Smart Grid

The AP report from Washington on the subject, published by a local English daily on 8 June is of interest to the power sector in Bangladesh. It should provoke our planners in the power sector (particularly the Power Ministry). But will they even go through it and try to understand its impact? Possibly not, as they are too busy pulling and pushing files and filling note-sheets!
The prospect of interconnecting renewable power sources with the distribution grid, and its automated two way power flow provides the key to tap on to alternative energy and other power sources! We should keep abreast with the Smart Grid technological development and applications being installed mostly in the USA and Europe to ensure bringing together various power sources including consumer power back-up facilities to increase grid power availability as a very relevant and cost effective future prospect in the short term!
Smart Grid operation is closely interlinked to high speed Internet capable of monitoring variable grid power demands. It can tap on to various consumers' power sources to the transmission and distribution networks based on regional power shortage or surplus; with very rapid communication and automated load diversion and acquisition capabilities!
Given our sizeable population of in-house power generation and battery back up power sources including hybrid and electric cars, the Smart Grid can integrate all these to the grid.
Today these potential power sources are totally isolated from the grid, a bank of idle power potential; while our power shortage in Bangladesh increases day by day! It also has the additional capability to monitor and control unknown and unaware power wastage anywhere in the grid network!
All these in effect adds additional power to the grid. If we can try to have this facility in Bangladesh soon; then all these advantages put together can provide us savings and availability of between 200 to 300 MW of power from Greater Dhaka alone to meet this area's power shortage. It will be providing much needed relief, particularly during the evening maximum demand period. It is also a far more cost effective option in comparison to the additional capital investment needed for setting up a green-field 200MW power plant and recurring variable cost of fuel, manpower, spares and consumables needed!
We should follow up on this available Smart Grid technology set up; as we are failing in providing additional generation capacity anytime soon. It will also improve our overall electric power utilisation and encourage private investors and industrialists to set up more alternative power resources.