This study presents a detailed description of the integrated advanced metering infrastructure and smart grid solutions in the secondary substations (SS) and the experience gained during the project UPGRID. The integration of hardware communication solution in SS is also one of the new concept deployed within UPGRID project and described in this study.

SP Energy Networks (SPEN) has an increasingly ageing asset population. Regulatory focus on reducing costs for customers has made SPEN review its switchgear strategy around wholesale replacement of equipment, and look for more cost-effective investment, implementing new interventions to extend the operational life of the asset base as an alternative to replacing assets in order to meet increasing performance and regulatory targets. SPEN intends to implement a life extension plan increasing the volume of retrofit switchgear as part of its asset management strategy. Refurbishment and retrofitting of distribution switchgear will extend the asset life, improve the health index, reduce risk and increase reliability. The engineering balance, between refurbishment and replacement, allows efficient utilisation of resources, maximises economic returns while continue to provide safe and reliable network solutions.

Managing risk, improving safety and asset performance for customers, general public and staff is a core role SP Energy Networks plays as a UK distribution network operator. SPEN is committed to continuously improving its risk management strategies to reduce exposure and harm, and to maximise performance. This can only be achieved with an effective and responsive risk strategy framework. DNOs are asset-centric organisations covering large territories in public and private land. This makes it difficult to control and manage assets and their associated risks and dangers. This study outlines the strategy that SPEN has developed to identify solutions to mitigate risks, share best practice and address equipment quality issues locally and within the wider industry. This has been achieved by developing a centralised risk framework using a bottom-up approach based on risks reported locally and nationally. This framework forms part of SPEN's enterprise risk reporting framework, which has been in place for over 15 years and embeds risk management into the heart of the organisation's governance process. By standardising the method of measuring the impact of particular risks and aligning risks directly to the RIIO-ED1 outputs and incentives mechanism, risk management locally and at a central function has been improved.

Over the past decade, the health index has become an increasingly popular asset management tool in utilities. The health index as a condition indicator can improve the decision making process. Howe ...

The increasing use of solar power connected to the public grid and the associated concern for deteriorating power quality triggered the formation of a joint working group with the aim to describe a ...

This study presents the lessons learned and challenges of developing an integrated solution of high-accuracy low-power instrument transformer (LPIT) into a medium-voltage (MV) recloser. The challenges from a design, testing and end user acceptance are presented. The main conclusion of this study is that integration of typically separate network components requires careful design choices and testing beyond existing industry standards for LPIT and MV reclosers in order to achieve higher accuracy classes.

The subject of this article is addressed to Session 3, network operation, control and protection, more precisely to medium-voltage automation systems (self-healing) and communication related to grid control. It is about an ELEKTRO (www.elektro.com.br) pilot project that can reduce up to 10% local system average interruption duration index with a new concept of grid automation that fits very well its geographical discontinued operational area and cities with a high volume of reclosers. The pilot is operational at Guarujá city, in Brazil.

Air-insulated switchgears are particularly sensitive to environmental conditions of the substation where they are installed. In order to establish the relationship between the state of switchgears and service conditions in substations, it is important to assess the actual service conditions. The three most important parameters influencing the lifetime of switchgears are relative humidity, condensation generated by the temperature instability, as well as the pollution level. The aim of this study is to give some indication based on a return of 30 years of field in typical utility environment, in order to assess the expected and remaining lifetime of switchgear installed in DSO's substations.

Faults in underground cables are a major cause of interruption in medium-voltage (MV) networks. Thus, recognition and location of faults are key steps to the outage restoration. This study presents the recent improvement in fault recognition and location process implemented within the Dutch distribution system operator Alliander. Several issues from the practical situations are addressed satisfactorily, including compatibility with the universal sensor data from different vendors, false recognition of fault and non-fault events, and inappropriate calculation moment of fault location. The fault recognition and location process is also integrated in a fully automated document management system system, to further improve the process of fault restoring and reduce the outage duration.

Voltage regulation distribution transformer (VRDT) is a solution to maintain supply voltage to its nominal value in the electrical distribution systems. The design presented in this study is the new generation of VRDT equipped with an on load tap changer (OLTC), which enables voltage adjustment under loaded condition without interruption. The OLTC employed is a combination of high-speed-resistor-type technology with vacuum tubes. The system is entirely safe and has a wide range of switchable currents from 30 to 100 A with no significant additional losses. This advanced VRDT is designed, manufactured, tested and running successfully in the distribution grids.