Infrastructure Adequacy Technology deployment
Technology deployment
The implementation of new digital devices, communications and control systems can help utilities improve their quality of service. Utilities are deploying advanced technologies to plan, manage, and control electricity delivery to enable safe and reliable two-way flow of electricity and information, support growing numbers of distributed energy resources, and support customers participating in electricity markets as power suppliers and demand managers. These devices include for example phasor measurement units (PMU) and specific technology to track and record outages, such as eReliability Tracker Software or supervisory control and data acquisition ( SCADA ) . For example, PMU technology can detect low-frequency oscillations that were missed by SCADA systems, allowing operators to act and prevent widespread disturbances.
To help the technical indicator management process, it is recommended that the utility collect and assess disaggregated interruption data, for example by voltage level and by cause, in order to better identify priorities for practices and network interventions. In the same way individual information on and verification of voltage quality upon user request is carried out at the initiative of the company. DSOs collect information on the number of customer’s voltage complaints, number of resolved voltage problems and publish these on a regular basis.
Utilities should have a protocol for self-supplied electric power quality control as do records of the findings, applying criteria at least as stringent as those set by the regulations. Records are kept of operation parameters measured in all power substations. Remote control systems are available to manage processes and internal parameters of power substation, alarm thresholds exist for corrective maintenance and operation adjustment. Automatic electrical power quality monitoring stations are available at the outlets of the power substations.