INTRODUCTION:

Electricity has indeed become one of the most important aspects in our day-to-day applications; it is an indispensable resource in today's world. About 40% of energy from all sources is used for electricity. High potential and efficiency in generation, storage, and conversion into other forms make it imperative for the execution of tasks from small-scale activities to mega projects. It is nearly impossible to imagine life without electricity as it is needed almost in every sector of human society. Energy is so important that even financial institutions use the per capita energy consumption of the citizens as a means to quantify the level of development of the country. The following informative blog will introduce you to the power system and its major components, to the problems being faced by the power and energy sector, and to an introduction to the IIoT and how this futuristic technology is revolutionizing the power and energy sector. FUN FACT: Speed of electricity is 2.7 lakh km/s i.e. 90% of speed of light but drift velocity of electrons in conductor is around few mm/s.

UNDERSTANDING POWER AND ENERGY SECTOR

An electric power system is a complex network of interconnected components designed to generate, transmit, and distribute electric power. For instance, the electricity powering the computer or other electronic device you are using to read this blog was generated at a very distant power station and transmitted to your house over a vast grid system. The principal stages of the power system are as follows:

GENERATION

Electricity is generated at a power station, which for environmental and economic reasons must be located far away from the load centers. In these stations, electricity is basically generated through combustion of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, which emit great amounts of smoke and residual particles and contribute much to global warming with a high carbon footprint. It also results in severe air, water, and soil pollution due to direct and indirect effects, thus becoming an environmental concern as well. The major components of a power station include the furnace, boiler, turbine, condenser, and cooling towers.

TRANSMISSION:

The electricity generated within the power station is sent on high voltage transmission lines in order to reach a load centre, which could be a city or an industrial area. The voltage of electricity is increased to 200-400 kV in order to reduce energy losses along transmission. The major components comprising the transmission system include transformers, transmission towers, conductors, and insulators.

DISTRIBUTION:

Once the electrical energy reaches the end user, its voltage is reduced for safety reasons. It is distributed to the end users through individual connections to meet their power needs. The big components of the distribution system are the distribution substation, distribution transformers, switchgears, and service connections.

CURRENT CHALLENGES IN POWER AND ENERGY SECTOR:

DEMAND & SUPPLY IMBALANCE:

The growing population, along with increased utilization of electricity-run gadgets in everyday life, is creating a demand for electricity that surpasses supply. In 2023, the peak demand for India was 229 GW, while the peak supply was 224 GW-a huge gap. For this reason, the deliberate switching off the supply of power to certain areas, commonly known as load shedding, has become routine and is not a desirable feature of a reliable power supply.

AGING INFRASTRUCTURE:

The infrastructure required in the power and energy sector is very expensive, and much of this, including transmission lines, power grids, and overhead wires, was built in the past century and is in dire need of repair or replacement. Due to all such technical and economic factors, the process of renovation and replacement results in being pretty slow and time-consuming. One of the major problems brought about due to aging infrastructure includes power outages and frequent faults in the electrical grid.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS:

The energy sector is vastly dependent upon the consumption of fossil fuels for generating electricity. It's stated that 57% of total generated electricity in India is contributed by fossil fuel: coal accounts for 49.3%, gas for 6%, lignite for 1.6%, and diesel for 0.1%. Fossil fuel generates a huge amount of pollutants which directly and indirectly pollute air, land, and groundwater and play a major role in global warming.

ENERGY SECURITY:

In modern times, electricity has turned into man's and society's most crucial commodity. Some critical sectors of life, like the hospital, require uninterruptible energy. The power system must be reliable, fault-tolerant, supply electricity without creating any blackout. Blackout is a condition when a major part of the electrical grid fails and the system fails to supply electricity to the area where the blackout occurs. In the modern world, a blackout is as critical as war or a natural disaster for the nation. The quality electricity is the prime concern in health of the overall power system and its connected equipment parameter such as voltage, current, frequency, etc. The desired limit should not be violated otherwise it leads to energy losses, undesired working of equipment, and also potential risk of damage.

INTRODUCTION TO INDUSTRIAL INTERNET OF THINGS

Industrial Internet of Things or IIoT- A network of connected devices in the industry. The striking characteristics of IIoT devices is that they transfer data without human -human or human- computer interaction. Connected devices communicate via gateways which are physical devices that filter and transmit it to other devices and software's.

HOW IIoT NETWORK WORKS?

An efficient IIoT network performs two major functions: it interconnects individual devices with each other and with the central system, and it seamlessly stores, manages, and analyzes data transmitted from the network devices. All these things become possible with the help of following technologies used in an IIoT network

IIoT SENSORS

Equipment installed with IIoT sensors capture equipment parameters-operating temperature, speed, vibration, energy consumed- as well as tracking ambient conditions like temperature, pressure, and humidity, amongst others, in which the device is working. All of this information can be processed internally to provide real-time actions or it can be sent to the central system for advanced analysis.

CONNECTIVITY

The heart of any IIoT network is the transaction of large amounts of data. All the network devices generate huge amounts of data which need to be transmitted internally or to the central system. This is provided by a strong Wi-Fi network with a sufficiently large bandwidth, using which tons of data is transmitted with low latency and power consumption.

CLOUD STORAGE AND COMPUTING

Cloud Storage, in simple words, is data held online. With the rise of cloud storage and computing, IIoT's flexibility and usability have remarkably increased. IIoT networks can gain more storage and processing power depending on demand. This enables the device within a network to capture and send larger and more complex data sets than ever. Real-time data processing and conditional action are two major features of IIoT networks. Manual processing of huge network data requires lots of time and manpower; instead, artificial intelligence is utilized to process tons of data automatically in the blink of an eye. Along with network data, Machine Learning algorithms take in other attributes to make more pointed analyses and derive insights never attained hitherto. These insights enable the organization to conserve resources and give it a high hand over the rest of its competitors.

CYBER SECURITY

The single most important feature of IIoT, that is connectivity via the internet, brings along a chink in its armor. An unwanted trespasser in the network, which otherwise has the best of firewalls and protection protocols, is now a clear and present risk. Fortunately, security protocols are becoming more IIoT friendly day by day with advancement in the field of IIoT, keeping data of IIoT network and of the organization in safe hands.

HOW IIoT IS TRANSFORMING THE POWER AND ENERGY SECTOR

In this section we will explain how Industrial Internet of Things is addressing the challenges developed in the energy sector discussed above.

SMART GRID MANAGEMENT

This is an innovative methodology that introduces the concept of IIoT into grid management to take the efficiency, reliability, and sustainability of electrical grids to another level. Key components of smart grid management include: Real-time monitoring and control Better fault detection and response Self-correcting system adjustments for stability Better load balancing Efficient demand response

PREDICTIVE MAINTENANCE

Predictive maintenance is an approach that involves the use of IIoT for monitoring operating conditions of equipment and predicting when maintenance will be required. It minimizes unexpected failures, reducing downtime and improving the scheduling of maintenance activities to help improve overall efficiency and operational costs. The critical features of IIoT augmenting predictive maintenance include the following:

Real-time monitoring

Data analytics of gathered data Condition-based maintenance based on health indicators and predictive insights

ASSET MANAGEMENT

The IIoT revolutionizes the power industry in asset management with complete information on asset health, thereby enabling predictive maintenance and efficient use of resources. The efficiency improved here is reliability, the life-span of all these critical assets of the power system, which eventually upgrades the power supply more reliably and cost-effectively.

ENERGY CONSUMPTION MANAGEMENT

Energy management, therefore, involves the utilization of resources in a strategic way in the monitoring, control, and optimization of energy production, distribution, and consumption. The general objectives it focuses on include upgrading the level of energy efficiency, ensuring cost-effectiveness, and minimizing environmental impacts. Major tools and technologies involved in the process of energy management include: Energy Management Systems Building Management Systems Energy Storage Solutions Environmental Monitoring IIoT deploys a network of sensors to monitor environmental parameters like air, water, and soil conditions and noise levels efficiently. Analyzed data from sensors will be done in real-time using AI and ML algorithms to provide insights into the work and take necessary actions besides generating automated reports that may be sent to regulatory bodies.

GRID SECURITY

IIoT improves grid security in the power industry through real-time monitoring, further analytics, automation, and cybersecurity methods. This holistic approach ensures a reliable, resilient grid protected against physical and cyber threats. Tools and technologies making these features possible include:

Smart sensors and devices for real-time monitoring

Automated control systems Intrusions for cybersecurity using intrusion detection systems, encryption, authentication, and updating of firmware and software Physical security integration- surveillance and access control included Real-time alerts and automated response against incident detection and response

CONCLUSION:

Power and energy are one of the most significant foundations in present times, with everything from day-to-day activities to large-scale industrial operations based on this resource. However, it faces serious challenges nowadays, such as demand-supply imbalance, aged infrastructure, environmental problems, and the requirement of robust energy security. All of these issues are having transformative solutions with the advent of IIoT. Smart grid management, predictive maintenance, better asset management, energy consumption optimization, environmental monitoring, and grid security are enabling the sector to transform with the help of IIoT, making it efficient, reliable, and more sustainable. With its ever-evolving nature, the field demands to be updated about recent developments and views.