TripleOhm: Distribution substation monitoring

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Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK

£248,170

Nov. 1, 2016

Jan. 31, 2017

The UK’s low voltage “distribution” network is owned and operated by a small number of companies called Distribution Network Operators (DNOs). These companies need to maintain very significant infrastructure that is required to ensure that electricity supply is continuously and perfectly matched to energy demand. Emerging social trends such as the widespread deployment of small scale solar installations, the adoption of electric vehicles and changing patterns of power generation is putting pressure on the existing infrastructure. In order to invest efficiently and hence minimise consumer bills, DNOs strive to upgrade, maintain and replace infrastructure only where required, seeking to make judgements about how close substations are to capacity limits. This project aims to develop and field test a secondary substation condition monitoring system that will enable DNOs to remotely monitor the performance, status and condition of their assets. The system will be based on a novel 3 phase metering technology that has previously been prototyped and patent protected by 42 Technology Ltd (42T), a product and innovation Services Company based near Cambridge and tested at the Power Networks Demonstration Centre near Glasgow and in the field. The system aims to improve on existing technologies by being significantly lower cost as well as offering high frequency analysis which enables analysis of harmonics, detection of incipient failure and potentially data disaggregation.