Over the past 10-20 years, modern energy systems have been forced to change at an accelerated pace and replace traditional technical solutions with new innovative technologies. Europe, the USA, Japan, and China have already moved quite far along this path. Russia is also beginning to catch up with innovative leaders in the electricity grid sector.

In the modern world, it is not so easy to find a more conservative industry in terms of technology, like the energy sector in general and the electricity grid sector in particular. First of all, because the energy industry as a whole does not imply a quick change of equipment: power plants, substations, power lines - all this is built, if not for centuries, then for decades. For example, unlike the computer industry, where a plant's equipment can change almost completely in three to five years, a transformer or high-voltage line support, with proper maintenance, can last half a century or more and outlive several generations of the specialists who maintain it. Yes, it is possible that by the end of their service life they will be considered obsolete museum exhibits, but this equipment will still provide high-quality and reliable energy supplies to consumers.

It would seem that no more is needed - after all, the energy industry differs from the IT industry or the automotive industry in that the tasks facing the equipment practically do not change over time. Substations built 20-30 years ago are just as designed to supply consumers with the number of kilowatt-hours they need under strictly defined technical parameters, as before. Only the demand for electricity may increase, but then new capacities will need to be built in addition to old ones, and not instead of them. And the concepts of “going out of fashion” or “obsolete,” which in a number of consumer-oriented engineering industries lead to an accelerated change of generations of equipment, are not so significant in infrastructure industries. In the end, the consumer doesn't really care how much modern technology is embedded in his transformer box or how much nanotechnology was used to produce turbines in a power plant or sockets in his office.

But everything is changing, including the most conservative industries. Firstly, this happens naturally: outdated equipment is decommissioned, and new equipment is installed in its place, which uses more modern innovative technologies. This is an inevitable and natural process of changing technological generations, although, of course, a very slow one. However, there are other situations when the infrastructure industry has to change under the influence of external factors.

Approximately the same situation in the power grid complex is now developing in developed countries and, apparently, will take over Russia in the coming years. We are talking, first of all, about the fact that the very structure of relationships between participants in the energy industry is changing and, in a certain sense, the once clear line between power engineers and electricity consumers is blurring. The traditional scheme of the energy system was built on the basis of an almost planned economy: the potential demand for electricity was assessed, generating and network capacities were created and built for it. The supply of electricity worked the same way: depending on the planned consumption, the energy system dispatcher gave commands to turn on the power, managed the networks delivering energy to the consumer, and laid down a reserve in case of accidents or surges in consumption.

The modern situation turns out to be more and more complicated than the traditional one every year. Firstly, in addition to large generating capacities, the energy sector is increasingly using small and distributed generation, often owned by consumers themselves. Secondly, in developed countries they began to focus on renewable energy sources - wind, solar energy, biofuel stations. As a result, the ability of power engineers to plan the behavior of the energy system has decreased: it is extremely difficult to predict how much of their own generation consumers will turn on today, how strongly the wind will blow and how bright the sun will be. In this situation, the energy industry must become more adaptive and flexible, and the power grid must learn to quickly respond to constant changes in the behavior of participants in the energy system. In a sense, we can say that the consumer of electricity is becoming more unpredictable and even capricious (today he needs external energy supply, tomorrow he will do without it, and no one can predict what will happen the day after tomorrow). However, no one can cancel the traditional tasks facing the electric grid sector, even in such a volatile situation: the networks must ensure reliable energy supply at a price that is reasonable from the point of view of the economy and the individual consumer.

All this means that, at a minimum, networks must become “smart” or “intelligent” (this is a rough translation of the common English term “smart grid”). It would probably be more accurate to call them “savvy networks,” since one of their key tasks is to quickly respond to changes in the situation in the energy system. Smart grid is one of the most well-known trends in the development of network economy. As Rosseti explained to Kommersant, it involves changing the parameters and topology of the network in real time, while it must take into account all generating capacities operating in the industry and all consumers, minimize electricity losses and ensure self-healing of the system in the event of power supply disruptions. Plus, “smart grids” must ensure the integration of energy and information infrastructure.

Although Russia, to be honest, is still far from a smart grid, our energy system is still being built according to traditional patterns, and some “smart” technologies are now being implemented. There is, for example, the Rosseti innovation program, for which it was planned to spend 35.7 billion rubles in 2013. (for comparison: all capital investments of the holding this year are 144.4 billion rubles). However, we are still far from being the world leaders in investments in network innovation. Rosseti materials provide the following analyst estimates: in 2011, investments in smart grids in China amounted to $7.3 billion, in the USA - $7.1 billion, in Japan - $849 million, while in Russia - only $150 million.

Nevertheless, IDGC of the Urals, for example, is implementing a smart metering implementation program (primarily the installation of “smart” electricity meters), the effect of which amounted to 38.2 million rubles in the first half of 2012 alone. First Deputy General Director of Rosseti for technical policy Roman Berdnikov emphasizes that the holding is working to create an active-adaptive network (“smart” network), and calls a digital substation one of its main elements. Such a substation will seriously reduce the costs of cable management, control cabinets, automation and protection, and will free up significant areas of land. “In Russia, a prototype of a digital substation has already been created at an experimental site; by 2015, it is planned to put into operation a fully digital 220 kV substation Nadezhda,” continues the top manager, “which will reduce costs at all stages of the substation’s life cycle: during construction - up to 15%, during operation up to 10%.”

Rosseti also talks about a “smart” city, which should be created for the convenience and comfort of people, minimize losses and eliminate accidents, and also integrate the power grid and information infrastructure. It involves managing the city, its economy, transport, and life support with the help of “smart” technologies. Similar technologies are also offered to industrial consumers. For example, as part of the construction of networks to the Elga coal deposit of the Elgaugol company, a control center for a group of 220 kV substations is being created in the United Energy System of the East, optimizing the operating modes of electricity transit. The project should be completed by 2015.

But there are also simpler projects, such as building a network of charging stations for electric vehicles. This program has been led by the Moscow United Electric Grid Company (MOESK) since 2011. As part of the first stage, 28 charging stations were installed in the capital, united into a single network. MOESK has begun work on placing such stations in the Belgorod region, St. Petersburg, and other regions. A simpler business logic works here: switching at least part of the vehicles to electricity allows you to increase the supply of electricity.

But there is a risk that innovation may now have to move forward: it is not clear how much money network companies will be able to allocate for these purposes given the freezing of tariffs and the government’s expectations of reducing investment programs. Thus, Deputy Minister of Energy Vyacheslav Kravchenko names among priority projects, for example, schemes for delivering power to new power plants or urgent government programs, and in terms of capital investments, he sees savings in “simpler solutions” (see interview on page 10).

But now Rosseti is increasingly talking about the economic benefits of innovation. Roman Berdnikov, among the cost-effective technologies tested at the pilot stage on real objects, mentions reactive power compensation devices in the network and the introduction of high-temperature wires. These technical solutions, he said, make it possible to increase the capacity of networks and remove restrictions on the transfer of electricity from generation to consumers.

Even in conditions of freezing tariffs, innovations are certainly needed, says Alexander Khurudzhi, head of NP territorial grid organizations (TGOs), member of the Rosseti architectural committee. But he notes that in the context of actual tariff reduction due to inflation, TCOs are forced to apply innovations primarily in management, as well as those aimed at comprehensively reducing operating costs. “While capital costs in investment programs are actually preserved, control of cost efficiency comes to the fore,” explains Mr. Khurudji. In his opinion, innovations will become more applied in nature. He predicts a change in priorities towards IT innovation, the use of CPM systems to optimize costs, and “various programs that have a direct tangible effect, while previously they were carried away by the smart grid.”

Vladimir Dzaguto

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