More smart grid education needed
July 29, 2011
Denmark’s leading energy equipment supplier Danfoss commissioned a study to investigate and better understand building owners’, engineers’ and manufacturers’ opinions, understanding and implementation of the smart grid today.
The primary goal of the research was to determine what each of the three groups knows and thinks about the smart grid, and what they perceive to be its barriers, benefits and motivators. Additionally, the research set out to evaluate how well engineers and manufacturers are interpreting the perspectives of building owners.
Key Findings are
- Increased communication is needed between utilities and their customers on the value of smart grid deployments and how customers can tap into those savings. Survey responses indicate there is widespread skepticism and little awareness on what the smart grid is, what it can do and how much it will cost.
- The value proposition for building owners needs clearer definition. Utilities need to know what their customers are expecting from the smart grid as their wants, needs and expectations will vary considerably. Some customers are primarily concerned about reliability, while others may be focused on power quality and others may be most worried about costs. The study confirms that any smart grid investment made by building owners has to compete with other potential investments, from increased insulation to new tile in the foyer; smart grid programs are amongst the heavy competition for owners’ dollars.
- There are technology issues with building controls, as buildings will interact with the smart grid through building automation and energy management systems, which will respond automatically or semi-automatically to messages sent by utilities to curtail energy usage at scheduled times. However, many buildings do not have the control systems or do not have properly designed, installed, operated or maintained systems, resulting in poor control. Retro-commissioning or retrofits may be needed first in order to ensure a return on investment on smart grid technologies.
- HVAC and buildings controls manufacturers have taken an early interest and leadership role in smart grid developments and relevant products well before data communications protocols and other foundational elements are in place.
For more information: Danfoss
