Big Data: Big Opportunities & Big Challenges

Paul De MartiniNovember 15, 2014

2

Data Sources & Relationships Evolving

Customer Information

Utility CRM/Smart Meter

CustomerInformation

DER/Device Providers

Utility GridSensors/Analytics

Utility CRM/Smart Meter

Data types and amount increasing as are the number of entities involved in creating and managing customer related data – not just Customer and Utility anymore

DER services firms are generating significantly more granular information on energy use, production and insights into customer behavior – some of which is key to grid operations

3

3° of Value of Information

Value derived within energy value chain across use, delivery and production

Value derived from insights on behavior of things such as equipment/appliances

Value derived from insights on behavior of people related to non-energy related services/sales

Derivative information from customer & device behavioral analytics fusing independent information sources has created new revenue opportunities

4

Grid Evolution: One-way Road to Grid of ThingsDistribution Utility becomes Integrator & Enabler

Source: IEEE

Grid increasingly becoming a multi-directional network interconnecting millions of intelligent consuming devices and flexible DER and back-up generation

Operating such a system requires greater situational visibility and collaboration with customers and their services providers

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Grid Planning & Operational InformationOne-way flow to dynamic multi-way flows of information

Planning w/DERGross load growth & characteristicsLoad “modifiers”

EE improvements by feederEnergy conservation effects by feederDER/EV/BUG adoption by feederDER/EV/BUG production/operation

Operations w/DERDist. Asset optimization (~15 min)Whsle Market optimization (5 min)Frequency Control (4 sec)Distribution Voltage Control (<4 sec)Distribution Protection (30 msec)

Production and net usage are becoming increasingly unpredictable, making traditional heuristics unreliable - driving need for higher information fidelity

Utility distribution system & operations are critical to manage the emerging complexity & to achieve desired benefits of DER for all customers

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