Distribution Efficiency Conservation Voltage Regulation CVR

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Distribution EfficiencyConservation Voltage
Regulation (CVR)

• Jillianne Welker
• 4/21/2009

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Distribution Efficiency Measures

• Phase balancing
• Load balancing between feeders
• Load balancing between substations
• Reactive Power (VAR) management
• Installation of mid-line voltage regulators
• Reconductoring of primary feeders
• Primary line extensions (to reduce secondary
  voltage drop)
• CVR

67 of energy is wasted between generation and
the consumer. -US Department of Energy
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Conservation Voltage RegulationWhat is Voltage
Regulation?
A core responsibility of each utility is to
deliver service voltage1 within a suitable range
this is is done by regulating the voltage.
What is the suitable range for delivered voltage?
The American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) Standard C84.1
1The service voltage is the point where the
utility and the end user are interconnected.
This is usually the electric meter.
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Conservation Voltage RegulationWhere does the
Conservation come from?
Desirable Service Voltage Range 126 - 114 VAC
V O L T A G E
126 125 124 123 122 121 120 119 118 117 116 115 11
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Upper Range
122.5 National Average Customer Service Voltage
Lower Range
90 of homes and businesses receive more voltage
than they need. -US Department of Energy
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What is the estimated energy savings potential?
The Councils target was calculated using 2 of
projected energy demand through 2030. The 6th
Power Plan is expected to include a technical
savings potential of 470 aMW.
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Whats the end result were looking for? 470 aMW!

• Some of the ancillary benefits
• Available to every utility
• You dont have to qualify and it doesnt matter
  what kind of load you have
• Incentives available to BPA utilities
• Minimum of .17 per kWh
• Much of the potential requires very little
  improvement in infrastructure
• Helps meet conservation needs/requirements
• Washingtons Initiative 937
• Improves power factor
• Increased awareness and knowledge of the system
  leads to better planning
• More dialog between stakeholders about what
  works...and what doesnt
• Marketing opportunity

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What are the primary barriers?

• Utilities focus on capital expenditure projects
  related to expansion or system upgrades
• Inherent inertia in the utility industry -
  business as usual
• Concern over loss of revenue
• CVR still seen as theoretical - difficulty
  quantifying benefits and costs for a business
  case
• Conservation efforts (financial and operational)
  are focused on utility end use customers
• Cooperative project decision-making
• Current design standards that focus more on
  reliability and power quality
• Difficulty quantifying benefits and costs for a
  business case

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Are all utilities good candidates for CVR?

• Feeder-level results from NEEA DEI Study

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Can savings of this magnitude really be achieved?

• It depends on the approach.
• Remember who youre talking to
• Give them what they need to make it happen
• Money
• Technical expertise
• Supplemental labor
• Presentation assistance
• Help build the business case
• Respond quickly!
• Fail to plan... plan to fail
• Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility
• Listen!
• Build customer advocacy
• Trusted expertise is critical

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Under development at BPA a distribution system
efficiency strategy

• Technical Strategy
• The CVR measure-life was change from 1-year to
  10-years in the PTR System
• Scheduling 7 workshops around the region
• Utility perspective of and experience in applying
  CVR
• Lessons learned from the NEEA DEI Study
• CVR using automated EOL feedback
• Working toward standardizing the methodology used
  to calculate the CVR factor
• Specifically robust statistics and weather
  adjustment
• Currently only one MV protocol for CVR exists
• Creating 3 new simplified MV protocols
• Protocols will benefit from a deemed calculator
  and guidebook
• Expect to present these protocols to the RTF in
  July/August
• Working to deem a Calculator to make the energy
  savings estimation less onerous.
• Expect to finalize this by the end of Sept. 09

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Under development at BPA a distribution system
efficiency strategy

• Implementation Strategy
• Create an Energy Efficiency/Distribution/Transmiss
  ion workgroup
• Share ideas and review programmatic strategies
• Use this group to identify programmatic
  components that will allow utilities to begin
  evaluating their savings potential
• Create a customer profile of BPA utilities
• contacts, design criteria, planning schedules,
  existing problems, early adopters, etc.
• Propose ideas to the Council about how to deal
  with free ridership concerns
• Formalize a process in which BPA works with
  interested utilities to integrate energy
  efficiency into their long term planning process
• Use success stories for marketing
• Continue to offer education and training
• Continue to coordinate with Smart Grid efforts
  and Transmission

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Questions, Comments, Ideas? Jillianne
Welker Distribution Efficiency/CVR Project
Lead 503-504-7331 jwelker2007_at_gmail.com