Real-time visibility for MV and LV network
With the rapid growth in the penetration of distributed energy resources (DER) bringing more complexity in the grid due to new bidirectional power flows and fluctuating demand patterns, DSOs' interest has shifted from high and medium voltage monitoring towards real-time visibility for low-voltage (LV) network.
Therefore, extending monitoring and remote control from MV to LV is mandatory to improve the reliability and quality of service to final users, decrease SAIDI index as well as reducing total costs.
The current topology for distribution grids is often not completely or accurately known. In particular, the segment from secondary substation and its downstream connected LV network is very often not monitored nor controlled hence, a new suite of hardware and software solutions for LV Grid Monitoring and Control is needed.
Enhancing visibility and control on the edge
The new QEd 1000 is an edge device that integrates several use cases related to the secondary substation in one single solution. Thanks to its virtualization technology, it can act as: interoperable meter data concentrator supporting multiple RF/PLC protocols (Meters & More, PRIME, G3, DLMS, etc), Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) to extend remote control to the LV grid, as well as a basic router to enable seamless communication.
By integrating multiple merging units, QEd 1000 is able to monitor: the status of LV feeders and any faults occurred; temperature, current and voltage level of the transformer; environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, presence of ozone, etc.).
In order to exploit QEd 1000’s cloud-edge potential to the fullest, the solution can be integrated with our new centralized Low Voltage Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (LV SCADA) platform. This powerful software enables to further improve the visibility on the real-time status of LV grid and perform remote control functions by leveraging on the virtualized RTU embedded in the device, without the need of field-crew intervention.
LV network digital twin in real-time
The Low Voltage Grid Monitoring and Control ecosystem enables:
Real-time visualization
Collection and visualization of real-time data and measurements from smart components installed on the low-voltage network (transformers, smart boxes, switches, sensors).
Real-time tracking
Tracking of network configuration changes in real time, energy balances, control of the load level of each transformer phase, preventive monitoring of the network, real-time alarm generation.
MV and LV map display
Thanks to the interconnection with external GIS (Geographic Information System), medium voltage and low voltage networks are shown on a cartographic map.
Energy supply status
Shows the status of energy supply in real-time allowing for fast and accurate outage management.