IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2014 - 66

operation and control. Distribution line capacitors are automated to manage the reactive load flow at the discrete point
of application on an individual per-phase basis. the capacitors are automatically and individually switched for reactive
load requirement per phase. the Rtu manages the switching
of the capacitors at the discrete point of application based
on the line measurements from the line-post sensors. Distribution line regulators are being automated in support of the
green circuits initiative. the green circuit is an ePRi term
describing an efficient distribution circuit that is capable of
supporting the smart grid goals and objectives. additional
automation schemes include the sectionalizing switch, automatic transfer switchgear, the underground network relay,
and the standby generator. algorithms are developed and
loaded in each line Da Rtu to support fault current detection and to measure harmonic content on a per-phase basis.
the distribution line site provides data per phase regarding:
✔ voltage
✔ current
✔ megawatts
✔ megavars
✔ mva (calculated)
✔ power factor (calculated)
✔ fault detection
✔ fault current magnitude at the substation breaker
✔ percentage of total harmonic distortion (%thD) for
voltage and current.
With the deployment of Da to gather and relay data,
scaDa technology has been introduced in the distribution
control room. in addition to the wall-mounted map board,
the operator now receives system intelligence from the discrete distribution line monitoring sites and has a better view
of the electric distribution system. automation technology
facilitates the presentation of scaDa telemetry to the distribution operator, and the scaDa alarm application alerts
the operator to system disturbances.
operators are able to apply scaDa telemetry for better
outage response. outage events reported by the customer
accounting system are now confirmed and supplemented
by scaDa telemetry, and new restoration tools have been
added to the operator's toolbox. the operator can thus begin

figure 2. The EMB, which replaced the paper map board.
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ieee power & energy magazine

to identify the location of the faulted section of the distribution circuit while field personnel are en route to the trouble
site. the Da technology is the operational "eyes and ears" for
the operator, creating the opportunity for smarter restoration
tools.

Desktop Computing
as stated earlier, advances in desktop computing workstations permitted the geographical display of distribution circuits in a wide-area view, improving the operator's view of
the distribution system. the electronic map board (emB)
was developed to display the switching diagram, and the
wall-mounted map board moved to the desktop workstation.
an emB is illustrated in Figure 2. emBs improved the operator's access to areas of the map board not covered by the
wall-mounted board.
While the emB was still a static representation, the operator
using an emB saw symbols denoting the location of automated
devices along the distribution circuits, while background text
in the scaDa displays facilitated interaction with the emB.
operators themselves were the link between scaDa and emB.
outage management information, scaDa telemetry, and the
status of the electric system, as shown in the emB, were all
as simulated by operators in order to respond to system disturbances. With the help of improved navigation techniques for
emBs, operators located outages based on predictions from the
outage information system and confirmations from the scaDa
and Da systems, achieving a new level of service restoration.
With the advent of emBs, new efficiencies were introduced into the control room that complemented the scaDa
distribution technology. the desktop operating environment
began to appear in the control room. the operator was presented with new techniques for managing the day-to-day
operating environment. the improvements in operator efficiency included:
✔ a desktop configuration that presented operating software tools, such as distribution substation scaDa,
Da, outage management information, electric system
switching diagrams that used emB technology, more
productive desktop software tools, and communications, in a console fashion
✔ greater visibility of the electric system through emB
technology, which helped to create associated relationships between distribution scaDa and the switching
diagram
✔ navigation techniques utilizing the electrical addresses
from the outage management information.
With scaDa and emB, the operator remained at the
desktop or console location to carry out the daily tasks of
operating the electric system. gone were the days when the
operator had to go to the map board on the wall to make
operating and switching decisions and then return to the
desktop to carry them out.
the big-picture requirement quickly went the way of old
technology as the emB gained a firm foothold in control rooms
january/february 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - January/February 2014