Distribution Vision 2010: planning for automation

Utilities are being pushed to provide better service to customers. High technology customers manufacturing processes are not as immune to power fluctuations as they once were. Performance based rates move the utilities to constantly improve on their service reliability indices. To make matters more difficult, these have to be accomplished without a rate increase to the customer. Yet, when is good, good enough? And how much better can we be using the tried and true planning and design practices used over the past 50 years. Automation and advanced distribution systems provide an option for higher reliability and premium power options. Distribution Vision 2010 is a plan for automated distribution systems implemented in an incremental manner.