On 5TH June 2013 in Warsaw at the Marriott, international conference "III Smart Communications & Technology Forum" was held. The conference was attended by nearly two hundred experts from institutions, companies, organizations and associations concerned with a broad range of smart grids. It turns out that the definition of Smart Grid poses many problems itself (despite the fact that it put a smile on the specialists faces). Determine the purpose of implementation of intelligent solutions is also not easy to do , especially when these purposes change during the projects implementation. In which direction should follow the smart technologies in our countryæ At the moment we do not even know a concept of the new energy market, so how the action plan which takes into account the financing and value-added of SG development in Poland can be createdæ

Smart Grid is not the same as Smart Metering
Jacek Kozbial, an expert representing the Strategic Partner Forum – Mikronika company, Director of Affairs Electricity Measurement Systems, have pointed that smart grids are often associated only with meters and remote reading. The same thoughts has Michal Ajchel, Vice-President Infrastructure Business, Schneider Electric, said during his presentation that it is only the "tip of the iceberg". Kozbial drew attention to the title of the conference, especially the word "communication", which attracted Mikronika two years ago, during the first edition of the event.

To paraphrase an expert: we need smart devices, which then are systematically combine in smart grids according to the engineering development, but only inteligent communication ensure the succes - that is the action itself , accompanied by data processing, analysis, and the ability to self-repair. Smart Communications should be a bridge between the physical network, the core of IT and the applications.

The similar view has Jacek Piotrowski, Utilities Industry Expert, EMEA Solutioning Team, Hewlett-Packard Company – which was another Strategic Partner of Forum. Piotrowski appealed to the participants, that if improving meter reading and using invoices of actual consumption instead forecasts suppose to be a target of implementation of the smart grid in Poland, than this investment from a business point of view is simply unprofitable. This type of goal is worth achieving only during acheving another, more concrete goal which will ensure the profitability of the implemented project. In Piotrowskis opinion, through the development of Smart Grid, not only reading and energy efficiency improvement can be achieved (more important than just a more convenience reading), but also energy security may be increased by reducing peak loads. Preventing potential blackouts, of which huge financial impact is difficult to estimate, seems to be an important purpose.

Michal Ajchel stressed that the inclusion or exclusion of any energy source change the parameters of the network, including short circuit parameters. To increase network stability (and energy security at the same time) related to energy derived from wind, water and sunshine, development of communication and software is essential - efficient informatic system seems to be the necessary support.

Issues related to blackouts, it is accidents involving a loss of voltage electricity networks in large areas, was carefully analyzed during the speech of Dr. Ing. Sergejs Rubcovs, Senior Engineer of Relay Protection Department, Augstsprieguma tikls from Latvia. The expert pointed out that the cost of the largest blackout in the United States was approximately $ 6,000,000,000. Professor Jerzy Zielinski reminded participants during his inaugural lecture that 80% of power interruptions happens due to failures in distribution networks. The expert noted that the opportunity to improve the reliability of power supply is precisely the development of smart grids – by network reconstruction and reorganization of the management systems in power sector. It is worth noting that due to the fact that construction of smart grid requires huge financial resources, the purpose of their creation in stages is most common one. Another view has Michael Ajchel, who pointed that project should not be divided into parts as one 'turnkey' project gives a better guarantee of achieving the expected results. The expert also said that it is essential to require the possibility of integrating a larger number of meters producers but it is recommended to use a single model in a single hub.

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