Self-Healing Power Grid

 

What Work Needs to Be Done:

• How might the system report to HQ when the outage cannot be resolved automatically?
  • How would an operator respond to such a scenario?
  • How would the system detect unresolvable power outages?
• How does the technology behind self-healing power grids work?
  • How are these grids different from a traditional power grid?
• What kind of costs and infrastructure upgrades would be required to implement this?
  • How might these costs be offset by the potential benefits?
• How long will the project take to complete?
  • What is the estimated completion date?
  • What are the estimated shipping and manufacturing times?
• Who is responsible for managing this power grid?
  • How might this system change the role of power companies / utilities?
  • What kind of skills and expertise would be necessary for technicians or engineers to maintain or build this system?

Why This Work Needs to Be Done:

Natural disasters are common in the Midwest and southern parts of the U.S.; these are often problematic as they cause damage that impairs the infrastructures necessary for the area’s functionality by up to several billion dollars (. Large infrastructures like the power grid will connect to many branches in local areas, and while the power is generated elsewhere, they are responsible for the distribution of the power.

To repair damages, teams of technicians will be required in the impact areas, this is not only a cost-ineffective and time-ineffective method of repair, but also the only method of repairing. Our team plans to tackle this problem with temporary solutions that patches the problem and distribute power from other branches to the impacted areas and ensure the quick reconnection of the area until technicians arrive. Although this solution is not a permanent fix, it allows for more time and relatively less time-intensive for the technicians. In addition, there will be alarm systems in place that reports areas of damage to help the technicians in narrowing the problems and smooth the trouble-shooting stage.

To implement the structure, the power grid will be separated into different sections controlled by individual power switches that manage its sector. If abnormal activities are detected, such as a power outage or dysconnectivity in the sector, the switch will automatically trigger the disconnection of the sector to the primary power grid. This feature prevents damage to the primary grid if they are not directly impacted, it is able to isolate the problematic sector, this works in favor of the trouble-shooting procedure as the problematic sector shuts itself out to reduce damage and is able to display the problem clearly.

 

Qualifications/Management Plan/Technical Approach:

As electrical engineers who can understand how self-healing power grids work, we believe we can collaboratively work on this project. After reviewing the literature on self-healing power grids, we determined what features would be required. We decided that two electrical engineers would work on the algorithm to detect abnormal power grid conditions, like power outages. Two other electrical engineers will work in the field and intelligently partition the city’s power grid so that critical parts of the city such as hospitals, transit, and shelters will always be powered. The remaining electrical engineer will manage the design and implementation of the power grid, which includes where alarms are placed and how to future-proof the setup so that undeveloped or damaged areas are easily integrated into the grid. The rest of the team other than those who finish their task early will work with the other engineers to their aid. This is because all five of us electrical engineers have the same knowledge and expertise.

Once the system is developed, the five engineers will conduct testing by inducing power outages to select areas. We will observe the algorithm’s behavior in its efforts to mitigate outages and its efforts in solving outages. After this controlled experiment, we will then integrate the power grid into homes and buildings as well as distribute information through local newspapers regarding how the system works and how this would affect the local economy. We will integrate this power grid into areas most affected by natural disasters like hurricanes in places like Texas, Florida, Mississippi and Alabama.

Once the system is set into place, electricians will be trained in the maintenance and operation of the system. This should only take 1-2 weeks because it can be difficult to understand how the system works.

Money Goes Into:

• Research and Development
• Design and planning
• Construction/Installation
• Materials
• Maintenance and Management