The connections design departments in DNOs are facing unprecedented pressure as customers seek to connect novel new loads, and other low carbon technologies, at low voltage. Examples include electric vehicle (EV) charging and renewable generation. This situation is unlikely to improve; the transport sector in the UK is expecting to see significant growth in electric vehicle sales and use in the near future. For distribution network companies this will create the need to serve significant additional vehicle charging infrastructure.
This demand stretches the capacity of Northern Powergrid and means that a large proportion of the available engineering resource is devoted to relatively routine design work. This, in turn, means that design resource is not necessarily available to serve those customers that have more complex or complicated requirements. Overall this means that customers’ quotations are delivered on longer timescales than we, or they, would like.
Objectives
The project will be delivered in four separate phases, each acting as stage-gates for progress to subsequent stages.
Stage 1 :assessment of data quality issues, identification of key design rules and assessment of feasibility of approach and production of a fully designed plan for
subsequent stages.
Stage 2 : Identification and assessment of appropriate and efficient algorithms to perform network assessments at LV, including modules to convert “raw” network
data to CIM and from CIM to a DEBUT-style assessment tool where deemed necessary.
Stage 3 : Phased pilot introduction and implementation of tool, based on stage 2 outcomes, to internal users.To include rollout testing, user feedback, modification
and post development.
Stage 4 : Development of customer-friendly online connections tool.
Building on the beta testing phase of the internal connections tool produced in stage 3, we will scope out and deliver a tool with an appropriate feature set for customer self-service use.This will be web enabled/on-line where at all possible.
Part of the earlier project phases is to define the stage 4 tool’s scope in more detail, however, we would expect, although cannot commit to, the main output of the tool to:
Assist the user in accurately specifying the capacity required by guiding them through connections options and main technology options.This will lean on the
work done to date on online connections but also include new technologies such as EV charging, home energy storage, PV etc;
Using the capacity requirement details, display the desired location and show existing network assets with a guide to their ability to service the new requirement;
Provide estimates of connection cost to the user, as a guide, and within some defined level of error.
Learnings
Outcomes
AutoDesign has been used as part of BAU processes, between January 2020 and the end of 2020, to produce around 2000 budget estimates across both ‘Small Works’ and ‘Large Works’ job categories with a split of 80% and 20% respectively. The tool is used to automate an average of 80% of the budget estimates within the remit of the project, covering requests for demand less than 210kVA. This output is delivered across two map based tools which simplify the presentation of our network data; one for internal staff use and one, integrated with the existing Customer Relationship Management system that provides other services to customers and offers simplified guidance for users focused on Electric Vehicle chargers and heat pump technology when providing demand details in addition to more typical connection requests.
Lessons Learnt
Any conversations regarding integration with existing Information Technology infrastructure need to take place as early as is practicable.
Early prototype unit demonstrations, which highlighted the possibilities of the overall project and generated some interest in the usefulness of the technologies, may to lead to suggestions for additional requirements from key stakeholders. Without review these can lead to a widening of the scope beyond that which is possible with the resources and time frame available.
