Smart Substations – As new substations are built or equipment is added to existing substations, we’re using the smartest technology available to enhance our monitoring and control capabilities while maintaining our proven reliability. James Suttles, Jr., a Georgia Power transmission team leader, is one of many transmission and distribution employees who upgrade our substation equipment.

Southern Company is a leader in realizing the benefits of a future smart grid today.

Customer Interaction – As our grid becomes interactive through the use of smart meters and other advanced technologies, our customers will have access to detailed usage and pricing information that will help them make informed energy-usage decisions. As customers modify their usage, saving money and reducing their environmental impact, Southern Company will see greater reductions in demand, mitigating the need for new generation.

Reliability – The list of smart grid technologies and applications being used on Southern Company’s grid is long. We’ve invested in smart grid technologies over the years to help maintain our strong reliability. Some of these technologies enable the grid to communicate potential problems and minimize many disturbances. Others have the ability to take corrective action, restoring service quickly to customers who are not directly affected. We also have technologies that provide system operators with the real-time information and diagnostic tools needed for rapid decision-making, allowing us to avoid outages or minimize their impact. As new technologies become available, we continue to expand the use of intelligent electronic devices on our system for monitoring, improved reliability, and optimum performance.

Efficiency – We continue to invest millions of dollars in efficiency measures designed to reduce peak energy loads and minimize the loss of energy as it travels across the grid, thereby reducing fuel requirements. Our future plans call for a host of technologies that will monitor and optimize power flow, as well as customer programs designed to promote voluntary usage reductions.

Environmental Initiatives – Our deployment of smart meters is eliminating the need for in-person meter reading and other service orders, thereby reducing vehicle emissions. So far, we’ve taken more than 7 million miles of vehicle travel off the road. And, we’re installing space-saving substation equipment in some of our newer substations, thus reducing the visual impact on the community. As technology advances, we expect to discover more ways to reduce our environmental impact through initiatives in generation, transmission, distribution, energy storage, and energy usage.

Systems Integration – We’re a year into developing the next generation of systems integration technology. The Integrated Distribution Management System is an application that integrates incoming information from multiple smart grid technologies and presents it to system operators in a single interface, enabling faster and better-informed decisions.

Security – Maintaining the reliability and security of our computers, control systems, and other cyber assets used to operate the electric grid is a top priority for Southern Company. We are constantly working to strengthen and improve the operation and security of those systems.