A cost/benefit comparison of reliability inprovement strategies

摘要

In response to the uncertainty associated with industry restructuring, modern electric utilities are under increasing pressure to simultaneously increase reliability and decrease cost. These two goals are conflicting in nature and are further complicated by the aged state of most utility systems (the average equipment age of most U.S. utilities exceeds 35 years). Since a large percentage of costs and the vast majority of reliability problems are associated with distribution systems, utilities will be forced to increase the performance of their distribution systems to remain competitive. In the past, reliability was not explicitly engineered into a system, and reliability problems were addressed reactively using non-rigorous processes. In the future, utilities must rethink their reliability improvement strategies in order to satisfy customer reliability needs in the most cost-effective manner. A rigorous reliability improvement process requires sophisticated reliability assessment tools. Fortunately, the market has responded and there are several good reliability assessment software applications available. However, even with the ability to quantify the impact (or benefit) of various reliability improvement strategies, utility planners and engineers must also consider the cost to implement various alternatives.