LV Templates preliminary data now available

Accurate knowledge of patterns of customers consumption at substation level represent an important asset for electricity providers in terms of improving the efficiency of network operation and reducing network investment. As part of the LV Network Templates for a Low Carbon Future project,  monitors have been installed in LV distribution substations in South Wales spanning from Newport to Swansea. Working in collaboration with WPD, the University of Bath have used statistical clustering techniques to create groupings of substations that exhibit similar electrical demand profiles.

The preliminary templates presented here represent the results of the first stage of this analysis. They are based on values of real power delivered (RPD) measured at ca. 400 substations at ten minute intervals for the period June-August 2012. Cluster analysis was performed on the daily demand profiles for each of the substations which resulted in ten groups/clusters. Each substation was then assigned probabilistically to one of these ten clusters. The results of this analysis can be downloaded here or found in our 'Documents' section.

The Excel workbook contains information on each of the clusters, consisting of summaries of both real time (measured real power consumption) and fixed data (relating to substation characteristics and customer served) . Each sheet in the workbook gives information for one of the ten clusters. Within each sheet, the real time data is represented by demand profiles within days and over days of the week. In each case, the profiles presented represent the average over the substations within that cluster. Additionally, summaries of fixed data are presented (both of substation characteristics and a breakdown of customer numbers within each of the eight Elexon profiles), again the averages over substations within the cluster. Each of the clusters has been assigned a preliminary name that is based on its demand profile, substation characteristics and the mix of customers served by the substations within the cluster.