This Utility University course is open to any attendee with an all-access or utility all-access badge. These courses are first come, first served onsite in Dallas, however, pre-registration is still required. To pre-register, please visit the registration resource center or reach out to info@distributech.com.

Distribution feeder circuits have traditionally been designed as radial feeds, with the voltage the highest at the substation and the lowest at the end of the circuit. This allows the voltage to be the highest where the load is greatest and increases profitability for the utility. In today’s environment, this design greatly limits Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR), as well as solar hosting capacity. For these technologies to be deployed with maximum benefit, the feeder circuit voltage needs to be the lowest at the substation and higher at the end of the feeder.

A concept denoted as “Flipping the Circuit” is introduced in this tutorial with a series of presentations that explore the need to flip the circuit, and how best to accomplish this. The recommended solution attempts to maximize the existing distribution infrastructure while allowing for advanced functionality to support the evolving distribution grid. The tutorial will discuss how to properly engineer the circuit for primary radial applications that can be tied via normal open points to other circuits. Changing feeder configurations either manually or with FLISR schemes impacts the operation of switched capacitor banks and voltage regulators and can lead to voltage violations. The tutorial also explores how the penetration of renewables connected to the distribution feeder impacts the voltage as well as the operation of voltage regulators and switched capacitor banks. The tutorial discusses the trend of no longer performing routine maintenance and how predictive maintenance can limit the exposure of failing equipment that causes outages and possible fires.

The tutorial also presents the centralized volt var optimization (VVO) technology that addresses the complexities of the distribution grid of the future. Impact of cyber-attacks on VVO systems, and how to address the cyber-attacks on field IEDs are discussed. Cost-Benefit Analysis of implementing VVO is also discussed. Verification, Assessment and Monitoring Requirements for CVR along with power quality are also covered in this tutorial. Finally, practical implementation of volt var optimization technologies deployed by electric power company along with performance results are presented. 

Prerequisites:

• Basic understanding of the distribution grid

Acquired Knowledge: 

• Why the need for voltage regulation
• When to use LTCs versus feeder regulation
• What switching method is best for capacitor banks
• How to coordinate capacitor banks with regulators
• What should be the desired power factor on the system
• What is required to have a voltage reduction system with CVR factors greater than 1
• Benefits of De-centralized and Centralized VVOs schemes
• How to prepare a ROI for the VVO and CVR 
• How to validate the results for CVR and VVO
• How to increase DER hosting capacity of feeders
• How to coordinate Capacitor banks with DERs
• How to design the distribution system to better support residential DERs and EVs.