Economic Benefits by the use of Function Analysis as Maintenance- and Investment Methodology in the Primary and Secondary System in High Voltage Substations

摘要

Norway was one of the first countries in the world where a penalty for energy not supplied (CENS [1]) was introduced. The introduction created a drive towards more cost effective solutions and influences all financial decisions in a grid company. The main objective is to give incentives to the network owners to operate and maintain the system in a socio-economic optimal way. However, the principle behind this regulation is valid in all electrical network companies, even if regulations/ penalties are not (yet) introduced.It has been a technical revolution regarding protection and control equipment the past twenty years. The technology has changed from independent units of protection, control and monitoring to the integration of these functions in one device. But in most cases, the technical and economical benefit of this change has not been fully utilized.This paper takes a closer look at the technical and economical possibilities that numerical- and information technology can give. To illustrate the new possibilities, the concept of the 'virtually locked' station is introduced, where all actions and decisions are based on remotely retrieved data from the station. The new approach is to utilize modern information technology, focusing on the cost benefits of the function- and risk analysis methodology. The function analysis will give condensed information on the status of the substation as well as the whole network, when the data are utilized in a central system. Thus the station can be 'virtually locked'. No actions will be based on traditional methods with regular visits to the station for maintenance testing etc.