Future Grid setting the standard for low voltage analytics in NZ

Sponsored

• Future Grid is helping more and more EDBs “leapfrog” peers on their LV analytics journey
• comes integrated with Vector NODS, retailers and major transformer monitor vendors
• supporting EDBs with LV hosting capacity and Dynamic Operating Envelopes for load management

Future Grid has been developing AMI analytics software for EDBs for over 10 years. A pioneer of low voltage visibility using smart meter data, Future Grid began its journey in Australia, where its software is in production with 95% of Australian distribution networks. The ability to detect network faults in real-time and with high accuracy has driven this adoption, however DER compliance and voltage management are now primary features deployed.

Future Grid first entered the NZ market through WEL Networks in Hamilton, which has been a customer for over five year, and has helped Future Grid understand and shape its product ready for the NZ market. In 2023, Future Grid, through the Ara Ake’s EDB Decarbonisation Challenge, was engaged by Wellington Electricity and Powerco to demonstrate to the market how EDBs in NZ were able to leapfrog using a solution that was proven and ready to deploy to meet their needs.

Read more here.

(l-r) Project lead Sean Osborne-Curtis with Future Grid’s Tim Day and Neil Webb in Powerco’s Network Operations Centre

The success of the PowerCo and Wellington Electricity projects has seen an explosion of interest at other EDBs in NZ, and Future Grid is currently running projects for over 10 EDBs representing nearly 50% of the NZ market. Customers are both large and small. Recently, Buller Electricity in Westport – which distributes electricity to more than 4500 consumers on the West Coast – was able quickly and cost-effectively to use the Future Grid solution to detect network faults.

Read more here.

How does Future Grid support EDBs in New Zealand?

1. Leapfrog your LV visibility journey by leveraging the lessons of other EDBs around NZ, Australia and the world. A common set of 85 standard analytical outcomes that just work.
2. Tier 1 solution for any EDB size. Future Grid has created a pricing and commercial model that allows any EDB to participate and receive the same outcomes that customers with millions of customers receive for the least cost – no cloud costs!
3. Data Security. With strict guidelines in NZ when using both retailer and NODS information, Future Grid has developed a highly secure approach that can be on-premise to meet even the strictest EDB's security requirements – and we have.
4. The team. We are investing in NZ with staff and local support as the Future Grid solution becomes popular.

What outcomes are available for EDBs in NZ?

COMPASSTM comes pre-packaged with a wide range of analytical outcomes and features developed and influenced by hundreds of distribution engineers. This means that today when an EDB deploys COMPASSTM, it is not only quick to achieve value but also ensures that what it has has been proved across 30+ distribution networks and thousands of system users.

Analytical Features are available for every EDB in NZ, including network planning features such as capacity, utilisation, and phase management. Operational features include real-time fault management and neutral integrity detection, outage management, voltage compliance and now DER compliance. All are visualised through the COMPASSTM user interface deployed for access across the entire EDB for all to use.

LV view of a distribution network

Supporting the increase in renewable energy and DER in LV networks

One of the newest challenges EDBs face is increased customer generation and new demand for rooftop solar and EV charging. Calculating the LV hosting capacity has traditionally been difficult, as power flow analysis is typically slow and requires LV data quality that is often not available today.

Future Grid now comes with a new approach called “Model Free,” an AI technique born out of the prestigious Melbourne University research labs in Australia. This means that EDBs can now calculate LV hosting capacity quickly, accurately, and easily considering both the thermal and voltage limits of a transformer, making it easy to manage new connection requests with knowledge of the LV impact.

As more DER is deployed into networks, the industry is moving towards the concept of flexibility. Future Grid supports “Dynamic Operating Envelopes,” which calculates both import and export limits dynamically to support the future flexibility management of DER.

A dynamic operating envelope with varying import and export limits for a transformer

In its early deployments, export limit management has been the focus, but as EV chargers increase, demand curtailment requirements are increasing.

Increasingly, customers are working with Future Grid to perform feasibility studies using these technologies to better understand how to augment network investment and at what point new investments will be required.

Enabling the DSO of the future

Managing LV secondary networks means developing a near-real-time understanding of the network state and addressing known faults and undesirable behaviour to minimise the impact on hosting capacity and network reliability.

Future Grid’s DSO framework for all utilities supports every utility with a set of steps they can follow to leapfrog their current state in support of a renewable power future. Our first-hand experience makes it possible to manage existing networks using only AMI and smart meters.

Read more here.