Switched Source offers a first-of-its-kind power electronics technology enabling distribution utilities to dynamically dispatch load from circuit to circuit significantly increasing “re-configurability” of the grid, making system restoration an easier, more automated process. The end result is a decrease in the frequency and duration of power outages for a more reliable, resilient, and efficient grid.
- The Tie Controller dynamically balances load between circuits by “routing” real and reactive power”
- Applications include FLISR, Distributed Generation Hosting, Upgrade Deferrals
- The Tie Controller can be operated in an automated fashion to rebalance load across two feeders or substations
- The Tie Controller can also be operated “open-loop” as a dispatchable tool for distribution system operators to shift load during system restoration activities, or for blue-sky operation
Watch this video for a simple explanation of how the Tie Controller works
Impacts
Electric utilities are faced with the challenge of providing reliable, resilient electricity supply on a least-cost basis. Today, utility executives and planners must choose across a wide range of programs and equipment to deliver the best results for their members or ratepayers. This means considering reliability, resiliency, capital costs, operational costs, efficiency, and future-proofing the grid for distributed solar and electric vehicles. Switched Source is introducing a new Department of Energy supported distribution automation technology that can positively impact all of these areas, solving for costly chronic problems in electricity supply, while hardening the grid for future challenges.
Operational Impacts:
- Improve interruption frequency and duration indexes (SAIFI / SAIDI)
- Acts as “dispatchable” power flow for improved reliability, efficiency, and system management
- Increasing solar hosting capabilities by up to 2X penetration
- Significant reduction in energy and peak demand without customer impact
- Non-wires solution that provides delivery infrastructure avoidance value as well as reliability and operational benefits
- 5% of the cost of energy storage and without regulatory baggage
Technology Applications
Increased electrification and the rapid onset of distributed energy resources bring significant technical challenges to operation of a power distribution system. One of these challenges is the inability to accommodate increasingly unpredictable load demand, and resulting imbalances between circuits, without violating system constraints. Currently, many utilities attempt to solve this problem by incentivizing or regulating certain customer behaviors through demand response functions, through construction of new lines and substations, or through increased OpEx in the form of switching procedures; these solutions are difficult and expensive to implement.
Reliability & Resiliency The Tie Controller provides automated re-routing of power in the wake of faults to maintain nominal loading on circuits and substations without multiple switching events. When implemented between radial circuit feeders, the device is capable of instantaneously supplying electricity to users that would otherwise be left without power.
Capital Efficiency: Automated balancing and reconfiguring of the grid increases the load serving capability and reduces stress on substations or lines, avoiding costly system overhauls, reconductoring, and the OpEx outages associated with system switching/manual feeder reconfiguration.
DER Connectivity: The Tie Controller provides a retrofit solution for legacy infrastructure to accept more distributed energy resources without triggering larger interconnection upgrades.
Upgrade Deferrals: The Tie Controller provides a compelling non-wires alternative to modernize and fortify the distribution system while deferring or even eliminating the need for multi-million-dollar line and transformer upgrades. This is especially valuable in urban and hard-to-permit areas.
Electric Vehicle Integration: Increases EV hosting capacity up to 2X.
CIGRE US National Committee 2018 Grid of the Future Symposium
The Transformer-less Unified Power Flow Controller (TUPFC) for Power Flow Control at Normally-Open Primary-Ties – This paper gives an overview of the projected benefits of deploying the TUPFC in distribution systems along with an analysis of the planned deployment project.
Listen to our CEO discuss the Tie Controller and its components
