Siemens, Utilidata join forces to improve distribution system efficiency

PROVIDENCE – Technology companies Siemens AG and Utilidata Inc. are combining products to offer a way to enhance distribution system efficiency and reliability through circuit reconfiguration and topology information switching.
Utilidata’s AdaptiVolt software is combined with Siemens Distribution Feeder Automation, a fault location, isolation and service restoration system.
“By integrating our products, Siemens and Utilidata are able to provide greater value to utilities looking to change and adapt to the realities of today’s evolving distribution grid model,” Mike Carlson, president, Siemens Digital Grid US, said in a statement. “Combined, the SDFA and AdaptiVolt solutions enable greater efficiency in reconfiguring and managing load, resulting in energy savings and enhanced reliability for utilities.”
Each system uses real-time data and automates decision making in distribution load management. For example, Siemens’ SDFA automatically locates and isolates faulted line sections, restoring service to healthy line sections. While SDFA can make automatic decisions for reconfiguration one circuit at a time, the lack of power flow information makes it a challenge to balance load between circuits, according to a news release from the companies.
That’s where the AdaptiVolt comes in. It gathers data from the entire distribution system, sharing its power-flow information from the substation to enable greater efficiency in re-configuring circuits, helping it to better manage the reconfiguration of loads through the SDFA. The combination of the various technologies, working together, produces greater system enhancement and boosts reliability, the release said.
“The ability to extract this kind of real-time data from the entire distribution system will enable utilities to make smarter decisions and realize true value from the Industrial Internet of Things while gaining immediate benefits for customers,” Scott DePasquale, CEO and chairman of Utilidata, said in prepared remarks. “With 3 to 5 percent energy savings, AdaptiVolt provides an immediate return on investment.”