CPqD

CPqD will be responsible for a segment of the research that will help define a national plan for the gradual migration of the Brazilian electric sector to the smart grid concept. The Brazilian Association of Electricity Distributors (ABRADEE) and the Association of Proprietary Companies of Infrastructure and Private Telecommunications Systems (APTEL) lead the initiative, which has been divided into seven research segments* to develop a strategic research and development project for smart grid. CPqD was chosen to handle the segment that deals with Telecommunications, IT and Interoperability.

In a stage expected to last six months, CPqD will set guidelines for the implementation of interoperable telecom and IT smart grid resources in electric power utility companies affiliated to ABRADEE. The association currently has 43 affiliates, including both government and privately owned corporations, responsible for 99% of the electricity distributed in Brazil.

"To accomplish this, we are going to research computer and telecommunication network models, topologies and technologies able to meet smart grid requirements in the areas of metering, automation and electric power distribution and storage management," says Mariangela Rino Pedrosa, CPqD’s Electrical Sector Marketing Manager. "These guidelines will help distributors create their own strategies for implementing smart grid," she adds.

The first job will be assessing the power companies' current IT and telecom resources. It will also include the conception of models and architectures for IT and telecom systems, the assessment of system and network management platforms, the analysis of databases and requirements for interoperability, interconnectivity and system scalability, the assessment of security requirements, knowledge management systems, and the evaluation of investment forecasts, among other fundamental activities for the transition towards smart grid. "The idea is to offer subsidies for the creation of an IT and telecommunication infrastructure that meets the needs of all the different applications while being economically viable," adds Mariangela. With 12 years of experience in the electric power sector, today CPqD participates in the top ten smart grid projects sponsored by energy distributors in Brazil.

(*) A seventh research segment, focusing on the consumers' perspective, has just been added to the project by the National Agency of Electric Energy (ANEEL).

Source: IT Web – Contributed by Alex Nicolau – 01/20/2011 – 03:47 PM