Analytics and real-time data play a prominent role in today's utility grid, each opening opportunities for both large investor owned utilities as well as smaller municipal and co-op utilities to better operate their networks. Maneuvering through layers of complicated architecture and vast amount of data is a challenge for utilities that are looking to both retrofit an outdated, underinvested distribution network while modernizing it for the adaptation of new energy resources. We are talking with Erik Christian, vice president, smart grid of Aclara, about using analytics to bridge that gap.
EET&D : What are the biggest challenges utilities face today with respect to the distribution network?
Christian : While the distribution network is geographically the largest section of infrastructure within most utility grids, it is often a piece that continually goes without investment. With the 21st century needs for electricity continuing to rise, these aging pieces of infrastructure need updating. The increased penetration of renewable energy, such as wind and solar, also creates stress the distribution network must overcome. As we look to the future, a lack of investment in distribution infrastructure could mean more power outages and challenges for utilities and consumers.
EET&D : What has changed for the distribution system, why so much focus on it today?
Christian : Traditionally, energy was generated and distributed to customers in a predictable way. Today’s grid is dynamic. The addition of renewable energy and self-healing systems means the grid of tomorrow needs to adapt to a quickly changing environment. The first step in that evolution is visibility into what’s actually happening on the grid, which requires utilities to invest in systems that provide data on grid health.
EET&D : What role does data play in regards to modernizing the distribution network?
Christian : Collecting data from within the distribution network allows the utility to proactively monitor the health of its network. As the grid evolves, raw data isn’t enough to make informed decisions about the status of the grid. To obtain true situational awareness, utilities need to use analytics that make data actionable. Business intelligence from advanced analytics improves the efficiency and reliability of power distribution to customers. Using smart-grid sensors and analytic software to monitor critical infrastructure assets allows utilities to change their maintenance schedules from calendar-based to condition-based. This ultimately minimizes cost and increases the reliability of running the grid.
EET&D : What tools have traditionally been available to monitor the distribution network?
Christian : The issue utilities faced in sourcing monitoring solutions over the last few decades is that legacy monitoring equipment was designed for specific applications. Typically, these older generations of technology were unable to configure and mold to specific networks’ challenges and demands.
Operators used FCI’s for fault identification, load loggers or chart recorders for substation monitoring and power quality analyzers for troubleshooting. These devices are often static and non-communicating, so people have to collect and analyze data from them, increasing operating expenses. Yet, despite utilities using valuable OpEx to collect the data, it is usually outdated when it gets into the hands of decision makers.
EET&D : In today’s grid, are these solutions adequate to properly monitor the network?
Christian : Today’s grid requires real-time monitoring and analytics that can condense a large amount of data into bite-size, actionable pieces of intelligence. Adaptive technology that addresses multiple applications with a single platform provides the best business case for utilities. Systems that marry advanced distribution monitoring, gather intelligence from residential and commercial meters and identify precursors to fault events best serve the needs of their utility customers today.
EET&D : What role do smart grid sensors and analytics play in gaining network visibility? Are there areas of the grid that are unmonitored today?
Christian : To immediately improve the reliability and efficiency of the grid, utilities need to quickly and safely retrofit their networks with advanced monitoring solutions. The most effective way to do this is to use smart grid sensors and analytics software for critical applications, such as fault location, asset management and active monitoring of renewable energy. As the complexity of the grid continues to grow, it will create additional applications for advanced monitoring solutions.
The strongest application still requires an adequate business case for utilities to invest. In the past, the cost of traditional monitoring equipment was often prohibitively high, limiting the amount of monitoring a utility could afford. For example, substation monitoring has conventionally required substantial investment for electric utilities. The long-established way to outfit a distribution substation for monitoring required current transformers, potential transformers, remote terminal units, communications, months of engineering studies, and ultimately an outage to install all of the equipment. Once requiring a major financial investment, the addition of smart grid sensors allows utilities to implement a single monitoring platform and integrate it seamlessly with SCADA systems, providing critical situational awareness at a fraction of the cost of the old way of doing things.
EET&D : For utilities who are thinking about implementing advanced monitoring solutions, what are key areas they should consider?
Christian : The dynamic nature of the 21st century grid will mandate monitoring solutions to be reliable and configurable to adapt to new challenges. Sensors with batteries mean utilities have to spend valuable operating dollars and crew cycles replacing batteries when they no longer work. Sensors must also be software defined and over-the-air upgradeable. Analytics software is the key to maintaining a modern grid, but the solution architecture must be scalable to make a large impact.
EET&D : What do you think the future of distribution grid monitoring will look like in the next few years?
Christian : As technology evolves and we continue to move generation closer to the customer, the distribution grid will face new challenges. Large Investor Owned Utilities (I.O.U.) and smaller municipal and co-op utilities will all need better information to safely and reliably operate their network. The future of the distribution grid is leveraging analytics from advanced monitoring solutions to attack and fix problems before they ever occur, eliminating outages and equipment failures from ever happening. And while that sounds like science fiction, we’re already capturing precursors that signify faults will occur. The more utilities invest in situational awareness and predicative analytics today, the closer we’ll be to living in a world where outages are a thing of the past.
EET&D : Thank you for taking the time to help us understand the challenges of distribution grid monitoring, It looks like the introduction of new, disruptive technologies will transform the ways that utilities make decisions in the future.
