INNOVATIONS
VOLUME II
ACROSS THE GRID
PARTNERSHIPS TRANSFORMING THE POWER SECTOR
The Edison Foundation
INSTITUTE for
ELECTRIC INNOVATION
© 2014 by the Institute for Electric Innovation
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“The process of integrating
new resources, planning
and optimizing the grid
platform, and providing
customer solutions is
continuous, real-time,
and evolving.”
VIII
D I STRI B U T I O N G R ID O PT IMIZ AT IO N
SYSTEMS IN T E G R AT ION | P OIN T S O LU T I O NS | I NT E L L I GE NT P L AT F O R M
DTE Energy
Sensors for a Predictive Grid in the Motor City
Technology
Partner(s)
Project Highlights
„„
Tollgrade
Communications, Inc.
„„
„„
„„
„„
Chapter 2 – Distribution Grid Optimization
Implementation of 81 smart grid sensors and predictive grid analytics platform at 9 substations and 24
feeders within DTE Energy’s service area.
Low-cost sensor solution captures real-time fault current and waveform data.
Integrated into existing Tropos wireless network.
Disturbance signature analysis and predictive analytics
improve capital investment decision making, decrease
unplanned outages, and improve outage response.
Inductively powered sensors are lightweight and easy
to install with hot-stick.
137
Project Description
In order to improve system reliability by
Energy needed to find a battery-free and
increase situational awareness, to help
install and would not require circuits to be
predicting and preventing outages, to
safely restore power more quickly after
outages, and to inform capital investments
maintenance-free solution that was easy to
shut down during installation.
around aging assets, DTE Energy sought a
Finally, DTE Energy, like most North Amer-
ability data out of its distribution grid, par-
tions could be as expensive as building a
legacy circuits.
monitoring solution with built-in wireless
Wanting to move away from traditional Fault
planners and asset managers with the crit-
low-cost solution to get more real-time reli-
ican utilities, found retrofitting old substa-
ticularly on poorly performing and older
new substation. By finding a less expensive
Current Indicators (FCIs), it was important
to DTE to incorporate real-time fault data
with waveform capture that could be ana-
communications, the utility could provide
ical data they needed, without having to
rebuild substations.
lyzed to identify precursors to grid out-
In response to these needs, DTE Energy
Equally important was the impact of instal-
and the Predictive Grid® Analytics platform
ages and alert crews to line disturbances.
installed 81 Tollgrade Smart Grid Sensors
lation and maintenance requirements. DTE
at 9 key substations and 24 feeders within
Tollgrade LightHouse architecture.
138
Innovations Across The Grid
Integration of sensor data with multiple DTE Energy systems.
its distribution network.
The Tollgrade
from where it is pushed to DTE Energy’s data
including light weight; easy installation with
(GIS), and distribution management system
solution offered a number of advantages,
a hot-stick; inductive power from the monitored line (requiring no batteries or solar
panels); near-zero maintenance; an aver-
age 20 year lifespan; and easy integration
with DTE Energy’s existing Itron smart meter
historian, geographical information system
(DMS). By integrating these systems, DTE
Energy has achieved enhanced situational
awareness about grid conditions, fault prediction, and real-time diagnostics.
and ABB Tropos wireless mesh networks.
Currently, DTE Energy is completing the
When a storm hits, information from the
into its pre-existing wireless mesh network,
sensors can be used to improve crew safety
by showing the status of the load on the
portion of the grid they are working on. By
knowing what portions of the network are
de-energized, crews can more safely work
on the network. Once repairs are complete, crews get confirmation that power is
successfully restored.
integration of the LightHouse platform
provided by ABB Tropos, as part of its Itron
advanced metering infrastructure (AMI)
system. By using the predictive grid analyt-
ics capabilities of the LightHouse software,
DTE Energy can start identifying distur-
bance precursors to avoid outages. Cost
savings occur not only in reduced drive
times and crew overtime, but in other unex-
Tollgrade’s medium voltage sensors gather
pected ways as well. For example, instead
send it to the LightHouse Sensor Manage-
upgrades, now it takes only a few thousand
real-time data using DNP3 protocol and
of long lead times and costly substation
ment System (SMS) software for analysis
dollars to monitor a substation remotely.
Chapter 2 – Distribution Grid Optimization
139
Additionally, the ability to integrate LightHouse into the existing wireless RF mesh
network saves money by leveraging the
communications infrastructure that the
company had already deployed.
Before LightHouse, DTE Energy did not
have a good way to monitor its legacy
network in real time. Advanced asset visibility supports asset management and
operations strategy, helping DTE to make
more strategic decisions about how to
best allocate capital investment across
their network.
In June 2014, DTE Energy and Tollgrade
worked with the Clinton Global Initiative
to make a “Commitment of Action” that
pledges to bring comprehensive grid modernization in Detroit. The commitment,
entitled “Building a Predictive Grid for the
Motor City,” will show how other utilities
can take the same proactive measures DTE
Energy is standardizing, to decrease the
number of outages, decrease customer
minutes without power, improve crew
safety and save money.
Project Contact
Company Description
Hawk Asgeirsson
Manager, Power Systems Technologies
AsgeirssonH@DTEenergy.com
313.235.9371
DTE Energy is one of the nation’s
largest diversified energy companies. Headquartered in Detroit,
Michigan, DTE Energy is involved in
the development and management
of energy-related businesses and
services nationwide. Its operating
units include an electric utility serving
2.1 million customers in Southeastern Michigan and a natural gas utility
serving 1.2 million customers in Michigan. The DTE Energy portfolio also
includes non-utility energy businesses
focused on power and industrial projects and energy trading. Information
about DTE Energy is available at
dteenergy.com, twitter.com/dte_energy
and facebook.com/dteenergy.
140
Innovations Across The Grid
The Edison Foundation
INSTITUTE for
ELECTRIC INNOVATION
About the Institute for Electric Innovation
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