A smarter grid with the Internet of Things

Introduction

The Internet of Things （IoT） will deliver a smarter grid to enable more information and connectivity throughout the infrastructure and to homes. Through the IoT， consum-ers， manufacturers and utility providers will uncover new ways to manage devices and ultimately conserve resources and save money by using smart meters， home gate-ways， smart plugs and connected appliances.

This white paper discusses the differ-ent approaches being taken worldwide to connect the smart grid. Examples are provided on how TI is developing full sys-tem solutions by combining hardware （analog and digital） and software to ad-dress some of the challenges in building a smarter and more connected smart grid.

Making the grid infrastructure， meters， homes and buildings more connected

The Internet of Things （IoT） is expected to grow to 50 billion connected devices by 2020 （Cisco， 2011） providing valuable information to consumers， manufacturers and utility provid-ers. Within the IoT， devices across a variety of industries will be interconnected through the Internet and peer-to-peer connections as well as closed networks like those used in the smart grid infrastructure.

With the global focus on energy and water management and conservation， the IoT will extend the connected benefits of the smart grid beyond the distribution， automation and monitoring being done by utility providers. Management systems for in-home and in-building use will help consumers monitor their own usage and adjust behaviors. These systems will eventually regulate automatically by operating during off-peak energy hours and connect to sensors to monitor occupancy， lighting conditions， and more. But it all starts with a smarter and more connected grid.

The grid needs to change to face today’s challenges

In the simplest terms， building a smart grid means securing the future of energy supply for everyone in a rapidly growing population with a limited power production capacity. A smart grid reduces the losses， increases efficiency， optimizes the energy demand distribution and also makes large-scale renewable energy such as solar and wind deployments a reality. With an aging infrastructure， the grid is facing severe challenges including recurring black-outs in major industrialized cities around the globe， more than 30 percent electrical energy lost from production to homes in countries like India， and 35 percent drinkable water wasted in leak-ages in France and Australia.

The grid topology needs to adapt and shift from a centralized source to a distributed topol-ogy that can absorb different energy sources in a dynamic way. There is a need to track real-time energy consumption and demand to the energy supply： this goes with the deployment of more remote sensing equipment capable of measuring， monitoring and communicating-

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energy data that can be used to implement a self-healing grid， increase the overall efficiency， and increase the level of self-monitoring and decision making. The connected smart grid provides a communication network that will connect all the different energy-related equipment of the future. From the transmission and distribution power infrastructure， electrical， water， gas， and heat meters， to home and building automation， Texas Instruments （TI） is addressing global smart grid challenges and building system solutions to connect grid devices.

The first key step towards a smart grid that makes the IoT real is the mass deployment of smart meters.

Millions of smart electrical meters are already connected

Around the world， electric meters are leading the way in smart meter deployments. For instance， the adoption rate of smart electrical meters （e-meters） in the United States is close to 50 percent with millions of electri-cal meters deployed today in the field， connected to the grid and regularly communicating data. Essentially，