Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | FEBRUARY 2021 | 31 Customers industry, an obsession with rip-o tari s, a general distaste for the pro t motive and making energy a political football, it would have had a better chance of success and we'd all be done and dusted by now." Philippe Commaret, managing director of retail, EDF Energy "When thinking about the broader rollout, it is true that overall demand for smart meters from customers has been consistently lower than we'd hoped. But if the pandemic has taught me anything about the rollout, it is that smart meters are extremely empow- ering for customers – they give up-to-date and accurate information about how much energy is being used and allow smart pay as you go customers to top-up from the comfort of their home. "We need to work hard in 2021, alongside industry and government, to communicate these bene ts to customers so we can start to see a bigger shi€ in customer demand." Juliet Davenport, founder and chief executive, Good Energy "Government targets to install smart meters are meaning- less unless they embrace a zero-carbon future. Poten- tially millions of consum- ers have already been le€ with obsolete devices. Good Energy has always argued that smart meters need to support the zero-carbon transition, from solar panels to electric vehicles. "The next generation of devices are much more intelligent and have the potential to completely change the way we consume energy." Chris Lovatt, chief operating o cer, Eon Energy Infrastructure Services "We've been leaders in smart metering for over a decade and have installed some three million meter upgrades for our customers. While we've seen delays to the overall pro- gramme timeframes over the years, due most recently to the pandemic, it's crucial that all suppliers maintain focus and pace to ensure smart meters are installed in as many prop- erties as possible across Britain. "Smart meters are key to a smarter energy future and we simply must continue to install them safely and eˆ ciently so custom- ers can reap the many bene ts, regardless of the timescales involved." Adam John, reporter C onventional reclosers can o€ en do more harm than good, allowing through the full fault current up to four times when testing for faults. This is called the fault multiplier e ect, and this can cause damage to cables, transformers, and equipment, as well as reduced power quality. And with the rise of renewable energy sources, unidirectional power Œ ow will no longer be the norm – this will require a protection device that is able to recognise changes in power direction. Ofgem has recently published its Sector Speci c Methodology Decision for the RIIO-ED2 price controls. As part of this it has emphasised the importance of DNOs maintaining and improving world class reliability, including keeping short interruption to a minimum. Recent breakthroughs in overhead distribution system protection can provide alternatives to conventional automatic circuit reclosers. Recent developments have provided solutions that accommodate advanced distribution automation functions, provide SCADA functionality, and o er signi cant bene ts for radial line protection. PulseClosing Technology dramatically reduces the amount of fault current let through during fault testing and signi cantly lessens short interruptions for customers on a main feeder. PulseClosing technology reduces the fault energy let through by more than 95 per cent compared with a conventional recloser when testing for faults, which results in a massive reduction of stress and damage to your equipment, all while improving reliability performance under Ofgem's nancial incentives on interruptions, which will be continuing into RIIO2 with some further tightening of targets. S&C Electric Company's IntelliRupter combines all of these features and allows for greater segmentation of the network. The number of devices that can be coordinated, increases segmentation resulting in fewer customers without power when a sustained outage occurs. Bidirectional protection capabilities are also key and ensure systems are ready for increased levels of distributed generation which are an important part of meeting targets for decarbonisation. Technologies that can also be incorporated in existing protection schemes with heritage reclosers are vital and still provide the bene ts that the IntelliRupter has to o er for example. IntelliRupter units can be deployed on overhead and underground, or diˆ cult- to-manage hybrid circuits with similar protection characteristics. They also bene t from a simple installation process, reducing initial O&M™costs. With the changing landscape of power generation, higher customer demand, and increasing fault currents, DNOs need to prepare for the grid of tomorrow and improve reliability by utilising innovative solutions such as the IntelliRupter today. The author can be contacted at: Jonathan.Hopkins@sandc.com For further information, visit: https://www.sandc.com/en/ products--services/products/ intellirupter-pulsecloser-fault- interrupter/ JONATHAN HOPKINS, SALES DIRECTOR Preparing for the grid of tomorrow Tech Talk Sponsored content brought to you by

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