Electric Grid Monitoring Digitizes, Integrates Distributed Energy Resources
April 2, 2019
Electric Grid Monitoring’s (EGM’s) Meta-Alert™ system converts legacy static grids into digitized, integrated, dynamic, and adaptive networks, modernizing the management of distributed energy resources (DER).
With sensors that measure multiple parameters—such as voltage, current, frequency, cable temperature, ambient temperature, tilt or sag of line cables and many others—this “Eyes on the Grid” system is akin to a nervous system. It holistically probes the grid from its power source through transmission lines, down to the medium voltage distribution structure.
The Meta-Alert™ system collects big data for producing usable insights to enable optimal grid management and operation, and to address issues such as:
- DER integration
- Grid proactive and reactive maintenance
- Sophisticated energy trade programs
- Electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure.
The system’s sophisticated alerting mechanism can cut half of the current global annual losses of $500 billion.
About the Company
“EGM belongs to a very small group of startups making the grid smart and digitalized,” said CEO Amir Cohen. “This is a revolution.”
Cohen founded EGM 11 years ago as an R&D hub in Israel. EGM took on a huge project in 2014: coming up with a comprehensive system for the digitization of the grid.
Integrating renewable energy technologies and EVs are real challenge for utilities, he says, and now the grid is the limiting factor for this transformation.
“Utilities must have accurate real-time information in high resolution,” he said. “The grid must be upgraded with much better management capability. We hear this all over the world.”
R&D Collaboration
As part of the Shell GameChanger Accelerator™ Powered by NREL (GCxN), EGM is working with NREL on proving the contribution and vitality of the EGM’s system for the grid in general and for the DER management in particular. This will be done by simulations and analysis.
This collaboration aims to validate the Meta-Alert™ system’s capabilities and performances, prove the local and broad utility benefits generated by the system, and define the system’s vitality for DER management.
“A utility that has one million customers can now receive data from one million sensors,” says NREL Research Lead Santosh Veda. “It represents a big data problem – or opportunity…
“Can we do more than what we are doing with it now? We have an opportunity to use advanced data-analytics algorithms to understand what’s going on.”