The seven key dimensions

Singapore SP Group's Smart Grid Index for 2020

March 26, 2021
Application of index to help utilities identify and learn best practices from each other to establish a smart energy low-carbon future.

SP Group, the owner and operator of the electricity and gas transmission and distribution (T&D) businesses in Singapore, developed and published the world's first Smart Grid Index (SGI) for utilities in 2018. The framework examines and uses seven key dimensions that are based on smart grid definitions by the European Union Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).

These key dimensions are as follows:

  1. Monitoring and control
  2. Data analytics
  3. Supply reliability
  4. Distributed energy resources (DER) integration
  5. Green energy
  6. Security
  7. Customer empowerment and satisfaction

These key dimensions measure and benchmark the grid smartness achieved by 85 utilities from 37 countries and markets. This annual benchmarking exercise for 2020 started in May and was completed in December 2020.

2020 Global Trends

Utilities around the world continue to emphasize and invest in grid smartness as confirmed by an average 6% improvement from 2019. The results for 2020 indicate that utilities are now focusing increasingly on the use of data analytics as they expand their smart meter coverage network and the adoption of analytical applications for asset health assessment and/or network planning in order to benefit from the data collected.

Generally, utilities are now taking action to strengthen their cybersecurity capabilities and physical infrastructure in the face of growing threats to their businesses and networks. Increasingly, more utilities are complying with national guidelines to keep their assets protected from cybersecurity threats.

With the growing urgency to address the drive to reduce carbon emissions, there is a need for huge investments in sustainable energy solutions. DER integration and green energy are the emerging trends seen among global utilities. This is especially true given that the cost of DERs has seen significant reduction over the past decade.

Utility Results for 2020

Utilities from all three regions, namely Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific, attained high scores for monitoring and control, a basic requirement for smart grid development. All the utilities that participated in the survey have implemented a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, with some 60% of utilities now having a distribution management system (DMS) and/or being in the process of installing an advanced DMS (ADMS).

Regional Performance

As a region, utilities in Europe have improved the most, notably in the areas of data analytics, integration of DERs, security, and green energy. This is probably attributed to the wider coverage of smart meters and an increase in compliance with national security guidelines. Furthermore, utilities are now experiencing a greater contribution from renewable energy sources, for example, wind and solar, supporting the rollout of electric vehicles (EVs) and the deployment of utility-scale battery energy storage systems. 

Utilities in North America continue to lead in smart grid development as a result of facing disruption in their electric industry earlier than in other regions. These utilities are now the global leaders in the area of data analytics, security, and DER integration.

Utilities in the Asia-Pacific region have made significant improvements in data analytics with an increase of 15% points, the largest jump in that category among the three regions. These utilities have also seen a growth in their smart meter coverage and more prevalent use of data analytics in monitoring asset health and network planning.

Summary

About the Author

Au Bok Soon

Au Bok Soon has been with SP Group (and its predecessor) for 36 years. He started as an engineer with the Extra High Voltage O&M Section. He was the managing director of Power Automation, a joint venture company between Singapore Power and Siemens, which supplies smart grid solutions to utilities in the AP region for 13 years. He is now an adviser in SP Engineering Council. He graduated from Bergische Universitaet in Wuppertal, Germany, as a Diplom Ingenieur and holds an MSc in electrical engineering from National University of Singapore.

About the Author

Chua Zheng Shawn

Chua Zheng Shawn graduated from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore with an MSc in information systems management and a BEng in electrical and electronics engineering (first class honors), respectively. During his undergraduate studies, he researched on power systems and renewable energy, attained the Dean's List, and was the best final year student from his cohort, being awarded the IEEE Power Engineering Chapter (Singapore) Gold Medal cum book prize upon graduation. He joined SP Group as an engineer in 2020 and is actively involved in the Smart Grid Index.

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