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54 The PCB Magazine • October 2014 gration of distributed power generation into the grid and load balancing through the introduc- tion of parallel IT infrastructure as shown in Figure 1, the introduction of intelligence out on the periphery (i.e., at point of consumption) and distributed generation basically involves the creation of active crosspoints. These have to be capable of controlling power either in the form of supply or demand, thereby providing improved stabilization of the network from the periphery inward. For example, a point-of-use power manage- ment system has to communicate with other crosspoints, sense the local load, and provide additional demand side management through direct load control of devices such as hot water heaters, air conditioners, thermostats, and other appliances, as well as to reduce the overheads in- volved in switching electrical utilities providers (electrical service providers, or ESPs) where retail choice exists. Distributed intelligence in the form of smart meters (also known as remote terminal units or RTUs) also enable ESPs to reduce operat- ing costs and enhance their responsiveness with such capabilities as outage detection and remote connect/disconnect functionality. Smart meters make it easier for ESPs to offer net metering and feed-in tariffs for customers who own generation such as rooftop solar, where policies exist to pro- mote the adoption of such systems. Sensors along the transmission and distribu- tion system allow grid operators to know the condition of the grid at any given location, and advanced meters and load control devices as well as appliances that can respond to signals from the grid-based on load conditions require current sensing and control. Therefore, at the edges of the grid, demand side management will be in the form of a pow- er control computer with autonomous com- munication capabilities either via wireless or broadband-over-powerline. This means that control logic will meet mains voltages through metering/consumption monitoring and load regulation. These applications confront the designer with problems which usually are partitioned into separate subsystems: digital logic, communications, and mains voltage (240VAC)/medium current (20–90A) sensing/ switching. The Opportunity To be effective, the smart grid needs to in- volve every point of generation/load. And on the load side it has to approach consumer elec- tronics price points to bring it within reach of the greatest number of users. Although timing of the rollout of smart grid infrastructure will vary from region to region depending on satu- ration and the regulatory environment, BPA ex- pects worldwide shipments of smart meters will peak in 2018 at some 125 million units annu- ally, declining to 110 million by 2022, as shown in Figure 2. THE SMART GRID OPPORTUNITY continues figure 1: Power grid evolution. (source: smartgrids austria)