IT in Power Distribution
ENGINEERING STAFF COLLEGE OF INDIA
An Autonomous Organ of the Institution of Engineers (India)
NEED OF THE HOUR
 Distribution system forms the ultimate link in the
power system between the utility and end user.
Customer expectations also have gone up to
provide
Reliable and quality power
Timely redressal of complaints
Accurate metering and billing without errors
Facility & Flexibility of payment of bills from home
NEED OF THE HOUR
Many more in the wish list
This can be only possible if the human element
at work is replaced to a good extent by
automating the operations and use of
Information technology becomes indispensable
at this juncture
NEED OF THE HOUR
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What do we need to do to meet the
expectations
Replace still old, conventional, manual
systems being continued in most of discoms
With the growth of network and the number of
customers adopt newer technologies that
provide faster service
NEED OF THE HOUR
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Where human intervention is unable to cope
up, adopt automation using the available &
powerful IT tools
The end result should be that customers are
to be provided service levels like in other
sectors like banking, communications etc.
All these would improve the image of the
utility
AREAS OF FOCUS
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The focus areas of IT applications are
Quality and reliability of supply
Accurate of billing
Easy payment mechanisms
Better complaints handling
IT is used in energy audit,
Estimation of baseline losses &
Substation /Distribution automation
IT INITIATIVES
Aims at
 Improvement of efficiency by way of elimination
of delays, duplication, drudgery in paperwork
 Reduction in overall expenditure.
 Provides quick and efficient information systems
like on line billing, collection and on line report
generation..
 Very fast reconciliation between important
activities of metering, billing and collection.
 Web based servicing.
 To attain transparency and gain credibility.
 Customer satisfaction.
IT IMPLEMENTATION INITIATIVES
New Trends
 Automated Meter Reading
 Web Based Servicing
 Trouble Call Management System
 SCADA
 Consumer Analysis Tool (CAT)
IT IN SYSTEM PLANNING
IT in System Planning
 Load forecast is an important parameter for
system planning
 Requires accurate data of the system like
energy consumption for last 10 years, maximum
demand
 Methods of load forecast
 Trends: The trends for the growth in energy and
consumption are computed based on the past
data are
 To forecast the future demand / energy
IT IN SYSTEM PLANNING
 Econometric
Approach:
Focuses
on
identification of correlation between demand
and variables such as growth in GDP,
population and households in the forecast
 End-use Approach:
Focuses on uses of
electricity, takes into account specific
consumption of major appliances, degree of
saturation of each appliance per customer,
number of customer
Using the load forecast developed using
appropriate models, appropriate system
planning package is to be selected for running
the load flows
IT IN SYSTEM OPERATION
SCADA: Supervisory Control And Data
Acquisition
It is a system that enables an electric utility to
remotely monitor, coordinate and operate
distribution components in a real time from
remote location.
IT IN SYSTEM OPERATION
The basic components of SCADA system are
 Control center
 Controlled plant
 Communication system
 SCADA
platform uses a master slave
communication principle and controls the
remote end equipment through Remote
Terminal Unit
IT IN SYSTEM OPERATION
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RTU can perform several functions like data
acquisition, switching of circuit breakers /
capacitors, changing of taps etc. based on
the commands received from the control
centre.
IT IN SYSTEM OPERATION
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In the later versions of SCADA, RTUs are
being
replaced
with
IEDs
(Intelligent
Electronic Devices), which have the capability
of measuring, monitoring, control, protection
and communicating to the local operator or to
the remote host
(Ex: Numerical Relays)
IT IN SYSTEM OPERATION
We can build a Distribution Automation system
using the SCADA kernel which can
accomplish many functions such as:
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Substation Automation
Feeder monitoring and control
Load Management
Automated Meter reading
Trouble call management
Load Survey & Energy audit and so on
IT IN SYSTEM OPERATION
Feeder Monitoring and Control
 Trippings and breakdowns in general and in
rural areas in particular is a matter of serious
concern
which
causes
prolonged
interruptions and consumer unrest and the
same can be addressed through feeder
monitoring
 Automation of the feeder control can be taken
up using Auto reclosures near the breakers
and sectionalisers in the line
IT IN SYSTEM OPERATION
Feeder Monitoring and Control
 For any transient fault in the line, the auto
reclosure first trips and then closes after a set
time
 Sectionalisers help us in isolating the fault
during permanent faults and the supply can
be restored for the rest of the line
IT IN SYSTEM OPERATION
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Operation of SCADA requires a good
Communication system for which the options
available are
Public switched telephone networks
Power line carrier communication
Radio frequency (RF) point-to point/ point-tomultipoint communications
IT IN SYSTEM OPERATION
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Optical fibers
VSAT
Ethernet
Choose a judicious system considering the
functionality and costs
IT in Metering System
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Metering technologies have evolved over a
period of time starting from electromechanical
meters to static meters and later on to the smart
meters
The capabilities of meters range from simple
recording of energy to communication of
recorded energy to either a data collecting
device or a billing computer through an
appropriate communication system.
Smart meters not only record energy, display
the price signals given by the utility but can also
run the appliances in the home as per the
programme given by the user to optimise the
costs.
Static (Electronic) Energy Meters
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The static energy meters are micro processor
based. The programmability of micro processor
is useful to incorporate different features like
tamper data, import-export, time-of day
metering, load pattern analysis, remote meter
reading.
Tamper Data: Data pertaining to tamper such
as missing potential, CT polarity reversal,
phase sequence reversal can be detected.
Static Energy Meters
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(cont.)
Time of day metering: The meters have
built in real time clock to record energy usage
for different times of the day in different
registers in the meter.
Day is divided into different time zones, the
duration of each time zone is programmable
and the user can define their time zones as
per their requirement. The meter records the
energy consumed in each of the time zones
separately and exhibits accordingly. For all
HT &EHT consumers in TN & Kerala this is
done.
Static Energy Meters
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(cont.)
Load Survey Data :The meter has the
provision to store the billing and tamper data
for 35 days at specified logging interval. This
is useful to draw the load curves of KWH,
KVAH, KVA, which gives the load pattern of
the consumer
Import-export Metering: The meter can
measure the energy in both directions.
MRI (Meter Reading Instrument)
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MRI: This is used for data transfer from/to
meter to/from the system, for analysis of data
and billing.
The MRI can be preloaded with meter
numbers to be read and optionally the MRI
can also have a bar code reader, which will be
useful to identify the s.no. of the meter.
In case of HT services with load survey data,
MRI is very essential for transfer of data from
meter to computer
MRI can also be used for LT energy meters.
MRI (Meter Reading Instrument)
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Printer also can be attached and a bill can
be generated immediately upon reading the
meter.
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MRI shall contain the meter sno. And the
previous reading. The entire data can be off
loaded at the end of the day
Telemetering
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Transfer of metered data through a communication network is necessary, to have constant
monitoring
The meter shall be connected to a telephone
line at the consumer end via a modem.
At the system end also the computer is
connected to the telephone via a modem.
Whenever data is to be accessed by the
computer. the consumer telephone number to
be dialed and the modem connected to the
telephone will connect to the meter
Remote Metering
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All 11 kv feeders with predominantly agl.
Loads, major industrial loads and selected high
value consumers are equipped with data
loggers, which store data, which can be
retrieved locally through CMRI .
They have communication port RS232 and are
read remotely through dial up modems
This helps in conducting load survey, avoid
overloading of conductors and also in reduction
of losses.
Cases of tampered meters or meters not
recording properly and cases of pilferage can
be detected.
Automatic Meter Reading
Automatic Meter Reading is a technique to
transfer the Meter data / information to a remote
location via suitable communication media and
necessary hardware set up.
Electronic
Energy
Meter
Media
Interface
device
(Out station)
Data
Communication
Media
PSTN / GSM
Media
Interface
Device
(In station)
Host PC at
Meter Reading
Station with
compatible
software
AMR uses various Communication technologies
as PSTN / GSM
What is AMI
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AMI stands
for Advanced metering
Infrastructure where not only the meter is
read but many other functions such as
consumer demand management is also done
using suitable controller through secure and
suitable two way communication
SMART METERS
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Smart meter is an advanced electrical
metering device that records electricity
consumption at regular defined intervals,
communicates with utility servers on a real
time basis, provides remote connect and
disconnect facilities and captures significant
events ie., power outage notification, demand
side management and power quality
monitoring
Smart meters can also run the smart
appliances as per the preset programme
SMART METERS
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Smart meters are equipped with AMI features
like LAN, HAN, automatic switching, demand
response as well as theft monitoring and
control.
The most important features of a smart meter
is a 2 way interface between the meter and
utility.
This ensures the continuous monitoring and
gives alerts in case the meter is subjected to
any tampering
AMI Process
Meter communicates with Meter Data
Management System ( MDMS) on one side and
the Home Area Network (HAN)
Zig bee communication
Meter
compliant to
AMI (
Smart
meter)
Meter Data
Management
System
Home Area network
IT to Reduce AT&C Losses
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IT is an important tool to analyze the total
input into the system by collecting the meter
reading data from all the boundary metering
points
The billed units and billed demand are
collected from the server. The collected
amounts are also gathered from the server.
The difference of the collected amount
against the billing demand represents the
AT&C losses
ENERGY LOSSES IN THE POWER
DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
Technical Losses
11 kV line losses.
Distribution transformer
losses (iron and copper
losses)
LT line losses.
Losses due to loose jumper
connections.
Short circuit and earth fault
losses.
Losses in service mains
and energy meters.
Commercial Losses
Theft by direct tapping.
Theft by tampering meters,
CTs and PTs.
Non-performing meters.
Under-performing meters.
Meters not read.
Mistakes in billing, etc.
DETERMINATION OF TECHNICAL
LOSSES ON THE 11 KV FEEDER
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Technical losses on the 11 kV feeder are
assessed by conducting load flow analysis of
the individual 11 kV feeders including
distribution transformer and LT distribution
losses.
Steady state model of the network is used to
find technical losses
DETERMINATION OF TECHNICAL
LOSSES ON THE 11 KV FEEDER
The loads are considered to be of constant
impedance.
 Load Factor of a transformer is evaluated by
computing the energy input to the transformer
and the peak load on the transformer and the
hours for which the transformer is in service
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ENERGY LOSSES IN THE
POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
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Loss Load Factor is computed by using the formula
LLF = 0.3 (LF) + 0.7 (LF)²
Commercial losses are assessed by deducting
technical losses from the total losses of the feeder, i.e.
the difference between energy sent out and the energy
sold.
Commercial loss
in the feeder = Energy loss – Technical loss.
DETERMINING COMMERCIAL
LOSSES
The following activities are undertaken to record
these losses:
The meter reading schedules of meter readers
are revised and made coterminous with
distribution transformers.
The distribution transformer meter is also read
and comparison is made between distribution
transformer meter reading and sum total of
consumption recorded in all other consumer
meters
coming
under
that
distribution
transformer. The difference is noted. If the losses
are found to be high, action is initiated to trace
the installation causing losses.
Actions Recommended for
Reducing Technical Losses
Reconfiguration;
 Reconductoring;
 Employing Shunt Capacitors;
 Conversion from Single Circuit to Double
Circuit;
 Setting up of more substations;
 Changeover from Low Voltage Distribution
System (LVDS) to High Voltage distribution
System (HVDS).
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Actions Recommended for
Reducing Commercial Losses
Changeover to static meters with tamper
proof data and remote metering facility;
 Replacing all burnt, stuck up, non-performing
and underperforming meters;
 Calibrating the existing meters;
 Flying squads and Special task force for
detection of pilferage of energy;
 AMR for online energy recording.
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IT in Energy Accounting and
Energy Audit
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Energy accounting and energy audit is an
important tool for the utility, which provides
the means to identify the areas of leakage,
wastage or inefficient use of energy
It helps in identifying measures suitable for
reduction of T&D losses and can lead to
significant cost and energy savings
ENERGY AUDITING IN A POWER
UTILITY INVOLVES
Identifying energy losses and quantifying
them;
 Segregating the losses into technical and
commercial losses;
 Estimating the energy conservation potential
of a system; and
 Proposing economically viable and attractive
solutions.
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PROCEDURE FOR CONDUCTING
AN ENERGY AUDIT
1. Gathering and collecting information in a
specially
designed,
“Energy
Systems
Questionnaire” format, for the Utility under study,
2. Inter-and – intra-utility comparison of the
collected data.
3. Assessment of present efficiency index for
energy consumption in the utility/transformation.
4. In-depth study of utility operation, equipment
and system for a general review of the energy
systems to assess the operational efficiency
and potential for economising.
PROCEDURE FOR CONDUCTING
AN ENERGY AUDIT
5. Evaluation of the detailed recommendations
for energy conservation,
6. Formulation of detailed action plans /
strategies in consultation with plant
management for implementation of the
identified energy saving measures.
7. Training operating personnel in the specifics
of energy conservation to enable them to
implement the recommendations and also to
monitor the progress on a periodic basis.
Successful Projects
All the utilities of AP have implemented the
following IT applications, which are working
satisfactorily providing better customer service
 Web based applications for bill enquiry and bill
payment to provide ease of payments
 Centralized trouble call centre for fuse off call
complaints
 Spot billing using Hand held computers
 Consumer analysis tool to identify high risk class
of customers
 Monitoring and tracking system for pilferage of
energy cases.
 Transformer information and management system
Successful Projects
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MSEDCL implementing photo metering for
metering of the LT consumers.
Photo Metering: Data entry software
embedded in the digital camera. Image of the
meter is uploaded to the computer which also
captures the meter reading and then the bill is
generated.
Photographs are processed through software
and converted into an MSEDCL defined format
The company reports 40% increase in
consumption after introduction of this method.
THE FINAL WORD
It is left to your ingenuity to look for more IT
applications to improve the Distribution
system efficiency at large to make the power
sector
A REALLY POWERFUL SECTOR
THANK YOU