SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION

CURRENT® System Optimization solutions enable utilities to adjust voltage and other grid operating characteristics based on real-time conditions throughout the distribution system.  Distributed intelligent sensors provide a real-time feed to the OpenGrid platform where it is combined with geospatial, asset, SCADA and other operational data from capacitor banks, substations and other grid devices to determine the correct action to optimize the voltage or VAR control dynamically throughout the day.  Utilities can base the optimization upon minimizing losses, optimizing voltage or any combination thereof.  

The CURRENT System Optimization allows a utility to:

• Achieve Demand Reductions without Impacting Customers or Requiring a Change in their Behavior - System Optimization can reduce the total system demand by up to 5% to achieve overall energy efficiency and demand reduction targets or to meet peak load requirements. 
• Manage Intermittent Renewables - Dynamic voltage control can be used to reduce the need for spinning reserves and gas-fired backup generation for intermittent renewables.
• Improve Environmental Performance – Increased control of voltage and reduced technical losses enable utilities to provide more energy to customers per kilowatt-hour generated, lowering the total generation and associated carbon emissions.

Utilities look to System Optimization when facing demand constraints, energy efficiency targets, high use of renewables, high carbon costs and efficiency concerns from heavy losses.  Utilities can implement CURRENT System Optimization on a flexible scale, ranging from improving a particularly inefficient substation to optimizing an entire distribution system. 

CURRENT System Optimization products include:

• CURRENT Volt/VAR Control
• CURRENT Dynamic Voltage Optimization