SOLUTION BRIEF. Outage Management. Leveraging the Smart Grid to Improve Reliability

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1 Outage Management Leveraging the Smart Grid to Improve Reliability 1

2 Executive Summary It s imperative for electric utilities to identify and resolve outages quickly. However, the current outage management approach poses challenges, including: a lack of reliable and timely outage reporting (which relies on customer calls); slow restoration of nested outages; and difficulty diagnosing singlecustomer outages. Today s approach leads to delays and inaccuracies in detecting and scoping outages, dispatching crews to the wrong area, and difficulty in accurately predicting restoration times. The smart grid provides a far more complete and real-time picture of outages and corresponding restoration activities because devices on the grid can communicate realtime outage information back to a utility s operations center. For example, smart meters send a last gasp notification when they lose power and transmit restoration messages when power is back on. These proactive notifications, along with other features embedded in the smart grid network and back-office software, give utilities a powerful new tool for improving outage management. To achieve the greatest benefits and return on investment, utilities should look for an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system that delivers the following outage management capabilities. Integration with existing utility backoffice systems, such as an Outage Management System (OMS); Sufficient outage notifications for accurate OMS prediction; Intelligent processing of outage data, ensuring the OMS gets only relevant, actionable information; Timely verification of power restoration, while crews are still in the affected area; Real-time verification of individual customer service; and Mechanisms to design and validate new outage processes, including the ability to simulate outages. A leader in smart grid communications, Silver Spring Networks is uniquely positioned to address all utility requirements for an AMI-based outage detection solution. Built on its Smart Energy Platform, Silver Today s electricity system is percent reliable, yet still allows for power outages and interruptions that cost Americans at least $150 billion each year about $500 for every man, woman and child. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Spring s outage solution is comprised of its two-way smart grid network; UtilityIQ back-office applications suite, including the UtilityIQ Outage Detection System (ODS); and deployment and support services, including an outage testing service. This service enables a utility to simulate various size outages without disrupting power delivery, allowing utilities to phase in, test, and verify the AMI outage system and refine their integration plans. Silver Spring eases integration between AMI and existing utility systems, supporting industry-standard data interfaces between UtilityIQ ODS and a utility s OMS, Customer Information System (CIS), and other systems. Silver Spring s AMI outage notification capabilities have been proven in real-world testing to deliver sufficient last gasps for the OMS to predict a broad range of outages with up to 100 percent accuracy. UtilityIQ ODS turns raw data from your AMI network into actionable insights in your OMS. It intelligently correlates and filters outage data and passes only information about unplanned, sustained outages to the OMS, helping focus and accelerate utility staff response while avoiding overwhelming the OMS. Likewise, Silver Spring s patented approach for rapid, reliable delivery of restoration messages ensures utilities have a complete picture of repair activities, enabling them to quickly identify and resolve nested outages while crews are still in an affected area. Silver Spring s near-instant meter ping capability and on-demand meter reads let customer service staff use their CIS console to verify the power status of a meter while on the phone with a customer. This capability allows a utility to quickly assess whether a problem lies on the customer or utility side of the meter, improving customer service and saving money by avoiding unnecessary truck rolls. Silver Spring s outage detection solution also includes a unique simulation and testing service. Utilities can model how the network will respond during a single-house, feeder-level, or wide-scale outage - all without disrupting power to the customer. Such tests allow utilities to validate that their systems integration and business processes are well tuned before an actual outage occurs. With Silver Spring s robust outage detection and restoration capabilities, utilities can boost reliability by more rapidly and efficiently identifying and responding to outages; reduce truck rolls and maximize operational savings; improve customer service; and maximize their AMI investment. 2

3 Keeping the Lights On: Leveraging AMI to Improve Outage Management An electric utility s core business is to keep power flowing, so it s imperative to identify and resolve outages as quickly as possible. Power outages cost customers tens of billions of dollars each year in the United States alone. Consequently, regulators and customers scrutinize utilities for service interruptions and pressure them to continually improve service reliability based on metrics such as SAIFI (the System Average Interruption Frequency Index), SAIDI (the System Average Interruption Duration Index), and CAIDI (the Customer Average Interruption Duration Index). Increased reliability is a hallmark of the smart grid, in part because devices on the grid can communicate real-time outage information back to a utility s operations center. The smart grid can cut truck rolls and restoration times by providing: Proactive notification of outages, ensuring a utility is aware of an outage as soon as it happens, often before a single customer calls; and Detailed information on the location, extent, and status of an outage, optimizing crew dispatch and repair activities. A well-designed Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) platform, with robust outage detection, is fundamental to smart grid-based outage management and delivers a range of benefits, including: Reduced operational costs by streamlining operations and avoiding unnecessary truck rolls; Enhanced customer service through proactive notification of outages and more accurate repair time estimates; and Improved grid reliability as a result of detecting and responding to outages faster and restoring power more quickly. With the right AMI-based outage solution, utilities can address the full range of outage challenges they face today and maximize their investment in smart grid infrastructure. Outage Challenges Utilities have in place processes and systems, often including an Outage Management System (OMS), that assist them in identifying outages, dispatching crew, and communicating with affected customers. However, the current approach to outage management presents utilities with a number of challenges. Lack of reliable and timely outage reporting While utilities can use SCADA systems to monitor substations and detect large feeder outages, they rely heavily on customer calls to learn about smaller outages. This dependence leads to delays and inaccuracies in detecting and scoping an outage, since customers often assume a neighbor has called to report the outage, wait to see if the power comes back on, or may not be home to notice the outage (for example, during the work week or while on vacation). Lack of timely and reliable information about outages can cause utilities to inadequately staff outage repair crews or dispatch crews to the wrong area, and can also make it difficult to accurately predict restoration times. In many areas of the United States, the only way a utility knows there s an outage is when a customer calls to report it. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Slow restoration when outages are nested Utilities often have difficulty detecting smaller outages nested inside a larger outage area for example, a downed tree cuts service to several houses within an area affected by a feeder outage. Since most customers do not call to report power restoration, utilities have no way to verify whether service has been restored to all customers. As a result, the crew assigned to fix the large outage often leaves the area before any nested outages are detected. Once the utility discovers a nested outage, it must dispatch another crew to resolve the problem and restore service, which increases operational costs and results in longer outages for affected customers. Diagnosing single-customer outages is difficult As many as 75 percent of outage reports are for single-service outages, according to smart grid consulting firm Enspiria Solutions. In many cases the problem is on the customer side of the meter; for example, a tripped circuit breaker cuts power. Unless customer service staff are able to determine over the phone on which side of the meter the problem lies, the utility must dispatch a truck to the customer site to diagnose the problem. An AMI system can address these pressing outage-management challenges by providing a far more complete and realtime picture of outages and corresponding restoration activities. Smart meters have the ability to send a notification, or last gasp, when they lose power; likewise, they can transmit restoration messages when power is back on. These proactive notifications, along with other features embedded in the network and back office software, give utilities a powerful new tool for improving outage management. 3

4 Requirements for Robust AMI-based Outage Management While many AMI systems provide some type of outage notification, vendor offerings can vary significantly in the timeliness and accuracy of information they provide and in ease of use. To ensure they achieve the greatest benefits and return on investment, utilities should look for an AMI system that delivers the following outagemanagement capabilities. Integration between AMI and existing utility systems The OMS is the heart of outage management within most utilities, so an AMI system must integrate with it to exchange information regarding both outages and restorations. The integration should adhere to industry standards, such as the Common Information Model (CIM), and allow for two-way data exchange. For example, the AMI system should forward relevant outage notifications to the OMS and the OMS should be able to directly request such information as the restoration status of a set of meters, critical to identifying a nested outage. In addition, the AMI system must provide interfaces for integrating with other systems used in identifying outages and communicating with affected customers, such as a Customer Information System (CIS). Integration with the CIS is essential to improving customer service because it provides utility call center staff with real-time information and tools to assist customers who call to report an outage. Sufficient outage notifications for accurate OMS prediction A utility Outage Management System (OMS) relies on sophisticated algorithms to predict the root cause and extent of an outage. For these predictions to be accurate, a utility today needs a sufficient number of customers from across an outage area to call and report a service problem. Accurately predicting a small outage, such as a transformer damaged by a downed tree, requires a high percentage of the affected customers to call. Conversely, the OMS can predict a large outage, such as a feeder outage, with relatively few customer calls so long as they are well distributed across the affected area. To be effective, an AMI system must deliver a sufficient number and distribution of last gasps to enable the OMS to predict any outage accurately. For example, AMI should deliver a very high percentage of last gasps resulting from small outages ideally 100 percent for single service outages and an even distribution of last gasps from a cross section of larger outages, not just from one area. Outage management requirements for AMI: Integration between AMI and existing utility systems Sufficient outage notifications for accurate OMS prediction Intelligent processing of outage data Timely verification of power restoration Real-time verification of individual customer service»» Mechanism to validate new outage processe In addition, the AMI system must be able to deliver last gasps within seconds so the OMS can predict the outage before customers start to call. Rapid outage detection allows a utility to begin restoration work sooner and provide outage confirmation and more accurate repair-time estimates in response to customer calls. Intelligent processing of outage data While AMI can deliver a tremendous amount of data, what the OMS and other utility systems need is relevant, actionable information. Meter outages are part of everyday activity due to meter replacements/ maintenance and momentary outages resolved automatically by switches and re-closers. Utilities do not want to open outage tickets and create work orders unless an unplanned and sustained outage has occurred. Consequently, the AMI system must recognize last gasps stemming from these conditions and not forward these to the OMS. Timely verification of power restoration Utilities need restoration information while crews are still in the affected area. An AMI system must be able to deliver all restoration messages from the field within minutes to ensure that dispatchers see nested outages before a crew leaves the area and to help dispatchers prioritize outage response. Timely verification of power restoration is essential to increasing crew efficiency, driving down costs, and shortening the duration of outages. Real-time verification of individual customer service Having the ability to remotely detect a problem on the customer side of the meter can mean an avoided truck roll. An AMI system must enable a utility s customer support staff to use their CIS console to communicate with meters while on the phone with the customer to verify whether power is flowing to the customer s premise. Staff should also have the ability to verify the quality of the power being delivered and retrieve other data, such as voltage, using their CIS console. Mechanism to validate new outage processes As with any new technology, it s important that utility staff take time to integrate AMI into their outage processes and modify 4

5 those processes as needed. Given that outage management is core to a utility s business, testing these new processes and the AMI network s behavior is crucial but it can t be done by turning off power to actual customers. Consequently, the AMI system a utility selects must have the ability to simulate outages within the network. In this way, utility staff can gain a clear understanding of what outage and restoration data they get and how quickly it arrives. With such a simulation capability, utility staff can also engineer and test new processes, to ensure everything is operating as planned before going live. Silver Spring A Unique Outage Solution Silver Spring Networks outage management capabilities leverage the company s robust AMI solution, built on its Smart Energy Platform. This smart grid platform is an integrated networking and application platform that has been widely implemented and commercially proven at scale. In addition to the network, the Smart Energy Platform consists of solution-specific hardware, software, and services that enable utilities to rapidly deploy smart grid applications. UtilityIQ Unified Software Utility Back-office Systems Silver Spring Message Bus GridScape Unified Management Silver Spring Applications SilverLink Cloud Services CustomerIQ Customer Engagement The Silver Spring Network WAN The foundation of Silver Spring s Smart Energy Platform is an open, IP-based network that provides standard interfaces at every connection point. By building on IPv6, Silver Spring ensures that utilities can support two-way communications for very high numbers of endpoints and deploy standards-based products of their choice throughout their infrastructure. The Silver Spring network is a highly scalable and robust RF mesh consisting of Access Points (APs), which serve as take-out points for the Neighborhood or Field Area Network (NAN or FAN); Relays, which are repeater devices that extend the reach of the RF signal; and intelligent endpoints, such as third-party meters outfitted with Silver Spring Communications Modules. APs and Relays form the backbone of the smart grid network, ensuring highperformance, redundant connections between endpoints and the utility back office or data center. In addition, these devices support a battery backup, so they can continue to operate in an outage. The Communications Modules IEC METER ACCESS POINT RELAY GAS IMU ETHERNET WATER CELLULAR MICROMESH TECHNOLOGY The combination of the Silver Spring high-performance smart grid network and UtilityIQ Outage Detection System software provides utilities with real-time visibility of outages throughout the grid. inside meters also act as Relays, further extending the mesh. Using last gasp and restoration messages, Communications Modules provide proactive notification of an outage and power restoration. In addition, Communications Modules capture and maintain a full historical record of all power outages. When a Communications Module detects a power failure, it saves ZIGBEE ACCESS POINT RELAY BRIDGE MASTER Advanced Metering Demand-side Management Distribution Automation LOAD CONTROL EVSE FCI BRIDGE BRIDGE its state and waits a randomized period of time before sending a last gasp message. A Communications Module will target a battery-backed AP or Relay if one is nearby. Alternately, nearby meters not affected by the outage can receive and forward the last gasp. A device forwarding a last gasp on behalf of another meter will retry multiple times until it receives an acknowledgement message that the last gasp has been delivered to the utility s back office. 5

6 When power is restored, Silver Spring Communications Modules begin sending restoration messages, even as the mesh network is reforming. Silver Springequipped meters will look for any device in range that s registered with an AP and send multiple restoration messages to that device. Once the network has fully recovered and the meter has both selected and registered with its own AP, it sends one final restoration message. Silver Spring s AMI network also gives utilities the ability to ping meters in real time, which makes it possible to verify power status remotely. Silver Spring Software As part of the Smart Energy Platform, Silver Spring provides the UtilityIQ application suite, which includes back- Outage Mapping office applications for advanced metering and outage detection, in addition to other smart grid solutions. UtilityIQ Advanced Metering Manager (AMM) allows utilities to measure, collect, and analyze energy consumption, interval and time-of-use data, event logs, and other metering data. The UtilityIQ Outage Detection System (ODS) complements these capabilities by helping utilities collect, process, and act on outage and restoration notifications from the AMI network. UtilityIQ ODS turns raw data from the AMI network into actionable insights in the OMS. By simplifying integration between AMI and OMS, UtilityIQ ODS reduces costs for utilities and enables them to realize benefits sooner. In addition, ODS lets utility operators track and resolve events by time, type, and duration and provides interactive, real-time operator views, including a map that displays a clear picture of an outage, down to the location of individual meters. Operators can drill down into outage details, as needed, and view detailed outage and restoration activity logs on a meter-by-meter basis. Silver Spring Services Silver Spring also provides utilities with an extensive suite of deployment and support services, such as RF and network design and project management, that have been vetted through dozens of smart grid installations worldwide. To assist utilities in deploying outage detection, Silver Spring offers an outage testing service that enables a utility to accurately simulate outages without disrupting power delivery. Silver Spring can program the Communications Modules in meters to send a last gasp, sleep a configurable period of time, and then send a corresponding restoration message. UtilityIQ Outage Detection System processes last gasp and restoration data arriving from the AMI network and displays this information on a map allowing utility staff to see the extent of an outage. This outage testing allows a utility to simulate any size outage, from a single customer to a large feeder outage affecting thousands of meters. In addition, Silver Spring assists utilities in collecting data and analyzing the results, which include the percentage and timing of last gasps received, percentage and timing of restorations received, and the impact of network hop count on these metrics. (Hop count is the number of meters and other network devices that forward a meter s data before it reaches a network take-out point.) Outage simulation tests do not impact electric service and can easily be performed between scheduled meter reads. 6

7 Silver Spring s Outage Solution Fully Meets Utility Requirements As a smart grid leader, Silver Spring built robust outage detection and restoration capabilities into its Smart Energy Platform, enabling utilities to more rapidly and efficiently identify and respond to outages, reduce truck rolls, and maximize their AMI investment. These capabilities address the full range of a utility s outage requirements, including: Integration between AMI and existing utility systems UtilityIQ ODS easily interfaces to OMS using a message bus and web services interface. Through this flexible CIMcompliant data interface, ODS can pass real-time outage and restoration updates to the OMS, and the OMS can communicate back to ODS. For example, OMS can query the ODS software for the restoration status of specific meters and to activate storm mode in ODS, which instructs ODS to suppress notifications in case of widespread outages. Silver Spring has tested UtilityIQ ODS with leading OMS solutions, ensuring that utilities can leverage their investments in existing systems and reduce integration time. Web services also make it easy to integrate the ODS software with a utility s CIS. With this integration, customer service can determine the status of a customer s meter, collect meter data, and perform other tasks directly from their CIS console while on the phone with a customer. a utility s OMS to predict an outage before customers call and dispatchers to assign repair crews rapidly, cutting restoration times. Customer testing has proven that a Silver Spring smart grid network designed for reliable meter reading easily supports outage detection, without the need to over-provision the network with additional battery-backed infrastructure. Intelligent processing of outage data UtilityIQ ODS performs complex event processing and passes only actionable information about verified, sustained outages to the OMS. By reducing the amount of data the OMS receives, UtilityIQ ODS helps focus and accelerate utility staff response and avoids overwhelming the OMS. UtilityIQ ODS uses a variety of mechanisms to groom the data before sending it to the OMS. As a result of integration within the UtilityIQ suite, ODS knows when meters are undergoing maintenance rather than experiencing a true outage and will Configuration Options not forward alerts from such devices. In addition, ODS automatically handles outof-order notifications that could result in the incorrect reporting of a customer s restoration status. Utilities can configure UtilityIQ ODS to process outage data according to their specific business rules. For example, staff can set a momentary timer to determine how long ODS should wait for a restoration message before passing a sustained outage notification to the OMS. In addition, the software supports a storm mode to prevent notifications from overwhelming the OMS when the grid is experiencing a large number of outages. Timely verification of power restoration Silver Spring designed its Communications Modules to begin sending restoration notifications immediately upon powering up, even while the network is reforming. Through this patent-pending technique, the majority of restoration messages arrive in seconds; real-world testing shows that Sufficient outage notifications for accurate OMS prediction In real-world testing, Silver Spring s AMI infrastructure and outage notification capabilities have been proven to deliver sufficient last gasps for the OMS to predict, with up to 100 percent accuracy, a variety of outage sizes and types, including outages at the meter, transformer, fuse, and feeder level. Key to this accuracy is Silver Spring s ability to deliver all last gasps for single meter outages and an even distribution of last gasps for large outages. The majority of last gasps arrive within seconds, allowing UtilityIQ Outage Detection System offers a number of configuration options to control the outage information flowing to the OMS. 7

8 90 percent of restoration messages arrive in less than five minutes in very large outages and much faster in smaller outages. In addition, because Communications Modules always register with an AP upon restoration, the Silver Spring solution guarantees that 100 percent of restored meters are identified, if not by a restoration message then by an entry in the network registration system. Because restoration and registration messages are delivered rapidly and reliably, utility staff rarely needs to ping meters to verify restoration and clear an outage. By delivering timely restoration information, Silver Spring ensures that utilities have a complete picture of an outage situation, enabling them to prioritize outage response and identify nested outages while crews are still in an affected area. As a result, utilities can reduce costs by avoiding truck rolls and increase reliability by deploying crews more efficiently to shorten outage duration. Mechanism to validate new outage processes Silver Spring leads the industry in offering an outage simulation capability, allowing a utility to phase in, test, and verify how the AMI outage system works and how best to maximize operational savings, reliability, and customer service. Testing the system by re-creating outage scenarios within the network is far more accurate and insightful than relying on benchmarks or software models for gathering this information. Customers have used the Silver Spring outage simulation to validate that their OMS accurately predicted outages based on the last gasps received, as well Outage Details as to determine key performance data based on their specific AMI deployment. For example, customers were able to determine how long UtilityIQ ODS should be configured to wait for restorations to properly distinguish momentary and sustained outages; how long repair crews should wait in an area to ensure all nested outages are detected; and whether the mesh network, as deployed, provided sufficient data or if additional battery-backed devices should be deployed in some areas. Using the Silver Spring outage simulation capability, utility staff can make sure everything is working as planned and be confident that their systems and processes will translate to real-world operations. Real-time verification of individual customer service By leveraging Silver Spring s near-instant meter ping capability and on-demand meter reads, utility customer service staff can use their CIS console to verify the power status of a meter while on the phone with a customer. As a result, they can quickly assess whether a problem lies on the customer or utility side of the meter and respond accordingly. With real-time verification capability, a utility can improve customer service and save money by avoiding truck rolls in cases where the problem resides on the customer side of the meter. UtilityIQ Outage Detection System enables operators to drill down into outage details, as needed, and view detailed outage and restoration activity logs on a meter-by-meter basis. 8

9 Silver Spring: The Optimal AMI Solution for Outage Management Silver Spring s robust outage and restoration capabilities address the full range of outage challenges that utilities face today. The combination of the Silver Spring high-performance smart grid network and UtilityIQ Outage Detection System software ensures utilities get rapid notification of an outage and its scope. The Silver Spring approach allows utilities to devise a focused response that translates into improved reliability metrics (SAIDI/ CAIDI/SAIFI) and lower operational costs. Likewise, the Silver Spring outage solution improves customer service: Not only does a utility typically know about an outage before customers call, but support staff can diagnose outages while on the phone with a customer and provide up-to-the minute restoration information. The Silver Spring outage solution can also lead to additional service improvements in the future, such as tying outage information from smart meters into a proactive customer notification system (e.g. sending SMS or text messages) or Automated Voice Response (IVR) system. Ultimately, it ensures utilities maximize their AMI investment and reap the full benefits of improved reliability that the smart grid can deliver. About Silver Spring Networks Silver Spring Networks is a leading networking platform and solutions provider for smart energy networks. Silver Spring s pioneering IPv6 networking platform, with 17 million Silver Spring enabled devices delivered, is connecting utilities to homes and business throughout the world with the goal of achieving greater energy efficiency for the planet. Silver Spring s innovative solutions enable utilities to gain operational efficiencies, improve grid reliability, and empower consumers to monitor and manage energy consumption. Silver Spring Networks customers include major utilities around the globe such as Baltimore Gas & Electric, CitiPower & Powercor, Commonwealth Edison, CPS Energy, Florida Power & Light, Jemena Electricity Networks Limited, Pacific Gas & Electric, Pepco Holdings, Progress Energy, and Singapore Power, among others. silverspringnet.com Copyright 2013 Silver Spring Networks. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks are the properties of their respective owners. REV. 9/16/