Distribution Asset Optimization — Improves Reliability, Customer Satisfaction
•Case Study: Xcel Energy
Like many electric utilities across the country, Xcel Energy faces a confluence of new challenges that are taxing its distribution system. Hot summers, the retrofitting of older homes with new central heating/air conditions systems, the proliferation of in-home computer technology and the addition of new subdivisions have combined to challenge reliability in certain areas of Xcel's distribution system.
In the summer of 2002 and 2003, Xcel Energy, energy provider to nearly 5 million customers in 11 Western and Midwestern states, experienced an increase in distribution transformer outages in specific areas of its Colorado service territory. Utility officials searched for innovative solutions to increase reliability and keep customer satisfaction a top priority.
An Opportunity for Improvement
The utility focused on identifying load growth and overtaxed assets in the system in order to respond before electricity demand exceeded system capacity. To achieve this objective Xcel Energy sought to leverage customer usage data it was already collecting via AMR technology in order to identify those assets that should be replaced before they tripped. By combining its customer load data, weather data, and asset data with smart, analytic software, Xcel would have a powerful tool to improve reliability and asset utilization.
Downloads:•Case Study: Xcel Energy