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"Electricity distribution"
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Electricity : investigating the presence and flow of electric charge
This book traces scientists and their discoveries about electricity from 271 CE to 2007.
Book
Hosting Capacity Assessment Strategies and Reinforcement Learning Methods for Coordinated Voltage Control in Electricity Distribution Networks: A Review
Increasing connection rates of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems to electricity distribution networks has become a major concern for the distribution network service providers (DNSPs) due to the inability of existing network infrastructure to accommodate high levels of PV penetration while maintaining voltage regulation and other operational requirements. The solution to this dilemma is to undertake a hosting capacity (HC) study to identify the maximum penetration limit of rooftop PV generation and take necessary actions to enhance the HC of the network. This paper presents a comprehensive review of two topics: HC assessment strategies and reinforcement learning (RL)-based coordinated voltage control schemes. In this paper, the RL-based coordinated voltage control schemes are identified as a means to enhance the HC of electricity distribution networks. RL-based algorithms have been widely used in many power system applications in recent years due to their precise, efficient and model-free decision-making capabilities. A large portion of this paper is dedicated to reviewing RL concepts and recently published literature on RL-based coordinated voltage control schemes. A non-exhaustive classification of RL algorithms for voltage control is presented and key RL parameters for the voltage control problem are identified. Furthermore, critical challenges and risk factors of adopting RL-based methods for coordinated voltage control are discussed.
Journal Article
Hidden systems : water, electricity, the internet, and the secrets behind the systems we use every day
\"What was the first message sent over the internet? How much water does a single person use every day? How was the electric light invented? For every utility people use each day, there's a hidden history below the surface - a story of intrigue, drama, humor, and inequity. This graphic novel provides a guided tour through the science of the past - and how the decisions people made while inventing and constructing early technology still affect the way people use it today. Full of art, maps, and diagrams, Hidden Systems is a thoughtful, humorous exploration of the history of science, and what needs to be done now to change the future.\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Battling the extreme: lessons learned from weather-induced disasters on electricity distribution networks and climate change adaptation strategies
Electricity infrastructures are critical lifeline systems that are designed to serve with a high degree of reliability the power supply of consumers under normal operating conditions and in case of common failures or expected disturbances. However, many recent weather-induced disasters have brought unprecedented challenges to the electricity networks, underlining that power systems remain unprepared to absorb disruptive large-scale and severe events. Worse still, it is expected that such climate hazards will take place at rising frequency and intensity rates due to climate change. The intensification of meteorological extremes will lead to higher losses and changes in transmission capacity, increasing the frequency and importance of material damage to the aging electric infrastructure, thus resulting in significant disruptions, cascading failures, and unpredictable power outages. This review paper presents real-life examples of different types of extreme weather incidents and their impacts on the distribution network in Greece, a country that is highly vulnerable because of its location, geomorphology, and the existing overhead network assets, highlighting lessons learned related to adaptation options and disaster management best practices. Literature review and benchmarking with other grid operators are also employed to explore resilience-enhancing technical capabilities, weatherproof solutions, and operational strategies on which policy-making initiatives should focus.
Journal Article
The grid : the fraying wires between Americans and our energy future
\"America's electrical grid, an engineering triumph of the twentieth century, is turning out to be a poor fit for the present. It's not just that the grid has grown old and is now in dire need of basic repair. Today, as we invest great hope in new energy sources-- solar, wind, and other alternatives-- the grid is what stands most firmly in the way of a brighter energy future. If we hope to realize this future, we need to reimagine the grid according to twenty-first-century values. It's a project which forces visionaries to work with bureaucrats, legislators with storm-flattened communities, moneymen with hippies, and the left with the right. And though it might not yet be obvious, this revolution is already well under way. Cultural anthropologist Gretchen Bakke unveils the many facets of America's energy infrastructure, its most dynamic moments and its most stable ones, and its essential role in personal and national life.\"--Page 4 of cover.
BOOK
A Multistage Algorithm for Phase Load Balancing in Low-Voltage Electricity Distribution Networks Operated in Asymmetrical Conditions
In many countries, most one-phase residential electricity consumers are supplied from three-phase, four-wire local networks operated in radial tree-like configurations. Uneven consumer placement on the wires of the three-phase circuit leads to unbalanced phase loads that break the voltage symmetry and increase the energy losses. One way to mitigate these problems is to balance the phase loads on the feeders by choosing the optimal phase of connection of the consumers. The authors proposed earlier a phase balancing algorithm based on metaheuristic optimization. For networks with a high number of supply nodes, this algorithm requires finding a solution for all the consumers simultaneously. Two alternative approaches are proposed in this paper that use the tree-like structure of the network to divide the optimization between a main distribution feeder and several branches, creating a multistage process, with the aim of minimizing energy losses. A case study is performed using a real low-voltage distribution network and a comparison is made between the three algorithms. The resulting losses have marginal variations between the proposed approaches, with a maximum of 1.3% difference.
Journal Article
An evaluation of 2013 privatization on Benin Electricity Distribution technical and workforce performance
Purpose
This study aims to investigate the impact of the 2013 privatization of Nigeria’s energy sector on the technical performance of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) and its workforce.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a questionnaire-based approach, and 196 participants were randomly selected. Analytical tools included standard deviation, Spearman rank correlation and regression analysis.
Findings
Before privatization, the energy sector, managed by the power holding company of Nigeria, suffered from inefficiencies in fault detection, response and billing. However, privatization improved resource utilization, replaced outdated transformers and increased operational efficiency. However, in spite of these improvements, BEDC faces challenges, including unstable voltage generation and inadequate staff welfare. This study also highlighted a lack of experience among the trained workforce in emerging electricity technologies such as the smart grid.
Research limitations/implications
This study’s focus on BEDC may limit its generalizability to other energy companies. It does not delve into energy sector privatization’s broader economic and policy implications.
Practical implications
The positive outcomes of privatization, such as improved resource utilization and infrastructure investment, emphasize the potential benefits of private ownership and management. However, voltage generation stability and staff welfare challenges call for targeted interventions. Recommendations include investing in voltage generation enhancement, smart grid infrastructure and implementing measures to enhance employee well-being through benefit plans.
Social implications
Energy sector enhancements hold positive social implications, uplifting living standards and bolstering electricity access for households and businesses.
Originality/value
This study contributes unique insights into privatization’s effects on BEDC, offering perspectives on preprivatization challenges and advancements. Practical recommendations aid BEDC and policymakers in boosting electricity distribution firms’ performance within the privatization context.
Journal Article
Optimal Capacitor Bank Allocation in Electricity Distribution Networks Using Metaheuristic Algorithms
Energy losses and bus voltage levels are key parameters in the operation of electricity distribution networks (EDN), in traditional operating conditions or in modern microgrids with renewable and distributed generation sources. Smart grids are set to bring hardware and software tools to improve the operation of electrical networks, using state-of the art demand management at home or system level and advanced network reconfiguration tools. However, for economic reasons, many network operators will still have to resort to low-cost management solutions, such as bus reactive power compensation using optimally placed capacitor banks. This paper approaches the problem of power and energy loss minimization by optimal allocation of capacitor banks (CB) in medium voltage (MV) EDN buses. A comparison is made between five metaheuristic algorithms used for this purpose: the well-established Genetic Algorithm (GA); Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO); and three newer metaheuristics, the Bat Optimization Algorithm (BOA), the Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) and the Sperm-Whale Algorithm (SWA). The algorithms are tested on the IEEE 33-bus system and on a real 215-bus EDN from Romania. The newest SWA algorithm gives the best results, for both test systems.
Journal Article
Disentangling Costs of Persistent and Transient Technical Inefficiency and Input Misallocation
Numerous studies have focused on estimating technical inefficiency in electricity distribution firms. However, most of these studies did not distinguish between persistent and transient technical inefficiency. Furthermore, almost none of the studies estimated the cost of input misallocation arising from non-optimal use of inputs. One reason is that the cost function (input distance function) typically used in the literature does not allow for the separation of technical inefficiency and allocative inefficiency. In this study, we estimate both the persistent and transient components of technical inefficiency and input misallocation of Norwegian electricity distribution firms, using panel data from 2000 to 2016. Our modeling and estimation strategy is to use a system approach, consisting of the production function and the first-order conditions of cost minimization. Input misallocation for each pair of inputs is modeled via the first-order conditions of cost minimization. We also estimate the costs of each component of technical inefficiency and input misallocation by deriving the cost function for a multi-output separable production technology. Our modeling and estimation strategy handles endogeneity of inputs. Finally, we allow for inclusion of determinants of persistent and transient technical inefficiency. Our results show that the costs of input misallocation of Norwegian electricity distribution firms are non-negligible.
Journal Article
Performance Effects of Network Structure and Ownership: The Norwegian Electricity Distribution Sector
Transmission and distribution networks are capital intensive segments of the electricity sector and are generally considered natural monopolies. Due to their non-competitive nature, these are subject to independent regulation to prevent the abuse of monopolistic power and to induce competitive behaviour. Effective economic regulation of the electricity networks has become a key target in most developed economies after the 1980s. In Norway, incentive regulation and efficiency benchmarking were introduced in 1997. In Norway, the electricity grid is divided into three levels, namely, central, regional and distribution networks. In this paper, we study two overlooked aspects when analysing the performance of electricity networks: vertical integration and ownership structure. We use a stochastic frontier analysis approach to analyse the performance of Norwegian electricity distribution utilities for the period 2007–2014. We observe that vertical integration between distribution and regional transmission implies higher cost inefficiencies. This indicates that the efficiency gains due to separate management of the networks exceed the economies of coordination from vertical economies of scope. In addition, we find that council ownership entails higher efficiencies. This could be explained by the state having an interest in high-voltage electricity networks, rather than low-voltage ones, and the decentralised model from which the now centralised system was once developed.
Journal Article