how are ami systems actually being used? -...

Don Von Dollen Senior Program Manager, Data Integration & Communications, EPRI

Doug Houseman

Vice President of Technical Innovation, EnerNex

How Are AMI Systems Actually Being Used?

2 © 2012 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

Background

• AMI is a classic disruptive technology

• Many possible / potential applications have been identified

• Very little information on how AMI systems are actually being used


AMI Applications Project

Project Objectives: • Work closely with utilities that have

deployed AMI systems to:

– Document how AMI systems and AMI data are currently being used (i.e., determine the applications that AMI systems and AMI data are currently being used for)

– Identify applications that the utilities anticipate using their AMI systems and AMI data for in the near future


Project Approach

Stage 1: Compile a list of credible

applications

Stage 2: Conduct survey of utilities

to determine current and planned applications

Two Stage Approach

April – August 2013 September – December 2013


Stage 1 – Compile a List of Credible Applications

Application Categories – Metering – Utility Operation – Regulatory – Customer Operation – Forecasting and Scheduling – Construction and Standards – Distributed Resource Integration – Gas and Water – Other


AMI Applications Metering

1. Meter reading 2. Non-technical losses 3. Bi-directional metering 4. Net metering 5. Real-time customer information


AMI Applications Utility Operation

1. Connectivity validation 2. Closing verification 3. Geo-location 4. Power quality monitoring 5. Asset load monitoring 6. Phase balancing 7. Load balancing 8. Work dispatch improvement 9. Order completion automation 10. Site / line status 11. Automation of emergency

responses 12. Soft start 13. Demand limiting 14. Call center unloading

15. Restoration verification 16. Vegetation management 17. Distribution SCADA 18. System security 19. System protection 20. Selective load management 21. Outage notification 22. IEEE outage indices 23. Islanding verification for

distributed generation 24. Reliability centered

maintenance 25. Distribution capacitor bank

management 26. Field worker data access


AMI Applications Regulatory

1. Tariff design 2. Rate case support 3. Critical & complex tariff design 4. Cross subsidization 5. Investment decision support 6. Customer segmentation


AMI Applications Customer Operations

1. Flexible billing schedules - bill / paycheck matching 2. Remote disconnect 3. Move-in / move-out 4. Customer price display 5. Automated information feed 6. Remote issue validation 7. Customer dispute management 8. Outbound customer issue notification 9. Customer energy advisor


AMI Applications Forecasting & Scheduling

1. Demand side management 2. Load forecasting 3. Simulation 4. Asset load analysis 5. Load scheduling 6. Curtailment planning 7. Planned outage scheduling 8. Direct load control


AMI Applications Construction & Standards

1. Design standards 2. Maintenance standards 3. Feeder ratings 4. Rebuild cycle 5. Replacement planning


AMI Applications Distributed Generation Integration

1. Net and gross generation monitoring 2. Storage fill / draw management 3. Electric vehicle management 4. Supply following tariffs 5. Small fossil source management 6. DER health monitoring


AMI Applications Gas & Water

1. Leak detection 2. Battery management 3. Flood prevention 4. Gas leak isolation 5. Pressure management


AMI Applications Other

1. Appliance monitoring 2. Home security monitoring 3. Home control gateway 4. Medical equipment monitoring 5. Home area networks 6. Distribution of firmware 7. Distribution of security keys 8. Rolling Blackouts


AMI Capabilities for Each Application

Meter Data

Rem

ote

Dis

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ect

HA

N In

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ace

AMI Latency AMI Throughput(1) Network Routing Capability

Application

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gy

4 Q

uadr

ant

Dem

and

Volta

ge

Pow

er Q

ualit

y

Rea

l + R

eact

ive

Out

age

Mom

enta

ry

Hea

lth F

lags

Sub-

Seco

nd

Seco

nds

Min

utes

Hou

rs o

r lon

ger

Byt

es

100s

of B

ytes

Kilo

byte

s

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abyt

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Dire

ct p

oint

-to-p

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Hea

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ut

Gro

up

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ritiz

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Uns

olic

ited

Bro

adca

st

IEEE Reliability indices x x x x x x Reliability centered maintenance planning x x x x x x

Islanding verification for DG x x x x x x x x x

Distributed Capacitor Bank mgmt x x x x x x x x

Field worker data access x x x x x x

High Latency Distribution Automation x x x x x x x

Regulatory

Tariff Design x x x x x x

Prepayment x x x x x x x

Real time pricing x x x x x


EPRI Report Published in August, 2013

•Mapping Applications to Advanced Metering Infrastructure Capabilities (3002001098)


Stage 2: Utility Survey

• Responses from 27 Utilities from the North America, Europe, Asia and Australia – Approximately 60% of

respondents are from North America

– North American respondents have installed over 20 million meters

– Respondents from outside of North America have installed more than 30 million meters


Utility Survey

Less than 500,000 meters 6

500,000 – 1,000,000 8

More than 1,000,000 13

Number of customers with AMI meters:


Utility Survey

Pre-2005 3

2006-2010 7

2011-2013 11

Not Complete Yet 6

What year did your AMI project complete deploying meters?


Utility Survey

Mesh Network 13

Point to Multipoint 7

Commercial cellular 3

Power Line Carrier (PLC) 8

Landline telephone 3

Broadband over Power Line (BPL) 1

What type of Neighborhood Area Network did you deploy?


Utility Survey

Home Area Network (HAN)

14

Whole premises disconnect

19

Ability to connect to gas/water wired

1

Ability to connect to gas/water wireless

6

Four quadrant measurement 5

In your AMI deployment, do most of the meters have?


Utility Survey

Application In

Production Pilot Future No Interest

Reliability centered maintenance planning Islanding verification for DG Distributed Capacitor Bank mgmt Field worker data access High Latency Distribution Automation Regulatory Tariff Design Prepayment Real time pricing


AMI Applications: Survey Top Ten Lists

In Production 1. Meter reading

2. Distribution of firmware

3. Net metering

4. Bi-Directional metering

5. Distribution of Security Keys

6. Non-technical losses

7. Flexible billing

8. Move-in/Move-out

9. Restoration Verification

10.Geo-location

Metering and System Management

Utility and Customer Operations



In Pilot 1. Outage notification 2. Power Quality monitoring 3. Closing Verification 4. Conservation Voltage Reduction

Support 5. System Protection 6. Restoration Verification 7. Distribution Asset load monitoring 8. Asset Load Analysis 9. Customer price display 10.Home control gateway

Utility Operations

Customer Operations



Future

1. Rolling Blackouts 2. Real time pricing 3. Connectivity Validation - Phase 4. Electric Vehicle Management 5. Phase balancing 6. Work Dispatch improvement 7. Tariff Design 8. Connectivity Validation - Meter to

transformer 9. Rebuild cycle 10. Islanding verification for DG



No Interest

1. Water - Flood prevention 2. Medical equipment monitoring 3. Water - Leak detection 4. Small fossil source management 5. Gas leak isolation 6. Water and Gas Pressure

management 7. Cross subsidization 8. Supply following tariffs 9. DER health monitoring 10. Home area network



“Core Applications”

Metering • Meter reading • Bi-Directional metering • Net Metering • Non-Technical Losses

Utility Operations • Restoration Verification • Outage Notification • Distribution Asset Load Monitoring • Power Quality Monitoring • Conservation Voltage Reduction

Support


EPRI Report Published in December

Survey of Advanced Metering Infrastructure Applications (3002001077)


Lessons Learned

• Application counts seem to climb for utilities that are 2 or more years beyond completion of deployment

• Pilots tend to increase in complexity in larger utilities

• Difficult to get utilities to complete a survey

• Survey data becomes out-of-date very quickly


Nest Steps: Establishing a Web-Based AMI/SG Information Database

• Issue

– Difficult to know who is doing what, what applications have been used, and what enabling technologies

– Manually collected data is quickly obsolete in fast changing technical areas

• Solution:

Utilities Living Web

Database

how are ami systems actually being used? -...

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