Edge computing refers to an arrangement where data processing occurs near the point of data creation as opposed to sending all the data to the centralized cloud server. As far as the distribution of electricity is concerned, it implies that the intelligence is present in the electric infrastructure including smart switchboards, substations, protection relays, and energy management systems.

Historically, the collection of the data from the electric system used to be sent to the control room where an operator had to interpret the data and decide whether to make some changes. This process worked fine as long as monitoring and reporting were involved but not during fault conditions.

The impact of edge computing is in its ability to enable local devices to process information and give an instant response. In contrast to the previous scenario that required instructions from a distant server, the edge device will be able to discover abnormal current, voltage instability, or overheating equipment instantly. Only the result will be sent to a higher-level system.

Consider it as the difference between getting permission each time before making a decision from a person living abroad and enabling the knowledgeable people working locally to make immediate decisions. Milliseconds are critical in electrical systems since they can decide whether the equipment is safe or broken.

Why Traditional Power Distribution Is No Longer Enough

The Australian electricity grid system was built on the idea that there would be centralized power generation for passive users.

This system of the electrical grid has changed dramatically since then.

Millions of houses across Australia generate electricity through their rooftops during daylight, while battery energy storage systems work based on the pricing of electricity. Energy management systems are installed in commercial buildings, and electric vehicles are connected to the power grid to recharge.

Apart from merely supplying power, distribution grids are now expected to manage various sources of energy that are working together.

For instance, a business organization can have:

• • Rooftop solar PV
• • Battery energy storage
• • Backup generators
• • Smart switchboards
• • Building management systems
• • EV charging stations
• • Intelligent lighting controls
• • HVAC automation
• • Revenue-grade energy meters
• • Power quality monitoring devices

All these systems produce operational data all the time.

An intelligent switchboard may keep track of:

• • Current on every feeder
• • Voltage across all phases
• • Power factor
• • Harmonic distortion
• • Neutral loading
• • Breaker operating status
• • Busbar temperature
• • Energy consumption
• • Equipment health
• • Alarm conditions

Multiply this number by hundreds or thousands of such locations in a distribution chain, and the size of data generated is massive.

Transmitting all these measurements to cloud computers is both costly and could cause unnecessary communication delays as well as bandwidth needs. More importantly, some of the decisions cannot be left until cloud processing.

Why Speed Matters in Electrical Systems

While other business software systems operate on non-real-time basis, the process of power distribution takes place in real time.

In case of any fault, the electrical components get just a few milliseconds to react before they get damaged.

Think of a short circuit occurring inside a switchboard.

It is a very fast process and occurs as follows:

1. 1. Fault current begins to rise.
2. 2. Protection devices detect abnormal conditions.
3. 3. Protective relays calculate fault characteristics.
4. 4. Circuit breakers receive trip commands.
5. 5. Fault current is interrupted.

The whole process takes place within less than one-tenth of a second.

If the protection system had to transmit its measurements to the cloud server for analysis and then receive a decision to open the breaker from there, the decision would definitely be too late.

Edge computing allows keeping all those decisions on the spot.

Protection relays, intelligent circuit breakers, and edge devices keep on monitoring electrical processes in real time and take instant decisions without any reliance on internet connection. Cloud technology still remains relevant in terms of archiving historical data, reporting, predictive maintenance, and remote access, yet time-sensitive protection always takes place in the edge.

How Edge Computing Works in Power Distribution

A smart grid for power distribution is comprised of several levels of intelligent devices acting collectively.

The bottom layer includes sensors located across the electric network. The intelligent devices monitor current, voltage, frequency, temperature, power quality, state of breakers, and other parameters.

The sensed data from the sensors is received by the local intelligent devices like:

• • Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs)
• • Protection relays
• • Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs)
• • Edge gateways
• • Industrial computers
• • Smart switchboard controllers

The measurements are not all forwarded to the cloud. The following analysis is done locally by such devices:

• • Current imbalance between phases
• • Harmonic distortion trends
• • Busbar temperature increases
• • Breaker operating frequency
• • Voltage fluctuations
• • Power demand peaks

In case there is nothing wrong, the device sends periodic summaries to the cloud platform.

But in case of an anomaly, the device will do the following immediately:

• • Generate an alarm
• • Initiate load shedding
• • Isolate faulty equipment
• • Start backup generation
• • Optimise battery operation
• • Notify maintenance personnel

Such a method dramatically cuts down communication load but allows important operational decisions to be made instantaneously.

The Three Layers of Edge Intelligence

Edge computing does not involve a single device. Contemporary electrical systems have intelligence distributed through various levels.

Device Edge

The first level is contained within individual devices.

Some examples are:

• • Intelligent circuit breakers
• • Protection relays
• • Smart energy meters
• • Variable speed drives
• • Solar inverters
• • Battery management systems

Each of these devices individually monitors its own condition and acts independently as required.

For example, a protective relay may be able to identify that there is an overcurrent situation and actuate a circuit breaker without any external intervention.

Switchboard Edge

The second level is present in intelligent switchboards.

As modern low voltage switchboards are beginning to use embedded controllers that are able to process data coming in from different feeds, in addition to distributing electricity, these switchboards are now also able to monitor the condition of the equipment, optimise energy usage, manage backup power systems, control peak load, and perform predictive maintenance activities.

Substation Edge

In terms of the highest levels of operation, substations utilize state-of-the-art edge computing technologies that are able to coordinate entire distribution feeders:

• • Voltage regulation
• • Feeder automation
• • Fault isolation
• • Renewable energy integration
• • Dynamic load balancing
• • Distributed energy resource coordination

This allows for automatic reaction to any changes in the network without waiting for instructions from control rooms.

Smart Switchboards Are Becoming Intelligent Control Centres

Historical switchboards were mainly created to deliver the electrical power effectively to different parts of a building or industrial plant.

The current smart switchboards play a much wider range of roles.

In addition to being a home for protective devices and busbars, the contemporary intelligent switchboards tend to integrate advanced monitoring, communications, and control systems.

Instead of simple measurement of electrical parameters, these systems are able to analyze the performance of the system.

For instance, a smart switchboard is capable of determining that a certain feeder suffers from increasing harmonic distortion during several months along with overheating of the circuit breaker connected to it.

This foresight ability means that maintenance of the plant can be done during planned downtime rather than reacting to unanticipated downtime.

In addition, the same switchboard is capable of handling power produced by solar panels installed on the roof of the facility, energy storage from batteries, generator operations, and load management. During times when the cost of electricity is high, it will ensure battery discharge and manage load automatically without the need for cloud computing.

Such abilities have revolutionized switchboards into smart systems that have become an integral part of current electrical systems.