IoT in Energy Sector, on hearing this you think, how IoT is even related to this sector. But not many of us are not aware of the fact that the world around us is producing and consuming energy at a high-speed. On the other hand, technology has become a part of our lives and is driving a momentous change. In this race, you can’t ignore how IoT has invaded the space efficiently.
If you are still thinking about how IoT is driving a change in the energy sector, read this post to unleash some mind-blowing facts about it…
Improved safety
Now you must be wondering that how come safety be a part of the energy sector with the inclusion of IoT?
You would be surprised to know that IoT sensors can also help to improve safety. When this technology is integrated, then the internet-connected sensors in the pipelines can help detect leaks. These leaks if left unaddressed may result in fires or explosions also. Also, these leaks can also trigger global warming, hence addressing them before they create much bigger chaos for the energy sector and our environment is the best option.
Informed customers
The conflict arises in the consumption and the amount used has always been a matter of concern for the customers and the operators as well. But here also, IoT technology drives customers to be more informed about their energy usage. With the help of internet-connected smart meters, users get the full-fledged details of usage data and their energy usage.
Also, the smart devices installed in the homes and commercial spaces, help customers to consume and track the proper usage. Further, this information can also be used to identify waste and especially the most power-consuming appliances to save HUGELY on their energy bills.
Asset monitoring and management
Do you know the best part of integrating IoT sensors to generation, transmission, and distribution equipment?
Yes, this allows the companies to monitor it remotely. With the help of these sensors, it becomes easy for the operators to measure different aspects, such as vibration, temperature, and maintenance schedules even.
Indeed, with the optimization of the preventative maintenance, helps in improving the reliability factor, and that also drives in bringing a change where operators carry out the maintenance much before the problem occurs or cause some irreparable destruction.
Enhanced grid management
With the integration of IoT technology, it becomes easier to have distributed resources into the grid, and at the same time enhance the grid. The inclusion of sensors helps in distributing the lines, to provide real-time power consumption data. In this context, these sensors, also alert the operators in the event of outages, so the power can be turned to save the damage or prevent electrocution. Further, the smart switches lead to rerouting power to get the lights back on sooner.
Load forecasting
Yes, the right power usage data also helps in forecasting the load. This enables operates to address the congestion issues, and lets all the connected generation plants to meet the requirements related to frequency and voltage control.
This also gives a clear indication to the companies to invest their efforts in the right infrastructure and make infrastructure upgrades wherever necessary.
Better distributed grid
Today, the energy grid has turned into a distributed version, and the credit goes to technology. As we know that residential solar capacity has taken a rise in the last few years, and this could lead to some major disasters in the grid distribution. However, with the IoT technology, it has become highly easy for the residential and commercial spaces to generate their own electricity by placing solar panels on their rooftops or even they can build small wind turbines on their properties.
How enticing is it?
It is worth to mention, but this has helped in increasingly distributing the power system, representing a major change for energy companies. Although, the management of these multiple generation sources across the grid causes the issue for the grid operators. But once again the integration of smart grid technology is helping to remove this obstacle with distributed energy transformation. Any smart grid to ease down the road must use IoT technology to detect changes in electricity supply and demand. Further, it reacts to these changes automatically and provides operators the required information to manage the demand smartly.
How far IoT will drive change in the energy ecosystem?
Look closely and you would find that technology has transformed our lives and expect to use smart energy is not a dream anymore. The solar panels have turned innovative, and here IoT is driving the change, where power infrastructure has got a new face, helping it to UBERIZE the power production and consumption.
With this pace, it is expected to grow and flourish out of bounds and our world will witness a new world of IoE- Internet of energy very soon.
