Electric Grid Modernization Working Group Kick-Off Workshop

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Electric Grid ModernizationWorking Group
Kick-Off Workshop
Larry Gelbien, Vice President of Engineering,
NSTAR Jennifer Schilling, Director of Asset
Management, Western Massachusetts Electric
Company November 14, 2012
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Agenda
1
Introduction
2
NSTAR Grid Modernization Activities
3
WMECo Grid Modernization Activities
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NU Grid Modernization Principles

• NU customers are front and center when making
  grid modernization decisions by focusing
  investments on enhancing grid infrastructure to
  provide a safer, more reliable, and cost
  effective service for our customers
• Deployment of grid modernization programs must be
  conducted with a focus on capturing efficiencies
  and long-term value for customers
• Excellent communication and shared objectives
  among all stakeholders is critical to the success
  of grid modernization programs
• Pilots of new technologies represent a valuable
  opportunity to quantify costs and identify
  potential benefits in order to inform
  implementation decisions
• NSTAR, WMECO and other NU operating companies
  will work together to identify and implement best
  practices in system planning and grid
  modernization, leveraging synergies to lower unit
  costs
• Each company will continue to make independent
  investment decisions based on geography, system
  characteristics, customer demographics and
  regulatory construct
• As part of the grid modernization working group,
  MA utilities can leverage experiences without
  duplicating efforts

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Agenda
1
Introduction
2
NSTAR Grid Modernization Activities
3
WMECo Grid Modernization Activities
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Grid Modernization Investments
NSTAR has made significant investments in
Distribution Automation and other Grid-Facing
Smart Grid Equipment

• Distribution Automation Present and Future
• 4 kV Modernization Using Advance Technology
• Boston Secondary Network Monitoring
• Transmission Sensors and Switches
• High Speed Fiber-optic Rings for Reliability,
  Monitoring, and Control
• Distribution Generation Interconnections using
  Advance Technology
• Digital Voice Radio Provides Interoperability
  of all crew communications
• Web-based Outage Reporting
• AMR-Based Dynamic Pricing
• Outage Management System Evaluation

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Distribution Automation reduces outage duration
and the number of customers affected

• Electric delivery network using modern sensing,
  communications, and information processing based
  on digital technologies
• Circuit self-healing implementation
  (Auto-Restoration)
• Supervisory controlled overhead and underground
  switches with voltage and current sensors

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Significant Distribution Automation Investment

• NSTAR has installed more than 2,000 switches
  throughout our service territory and has over
  5,000 sensors monitoring the electric grid.
• 80 of NSTAR customers benefit from Distribution
  Automation.
• NSTAR is expanding this program and capabilities
  as part of our 20MM US DOE ARRA Project.

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Distribution Automation NSTAR South locations
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Distribution Automation NSTAR North locations
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NSTAR is moving towards full Auto-Restoration as
part of our DOE ARRA Grant project

• Mode 1 Supervisory mode
• Leverages remote control of switches
• Operator controlled sequences
• Mode 2 Operational Acknowledgement mode
• Computer-simulated restoration sequences
• Operator validation and execution
• Mode 3 Self-Healing mode
• Computer-determined restoration sequences
• No human intervention

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More than 600,000 Customer Outages Avoided Due to
Automated Sectionalization
Cumulative Number of Averted Sustained Customer
Outages Due to ASU Operations (through 9/30/12)
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Customers see the benefits in shorter outage
durations and fewer customers affected

• 2012 YTD through September
• 71,000 customer sustained outages avoided
• 163,000 restored in 5 minutes or less
• DA improves response time during major system
  events

Tropical Storm Irene October 2011 Noreaster
Total Customer Interruptions 506,000 227,000
Customer Restored lt 1hour (included in line above) 232,000 16,000
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Automated Vacuum Fault Interrupters (VFI)

• Allows for automation on underground switches
  which are otherwise difficult to access and
  operate.
• Switching can be done locally (from above the
  manhole) or remotely (via SCADA).

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Secondary Network Monitoring SystemsBoston
Cambridge

• DigitalGrid Network Reporting Using Power Line
  Carrier Communications
• Monitors 100 of the transformers (1,500 total)
  on our underground secondary network in Boston
  Cambridge to provide near real-time data for our
  SCADA system.
• Technology is installed and enabled at every
  network transformer in our secondary network.

Urban Grid Monitoring Renewables Integration
Minor Node

• Urban Grid Monitoring Renewables Integration
  DOE Pilot
• Enhances visibility into status of underground
  secondary network in downtown Boston
• Improves reliability and ultimately allows for
  testing the integration of inverter-based
  renewable generation onto the secondary network
  grid
• 10MM project, 50 funded by US DOE ARRA Grant

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Transmission Sensors and SEECO Switches

• Enhances ability to monitor and control our
  Transmission system by adding sensing and
  switching technology.
• Near real-time monitoring allows us to reduce
  outage duration, or avoid outages altogether.
• 2012 YTD 19,800 outages avoided due to
  Transmission switching
• 2011
• 35,715 outages avoided
• 71,745 restored in 5 minutes or less

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Distributed Generation Interconnection Using
Advanced Technology
Distributed Generation Interconnection Projects
On-line by Year

• Improves safety, response time, and decreases
  costs by allowing NSTAR to easily and safely
  connect solar and wind generation to the electric
  grid.

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Digital Communication System

• Provides field crews with voice, data, and phone
  during emergency operations.
• Enables Interoperability of all field crews
  communications.
• Voice Radio that can be used for communications,
  particularly during major system events when
  commercial cellular service is not available or
  is unreliable.
• Improves safety via
• Emergency alert and GPS location features
• Improved reliability and coverage
• Increases effectiveness of recovery and
  restoration as well as mutual aid, improving
  overall response times

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High speed Fiber-optic Rings for Reliability,
Monitoring, and Control
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Web-based Outage Reporting

• Enables NSTAR customers to report and track the
  status of power outages from their desktop
  computer or mobile device.

Outage Map contains up-to-date information by town
Outages can be reported on a mobile device
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AMR-Based Dynamic Pricing

• Overview
• Compliant with Massachusetts Green Communities
  Act
• Will include 2,870 total NSTAR customers
• Integrates two way communications and near real
  time measurement of consumption data via Tendril
  Networks Home Area Network system
• Utilizes Time of Use Pricing by integrating
  interval data from Tendril to NSTAR back office
  systems
• Low-cost solution utilizing existing
  infrastructure
• Compatible with existing meters and existing
  billing system
• Utilizes Internet for communications back-haul

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Pilot Evaluation Timeline
Metrics Benefits Report
Metrics Benefits Report
End of PilotOfficial DOE
Pilot Kick-offSoft Launch
Technical Performance Report 1
Technical Performance Report 2
24 months
Summer 2010
January 2012
September 2012
Summer 2013
Winter 2013
December 2013
Spring 2014
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Initial interest was strong, but many customers
have dropped out of the pilot over time.

• 6.7 overall response rate to marketing
• Email response 7
• Direct Mail response 3.7
• 3,200 customers enrolled and 2,700 followed
  through to installation
• 850 customers (30 of installed) have de-enrolled
  after installation
• This number is going up, as customers equipment
  is going off-line.

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Some customers love the increased information
others expect more.
It was very helpful and made me conscious on
what I used for electricity and made me think of
when to do laundry.
The In Home Display is useless and the data is
not actionable. You need to have a mobile app.
The thermostat and its connectivity to the web
portal were very helpful. While it was neat to
have the in-home display to see what is going on,
I dont think it impacted our decisions about
energy usage.
I have found the program both informative and
educational from a best practice standpoint as
well as helpful from a financial incentive
perspective. Thank you all, especially for the
responsive customer service.
All it really told me was that my A/C and
electric dryer use a lot of energy, which I
already knew.
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There are many open questions on the benefits of
the program.

• While there are several pros to this approach vs.
  AMI deployment (namely cost), there are many
  challenges and uncertainties
• Billing complexities
• Customer acceptance and participation
• Overall energy savings resulting from each
  treatment group and the persistence of these
  savings over time
• This emphasizes the importance of carefully
  analyzing the results to identify trends, areas
  for improvement and best practices. By
  undertaking this exercise, NSTAR will ensure that
  future grid modernization strategies provide real
  benefits to customers.

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Automated Outage Reporting Pilots

• Piloting low cost solutions to mitigate nested
  outages by monitoring the overhead distribution
  system.
• Hardware solution
• Software solution
• Third party
  partnerships

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Agenda
1
Introduction
2
NSTAR Grid Modernization Activities
3
WMECo Grid Modernization Activities
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Investment Decision Balance
Investment decisions in reliability and
improvements in customer experience are based on
relative cost benefit analysis
Customers ability to support total investment
cost
LESSEN IMPACT OF EVENTS
PREVENT EVENTS
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Overhead Distribution Automation

• Overhead System Automation via Reclosers and
  Recloser Loop Schemes
• Isolate faulted circuit backbone section
  automatically and independently in under 60
  seconds
• Early loop schemes had limited DSCADA due to poor
  radio coverage
• New radio infrastructure in 2008 allowed for wide
  spread DSCADA deployment
• 19 of reclosers are DSCADA equipped
• All new reclosers are DSCADA equipped

• Approximately 53 of customers served by the
  overhead system are a part of a loop scheme
• Opportunities remain to increase loop scheme
  penetration and reduce size of zones

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WMECO Smart Zone

• Motor operated switches with advanced remote
  terminal units (RTUs)
• Smart zone isolates fault within timing sequence
  of recloser loop scheme
• DSCADA equipped
• 1 accuracy sensors to provide quality circuit
  information to engineers and other potential
  future smart grid applications
• RTUs can be reconfigured to take commands from a
  DMS if desired in future
• New Packet Radio System
• Provides peer-to-peer communication between
  devices
• Required for quick data transfer needed to fit in
  loop scheme timing sequence

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Integration of Distributed Generation

• WMECO has installed 4.1 MW of utility owned solar
  generation at two facilities in Pittsfield and
  Springfield
• Projects provide opportunity to study the impact
  of distributed generation on the utility grid

• Power Tag pilot project underway to test the
  feasibility of a lower cost solution to detect an
  islanding condition
• Signal sent from the substation via power line
  carrier to the DG facility
• In the event the signal is interrupted at the
  facility, the recloser will automatically open
  disconnecting the facility from the distribution
  system

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Customer Facing Technologies

• WMECO has not yet identified a cost effective
  business case for widespread deployment of
  customer facing technologies on the distribution
  grid
• Enabling time of use pricing and customer access
  to real time usage information via AMI has a high
  fixed cost that must be spread over a relatively
  small customer base
• Communications infrastructure would need to cover
  15 of the state land area to reach fewer than
  210,000 customers
• Benefits should be quantifiable and sustainable
• Customers response to technology must be
  maintained over life of investment
• Incremental benefits relative to AMR systems have
  yet to be proven

GREEN COMMUNITIES ACT SMART GRID PILOT ON
HOLD WMECO proposed a six-month pilot for 1,750
customers at a cost of 7.1 million Settlement
agreement calls for waiting to achieve cost
savings with upgrade of NU meter data management
system and gathering lessons learned from other
Massachusetts utility pilots
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WMECo and NSTAR support the Green Button
initiative

• The Green Button is a response to a national
  challenge to utilities from President Barrack
  Obamas Chief Technology Officer
• With a click of the button customers can view
  their electricity usage quickly and easily from
  our web site

• The goal is to encourage awareness of energy use
  and allow third parties to develop tools that
  help our customers more effectively manage energy
  costs.

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NU Grid Modernization Policy Issues

• Investment decisions should be informed by robust
  risk adjusted cost benefit analysis targeted to
  each companys operating characteristics
• Pilot programs represent a valuable opportunity
  to assess costs and benefits of technology
  applications prior to widespread deployment
• Performance measurement and reporting is an
  important part of the implementation of grid
  modernization programs
• Distribution automation is a proven approach to
  limiting the duration and number of customers
  affected by outage events
• Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) may be
  difficult to justify in many situations based on
  operational benefits, particularly given prior
  investment in Automated Meter Reading (AMR).
  Investments of these types must be justified on a
  cost benefit basis.