Advanced Metering Infrastructure and Graphics Processing Unit Technologies in Electric Distribution Networks

Abstract

The advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) has been recognized as a key communication mechanism in the modern distribution grid. As a result, integrating AMI with distribution management system (DMS) has become the focal point of distribution utilities during the past several years with the objective of enabling new applications and enhancing existing ones. In addition, with influx of massive real-time and near real-time measurements, speed up electric distribution network applications using graphic processing unit (GPU) technologies becomes attractive. Hence, the purpose of this chapter is two-fold: First it reviews a unified integration solution that enables DMS systems to flexibly adapt to various AMI systems with different communication protocols and meter data models. The feasibility and effectiveness of the integration solution are demonstrated through practical test scenarios. Second, it discusses GPU technologies and explores their applications in terms of state estimation and power flow computations. It concludes that GPU has significant potentials in improving the performance of distribution network applications. However, to unleash its power, the applications in distribution network need to be re-architected toward a GPU friendly architecture.