In the 1960s, the distribution grid was mute and autonomous with no
communications system, beyond a customer with a telephone. Transmission
had some SCADA, but typically the number of points in a substation was
counted on two hands with fingers left over. In the past 50 years we
have added smart (semi-smart) meters, reclosers, communications, and
other sensors in Distribution. We have moved from measuring one phase
and assuming the others are the same in transmission. We have gone from
5-10 points in major substations to hundreds, and even thousands. These
changes have opened up security issues, data issues, and alarm issues
for the utilities and society. Fast forward 50 years and each household
may have 50 to 100 SCADA points, dynamic pricing and there may be as
many as 200,000,000 generators on the grid. This discussion will
highlight some of the issues that drove change, the issues that are
driving change, problems we have solved and problems and challenges we
will need to solve in the next 50. The crystal ball is not clear, but at
least it is only partly cloudy on some of the major issues we need to
address with the electrification of everything.
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