Electricity Distribution for Consumers

Our team has been assigned a client that operates in the field of electricity distribution for consumers. On this page, we will tell you more about the field.

Generation, transmission, and distribution of electicity are three components of the electricity infrastructure. The distribution system is often the most critical component in terms of its effect on reliability and quality of service, cost of electricity, and aesthetic (mainly visual) impacts on society. Short, T. A. (2004). Electric Power Distribution Handbook.

 Classical energy distribution 

 

Transmission and distribution are the poles and lines that carry electricity to customers, both high-voltage long-distance transmission lines and lower-voltage local distribution lines, along with all the substations and transformers that help the power along its way. http://grist.org/climate-energy/utilities-for-dummies-part-2-why-we-need-competitive-electricity-markets-with-fennecs/    

 

The way that elecricity makes from generating station to customer

Purpose of an electricity distribution system is to deliver energy to consumer from transmission substation. There are two types of distribution substations: primary substation and customer substation. Primary substation function as a load center and the customer substation leads to low voltage network. Customer substation is normally some kind of distribution room that is usually provided by customer. The distribution room can contain number of switchgear panel and the transformer to enable connection to the customer incoming switchboard.

Distribution network can be in the form of overheard lines or underground cables. Cables are used in urban areas and overhead lines are adopted for rural areas. In order to meet different requirements different network configurations are possible. http://www.eolss.net/sample-chapters/c05/e6-39a-06-01.pdf

Here is a video representing classical energy distribution.

Renewable energy distribution

Renewable energy such as solar and wind power sometimes is hard to accommodate because of their unpredictable, intermittent energy output.These resources are harder to control and their substations must be able to monitor and manage energy flow and balance available power and consumer requirements.

On the consumer side, an automated meter reading should be able measures real-time customer power use and provide feedback.

http://www.elp.com/articles/powergrid_international/print/volume-17/issue-11/features/the-role-communications-smart-grid.html

In US, governement supported a project of Smart grid, a modernized electrical network that uses digital information to improve the efficiency, reliability, economics and sustainability of the production and distribution of electricity. Smart grid generally refers to a class of technology people are using to bring utility electricity delivery systems into the 21st century, using computer-based remote control and automation. These systems are made possible by two-way communication technology and computer processing that has been used for decades in other industries. They are beginning to be used on electricity networks, from the power plants and wind farms all the way to the consumers of electricity in homes and businesses.

The grid amounts to the networks that carry electricity from the plants where it is generated to consumers. The grid includes wires, substations, transformers, switches and much more. Smart grid means computerizing the electric utility grid. It includes adding two-way digital communication technology to devices associated with the grid. Each device on the network can be given sensors to gather data (power meters, voltage sensors, fault detectors, etc.), plus two-way digital communication between the device in the field and the utility’s network operations center. A key feature of the smart grid is automation technology that lets the utility adjust and control each individual device or millions of devices from a central location. Benefits include enhanced cyber-security, possibility to handle sources of electricity like wind and solar power.

http://energy.gov/oe/services/technology-development/smart-grid

Written by Anna