Electric Service Research Articles

Assessing demographic vulnerability and weather impacts on utility disconnections in California.

When a household is disconnected from their electric utility service the consequences can be severe, including accumulation of debt, the inability to maintain comfortable temperatures, and in the most extreme cases, homelessness or mortality. While the survey-based literature on utility disconnections has yielded important findings about which households are most likely to experience a utility shutoff, only a few existing studies have used data from utility companies themselves. In this analysis, we utilize zip-code level data from four of California's largest utility providers to measure sociodemographic disparities in disconnections, in addition to the impact of adverse weather. We find that zip codes with a higher share of vulnerable households, especially Black and Hispanic households and households with young children, face a higher number and rate of utility disconnections, even after controlling for an extensive set of factors that are commonly thought to explain higher rates of energy insecurity, including income, housing characteristics, and energy costs. Our analysis also suggests that sociodemographic and weather disparities in disconnections differ between utility types. We conclude by discussing the implications of the findings for research and policy, including the impact of regulation, utility provider practices, and more extreme weather driven by climate change.

Cloud Network Collaborative SFC Deployment Under Heterogeneous Resource Of Power White Box Network

The construction of new electric power systems has led to a multiplication in the number of access nodes for electric power IoT information communication, accompanied by a deepening trend in business cloudification. However, due to the insufficient resource linkage and regulation capabilities of the electric power communication network on the cloud side, network side, and edge side, coupled with the lack of a convenient and unified cloud-network resource convergence and control mechanism, the existing electric power communication architecture is gradually finding it difficult to fully meet the demand for deterministic multi-service bearer. Therefore, it is necessary to evolve the original network equipment within the network toward a white box model, opening up interfaces for fine-grained sensing and full-area control, in order to provide more accurate and controllable network transmission services. In this paper, we first propose a cloud-network cooperative resource scheduling architecture for the electric power white box network. This architecture establishes a bearer network to achieve high consistency and cooperativeness of cloud-side end computing power through white box switches, uniformly schedules the global resources of the cloud-network convergence network, and improves the network service quality between cloud-side and side-side. Furthermore, we design a multi-dimensional re-source scheduling method for cloud-network synergy in the electric power white box network. This involves constructing a white box network virtualized heterogeneous resource (VHR) model and a heterogeneous resource control flow (HRCF) model. We transform the problem of merged deployment of service function chains (SFCs) into an SFC merger deployment problem by jointly controlling heterogeneous information, communication, storage, and arithmetic resources, along with the white box switch-specific pipelining resources in the white box network. We then carry out merger optimization of the same kind of function chains. Additionally, we propose a G-GS algorithm based on heuristic methods. Simulation results demonstrate that the method presented in this paper can significantly reduce the cost consumption of white box pipeline resources in the electric power white box network, thereby reducing the processing delay of SFC and improving the quality of electric power service bearing.

Incorporating personality traits for the study of user acceptance of electric micromobility-sharing services

Incorporating personality traits for the study of user acceptance of electric micromobility-sharing services

Towards a Standardized LCOE Calculation for Informed Decision-Making in Energy Policy and Investment: Application to the Colombian Context

The Levelized cost of electricity - LCOE represents a constant cost per unit of generated electrical energy, resulting from the analysis of the total costs throughout the life cycle of a generation plant. Its widespread use, thanks to its simplicity of calculation and potential of standardization, has made it one of the primary criteria for comparing electricity generation technologies. However, in the pursuit of simplification and generalization, certain aspects associated with the socioeconomic context of the region, as well as accounting and financial concepts, are excluded due to externalities or incentives related to regulatory and fiscal policies. These exclusions affect the accuracy of LCOE and introduce uncertainty when using it as a criterion for investment decision-making or allocation of public resources for the development of renewable sources. This article proposes a clear and standardized methodology for calculating LCOE, which allows for a fair and precise comparison of renewable energy generation options in rural areas. It contributes to informed and transparent decision-making in the fields of energy policy and public investment for expanding electricity service coverage. The proposed methodology is based on the financial cash flow matrix to address variability sources in the calculation, considering the local context of the generation project.

Resilience enhancement of cyber-physical distribution systems via mobile power sources and unmanned aerial vehicles

Mobile power sources (MPS) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are critical and flexible resources to enhance the resilience of cyber–physical distribution systems. However, they are usually independently planned and dispatched. In this paper, considering the cyber–physical interdependence, topology reconfiguration and planned distribution generator islanding, an allocation and dispatch strategy of MPSs and UAVs is proposed. Before an event, a two-stage stochastic optimization based allocation model is built to pre-position MPSs and UAVs considering the uncertainty of events. After the event, a dispatch model is proposed to identify routings of MPSs and UAVs to restore electricity services. Note that both the models are mixed-integer nonlinear three-dimensional (3D) problems. As the optimal service radius and height of a UAV are independent with other variables, these two models are decomposed into two parts, i.e., one part to calculate the optimal service radius and height, and the other to identify resilience enhancement strategy. Then the two models are transformed into a mixed-integer convex programming solved by Progressive Hedging algorithm and a mixed-integer second-order cone programming, respectively. The effectiveness is verified on the modified IEEE 33-node and 123-node test systems. Numerical results highlight the necessity of co-optimizing MPSs and UAVs on cyber–physical distribution systems.

Analysis of the Electric Power Distribution System Service Reliability Index at PLN Lancang Garam

The level of electrical energy demand in an area reflects the welfare of that community. The greater the use of electrical energy, the higher the community's standard of living, followed by the public's critical attitude towards everything that happens and influences lives, including electricity services. Generally, a network's reliability level can be seen from the size of the SAIDI and SAIFI values on the PLN (state electricity company) side. The calculation and reliability analysis results of the Lhokseumawe ULP above show that the total SAIFI index value is 2.68 times/year. The SAIFI Rayon Lhokseumawe reliability index is categorized as reliable because its value does not exceed the standard set by PLN in SPLN 68-2 of 1986, namely 3.2 times/year. The total value of the SAIDI index is 45.30 hours/year. The Lhokseumawe Rayon SAIDI reliability index is categorized as unreliable because its value exceeds the standard set by PLN in SPLN 68-2 of 1986, namely 21 hours/year. There are certainly differences in infrastructure, electrical equipment, and number of customers in 1986 compared to current years; this has a different influence on electricity reliability values such as SAIDI and SAIFI.

A simulation-based optimization approach for the recharging scheduling problem of electric buses

This study proposes a simulation-based optimization approach to address the recharging scheduling problem of electric buses to minimize charging waiting time. Poor scheduling could lead to longer waiting times and potentially affect operation schedules regarding time and service quality. This study addresses a simulation-based optimization framework to evaluate various performance metrics during electric bus service, including waiting times, charging costs, and the utilization of charging piles. In this study, we propose a hybrid approach, simplified swarm optimization (SSO), which is an evolutionary algorithm with a backtracking (BT) mechanism and dynamic charging in a simulation framework. Based on the dynamic charging, SSO is used to determine the additional charging in terms of battery capacities, and a BT mechanism is employed to enhance algorithm efficiency and achieve breakthroughs in solution quality. A case study from Taiwan with 43 generated datasets was conducted in deterministic and stochastic situations to compare the effectiveness and efficiency among three charging rules (i.e., full charging rule, flexible charging rule, dynamic charging rule) and two algorithms (i.e., particle swarm optimization and SSO) The results indicate the superior performance in all scenarios by using a statistical test, which offers effective decision support for bus operators’ electric bus recharging scheduling.

How to Promote the Adoption of Electric Robotaxis: Understanding the Moderating Role of Inclusive Design on Interactive Features

In recent years, China has witnessed a growing trend in the adoption of electric robotaxi services, with an increasing number of users beginning to experience this emerging mode of transportation. However, enhancing user willingness to ride remains a core challenge that the electric robotaxi industry urgently needs to address. Our study approached this issue from the perspective of interactive features, surveying 880 respondents and utilizing structural equation modeling to analyze user preferences. The research findings indicate that computer-based entertainment has a significant positive impact on traffic information completeness and social interaction, with a large effect (β > 0.5, p < 0.05), and it also exerts a small positive effect on behavioral intention (β > 0.1, p < 0.05). Traffic information completeness and social interaction have a medium positive effect on behavioral intention (β > 0.3, p < 0.05). In addition, we confirmed that inclusive design, gender, and age have significant moderating effects. Understanding the impact of inclusive design on user behavior can help drive industry changes, creating a more inclusive human–vehicle interaction environment for people with different abilities, such as those with autism. Our study reveals the key factors influencing users’ willingness to ride and offers insights and recommendations for the development and practical application of interactive features in electric robotaxis.

Exploring Outcome-driven Innovation for the Responsible Design of Electric Two-wheelers

Amidst a technology push for electric mobility, the societal implementation of new e-mobility innovations is multi-layered and warrants a user-centered view. This study explores how the application of the outcome-driven innovation method (ODI) can be extended to e-mobility and inform a more responsible design of electric two-wheeler product and service development. By means of discovering electric two-wheelers’ possible weak spots and potentials using outcome-driven innovation with citizens, their unmet requirements can be better addressed. The results suggest several innovation potentials which could better facilitate users in getting certain jobs done, such as developing a more lightweight vehicle design. Additionally, the diverse needs of users can be transformed into real customer benefits through the subsequent integration of additional vehicle functionalities, such as complementing human machine interfaces or wearables. By employing outcome-driven innovation as a deliberative and inclusive means of creating value and by being receptive to citizen feedback, ODI has the potential to make a meaningful stride in enhancing the ‘responsible’ nature of innovation.

A Multi-Step Framework for Measuring Post-Earthquake Recovery: Integrating Essential Infrastructure System’s Serviceability in Building Functionality

Measuring and predicting the functionality of buildings is a core aspect of community resilience analysis, which is jointly dependent on structural integrity and essential services provided by critical infrastructure systems. A functional building is one that is used for its intended services. This paper develops a multi-step community-level functionality analysis framework by modelling: (1) building functionality that integrates the building’s structural performance, essential water and electric power service performance, and physical accessibility through road networks; (2) portfolio-level building recovery by aggregating functionality of buildings for an entire community; and (3) serviceability of infrastructure systems. Graph theory is applied to assess performance of infrastructure systems. The cascading effect of water pipe failure on the road network is modelled through geographic dependency analysis. Post-earthquake water demand changes due to household dislocation and return, and increased water service demand at essential facilities are captured to model the performance of the water network under stressed conditions. The framework also assesses household-level housing recovery and integrates results with physical damage repair to more holistically depict the functional recovery of buildings from the perspective that buildings must be occupied to be fully functional. The proposed framework is illustrated for a scenario earthquake for the virtual community of Centerville. Findings provide an up-to-date measurement of post-disaster functionality for buildings and critical infrastructure systems that can guide decision-makers during pre-disaster planning and post-disaster recovery. The example demonstrates that consideration of essential infrastructure services significantly alters the functionality of the built environment during the recovery process. For instance, power outages resulted in functionality loss for 30-75% of physically operable buildings for as much as 14 days. Consideration of physical accessibility loss to nearest road segments resulted in a portfolio functionality drop of up to 9% for 6 days, and partial water shortage significantly hampered the functionality of the impacted area, including the regional hospital. Approximately 3% of households were unable to repair their damaged homes and became homeless. The proposed framework enables risk-informed decisions regarding long-term recovery at the community scale with inclusion of those living at the margins and most susceptible to long-term negative consequences from disasters.

International water conventions, the exploitation of trans-boundary rivers and the Nile water dispute among Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt

Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt entered into dispute since Ethiopia began the construction of the Renaissance Dam along the Blue Nile in 2011. This article is aimed at assessing the core facts about water conventions, the use of trans-boundary rivers and the main argument points of Egypt and Sudan against Ethiopia's use right of the Nile. Data were obtained from conventions and laws, study reports and television interviews. Percent and ratios were used for quantifying data. The 1997 UN Water Convention, having seven criterions for equitable water use by riparian nations, is a better platform for the negotiation on the Nile water. Ethiopia contributes 86.52 billion m3 to the Nile water although Egypt's contribution is negligible. Despite the built-up of 3 huge dams by Egypt and over 10 by Sudan, these countries aggressively contest the Renaissance Dam of Ethiopia. Egypt diverts about 46 billion m3 water for irrigation. Turk, an upstream nation (alike Ethiopia in the Nile basin), built 11 dams along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers with rare contest from the downstream nations. The existence of ‘adequate rainfall’ and ‘other rivers’ in Ethiopia, the colonial treaties, the Nile as the only resource, and the impact of the Renaissance Dam are among the main points of argument of Egypt and Sudan against Ethiopia's use right of the Nile. The Nile water use by Ethiopia is inevitable as 73.7 % of the rivers' flow, 65.3 % of the hydropower and 50.6 % of the irrigation potential of all Ethiopian rivers is in the Nile basin; besides, significant share of the population has no electric service (>60), no pure water access (42.7 %) and is below poverty line (29.6 %). Thus, the three countries need to be flexible for the ‘give and take’ principle-based negotiation and ensuring the equitable use of the Nile water.

Stakeholder-Based Optimal Indicators for Urban Sustainability Assessment in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study from the City of Moundou in Chad

Over the last two decades, scientific studies have increasingly highlighted the vulnerability of cities to global changes, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where climate phenomena and urbanization are intensifying. These realities necessitate a reassessment of current urban management models in order to reaffirm the central role of cities in promoting sustainability. In this context, establishing a robust scientific foundation for evaluating the transition processes of cities towards sustainability is essential. This article presents a methodology developed to select and validate indicators, taking into account local issues and the needs expressed by stakeholders. The research was conducted using a mixed-methods approach, which included a literature review, consultations with populations from five study districts, analysis of the indicator needs of development stakeholders, adoption of two methods, and validation of the indicators by a group of experts. The outcome of this research is a set of 20 indicators organized into five dimensions: environmental, social, economic, built environment, and cultural. The analysis of the proportional distribution of these indicators across dimensions reveals a notable predominance of the social dimension, which accounts for 35% of the indicators, including key indicators such as access to potable water, electricity, education, and healthcare services, inter alia. The environmental and built environment dimensions each comprise 20% of the indicators, encompassing indicators such as the preservation of natural resources, waste management, land use management, and flood management, among others. The economic and cultural dimensions represent 15% and 10% of the selected indicators, respectively. These data indicate that achieving sustainable urban development within the context of this study requires a focused effort on enhancing the performance of these indicators, with substantial efforts needed in the social domain. It is of paramount importance to incorporate these indicators into the decision-making processes related to urban development planning in Moundou and other cities in the region, as they provide valuable scientific insights crucial to the pursuit of sustainability.

Considering Differentiated Pricing Mechanisms for Multiple Power Levels

With the development of supercharging technology, charging stations will face supercharging piles and fast-charging piles coexisting for a long time. The traditional unified service fee pricing model will face the problem of slow-charging vehicles occupying supercharging piles, and the advantages of supercharging facilities cannot be fully utilized. Considering factors such as station revenue, station utilization rate, and user willingness, this paper constructs a differentiated pricing model for multi-power-level charging facilities based on capacity and electricity service fees. It reveals the impact of this pricing model on the economy and user satisfaction of charging stations. In addition, a multi-objective optimization model is constructed and solved by a multi-objective particle swarm method to determine the pricing strategy of different power levels that adapt to the actual situation. The results show that the differentiated pricing mechanism can increase the station revenue by about 10.74% and the station stack power utilization rate by about 7.14%, and user satisfaction is higher, which is better than the conventional pricing mechanism. Therefore, the proposed charging pricing strategy can provide a decision-making reference for charging station operation and planning.

Socioeconomic and Environmental Determinants of Household Willingness to Pay for Improved Electricity Services: A Case Study of Nowshera, Pakistan

Electricity is critical to our daily lives, and frequent interruptions in the electricity supply impact not only industrial productivity and economic growth but also disrupt household activities and daily routines. This study aims to determine the factors influencing a household's willingness to pay additional charges for improved electricity service. The study collected primary data through the contingent valuation method from 285 households from Nowshera, Pakistan, and applied binary logistic regression estimation. The findings show that a household's education level, household size, monthly income, monthly electricity bill, and service reliability significantly influence consumers' willingness to pay additional charges to get satisfactory electricity service. Furthermore, as various household activities rely on electricity, households are typically willing to pay an extra amount for better electricity service. The study also highlights that environmental awareness and attitudes towards renewable energy resources influence consumer preferences. Furthermore, those who are more conscious of sustainability exhibit a greater willingness. This study is unique in that it comprehensively assesses the socioeconomic and behavioural aspects affecting the willingness to pay for reliable power in a developing country, specifically Nowshera, Pakistan. Unlike earlier studies, it investigates the impact of household activities on willingness to pay, shedding light on how cultural, religious, and social interactions influence energy preferences. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the adoption of renewable energy as an electricity service for the consumer, providing a dual benefit of improved service reliability and a sustainable energy source.

Sustainable Business Models for Innovative Urban Mobility Services

Any sharing mobility service aims to make urban mobility sustainable to help reduce environmental impacts and improve the quality of life for all in cities. Many transport services are not currently self-sustainable. The Life for Silver Coast (LifeSC) opened its mobility services on 22 May 2021 and offered electric mobility services during the summer for a few cities in Tuscany. E-bikes and e-scooters can be financially neutral, and even profitable, thanks to the low costs of the vehicles, but they only see a high utilization rate in winter. Shared electric cars, meanwhile, are not profitable. A new shared service that is viable must be profitable to become widely adopted and significantly contribute to sustainability. A few key characteristics have been identified, and one has been tested with a new business model that combines ride-sharing and car-sharing. The innovative Ride Sharing Algorithm (RSA) has been tested based on data from a potential city, Monterondo, where many commuters travel daily to Rome by train. The Italian census and local survey data allowed for the simulation of the scheduling of vehicle rides and an evaluation of the economic results, which could be positive if enough interest for such a system exists among the people, as at least 400 commuters from Monterotondo go to the train station daily in the morning and return in the afternoon. Such a transport demand would justify a new commercial sharing service by using the model tested with the RSA algorithm.

Peran Media Sosial Instagram @Plnup3surabayaselatan sebagai Media Promosi Produk dan Edukasi Kelistrikan dalam Menarik Minat Beli Pelanggan PT PLN (PERSERO) UP3 Surabaya Selatan

The use of social media as a promotional and educational tools is increasingly important in company marketing strategies in the current digital era. This research examines the role of social media Instagram account @plnup3surabayaselatan in supporting product promotion and electrical education to attract buying interest from PT customers. PLN (Persero) UP3 South Surabaya. This research method uses a qualitative approach with data collection techniques through observation and interviews with customers and employees of PLN UP3 South Surabaya as well as content analysis of related posts. Research findings show that Instagram account @plnup3surabayaselatan is less effective in increasing customer awareness about electrical products and services offered by PT PLN (Persero) UP3 South Surabaya. Apart from that, the educational content presented is also less prominent so that the efficient and safe use of electrical energy is not yet fully understood by customers and the wider community. The results of this research provide important insights for companies in designing marketing strategies via social media to increase customer engagement and expand market share in today's digital era.

Electricity Conservation among Rural Households in Bunkpurugu-Nakpanduri District in the Northeast Region of Ghana

Residential energy use contributes significantly to the world's energy demand. It makes up 20% of all energy use. It is expected to rise by 40% by 2040 in developing nations due to urbanization. The adoption of energy conservation measures presents the possibility of reducing electricity consumption by reducing the price and quantity of electricity required by households. This paper examines the nature of electricity conservation among rural households in Ghana. The study was conducted through the administration of questionnaires to 156 households in six rural communities. The findings revealed that the average household size in the study area is above the national average, which affects electricity conservation practices. Level of education was found to have an influence on conservation practices; those who have attained some form of formal education adopted conservation practices. Many of the households did not know that a change in electricity saving behaviour reduces electricity consumption. Therefore, there is a need for the Ghanaian government and the electricity service providers to conduct periodic awareness campaigns in rural areas to educate them about electricity conservation and save energy waste.

АНАЛІЗ ПОКАЗНИКІВ ЯКОСТІ ПОСЛУГ ПОСТАЧАННЯ ЕЛЕКТРИЧНОЇ ЕНЕРГІЇ

The object of the study is the processes in distribution electric networks and their influence on technical and economic characteristics aimed at achieving the main indicators of reliability, which is characterized by the continuity of electricity supply, namely, indicators of the quality of services: the index of the average duration of long interruptions and the index of the average frequency of long interruptions ( SAIDI, SAIFI), as well as compliance with the guaranteed quality standards of electric energy supply services, which are established by the Resolution of the NCRECP. The problem to be solved is a set of factors aimed at reducing the index of the average duration of long interruptions and the index of the average frequency of long interruptions (SAIDI, SAIFI), taking into account and applying effective measures of stimulating tariff formation (Rab - tariff) aimed at providing quality services to consumers of electric energy in accordance with the guaranteed standards established by the Resolution of the NCRECP. The analysis of the main indicators of the quality of SAIDI and SAIFI services for the period from 01.01.2022 to 03.31.2022 was carried out on the example of the operator of the distribution system JSC "Kharkivoblenergo". The impact of natural and unnatural factors on the formation of these indicators is analyzed, taking into account force majeure circumstances and military aggression on the territory of the Kharkiv region. The changes in the quality indicators of SAIDI and SAIFI services and their compliance with the normative values established by the NCRECP were analyzed. The conducted analysis of SAIDI and SAIFI service quality indicators allows us to state that achieving the target values of electricity supply continuity indicators is a fundamental factor for improving the quality of electricity supply services to consumers. The provision of the necessary guaranteed quality standards for the supply of electric energy to consumers is substantiated taking into account the stimulating tariff formation (Rab - tariff). It is shown that the introduction and development of stimulating tariff formation lays a reliable foundation for a strong and competitive Ukraine on the territory of the European Union and introduces dynamic development for a strong and independent Ukrainian economy. Ref. 19, figure, table.

The Economics of Electricity and Development: Planning for Growth and a Changing Climate

Many low- and middle-income countries have made tremendous gains in electrification over the past few decades. These improvements in electricity access have enabled a growing body of empirical evidence on its impacts. This article complements prior reviews on the impacts of electrification by addressing several major remaining challenges faced by the electricity sector in developing countries—impediments to maximizing electricity services᾽ economic effects, obstacles to recovering utility costs, difficulties in forecasting future electricity demand, and uncertainty regarding the future adoption of climate-mitigating technologies—and the existing micro economic causal evidence addressing those challenges. We describe how randomized experiments have complemented the quasi-experimental evidence and then highlight some remaining gaps in the existing literature. Specifically, we highlight climate adaptation within the electricity sector in developing countries, which remains a crucial gap in both the discussion on and financing of electrification for development. We use case studies of Nepal and Pakistan in South Asia—a region that both recently experienced great electrification gains and is among the most vulnerable to climate change—to illustrate the need for additional work on adaptation in the electricity sector. We conclude by linking to recent discussions on climate adaptation finance.

Optimising Electric Flex-Route Feeder Transit Service with Dynamic Wireless Charging Technology

The emergence of battery electric buses (BEBs) can alleviate environmental problems caused by tailpipe emissions in transit system. However, the high cost of on-board batteries and range anxiety hinder its further development. Recently, the advent of dynamic wireless power transfer technology (DWPT) has become a potential solution to promote the development of BEBs. Hence, this study focuses on the application of DWPT in flex-route transit system. A mixed integer non-linear model is proposed to simultaneously optimise the bus routing and the selection of corresponding bus types considering the constraints of passengers’ travel time, battery size and bus capacity. The objective is to minimise both transit agency cost and passengers’ travel time cost. A tangible hybrid variable neighbourhood search (HVNS) consisting of simulated annealing (SA) and variable neighbourhood search (VNS) is developed to solve the proposed model efficiently. Compared with GAMS (DICOPT solver) and VNS, the proposed algorithm can considerably improve computational efficiency. The results suggest that the proposed model can effectively determine the BEBs’ routing and bus type for flex-route transit system powered by DWPT through a case study in Xi’an China. A comparative analysis shows the proposed model takes 12.97% less total cost than the alternative model with terminal charging technology (TCT).