ERDF experience in reducing network losses

Abstract

Optimising the normal opened points of its MV feeders allows ERDF, the main French distribution network operator, to reduce its losses to approximately 2%, while adopting a summer/winter scheme for its (V)HV/MV substations should allow another rapid reduction of 2% but at the cost of a degradation in supply quality whose acceptability remains to be discussed. The adoption of new MV/LV transformers will also allow new and significant savings whose effects will appear progressively. The experiments and complimentary studies to come will allow ERDF to judge if it is opportune to modify the voltage system to operate the MV network at the lowest possible voltage level with the prospect of gains in the order of 1%. The connection of decentralised generation is shown to be unfavourable overall in terms of losses, except in the case of a connection very close to a (V)HV/MV substation.

Detailed analysis of network losses in a million customer distribution grid with high penetration of distributed generation

“…The distribution of the overall losses on the grid levels is shown in Table 1. It differs significantly from the distribution identified for a grid area in France by ERDF [6]. Such differences emphasize the importance of an individually and detailed analysis as basis for grid planning.…”