IBM has announced its Energy and Utilities Solutions Lab in Beijing, where IBM will bring together advanced analytics skills, industry-specific offerings and best practices to make energy and utility networks safer, more efficient and smarter.

The E&U Solutions Lab, IBM's first worldwide, will focus on developing industry-specific solutions based on the needs of the E&U industry. Located in the IBM China Development Labs, the E&U Solutions Lab will consist of a dedicated team of developers, IT architects and subject matter experts, who will work with business partners and utilities, as well as with experts in IBM Research Labs and Development Labs in China and beyond.

IBM also announced a range of new and enhanced energy industry-specific solutions--initial results of the E&U Lab's development efforts--that enable utility companies to improve energy delivery and optimize performance by offering network automation and efficiency.

The new E&U Solutions Lab is part of IBM's strategy to address the burgeoning demand of smart grid initiatives in China. China's energy demand is expected to grow at about 5.5 percent per year through the year 2020. Since the global financial crisis called for improvement in energy delivery, development of clean energy and international cooperation, China has allocated $7.3 billion to energy system reform.* Designed to improve energy efficiency and to expedite development of clean energy, this reform calls for the improvement of existing grid networks and the delivery of new and renewable energy such as wind and solar.

"As part of our growth strategy, we strive to become a key part of China's energy and utilities ecosystem, working with the Chinese government, utility companies, solution providers and business partners," said Dr. Matt Wang, vice president, China Development Labs for IBM. "Our strategic collaboration with China to develop utility solutions that meet the unique energy demands in China will benefit the industry not only here but also countries around the world."

State Grid implements an intelligent platform for business data analysis

Development of distribution network solutions is a key area for the E&U Solutions Lab. IBM has begun work with the China Electric Power Research Institute (CEPRI), a subsidiary of State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) to develop an optimized distribution network planning platform to support decision-making for energy savings, loss reduction and network reliability improvement. The platform is currently being used by a power company under SGCC as a pilot scheme.

As part of SGCC's smart power grid program, an intelligent IT platform is being implemented to conduct analysis of possible factors causing excessive energy consumption. The new platform, developed on IBM's WebSphere ILOG Business Rule Management System (BRMS) and ILOG Optimization Decision Manager (ODM) and optimization methodology, will enable the SGCC to realize distribution network upgrades by optimizing loss reduction work, designing a strategy and proposing the most effective decisions to help reduce energy consumption and transmission loss.

SGCC, which supplies power to 25 provinces in China, embarked on a decade-long smart power grid program last year to increase operational flexibility and transmission efficiency, improve allocation of power resources and incorporate renewable power sources.

New and enhanced solutions to address industry requirements

Other development projects in the E&U Solutions Lab include:

• Wide Area Grid Monitor and Alert (WAGMA)--developed on IBM WebSphere MQ Low Latency Messaging and IBM DB2 software products, helps improve the safe and stable operation for wide area power grid. With the solution, IBM applies the key technology including ultra-low latency communication, high performance computing and advanced storage capabilities to support real-time monitoring, analysis, forecasting and optimal power dispatch. WAGMA addresses the technical challenges of wide area power grid monitoring and operation.
• Renewable Energy (Wind & Solar) Monitoring and Power Grid Integration--helps monitor and control distributed wind and solar energy in a centralized way, as utilities are facing the challenge of unstable supply of wind and solar energy. This solution, developed on IBM software products including ILOG, Cognos and WebSphere ESB, can help forecast the power output, through weather forecasting and data analytics as well as the wind farm centralized operational system. This allows better integration for utilities -- for example, in the event of a change in wind energy output, the power grid company can adjust how much wind energy should be used.
• Intelligent Plant Lifecycle Management for Nuclear Energy--improves efficiency during the whole lifecycle of a nuclear plant, from the construction phase to the operational phase. During the construction phase, the solution makes program management more efficient, bringing improved security, cost savings and schedule control. During the operational phase, it improves knowledge sharing among staff and ensures reliable asset management. The solution was developed on IBM Tivoli Maximo Asset Management, Enterprise Content Management including FileNet, WebSphere ESB and Cognos.

About IBM

IBM is working with clients in approximately 60 Smart Grid engagements across emerging and mature markets. For more information about IBM's smart grid initiatives, go to http://www.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/27725.wss and http://www.ibm.com/energy

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* ZPryme Research & Consulting