From the GOELRO Plan to Digitalization of Russia’s Electric Power Complex

Owing to adoption of the GOELRO plan in 1920 and its stage-by-state implementation, it became possible to meet the country’s needs for intense development of its economy through providing the required amounts of electricity to all sectors of the national economy. Nowadays, the smart grid technologies open the possibility to carry out «digital updating» of the grids to obtain their better observability and controllability, smaller losses in them, and to ensure reliable operation of distributed and renewable power generating facilities, which have become new participants in the electricity market. The use of smart grid technologies opens the possibility to optimally integrate heterogeneous electric power sources, backbone and distribution networks, and also active consumers into a unified electric power complex for achieving the economic and environmental objectives. The article considers modern innovative and prospective technologies of smart grids and outlines historical parallels with the GOELRO plan, which determined the course for electrification of Russia.