Engineers Australia presents: The role of wireless communications in power transmission/distribution systems with renewable energy sources.

One of the challenges posed by the increasing penetration of renewable energy sources operating on the distribution grid is how can we effectively manage them in real time?

A high percentage of intermittent sources can cause grid instabilities and imbalances between supply and demand if not managed and monitored correctly. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have the capability of monitoring and collecting data over a large area such as found in modern transmission and distribution power grids. The information collected can provide grid operators insight into health with unprecedented resolution. The information gathered can also drive the grid towards autonomous operations utilising smart algorithms.

This presentation considers how LTE-A (4G) technologies can be used to meet the challenges of demand management in an increasingly distributed system.

Presenter Robert Webster has been working within the Wireless Networking Group at the University of Sydney since 2014. His position utilises his background in mathematical modelling and finding optimal operating points of non-linear differential equations.