Page 38 - Energize January 2021

TECHNICAL

restoration efforts, and decreasing gathered from customers’ load profiles could be used to identify, detect and predict
customer frustration. Some utilities have behaviour irregularities or abnormalities which ultimately may be due to faulty metering or
incorporated the meter ping functionality human intervention and fraud. Potential theft or technical losses can also be identified by
into their customer applications so the comparing smart meter data with measurements from sensors attached to transformers.
customer can ping their own meter, giving
customers a self-service option. Improving safety
In addition to improving worker safety by scheduling equipment maintenance during
Network change detection daylight hours, utilities can reduce the hazards to field crews (and the public) using AMI
AMI would be instrumental in helping to data to identify hazards such as unregistered customer generation and downed
monitor and understand the impact of conductors. For unauthorized interconnections, AMI data will show reverse flow to the
customer-owned resources, such as meter or increasing voltages on the transformer which is not mapped to a known
rooftop solar systems, on overall system customer-owned system.
operations. With growing penetrations of Downed conductors, which pose a particular public safety hazard due to the potential
these resources, knowing system voltages for severe electric shock, could also be identified through AMI data. This is done by using
at the premise-level is critical for voltage data coupled with complex signature analysis. In addition, some utilities hope to
determining when voltage violations are use AMI data to identify faulty or failing oil-filled equipment like transformers which could
occurring, the cause of the violation, and pose a safety risk to repair crews.
what actions might be necessary to
mitigate those impacts. AMI data is also Customer benefits
used in hosting capacity studies as a See table 2. n
valuable part of the load flow analysis, to
help utilities determine allowable DER References
capacity and to forecast how much DER 1. US DoE: “Leveraging AMI networks and data”, April 2019,
can be added to a circuit. https://www.smartgrid.gov/document/VOE_Leveraging_AMI_Networks_Data
2. E Lightner: “Beyond billing: Unlocking value with AMI”, SEPA July 2019,
Revenue protection and electricity theft https://sepapower.org/knowledge/beyond-billing-unlocking-value-with-ami/
Many load profile studies have used data- 3. SAMSET: “Smart Metering: Overview and Considerations for South African
mining techniques, pattern recognition Municipalities”, Sustainable Energy Africa, July 2015,
and statistical techniques to obtain https://africancityenergy.org/uploads/resource_127.pdf
knowledge on customer behaviour from
customer load records. Knowledge Send your comments to rogerl@nowmedia.co.za

Table 2: Customer benefits from AMI

Customer benefit Details
Fewer unplanned outages/increased reliability Proactive maintenance allows utilities to better assess asset health and plan equipment replacements.
Planned replacements are quicker (so the outage is shorter) and cost less.

Faster restoration times and improved services Utilities can more accurately determine the location of outages and dispatch crews more efficiently.
More complete restorations. Crews can verify that the restoration is complete before moving to another area
including detecting “nested” outages.
Outage updates and proactive outage notifications keep the customer informed.
Improved power quality Visibility into how the system is operating allows utilities to better detect voltage fluctuations that can create
power quality issues.

More information and control Web portals and apps can provide information to empower customers to understand their usage patterns and find
opportunities to lower their energy costs.
High bill alerts help customers track their energy usage and costs
Fewer estimated reads increases customer confidence and trust.
Increased convenience Customers do not have to call in to report an outage.
More self-service capabilities such as the ability to “ping” a meter during an outage restoration, view a projected
bill, pay a bill, and start or stop service online.
Reduced fees and costs Reduction or elimination of fees for reconnecting service after payment or for establishing new service.
More rate options that align with customer behaviour to decrease energy usage and lower costs.
Easier access to demand response programs and products that help customers to save money.
Customer safety Identifying unregistered PV installations/code violations.
Identifying downed live conductors.
Identifying heated customer panels/sockets using temperature data to help with fire prevention.
Determine fire-caused outages using temperature data.

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