Electricity Distribution in the country
Did you know that electricity is a vital infrastructure that is very necessary for the smooth and meaningful development of any nation? It has brought many marvels in life and the world would seem so hard without it (Govindaraj, 2013). It is quite evident that the invention of electricity has advanced our communication system. Nearly all devices; radio, television, mobile or computer are runs on power. Lest I forget the invention of electric engines like flight, train and motor which has helped us to travel fast.
In this article, we will discuss the problems encountered during electricity distribution and how we can make use of Geospatial technology to arrive at the solutions. The prime purpose of electricity distribution system is to meet the customer’s demand for energy after receiving the bulk electrical energy from transmission or sub-transmission (Kanmani et al., 2014). However, Power Distribution System has a variety of problems such as; non-availability of proper location; Inadequate details about the Transmission Lines, Poles and Transformer. To work on these problems, Geo-spatial technology is required in the process of electricity distribution. Geo-spatial technology is a combination of Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and Remote Sensing.
How can GIS help
GIS technology could be made useful in the management of facilities for engineering, construction operations and maintenance purposes. By using this technology, electric energy is distributed to the consumer in an efficient way. This could be done through Consumer Indexing (CI). By consumer indexing, we can find the exact location of the consumer through which feeder or transformer or circuit number or pole, a consumer is being supplied (Govindaraj and Nailwal, 2013). In addition, with the help of energy auditing, the rate of energy consumption can be estimated and also find the different ways of energy saving. In Consumer Indexing, the use of GIS can effectively manage information on the distribution of electricity to consumers and information describing the attributes of each consumer such as location, consumption pattern, particular consumer connected at which transformer, feeder, pole or Circuit number. Korte (2001) demonstrates that GIS can be employed to some extend in network tracking to determine a particular path or route through a network. With the advancement in modern management systems and automation, and the introduction of digital utility, GIS could bring a number of advantages to be implemented in the Electricity Sector.
Incorporating GPS in electricity distribution
Timing is everything. With less than perfect timing, jokes fall flat and an actor’s lines are less than convincing. In the power business, customers can be inconvenienced at home and at work by service disruptions. To ensure efficient electric power delivery to customers, utilities depend on the GPS technology. GPS could be used as an indispensable tool to maintain power distribution assets. The collection of ground control points of all smart meters and meters at feeder and distribution transformers, have to be carried out using GPS (Sarkar et al., 2020). GPS provides the means to determine precise latitude, longitude, altitude, velocity and timing through a worldwide system of 24 satellites.
Where remote sensing comes in
To secure uninterrupted distribution of electricity, effective monitoring and maintenance of power lines are needed. This can be done through various ways of remote sensing which helps to monitor both power line components and vegetation around them. Dixit (2008) states that, Remote Sensing technology can be used to carry out complex power system analyses by interfacing these to other power system analyses software to plan, design and analyze. It also makes it possible to collect data in dangerous or inaccessible areas.
In conclusion, Remote Sensing, GPS and GIS can provide an efficient tool for the management and analysis of power distribution system of related tasks. As a result, efficiency of the electricity distribution increases, energy losses are reduced leading to an increase in the country’s economy.
References
Dixit, P., Sharma, J. D., Singhal, M. K., Student, I. I. T., EED, I., & SSO, A. (2008, December).
Optimum routing of distribution system network using GIS and Remote Sensing Technology.
In Fifteenth National Power Systems Conference (NPSC), IIT Bombay.
Govindaraj, R., & Nailwal, N. (2013). Electricity distribution system using geo-spatial
technology. International Journal of Environment, Ecology, Family and Urban Studies
(IJEEFUS), 3(1), 71-78.
Kanmani, B., & Suresh Babu, S. (2014). Electricity Distribution System using Geospatial
Technology–A Case Study for Hosur Town, Krishnagiri District. International Journal of
Computer Science and Information Technologies, 5(2), 1296-1300.
Korte, G. B., & Korte, G. (2001). The GIS book. Cengage Learning.
Sarkar, S., Chakrabarti, U., Bhattacharyya, S., & Chakrabarti, A. (2020). A comprehensive
assessment of the need and availability of smart grid technologies in an electricity distribution
grid network. Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India): Series B, 101, 753-761.