Intelligent edge platforms, accelerating grid modernisation

In an exclusive interview with Patrick Morgan, Corporate Vice President of Automotive Electrification and Sustainable Energy at ADI, we learned how adding Intelligence at the Edge across the energy grid can enable grid modernisation and a more resilient grid.

Modernising the energy grid is a complex, large-scale endeavour, ranging from distributed energy resource management to grid digitisation, smart metering to the rise of prosumers, and much more.

Grid modernisation

In the coming decades, energy needs are forecast to increase as the global population continues to rise and as countries develop and their economies grow. During this transformation, accelerating the availability of clean, renewable energy is critical to meet this growing demand while addressing climate concerns.

As the world looks to a net zero future, technological advancements in electrification are helping address challenges associated with scaling renewables and enabling them to become viable alternatives to traditional fossil fuel sources of energy.

Furthermore, as the grid evolves, the distribution, storage and management of electrical energy are changing. There is a shift from centralised power stations to distributed renewable energy- characterised by smaller and widely spread power generators, usually coupled with energy storage capacity, which feed into the distribution grid. Decentralisation results in bidirectional energy flows, where end consumers become prosumers, necessitating the evolution of new energy markets. Done right, decentralisation can promote energy resilience and reduce transmission losses.

From a technology perspective, this distributed nature of energy assets like cars, homes, and manufacturing sites is giving rise to the Intelligent Edge where analogue sensing meets digitalisation. Simply put, we need intelligence at all the critical nodes: across every energy consumption, production, distribution, and reserve modality.

Watch the full video interview with Patrick Morgan below.

Data is the lifeblood of this new technology world. To create and capture value, technology developers like ADI must interact in new ways throughout the ecosystem. Our focus is to learn and co-create, as we develop complete subsystems at the Intelligent Edge with our partners. As we grow, we are bringing in new expertise, in areas that stretch beyond the typical approaches into areas like artificial intelligence, data science, virtualisation, battery chemistry, and more. Plus, we are advancing our IP strategy to include systems and standardisation to drive the industry. In taking a holistic view of Intelligence at the Edge and in designing with the total cost of ownership in mind, we are enabling the Intelligent Edge to stretch into the key area for value creation and growth.

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Why we need ‘intelligence everywhere’ to build the energy ecosystem of the future

There is no time to waste and with the signs of climate change all around us, a combination of innovative technology and legislation is helping us to electrify and ensure a brighter and healthier future for us all. At ADI, we look forward to engaging with the full electrification ecosystem to help realise its decarbonisation potential.

Regardless of complexities, ADI solutions aim to simplify the paradigm into Energy Conversion, Energy Management, and Energy Storage. It is our unique position in the ecosystem, across the industrial, energy, automotive and consumer markets, which provides us with a macro-to-micro perspective into the challenges and opportunities.  

Learn more:
The Future Is Electric (Sustainability Series #2) | Analog Devices