Intelligent power systems to ease supply shortage in PH

While the Philippine government and the private sector are both doing their best to generate more supply to prevent a power crisis from happening, intelligent power systems, which would help users to monitor and control their energy consumption, can be one of the solutions to ease the burden.

“Though the government has attempted to build power plants and to instigate a rotation of power outages to address the energy situation, the only way to truly improve it is to change the way we handle electricity at an institutional level,” Energy management expert Schneider Electric Philippines said.

“Most buildings use electric systems that merely count the number of kilowatt hours and leave it at that. What’s necessary is a system that can manage power usage in a way that people can understand and control,” it added.

Schneider Philippines believes that intelligent power systems will be crucial to the effort of curbing and maximizing power usage in the country.

“Many developed countries are making the switch to intelligent power systems, aiming to reduce their energy wastage and maximize their output at the same time. The smart grids offer many benefits to both the users and the power suppliers, making them an attractive option to anyone who wishes to make the most of their energy,” the company pointed out.

In the country, there is indeed a challenge to meet electricity needs in a cost-effective way, and to address the increasingly uneven supply and demand for energy.

By 2030, the Department of Energy predicts that the demand for power will triple, outstripping the available supply of energy, due to rising prices, climate change, and impacting population growth.

These are factors that cannot be controlled by regular means, but most people have the power over the way they use energy.

One example of an intelligent power system is the Schneider Philippines’ own Smart Grid, a flexible electric management system that adds communication and computer intelligence to a local electricity distribution network.

The Smart Grid enables the user to track and manage power usage, leading to ways to reduce energy wastage. Its system of flexible distribution and smart generation, which works in renewable energy, makes for efficient homes or enterprises.

The hardware also provides realtime pricing information, helping customers use electricity in reduced rates. Any operational issues that arise will be easily handled by the Smart Power Grid’s digitization of all the data it records to expedite the troubleshooting process.

Such a system would come in handy once the government begins its rolling brownouts across the Metro.

Schneider’s Smart Grid would facilitate the smooth, uninterrupted flow of electricity, capable of managing unexpected power outages and surges with ease.

This innovative power system also allows broad-scale charging and recharging for electric vehicles and other devices at any time, a function that most other electric meters and systems do not have.

Schneider Electric is a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries.