As the nation’s electrical system faces dramatic changes over the coming decades, experts at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) report how the industry is moving toward digital substations to keep up with expectations for grid reliability. The article also details how the organization supports substations.

Citing its “A Reliable Grid for an Electric Future” report, NEMA’s Brian Marchionini, managing technical director, mobility and grid, and Laura Schepis, executive director, regulatory and industry affairs, grid, share how electricity demand in the United States will grow two percent annually and 50 percent by 2050, driven by a 300 percent rise in energy consumption for data centers, and a 9,000 percent increase in energy consumption for e-mobility and charging.

To aid with enhanced monitoring and reliability, the industry is shifting to digital substations, which use real-time data, intelligent automation, and standardized communication protocols to monitor, control, and protect electrical networks. The result is “faster response to grid events, easier integration of new energy sources, and more effective management of fluctuating demand.”

Access more information from NEMA via its recent press release.