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Sougata Mitra
GIS for Smart Grid
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................................................3
Note:Interview Extract..................................................................................................................................3
Note:R-APDRP and GIS..................................................................................................................................4
Technology: Global Positioning System........................................................................................................5
Technology: Diffrential Global Positioning System.......................................................................................6
Technology: Geographical Information System............................................................................................7
GIS for Distribution Business.........................................................................................................................7
Components of GIS: .........................................................................................................................8
Software..............................................................................................................................8
GIS Data ..............................................................................................................................8
GIS Infrastructure................................................................................................................ 8
Nucleas of GIS Data: Consumer Indexing......................................................................................................9
The Future: Smart Grid ...............................................................................................................................10
The Critical Role of Enterprise GIS in Smart Grid Technology ....................................................................12
Challenges on Implementation of GIS in Power Industry...........................................................................14
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
MoP/GoI has taken numerous strategic initiatives aiming at providing reliable quality power supply to consumers at affordable rates and towards improvement of power distribution which is the real interface between power utilities and millions of consumers. Inadequate data of distribution assets facilities coupled with lack of information of customer base are the main concerns of distribution companies. Many DISCOMs have started using GIS for developing accurate database, improve internal efficiency levels pertaining to power supply monitoring, commercial and customer services. This valuable tool, GIS, is also being employed for important functions like network analysis, FM, energy audit, trouble call management, load management, theft detection etc., Power is the most critical infrastructure for the progress of any country. The facilitating policy framework, the regulatory mechanism for investment in generation, transmission, distribution and other associated activities have already been put in place by the government. The need of the hour is for efficient management and optimum utilization of installed capacity to meet the demand.
Sub- Transmission and Distribution systems constitute the link between electricity utilities and consumers, for extending supply and revenue realization segment. Therefore for consumers, these systems represent the face of the utility. Efficient functioning of this segment of the utility is essential to sustain the growth of power sector and the economy.
The planning and the design of the electrical supply system are everyday tasks for engineers in the DISCOMs. The goal of power distribution system planning is to satisfy the growing and changing system load demand during the planning period within operational constraints and with minimal costs. The planning process comprises several phases,
NOTE:INTERVIEW EXTRACT
Extracts from the Interview of Mr Devender Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power with GISDevelopment.net
The Union Ministry of Power (MoP) has incorporated the use of GIS as a policy initiative in National Electricity Policy 2005 and Integrated Energy Policy (IEP). What has been the driving force for this?
Geospatial technologies are very relevant in distribution and other areas of power sector. In the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reform Programme (RAPDRP), a major initiative of the Government of India, reduction of aggregate technical and commercial losses in the distribution sector is a priority. One of the important components we are targeting at is the proper energy auditing and accounting and the extensive use of information technology for this purpose. As part of this, it is important to be able to do consumer indexing. If you can map right up to the transformer and down to the last consumer, you can find out exactly how many customers are connected to each transformer and if there are any pilferages and power theft .Similarly, mapping can be done for all the assets in the distribution network. Regular maintenance of these systems would be possible if you deploy geospatial technologies. In generation sector, geospatial data could be used for locating ideal sites for hydro power generation. Hydro power has tremendous potential in the country - to a tune of 1,50,000 MW and with 60% PLF, we can harvest close to 90,000 MW. If mapping of assets is done, whether it is transmission or distribution, it is easy to locate a fault, to attend to a fault or to operate the lines. This can also be used to plan the location and direction of new lines based on the new generation projects that are being built.
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and one of the most important is the optimization of the electric distribution network. The network optimization is considered a hard combinatorial optimization problem due to a number of limitations (network voltage level, network structure, quantums and locations of loads, routes and types of feeders, voltage drops, etc.). An additional complexity is imposed by the geographically referenced data. In this process it is important to have on time accurate relevant (related) data and information on the electric distribution system and its assets, and possibly to have data from other utilities.
With the radical changes that the electric utility industry is facing, customer choice has become the buzzword for the entire country. Computerization and development of various geographic information systems have opened new horizons for all decision-making processes as well as for manipulation and dissemination of information
Use of GIS will facilitate easily updatable and accessible database to cater to the needs of monitoring and maintaining reliable quality power supply, efficient MBC (metering, billing and collections), comprehensive energy audit, theft detection and reduction of T&D losses. All these measures will ultimately improve the overall internal efficiency of the DISCOMs and help accelerate achieving commercial viability
A new period of higher significance has arrived for the GPS/GIS function at electric utilities. To a degree never equaled before, utility managers are looking to their GIS programs, filled with increasingly accurate data collected by GPS technology, before making decisions. With this capability comes an expectation for GIS/GPS professionals to provide higher levels of planning and management of their data collection process
NOTE: R-APDRP AND GIS
Nearly every state is implementing the program R-APDRP which is
giving a new lease of life for the utilities to uplift their IT Backbone.
GIS forms the crux of the solutions to be implemented. The time bound
ambitious project requires urban mapping of 1:2000 & even higher
scale maps. There has been no Government body in India who has
taken such high scale mapping before this project. The success of
the whole program depends on the success of GIS Database.
Due to such level of investments mainstream IT majors like TCS, HCL & Infosys have ramped up their GIS
Practice to address the project execution.
For further information please visit www.rapdrp.gov.in
TECHNOLOGY: GLOBAL POSITIONING S
is a space-based radio navigation system that provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to civilian users on a
continuous worldwide basis -- freely available to all. For anyone with a GPS receiver, the system will provide location andlocation and time information for an unlimited number of people in all weather, day and night, anywhere in the world.
The GPS is made up of three parts: Earth; and the GPS receivers owned by users.
The space segment consists of a nominal constellation of 24 operating satellites that transmit one-way signals that give the current GPS satellite position and time.
The control segment consists of worldwide monitosatellites in their proper orbits through occasional command maneuvers, and adjust the satellite clocks. It tracks the GPS satellites, uploads updated navigational data, and maintains health and status of the satellite constellation.
The user segment consists of the GPS receiver equipment, which receives the signals from the GPS satellites and uses the transmitted information to calculate the user’s threeposition and time
Using the near pinpoint accuracy provided by the Global Positioning System (GPS) with ground augmentations, highly accurate surveying and mapping results can be rapidly obtained, thereby significantly reducing the amount of equipment and labor hours that are normally required of other conventional surveying and mapping techniques. Today it is possible for a single surveyor to accomplish in one day what used to take weeks with an entire team. GPS is unaffected by rain, wind, or reduced sunlight, and is rapidly being adopted by professionaworld. GPS position information for these features serves as a prime input to geographic information systems (GIS), that assemble, store, manipulate, and display geographically referenced information. Throughout the world, government agencies, scientific organizations, and commercial operations are using the surveys and maps deriving from GPS and GIS for timely decisionresources. Any organization or agency that requires accurate locatefficiency and productivity provided by the positioning capability of GPS.
Unlike traditional techniques, GPS surveying is not bound by constraints such as linebetween reference stations. The increstablished at easily accessible sites rather than being confined to hilltops as previously required.Remote GPS systems may be carried by one person in a backpack, mounted on the roof of an automobile, or fastened atop an allWith a GPS radio communication link, realproductivity level that is virtually unattainable using
GPSGLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM
based radio navigation system that provides reliable positioning, navigation, and timing services to civilian users on a
freely available to all. For anyone with a GPS receiver, the system will provide location and time. GPS provides accurate location and time information for an unlimited number of people in all weather, day and night, anywhere in the world.
The GPS is made up of three parts: satellites orbiting the Earth; control and monitoring stationsowned by users.
consists of a nominal constellation of 24 operating satellites that transmit way signals that give the current GPS satellite position and time.
consists of worldwide monitor and control stations that maintain the satellites in their proper orbits through occasional command maneuvers, and adjust the satellite clocks. It tracks the GPS satellites, uploads updated navigational data, and maintains health and
ite constellation.
consists of the GPS receiver equipment, which receives the signals from the GPS satellites and uses the transmitted information to calculate the user’s three
y provided by the Global Positioning System (GPS) with ground augmentations, highly accurate surveying and mapping results can be rapidly obtained, thereby significantly reducing the amount of equipment and labor hours that are normally required of other onventional surveying and mapping techniques. Today it is possible for a single surveyor to accomplish
in one day what used to take weeks with an entire team. GPS is unaffected by rain, wind, or reduced sunlight, and is rapidly being adopted by professional surveyors and mapping personnel throughout the world. GPS position information for these features serves as a prime input to geographic information systems (GIS), that assemble, store, manipulate, and display geographically referenced information.
hout the world, government agencies, scientific organizations, and commercial operations are using the surveys and maps deriving from GPS and GIS for timely decision-making and wiser use of resources. Any organization or agency that requires accurate location information can benefit from the efficiency and productivity provided by the positioning capability of GPS.
Unlike traditional techniques, GPS surveying is not bound by constraints such as linebetween reference stations. The increased flexibility of GPS also permits survey stations to be established at easily accessible sites rather than being confined to hilltops as previously required.Remote GPS systems may be carried by one person in a backpack, mounted on the roof of an
obile, or fastened atop an all-terrain vehicle to permit rapid and accurate field data collection. With a GPS radio communication link, real-time, continuous centimeter-level accuracy makes possible a productivity level that is virtually unattainable using optical survey instruments.
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control and monitoring stations on
consists of a nominal constellation of 24 operating satellites that transmit
r and control stations that maintain the satellites in their proper orbits through occasional command maneuvers, and adjust the satellite clocks. It tracks the GPS satellites, uploads updated navigational data, and maintains health and
consists of the GPS receiver equipment, which receives the signals from the GPS satellites and uses the transmitted information to calculate the user’s three-dimensional
y provided by the Global Positioning System (GPS) with ground augmentations, highly accurate surveying and mapping results can be rapidly obtained, thereby significantly reducing the amount of equipment and labor hours that are normally required of other onventional surveying and mapping techniques. Today it is possible for a single surveyor to accomplish
in one day what used to take weeks with an entire team. GPS is unaffected by rain, wind, or reduced l surveyors and mapping personnel throughout the
world. GPS position information for these features serves as a prime input to geographic information systems (GIS), that assemble, store, manipulate, and display geographically referenced information.
hout the world, government agencies, scientific organizations, and commercial operations are making and wiser use of
ion information can benefit from the
Unlike traditional techniques, GPS surveying is not bound by constraints such as line-of-sight visibility eased flexibility of GPS also permits survey stations to be
established at easily accessible sites rather than being confined to hilltops as previously required.Remote GPS systems may be carried by one person in a backpack, mounted on the roof of an
terrain vehicle to permit rapid and accurate field data collection. level accuracy makes possible a
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TECHNOLOGY: DIFFRENTIAL GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM
(Differential Global Positioning System) is an enhancement to Global Positioning System that uses a network of fixed,
ground-based reference stations to broadcast the difference between the positions indicated by the satellite systems and the known fixed positions. Differential GPS works through two receivers one of which is stationary and the other moving around making position measurements.
Here is the underlying principle. GPS receivers calculate distances by using the time signals take to travel from satellites. This work needs signals from at least four satellites. Each of these signals has some errors due to different factors like disturbances in the atmosphere. These errors can have a cumulative effect in the final result the GPS gets. However the satellites are so far away in space, the distances we travel on earth are pretty insignificant in comparison. This way the signals two receivers within a distance of a few hundred kilometers receive have the same amount of errors, as they have traveled the same amount of distance in atmosphere. This is the principle put to use in DGPS. The stationary (reference) receiver is placed at a point that has been very accurately marked and surveyed. This station is considered to receive the same GPS signals with the same amount of error as the moving receiver. The stationary receiver then works backwards on the equation. This means that instead of using timing signals to work out its position, it uses its already measured position to calculate timing. It then compares how long the signals should take to travel with the actual time they took to reach the station. The difference in the two readings gives the error component which is common to it and the moving receiver. The stationary receiver repeats this process for all the visible satellites encodes the information into a standard format and then relays the information to the moving receiver. The moving receiver is thus able to make appropriate corrections. Error Transmissions- the nitty-gritty DGPS receivers cannot transmit the corrections on their own, but use attached radio transmitters for the corrections. The moving receiver gets a complete list of errors, meaning errors with reference to each satellite, and applies whichever data is applicable to them. Limits Differential GPS can eliminate only those errors that are common to both the stationary and moving receivers. This does not include multi-path errors (these are errors that happen due to the signals reflecting off objects like mountains, tall buildings and dense foliage), as these are happening very close to the receiver. Further, DGPS cannot account for any internal errors within an individual receiver.
DGPS
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TECHNOLOGY: GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM
A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.
Significance of GIS: While Computer technology increases the decision maker’s access to relevant data, the GIS provides tools to interpret that data i.e., it allows one to see relationships, patterns, or trends intuitively that are not possible to see with traditional charts, graphs and spreadsheets.
GIS FOR DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS
(Geographic Information Systems) is a system of mapping of complete electrical network including low voltage system and customer supply points with latitude and longitudes
overload on satellite imaging and/or survey of India maps. Layers of information are contained in these map representations. The first layer corresponds to the distribution network coverage. The second layer corresponds to the land background containing roads, landmarks, buildings, rivers, railway crossings etc. The next layer could contain information on the equipment viz poles, conductors transformers etc. Most of the electrical network/equipment has a geographical location and the full benefit of any network improvement can be had only if the work is carried out in the geographical context. Business processes such as network planning, repair operations and maintenance connection and reconnection has also to be based around the network model. Even while doing something as relatively simple as adding a new service connection; it is vital to know that users of the system are not affected by this addition. GIS in conjunction with system analysis tools helps to do just this.
For efficient and reliable operation of a distribution system, a reliable and well knit communication network is required to facilitate project coordination of the maintenance and fault activities of the distribution system. GIS when integrated with real time SCADA can help in sending the right signals to the communication network. Some examples:
• When integrated with customer information systems with geodata or geodata related information, fast identification of locations and related information for maintenance and emergency cases is made possible as The system enables to identify each consumer, type of consumer, location, pole from supply is given, Distribution Transformer & Feeder from where supply is fed
• Reliable data of network when accurately integrated with land base map aids in design, planning, and analyzing of network thereby enabling technical loss calculation
GIS
COMPONENTS OF GIS:
SOFTWARE
GIS software ranges from simple business mapping tools to high-end technology used to manage complex systems. GIS can be divided into four categories:
Desktop GIS helps to analyze, map, manage, share, and publish geographic information on desktop computers.
Server GIS, which allows GIS functionality,helps the data to be deployed from a central environment.
Embedded GIS, technology that lets the GIS functionality and data to be embedded inside other applications.
Mobile or field GIS, technologies that run on mobile devices such as PDAs, laptops, and Tablet PCs.
GIS DATA
The backbone of GIS is good data. Inaccurate data can result in inaccurate models and maps, skewing the results of the analysis and ultimately resulting in poor decisions. The past 10 years has seen an explosion in the amount of data available, much of it free, with the advent of the Internet and proliferation of commercial sources of data. Internet mapping and Web services technology has made it possible for anyone anywhere to share or access data from around the globe. This wide availability makes it critical to understand what GIS data is, how it is used, and how to select the right data for one’s needs.
GIS INFRASTRUCTURE
Hardware is really a simplistic term used to describe the technology infrastructure needed to support your GIS implementation. The infrastructure developed depends on the system requirements determined as needed during that phase of implementation planning. Using Web services for GIS needs minimal investment for infrastructure, while an enterprise GIS implementation requires careful planning and a fairly significant investment for computerization, networking, database connectivity etc.,
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NUCLEAS OF GIS DATA: CONSUMER INDEXING
Customer indexing (CI) is a method for enumerating the total number of consumers in a utility and tagging them to their respective poles, transformers and feeders.
The purpose of CI is to identify revenue leakages by way of consumers who are not billed or billed under improper category and to generate a master list of consumers. Distribution utilities in the country, today, suffer from lack of Management Information System (MIS) based on validated and correct data of entities and consumers. Owing to the wide geographical spread of utilities and dynamic nature of huge data of consumers, it is always a challenge to obtain data from field on real time basis to generate MIS for quick and timely decision making. Data created manually in registers/ledgers by line men and meter readers travels to the top management without adequate checks and balances en-route. This results in defective work estimates and consequent delays. Customer indexing and asset codification system provides a platform to enable the utilities to generate verifiable and validated data of consumers and entities of the utilities.
Through door-to-door survey and with the help of the DGPS instrument, it is possible to carry out consumer identification and collect data about customers such as their paying capacity, connected load, consumer category, meter details and linkage to last pole or service pillar from the service connection taken out for consumer. Customer indexing has to be carried out in a way, which makes it possible to relate the customer’s geographical and electrical address with his/her revenue address. Each customer, indexed on the basis of the initial record available with the owner and later verified by field survey, should have an exclusive six to eight digit numeric/alphanumeric code. Consumer code number should be used for metering, billing and all other service functions. For generating consumer indexing, each consumer is indexed based on the Electrical System Codification and the source of supply to the particular customer which should enable the feeder/DT wise energy accounting. Each customer is assigned a unique Customer Identification Number or CIN based on the source/pole/DT/Customer Number.
A customer with the CIN as 030412900618would mean the following:
The customer is drawing power from the Station no.03,
The Feeder number 04 is running from the station to the distribution transformer,
The Distribution Transformer (DTR) number is 129,
The Pole number 006 is used to drop wire to customer premises, and
The Customer Number is 18.
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THE FUTURE: SMART GRID
mart grid is not a piece of hardware or a computer system but, rather, a concept. As its name implies, the smart grid is about an intelligent electric delivery system that responds to the needs of
and directly communicates with consumers. While there are many facets to the concept, the smart grid is really about three things: managing loads more effectively, providing significantly more automation during restoration after an outage event, and enabling more interaction between energy providers and consumers.
A smart grid gives utilities more time to increase capacity, improve energy efficiency, and help lower greenhouse gas production. By managing loads, utilities can better leverage their lower-cost and better-performing generating plants to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gases and gain higher utilization of existing equipment. Electric companies will know the consumption of individual consumers at any given time because smart grid technology helps markets interact with consumers. Utilities will give consumers price signals and information about the implications of their energy usage. For example, customers could discover the price (or cost) of turning on their air conditioners. A smart grid could detect areas of theft of current and take measures to cut off supply.
The electric system will adapt to new conditions without human intervention once a smart grid is in place. If a circuit were nearing its load limit, the smart grid could take action to automatically reconfigure the network in an attempt to relieve the overloading condition. The grid can be "self-healing" by switching around problem areas to minimize outages. Since electricity demands tend to
s
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spike during the hottest part of the day and year, electric companies have to maintain large reserves of capacity. A smart grid makes best use of resources. By allowing the grid to smooth out the demands, utilities can better utilize existing facilities. With thousands of sensors and operators equipped with a better understanding of the way the system is running, a smart grid is predictive rather than reactive to prevent emergencies. A smart grid will supply operators with the tools to predict a failure before it happens. Appropriate action may be automatic. Even with today's sophisticated SCADA and distribution management systems, operators do most of the switching based on individual interpretation of the situation.
The key to the smart grid is the complete installation of smart meters that provide a link between consumer behavior and electric energy consumption. A smart meter is an electric meter that measures consumption for a very small interval of time (seconds or less), saves that data to memory, and communicates directly with the utility. The smart meter can also communicate energy use to the consumer. Some smart meters can automatically disconnect the load and block power from flowing. For a smart meter to work, there must be a link from the meter to devices within the consumer's home or facility as well as communication between the smart meter and the utility. Many electrical appliances are equipped with internal devices that connect to smart meters. Smart meters will be able to communicate and even control devices within the consumer's home or business. When there is a power failure, the smart meter alerts the utility of outages. During a peak power emergency, the utility tells the smart meter to shut off selected loads as allowed by tariffs. Since smart meters are not limited to measuring electricity, we may see smart meters used by gas and water utilities as well.
A smart grid will require energy storage systems to level the peak and enable utilities to access the most efficient and environmentally sound power generation options. Energy storage systems could be enhanced batteries, flywheels, or compressed air systems. Most outage management systems (OMS) use sophisticated prediction engines based on customer phone calls and network models to determine outage locations. An OMS linked to a smart grid will rely on a sensor network for faster, more accurate response. In a smart grid, the OMS will converge with the distribution management system (DMS) to form an automated analytic engine. The DMS provides the means to reconfigure and analyze the electric network. A DMS integrated with an OMS will enable utilities to make decisions based on information from the sensor network and smart meters about loading, predictive equipment failures, outages, and restoration.
In most electric utility systems today, the utility is virtually blind to problems in the field. The smart grid will have sensors to detect fault, voltage, and current along the distribution network and communicate with the central smart grid processors. Most electric systems around the world are able to communicate very little about the state of the system other than the main supply substations. The crux of the smart grid is the ability to communicate the state of the system from the sensor network to both the utility and the customers. The electric distribution system will grow from a single network to an integrated dual network system. One network will represent the power system, and the other will represent an advanced communication network. Utilities need a means of collecting data from the sensors and smart
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meters to make decisions about self-healing the grid, load shifting, and billing. Self-healing means that the electric distribution system will configure itself to limit the extent of customer outages without human intervention. A sophisticated data management system will store historic and current real-time data about the system from meters and sensors. Traditional SCADA systems are early smart grid technologies. However, the reach of SCADA is usually limited to substations and a few major distribution automation devices like remote-controlled disconnect switches. The data managed by SCADA plays an important part in any smart grid implementation. A smart grid will need real-time analytic engines able to analyze the network, determine the current state and condition of the system, predict what may happen, and develop a plan. These engines will need data from the utility and outside parties such as weather services. The combination of smart meters, data management, communication network, and applications specific to metering is advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). AMI plays a key role in smart grid technology, and many utilities begin smart grid implementation with AMI.
THE CRITICAL ROLE OF ENTERPRISE GIS IN SMART GRID TECHNOLOGY
GIS is widely recognized for its strong role in managing traditional electric power transmission and distribution and telecommunications networks. GIS will likewise play a strong role in managing the smart grid. For utilities, GIS already provides the most comprehensive inventory of the electrical distribution network components and their spatial locations. With the smart grid's sophisticated communication network superimposed on the electric network, data management with GIS becomes utterly critical. Enterprise GIS is a framework or platform that underpins an electric utility information technology system. Other platforms that make up the utility IT system include SCADA, customer billing/financial systems, and document management systems. Enterprise GIS authors, or creates, spatial information about utility assets (poles, wires, transformers, duct banks, customers) and serves that information to the enterprise. The core business applications then mash up, or combine, the data served from the GIS, SCADA, and customer systems along with other information from outside the utility such as traffic, weather systems, or satellite imagery. Utilities use this combined information for business applications, from visualizing a common operating picture to inspection and maintenance to network analysis and planning.
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In the United States, utilities do not monitor the vast majority of distribution transformers. If the load on any of these
transformers rises beyond capability, they fail. With monitoring, the smart grid would
be able to determine whether the transformer has experienced past stresses
and therefore lost longevity. As the transformer approaches a dangerous limit,
the smart grid could take preventive measures to avoid the catastrophic failure of the transformer. Within GIS, operators would then perform a spatial analysis to
determine the risk of failure and customer impact. The smart grid algorithms, in
concert with the GIS, could determine whether to reduce the load at customer sites, reconfigure the network to relieve
the load, or perform preemptive switching.
GIS will help manage data about the condition of utility assets. After parts of the system go into service, utilities must manage the system through the collection and maintenance of asset condition data. Some condition data can come from automated systems, and other data can come from inspection systems. Utilities are rapidly adopting GIS-based mobile devices for inspection and maintenance. Enterprise GIS, with its desktop, server, and mobile components, allows utilities to gather condition data. The power of GIS helps utilities understand the relationship of its assets to each other. Since the smart grid is composed of two networks—electric and communications—utilities must understand physical and spatial relationships among all network components. These relationships will form the basis for some of the advanced decision making the smart grid makes. A smart grid must have a solid understanding of the connectivity of both networks. GIS provides the tools and workflows for network modeling and advanced tracing. GIS also helps utilities understand the relationship of networks with surroundings. GIS can help identify relationships between systems and the environment. From a smart grid perspective, GIS allows utilities to visualize the electric and communications systems and the relationship that exists between them.
It goes well beyond the traditional "stare and compare" method commonly used by utilities to a notion of seeing relationships. GIS provides a means to monitor and express the health of the system in an obvious way with commands such as, "Show me all the sensors that have failed to report results in the last hour." GIS can show the real-time view of the grid and note where things are changing. In effect, GIS (as compared with a SCADA system) shows the complete state of the grid, represented by a realistic model in a way that people understand. As the heart of the distribution system, GIS can actually control parts of the grid. The technology can recommend ways to get the grid back to normal after an abnormal event. Or it can automatically have the grid do something different. A smart grid driven by a GIS would adapt to changes based on information from the thousands of sensors to help prevent outages and equipment failure.
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CHALLENGES ON IMPLEMENTATION OF GIS IN POWER INDUSTRY
It is hard to imagine implementing a smart grid without a detailed and comprehensive network model contained within the GIS. Utilities face a number of challenges to ensure the effectiveness of a smart grid program.
The data quality that exists in the GIS must be outstanding. It is one thing to have a few errors on a planning or asset management map. While not desirable, it is even somewhat tolerable to have some inaccuracies in the GIS data that feeds outage management systems. However, it is not acceptable to have incorrect data in a system that automatically controls the electric distribution system. Errors could result in increased outages or, worse, accidents.
There are a number of excellent standards for processing critical infrastructure data. Those standards and processes should be tested and strictly adhered to. Historically, utilities maintained a large backlog of documentation about completed work in the field (as-built sketches and accumulated work orders) to be posted to the GIS. Utilities must measure the time spanning from when a change occurs in the field to when the change is reflected in the GIS.
Utilities are now able to build a GIS on an accurate land base. Since GIS has been used by utilities for more than 20 years, it predates GPS. Utilities that continue to base facility location on antiquated grid systems will not be able to successfully use GIS until they make the land base and facility information spatially correct. There are advanced tools to assist in the corrective process, but it is still highly labor intensive and time consuming. For utilities that have not yet built a comprehensive GIS for infrastructure, the goal should be an accurate, GPS-compliant land base.
Lack of a digital model of the electrical system—whether urban, overhead, underground, networked, radial, or some combination therein—will limit the overall effectiveness of the smart grid. Some utilities have built a GIS piecemeal, with some parts of the service territory converted to digital form and others still in CAD or even paper form. Many have only converted primary data and not secondary networks. Others have converted rural overhead areas but have not converted urban networked areas. The piecemeal approach is not effective if GIS is to be the heart of a smart grid. Installing smart meters in areas where the utility has not modeled the electric network will inhibit much of the usefulness of the equipment. In this case, the use of the smart meter would probably be limited to billing.
A large problem for utilities is the lack of good customer addressing information. Even in countries where virtually all premises have a physical address, utilities struggle to keep data
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current. Some utilities don't have tight processes to make sure new customer data is linked directly to the GIS. If GIS does not have an exact correlation of the customer premises and the electric system, any hope of automation and self-healing will be lost. In regions where customer addresses don't exist, utilities will need to create some kind of coding system that uniquely identifies a customer location to a point in space and to the electric distribution system. Otherwise, it will be impossible to build a smart grid. Once the system is in place, it is critical that utilities have a foolproof quality assurance process that guarantees that as they add new customers to the system, those customers are reflected as connections to the electrical network.
Since the idea behind the smart grid is to add more monitoring capability and control to the electric system, enterprise GIS is fundamental to its success. It is imperative to have a solid model of all electric assets including their condition and relationships to each other, to customers, and to the telecommunications systems that will drive the smart grid. Utilities must have processes and procedures in place to ensure accurate and timely GIS data so that the smart grid will be able to make automated decisions based on correct information. Today, utility dispatchers make the vast majority of switching decisions based on human interpretation. Without human intervention, the smart grid must rely on a near-perfect GIS model of the electric system.
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