Assessing the contribution of automation to the electric distribution network reliability

Electrical distribution systems have changed significantly in the last years. Todays it is necessary to optimize the quality and quantity of power delivered to customers and to respond to current energy demand. In this sense, electric utilities are involved in network automation processes, supported in information and communication technologies, to improve network efficiency, reliability, security and quality of service. This paper aims to quantify the improvements achieved in the reliability indices with the automation of secondary substation (SS). As this automation process lies in the use of non-ideal communication channels, their latency and availability are considered. In order to complete the analysis from an experimental evaluation, this methodology has been applied to a real distribution network, included in the framework of several research projects developed in EU (European Union). Since the value of this reliability index has a remarkable influence on the revenues of the distribution system operator companies, these results provide a useful incoming for the strategic development of the distribution networks.