This Q&A is intended to bring information to the general public on these two topics, which are of crucial significance for the development of the soaring electricity supply industry and the development growth of the Middle East. While the smart grid is a more recent innovation, restructuring has been with us since the early 1970s, although only the most advanced countries, and a few middle income ones, have undertaken the restructuring of their electricity sectors.
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Smart Grids
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Q: Could you explain – briefly and in layman’s language – what a grid is, and how it becomes a smart one?
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A: A power grid is the network structure linking the source of power generation to points of use of the power, such as a factory, offices, and homes. A smart power grid results from the integration of advanced communications and information technology into all aspects of power utility operations, from the source of generation to the points of use. This provides entirely new levels of visibility and control, which then help improve reliability and efficiency.
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Q: How did smart grid get its start?
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A: Smart grids are an outcrop of the Energy Management Systems (EMS) that have been in operation in many countries for several years. An EMS uses available information and communications technology to provide real-time data flows between generating plants and associated high voltage transmission systems, improving both the efficiency of generation and the management of the load on the transmission systems. Advances in technology have led to ever-greater integration of generation and transmission, and now it is possible to start extending into the distribution system, to consumer machinery and even household appliances, to enable information flows between the power source and the end-user.
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