Overview of Traditional and Evolving Electricity Grids (ELEE10030)
3 views 0 purchase
Course
Electrical Engineering (ELEE10030)
Institution
The University Of Edinburgh (ED)
Provides an overview of traditional and evolving electricity grids. Initial concepts are introduced and motivation is provided. Further documents in the course series break down each topic further.
The Distributed Energy Resources and Smart Grids course is aimed at electrical or mechanical engin...
Overview of Traditional and Evolving Electricity Grids
Distributed Energy Resources and Smart Grids 4 (DERSG)
Document Comments
This document provides a summary of traditional and evolving electricity grids. Subsequent course
documents will provide increased depth and analysis of the listed topics in section 2. Each document
will contain recommended literature references and where applicable, useful conclusions obtained from
literature which is provided as extra content.
The material is summarised course notes from ‘Distributed Energy Resources and Smart Grids 4’,
completed at The University of Edinburgh. Full credit goes to Dr Michael Merlin for delivering an
extremely engaging and relevant course. This course is a SCFQ level 10 course (year 4 undergraduate)
and accounts for 20 credits.
The course is relevant to students with interests within electrical and mechanical engineering, with a
focus on power systems and energy networks. If you have any questions concerning the content within
this course series, please contact me. I wish you all the best in your studies!
1: Traditional Electricity Grids
1.1: History and Motivation
The electricity grid has evolved continually from the late 1800’s to meet rising customer demands.
Some of the first power stations are summarised below:
1. 1879: Dolgeville Dynamo. One of the first hydro power plants which supplied power to local
mills using a DC dynamo.
a. https://edisontechcenter.org/Dolgeville.html
2. 1881: Niagara Falls AC to DC conversion. Small DC dynamo supplying lighting loads. This
was later converted to AC.
a. https://teslaresearch.jimdofree.com/niagara-falls-power-project-1888/
For reference, a DC dynamo is simply an older term to describe a generator that produces DC power.
DC power is only sent in one direction and creates DC current using a commutator. Nowadays, a simpler
alternator is used for large scale power generation as it is more efficient and reliable.
The first grids were constructed at a similar period, as summarised below:
1. 1882: Edison illuminating company (DC). A DC cogeneration plant by distributing steam.
2. 1886: Great Barrington (AC). Full AC power distribution system at 500V using transformers,
Siemens generator and Edison’s incandescent lights.
3. 1891: Greater London (AC). Remote AC power station at 11kV supplying central London.
The first transmissions were also constructed at a similar period, as summarised below:
1. 1882: Miescbach, Germany (DC): Large DC transmission at 1.4kV over 57km. This was only
for industrial clients.
2. 1884: Lanzo Torinese to Torino (AC). Uses Gaulard and Gibbs transformer to transmit 2kV
over 40km on an experimental line.
3. 1889: Lauffen-Frankfurt Germany (AC). Another experimental line which was 175km long at
40Hz. Voltage was initially 8kV but lowered to 55V for a power efficiency of 75%. This line
cemented 3-phase systems for future applications.
From these initial developments, it was concluded that DC systems have limited range. AC systems
were preferred as they use transformers to boost voltage for low-loss transmission which is then reduced
1
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller EngineeringNotes123. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $0.00. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
