Smart Grid |

Smart Grid Semiconductor Solutions

Electric grid systems are the largest technical constructions in the world – but years behind compared with the innovations seen in other technical fields. The drive for an environmentally friendly, low-CO 2 world, higher quality requirements of modern industries and the rapid increase in energy consumption in emerging countries raise the need for new electrical smart grid solutions.

The following three goals need to be reached with new smart grid systems:

• - Reducing CO 2 emissions
• - Balancing supply and demand of electricity
• - Creating grid stability and security
  
  

To address all these topics, smart grids are necessary. A smart grid is an upgrade of our existing electrical grids with distributed local intelligence, security, efficiency and upgraded control capabilities. It provides solutions on how to transform our hierarchical electrical grid system into a de-centralized one.

Three Goals for the Future with smart grid semiconductor technologies

Smart infrastructures are becoming compelling as people’s habits have changed significantly over the last 20 years: More than half of the world’s population lives in cities today. The number of cities counting more than 1 million inhabitants almost doubled from 1990 to 2012 1 and is still growing. 20 years ago the average energy consumed in homes was mainly used for “primary needs”, such as lighting, heating and cooking, whereas today an increasing amount of energy is consumed by appliances such as multimedia, communication and IT equipment. Those changes require radical rethinking of the way we utilize energy and imply a fast transition to smart cities – where energy for mobility, lighting and for citizens is properly and securely managed – and to smart homes which allow minimizing non necessary power such as power supply losses and standby power, and which enable renewable energies integration and demand/supply balancing.