Functional requirements and cost-benefit study for distribution automation at BC Hydro

This paper describes the concepts, approach, and results of a feasibility study to implement distribution automation (DA) at BC Hydro. The objectives of DA were conservation of energy, including reduction of consumption and losses in the distribution and transmission circuits, reduction of peak load, improvement in the reliability and quality of service, deferral of new construction, and recovery of lost revenue. DA comprises a combination of real-time remote monitoring, detailed modelling and closed-loop optimization of the operating conditions of the distribution system, modelling of some properties of generation, transmission, and customer systems, and remote control of devices and of settings of local controllers. A total of eleven DA functions were analyzed based on typical BC Hydro circuit parameters, customer demand with load-to-voltage dependencies, and loss increments in transmission. Four regions and sixteen DA scenarios were considered. The savings and cost for each scenario, for each region were determined. Recommendations for modernization of the distribution system and development of the control system, and the relevant software were derived