WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR NATIONAL GRID?
So much has been said about the challenges with Nigeria’s Power grid within the context of ATCC (Aggregated Technical Commercial and Collection) losses after the Generation and Distribution part of the network was privatized late 2013
For a grid that’s so congested to the point of not been able to maintain spinning reserve, Technical losses can no longer be glossed over as every Watt of Power counts. It’s logical to say “If you are not producing enough, then you must efficiently utilize whatever you produce”. Loosing 20% of your meager production is not excusable.
From a lay man’s perspective, if I am losing money on a regular basis, I would be interested in how every penny I earn is spent.
How much did I earn?
How much did I spend?
What did I spend it on?
When did I spend it?
Without actionable data, I may never be able to answer all the questions above
If I don’t ask myself the right question, then I may never be able to find the right solution to my problems.
Let’s take a quick look at Power Distribution Network which is the last mile network as it relates to Power consumers. In Colonial era, we implemented a Radial network which was meant to evolve into a Loop network. A loop network guarantees some level of availability when there is fault within a Power network by Isolating faulty area while providing power to non-faulty section of the network thus insulating between 50-70% of power consumers from blackout. Unlike Loop network, a Radial network on the other hand throws everyone in darkness whenever a fault occurs. So if a Loop network is better, why didn’t we implement such a network? Loop network requires more investment compare to a Radial type. More Feeder network, more substations (33kV & 11kV) have to be constructed. A more complex engineering design is required to inter-lock the substations.
However, all hope is not lost for a Radial network. With a little investment, we can still get Lemonade out of our Lemon. South Africa optimises her Radial network with the use of Sectionalizer and Recloser making South Africa a big market for MV equipment OEMs. This reduced the number of outages caused by Temporary faults and the number of Power consumers affected by blackout.
Another benefit of Sectionalizer and Recloser is the rich amount of data collected via the integrated control module which provides important measurement data such as network fault type, current, voltage, Power factor (P.F) and Power (KVA & KW). In this era of big data, we can improve operational efficiency if we use mined data to optimise network performance. The use of Sectionalizer, Recloser, Fault Passive Indicators and other Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) enhances Fault Location, Isolation and Restoration (FLIR) which is a fundamental requirement of a Smart network.
Reducing Technical losses on our Power grid will remain a mirage without Distribution Automation which makes Dispatchers and Operators monitoring and controlling the grid in a more efficient manner.
Ibitayo Banigbe
Solution Architect
Schneider Electric
Energy Operations | Project Management | Engineering Management
7yWell written article. The latter portions seem to address issues with RELIABILITY of a distribution network rather than technical loss reduction. Could you please clarify how the provision of the various equipment listed in the article PRACTICALLY cut down technical losses? I understand how they boost network reliability and stability but I'm struggling to connect that with the reduction of losses. Thank you.
Electrification, Smart Power&New Technologies
7yBanigbe Ibitayo Your write up is highly informative. The present figure(Over 20%) of Agregated Technical Commercial&Collection losses(ATCC) existing across our Nation's Generation, Transmission and Distribution network should be an issue of concern. Also, the quality of power. With the present day Research&Development followed by developed products that serve as solutions should be implemented as a matter of urgency in our Nation's Electricity industry value chain. We can industrialise better and faster.
Sr Project Manager - Technology | PMP
7yApt. hoping the right people read this. But then how long will it take our power grids to get to this point.
Technical Product Manager @ NOARK Electric | Sales and Marketing
7yWell written piece!!!! The numbers don't even interest an average Nigerians. All they want is reliable power. Is that too much to ask? I am of the strong view that we have not optimised our hydro generation which can easily ramp up our megawatts. The other twist to this seemingly cool way is inability to evacuate. Between building new transmission networks requiring massive investment and becoming more efficient in usage lies our best approach. Yes we should build but can we in the meantime be more efficient to cut down waste? Yes and big yes.