (GIS) MANAGEMENT

Operating Difficulties

While described as distributed but connected equipment, the smart grid requires u.S. service companies to know where their equipment and resources are ready, even across thousands of square miles of territories. Customer service representatives, deployment staff, managers, senior managers, and field teams will need easy virtualization and management ways to manage transmission and distribution assets with networks. They will also need to have accurate and precise information about assets on the network, including territory and connectivity, even on the end user side.  

Benefits

The smart grid will be managed by public service company personnel using geographic information systems running on their own communications network. Partners ESRI and Telvent and Microsoft have shown that Microsoft SQL Server 2008 is able to break down enterprise silos that contain field data. Solutions will equip u.S. service workers with the power to take advantage of applications such as Bing Maps, which are enabled as a key element for enabling rapid and very fast decision-making across the agency. In the age of the smart network, this type of access to information will be converted into actionable information.  

MOBILE WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT

Operating Difficulties

Forecasting, scheduling, overtime costs, travel time between jobs, and total service levels can be positively or negatively impacted. Good presentation practices mean that the right resources are mobilized with the appropriate skills and parts, on-site, ready to use, and at the right time. While many u.S. service companies have spent years searching for a variety of money-saving solutions for their fleets, better scheduling with software solutions saves real money and makes a lot of sense.  

Benefits

Microsoft partner ClickSoftware provides advanced scheduling, forecasting, and planning solutions for u.S. service companies, making a difference in mobility and mobile workforce. By using the Microsoft platform, ClickSoftware is using the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server and SQL Server Reporting Services to improve all scheduling functions of utilities. By opting for green products, it also helps the fuel-saving efforts of fleets of utility companies. Because better timing reduces fuel consumption and emissions. Better timing also ers the business processes for public service companies to cope with the consequences of the former generation's layoff.  

PROJECT INTELLIGENCE

Operating Difficulties

The right management of large capital projects can save millions of dollars. Public service companies have traditionally worked using difficult manual processes and realized that these processes can only be used for certain projects. Manual processes are incapable of representing large and complex projects and identifying them without problems occur. Furthermore, these processes do not provide deep and consistent visibility into key performance indicators required to ensure the successful completion of large company-wide capital projects.  

Benefits

Project intelligence solutions, such as Bentley and Pcubed, offered by Microsoft and its partners, help u.S. service companies build the best management and innovation practices across all their projects. Microsoft's integrated business intelligence solutions combine with the capabilities of Microsoft Project Server to provide relevant management and project innovation capabilities, as well as project management capabilities for u.S. service companies. Beyond traditional project management, these capabilities provide improvement of existing technologies, from collaboration in design, advanced three-dimensional simulation and management of government support programs to infrastructure lifecycle management.  

Intelligent Analysis

Operating Difficulties

Once smart meters are installed, u.S. service companies face the challenge of receiving millions of data from devices scattered across their operations areas. This data overloads IT infrastructures and causes unprecedented problems with management and comprehensing. U.S. service companies need solutions that help counter data management and advanced metering infrastructure.  

Benefits

Microsoft and partners Itron and OSIsoft have created management and flexibility capabilities that enable utilities companies to set the right ranges to adapt to intelligent measurement programs and new technologies as they develop. Itron Enterprise Meter Data Management is an enterprise data management solution for range, registration and activity data of residential customers and commercial/sectoral customers. It is a scalable open architecture system for managing data in many different data collection systems. It also offers secure, accurate and reliable data for a broad public service billing and analysis system. Itron Enterprise Meter Data Management is an enterprise data management solution for range, registration and activity data of residential customers and commercial/sectoral customers. It is a scalable open architecture system for managing data in many different data collection systems. It also offers secure, accurate and reliable data for a broad public service billing and analysis system.

Source: Microsoft Australia