Equipment and methodology for the planning and implementation of dynamic line ratings on overhead transmission circuits

In past years governments have been incentivising a higher percentage of energy production from renewables. Generation from wind farms is likely to reach 40% of the total energy needs of Northern Ireland (NI) by 2020. Most of the wind resource is concentrated in the North and West, which are traditionally rural and are therefore poorly electrically interconnected with the East, where the population is most densely concentrated. Future wind farm connections will depend on the ability of the electricity infrastructure to cope with increased currents. Large network reinforcement is necessary in the long term but can take years in planning, permissions and construction. For the short-term, the plan is to utilize the existing infrastructure already in place by up-rating the overhead line sections by implementing weather-based dynamic line ratings (DLR). Building on future work this paper describes the learning achieved two years on from having installed the monitoring equipment on three 110 kV overhead lines (OHLs). The paper details the development of the system from initial to more recent generations of equipment. It compares two types of anemometer from field studies and determines the difference in rating achieved. The influence of solar radiation on conductor heating is discussed. The paper describes the progression of the project from research to operation, providing details of plans for integration in to the EMS/SCADA system.