A comprehensive review of microgrid including their characteristics, challenges, design, control, and operation either in grid‐connected or islanded modes are introduced in Chapter 5. This chapter presents a detailed study of communications issues between microgrids.
Chapter 6 is devoted to one of the most important applications of the SG which is smart transportation. This chapter presents an overview of electric vehicles; their current status and also future opportunities, in addition to the challenges of integrating them into the SG. The impact of EVs on SG operation and Modeling EV mobility in energy service networks are also depicted in this chapter.
Chapter 7 describes the zero energy buildings (ZEBs) definition, design, modeling, control, and optimization. Furthermore, generalizing its concept into the SG community. This chapter discusses the benefits and barriers of the current state and the future trends of (ZEBs) as a step to reduce the energy consumption in the building sector.
The goal of Chapter 8 is to shed light on the SG features multi‐way communication among energy production, transmission, distribution, and usage facilities. The reliable, efficient, and intelligent management of complex power systems necessitates employment of high‐speed, reliable, and secure data information and communication technology into the SG to manage and control power production and usage is described in detail in Chapter 8.
Chapter 9 presents two main parts when studying the SG, SG infrastructure, and SG applications. SG infrastructure entails three main layers: power system, information, and communication layers and these are discussed in this chapter. Although the cyber system made the grid more energy‐efficient, it has introduced threats of cyber‐attack such as operational failures, loss of synchronization, damage of power components, and loss of system stability. Because of this, information security is a major element for information and communication infrastructure in the SG to improve the grid efficiency and reliability as well as considering privacy which is described in detail in Chapter 9.
Chapter 10 elaborates on the evolution and benefits of moving the energy grid to a SG. The main obstacle that faces this transfer is the difficult management of an unprecedented deluge of data. Unfortunately, utilities still do not make full use of this huge volume of data. To achieve high performance in SGs, several techniques and approaches must be used to manage all the data in order to generate viable values from this big data which can improve the utility's chances of reaping optimal long‐term returns from its SG investment as presented in detail in Chapter 10.
The SG principle transfers the future generation electricity network to a smarter and intelligent grid by enabling bi‐directional information and active participation from all parties connected to it. Coordination and communication between both sides, generation, and consumption is an important topic for research which is discussed in detail in Chapter 11. Driven by concerns regarding electric sustainability, energy security, and economic growth, it is essential to have a coordination mechanism based on heuristic rules to manage energy demand and enhance the survivability of the system when failures occur or at peak periods achieved by the principle of DMSs clearly defined in Chapter 11.
Chapter 12 presents the business model concept, its main components, and how they can be used to analyze the impact of SG technology to create, deliver, and capture value for the utility business. Then, the value chain for both the traditional and smart energy industry are discussed. After that, different electricity markets have been described. This is followed by a review of previously proposed SG business models with its future levers. Finally, the chapter highlights the potential of applying blockchain technology in the electricity market.
Chapter 13 sheds light on fully motivating the residential space in the SG which is still an unresolved problem. This chapter mentions the importance of offering power systems researchers and decision‐makers suitable knowledge about the fundamental drivers of consumer acceptance of the SG and the methods to be followed for their engagement in order to implement SG technology and make it feasible earlier.
Cloud computing is considered the next‐generation computing paradigm because of its advantages in network access, massive computation services, storage capacities, and various application opportunities including the SG. Chapter 14 defines the fundamental relationship between SG and cloud computing services. The architectural principles, characteristics of cloud‐computing services as well as the advantages and disadvantages of those characteristics for the SG are discussed. Furthermore, opportunities and challenges of using cloud computing in SG, and the major categories of data security challenges of cloud computing are also touched upon.
Chapter 15 discusses the latest taxonomy of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in SGs is discussed, including load and renewable energy forecasting, power optimization, electricity price forecasting, fault diagnosis, and cyber and physical layers security.
Chapter 16 discusses the current state of simulation‐based approaches including multi‐domain simulation, co‐simulation, and real‐time simulation, and hardware‐in‐the‐loop for the SG. Furthermore, some SG planning and analysis software are summarized with their advantages and disadvantages.
Many issues require to be handled before the SG becomes a major player of the main utility grid. One of the important issues with the SG is standards. These standards include the generation sources, the smart home appliances, and the EMS that need to communicate with each component of the SG to activate the energy trade between customers and producers. Chapter 17 presents an overview of SG standards; new standardization studies, SG policies of some countries, and some important standards for the SG.
Chapter 18 depicts the concepts of distributed generation, micro‐grid, smart‐grid, and distributed operation pose more complexity and challenges to the modern power systems. This chapter presents the challenges and barriers that modern smart‐grids face from different perspectives.
References
1 1 U.S. Energy Information Administration (2019). International Energy Outlook. https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/ieo (accessed 31 January 2021).
2 2 Alshahrani, A., Omer, S., Su, Y. et al. (2019). The technical challenges facing the integration of small‐scale and large‐scale PV systems into the grid: a critical review. Electronics 8 (12): 1–28.
3