Energy conservation for rural electric systems in the United States and China

The author describes a joint US/China project intended to develop a microcomputer-based energy management system for rural electric systems. To reduce loss, the key is to control the voltage of the feeder and the reactive power supply to the feeder at the right place and the right time. The sophistication of the system depends on the design of the software and hardware. The intention is to apply the most sophisticated modeling techniques currently available in the area of power system distribution. The following areas are addressed: (1) modeling of rural electric distribution system including cogeneration; (2) research on energy-efficient technologies; (3) load management; (4) computer-aided-engineering techniques for system planning and operation; (5) data communication systems; and (6) software and hardware definitions and requirements