Extending Situational Awareness and Control to the Increasingly Dynamic Low Voltage Network

This blog was originally published on LinkedIn.

We often hear the expression “we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.” The same could be said of the low voltage (LV) network—the part of the electric distribution grid that carries energy from the distribution transformers to end customer meters. And this lack of visibility into distribution LV (secondary) networks could prove problematic in the increasingly dynamic energy environment.

In some regions, the LV system can be up to 10x larger in terms of assets than higher voltage networks. Meanwhile, the influx of new energy sources and devices, coupled with ever-increasing demands on this part of the grid, are changing its day-to-day usage—leaving distribution operators blind to dynamic supply and demand patterns and potential risks to reliability.

For the first time in the history of the electricity industry, there is the prospect of large amounts of data relating to the status of the grid at this level. LV networks are seeing a dramatic increase in telemetry and other data inputs from various sources. With the advent of smart meters, real-time sensors, and even mobile diagnostic SCADA telemetry devices, the amount of available information is growing exponentially. At the same time, opportunities to optimize are changing as the data influx offers greater analytical scope to drive change across operational practices to become more predictive and prescriptive.

Historically, LV networks have lacked visibility. Paper records, static GIS maps, and databases were available to local regional teams or to field crews, but seldom centralized for overall network insights. Yet, the ecosystem changes are straining this part of the grid that was not designed to cope with the variable power flows caused by low-carbon technologies. The rise of distributed energy resources (DERs), and the appearance of new loads such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, are forcing this historically stable part of the grid to change and evolve rapidly and dynamically.

So, distribution operators need a bigger, better picture of what’s happening in the LV grid to provide the best service to customers and to make the most of utility resources. With digitization distribution, operators no longer need to make assumptions about power flowing through the network or the quality of service customers receive. At the same time, network information needs to be available to field crews as they are working on the network, enabling real-time visibility as well as the ability to manage and execute their work directly from the field via smartphones, tablets and laptops.

Recognizing the changes and the related challenges, GE is actively working with customers globally to implement and continuously improve its technology to meet the emerging requirements in the LV environment.

In the face of increasing volume of new objects at the LV level (devices, residential PV, electrical vehicles, batteries/storage, etc.) and increasing outage volumes due to variability and aging infrastructure, GE’s Advanced Distribution Management Solutions (ADMS) solution offers situational awareness to:

• Increase visibility of the real-time operational state of LV networks for central and remote operators
• Enhance decentralization of LV control by automating dispatch of LV outages with no operator involvement
• Maintain quality of service to end-consumers while driving down costs
• Improve field mobility of utility personnel, as well as field crew safety, in the face of potential hazards from non-isolated power sources under fault conditions

With a digital solution, utilities gain insights into the real-time operation of the LV network. Continuous monitoring allows electric utilities to rapidly detect power outages and power disturbances, facilitating quick restoration and minimizing interruption time for consumers. With the addition of analytics, utilities can move forward in the journey to more predictive states and help minimize the number of outages. Further, with ADMS enabling collaborative control, what can’t be automated via centralized processes can be better handled by remote or distributed teams.

GE’s LV management solution also extends modeling capabilities. With the right tools, operators can use the new deluge of information to better manage network resiliency and plan for the future. Enabling active demand and flexible integration with a fully controllable LV distribution grid, facilitates identification of where and under what conditions the network needs reinforcement to operate effectively under new load demands.

With medium- and low-voltage sections of the grid only increasing in complexity, it’s time to go beyond the tip of the iceberg and see the LV network with fresh eyes.