The Role of Information Technology Department against the Hook Style Energy Theft in Smart Cities – Ad-Hoc Overhead Low-Voltage Broadband over Power Lines (OV LV BPL) Networks

Athanasios Lazaropoulos

doi:10.17737/tre.2019.5.2.0093

Abstract

This paper investigates the possibility of detecting the hook style energy theft in the overhead low-voltage (OV LV) power grids through the hook style energy theft method (HS-DET method) when ad-hoc overhead Low-Voltage Broadband over Power Lines (OV LV BPL) networks are deployed by the Information Technology departments of the power utilities. Without the need for the deployment of a complete and permanent OV LV BPL network across the OV LV power grid, the impact of the deviation from the initial measurement positions and of longer ad-hoc OV LV BPL topologies on the detection efficiency of HS-DET method is assessed by using the already validated percent error sum (PES) metrics and appropriate contour plots. Citation: Lazaropoulos, A. G. (2019). The Role of Information Technology Department against the Hook Style Energy Theft in Smart Cities – Ad-Hoc Overhead Low-Voltage Broadband over Power Lines (OV LV BPL) Networks. Trends in Renewable Energy, 5, 117-150. DOI: 10.17737/tre.2019.5.2.0093

Highlights

Energy theft defines a well-known problem either in traditional power systems or in the emerging smart grid while the financial losses of the power utilities reach up to $6 billion, $5 billion and $4.5 billion in United States, Brazil and India, respectively [1]-[10]
This paper has focused on the performance of HS-DET method when ad-hoc overhead low-voltage (OV LV) BPL topologies are installed by Information Technology departments of power utilities
Two critical issues regarding the operation of ad-hoc OV LV BPL topologies have been discussed in this paper while their impact on the hook style energy theft detection by ΔPES of HS-DET method has been assessed; first, two scenarios regarding the measurement location deviation of the transmitting and receiving ends of the ad-hoc OV LV BPL topologies from the initial reference ad-hoc OV LV BPL topologies have been identified

Summary

Introduction

Energy theft defines a well-known problem either in traditional power systems or in the emerging smart grid while the financial losses of the power utilities reach up to $6 billion, $5 billion and $4.5 billion in United States, Brazil and India, respectively [1]-[10]. To avoid the cost and the delay of a permanent installation of a BPL network, Information Technology departments of the power utilities can deploy ad-hoc OV LV BPL topologies so that an energy theft can be detected. The asymmetry evaluation implies that the Information Technology departments have already deployed the same adhoc OV LV BPL topologies during the normal operation of the power grid so that available measurements are available. HS-DET method has first been presented in [20] where the impact of OV LV BPL topologies, hook characteristics and measurement differences on the performance of HS-DET method has been assessed through metric and its relevant contour plots. The impact of the aforementioned two special features of the ad-hoc OV LV BPL topologies on the performance of the HS-DET method is assessed by using the already validated ΔPES and its appropriate contour plots.

Ad-hoc OV LV BPL Topologies

HS-DET Method Synopsis and the Ad-Hoc OV LV BPL Topology Case

Numerical Results and Discussion

HS-DET Method and the Deviation from the Initial Measurement Positions

Scenario A

Conclusions