65.5 F
San Diego
Monday, Mar 18, 2024
-Advertisement-

SDG&E’s Smart Grid Can See in the Dark

San Diego Gas & Electric Co. is flexing its “smart grid” technology to speed up the detection of power outages and the restoration of electricity to customers.

SDG&E’s new Outage Management System taps into the 1.4 million smart meters installed throughout the utility’s 4,100-square-mile service territory that encompasses San Diego County and southern Orange County. These smart meters send remote alerts back to SDG&E’s control room within seconds of a power outage occurring in the surrounding neighborhood.

“Before we had to rely on customers to give us a call,” said SDG&E spokesman Hanan Eisenman. “With this system we’ll know within seconds when an outage occurs, and we’ll dispatch crews right away so it will speed up the restoration times for customers in the region.”

The Outage Management System, or OMS, comes complete with computer software that provides grid operators with real-time information about the status of the electric network. The new software enhances situational awareness of the entire distribution system and allows SDG&E to know what’s happening on the grid for immediate detection and swifter restoration of outages. A Geographic Information System integrated into the OMS also provides highly detailed geographic images of an area affected by an outage, and includes elevation and topography data.

Identifying the Problem

Vic Romero, director of asset management and smart grid projects for SDG&E, said the automated system quickly gives operators a more clear vision about what’s happening in the field so they can better identify where a problem is located.

“It provides geographic data and provides information about how a circuit is connected with respect to the meters,” said Romero. Field crews can access the OMS information on their mobile data terminals. “Using the GIS information helps us determine which part of the community has been affected. It knows that part of a circuit on a particular street feeds back into a particular substation.”

Additional technology being used to bolster outage restoration times include the installation of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, or SCADA, devices on transmission lines and distribution lines, which provide electricity to local communities. These “smart switches” employ wireless connections that allow remote control of switches and circuit breakers from a centralized control room. The remote capability allows operators to move power around problem areas and quickly restore service to many customers before dispatching crews to the field.

Re-Routing Power

“By using the smart switches we can re-route the power and send power to customers in an affected area,” said Eisenman. “We’ll restore power to customers before crews even arrive.”

Eisenman added that the integrated smart meters, Geographic Information System and SCADA improve customer service, particularly in remote areas and during winter storms when multiple outages can occur.

Future enhancements include building in diagnostic information that details when maintenance is required on parts of the grid, which could fix some potential problems before an outage occurs. For example, sensors could be used to identify when a transformer is starting to develop an issue with its parts, and those parts could be replaced or undergo maintenance.

SDG&E estimates it will be spending $3.5 billion on more than 60 smart grid-related projects between 2006 and 2020. Such funding has allowed SDG&E to join the “Green Button” initiative in which smart meter signals translate power usage data so customers can see their detailed energy use data for up to 13 months online. Eisenman said the same signal SDG&E receives from smart meters that shows power usage to customers can also send signals if the power goes out in the neighborhood around them. The smart meters can also send a signal to let SDG&E know when power is restored.

“It enhances the overall knowledge of what’s happening on the grid to a huge degree,” he said.

SDG&E’s leadership in smart grid efforts has been acknowledged in at least two publications. Power Magazine issued SDG&E its 2012 Smart Grid Award in recognition of the nation’s most advanced grid, and Intelligent Utility Magazine issued SDG&E its Most Intelligent Utility in the Nation Award for the past three years.

“The capabilities of the new Outage Management System will make SDG&E one of the most innovative and effective utilities in the U.S. for responding to outages,” said David L. Geier, vice president of electric operations for SDG&E.

-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

Oberon Eyes Europe for Renewable DME

Leaders of Influence in Law 2024

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-