Cornice Engineering

Automation Master Planning Studies

Increasingly, automation is being applied by electric utilities to enhance their competitive position by reducing operating costs and facilitating improved customer service. However, utilities of all sizes are faced with a myriad of choices when it comes to automation technologies.

In particular, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), Meter Data Management (MDM), Demand Response (DR), outage management and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems can provide significant economic and operating benefits to utilities. Further enhancements of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Distribution Automation (DA) systems add additional value. The addition of appropriate wireless communications and mobile data terminals in field vehicles enable utilities to gain additional operating efficiencies and potential enhancements in safety.

A key aspect of planning for automation technologies, which is often overlooked, is the choice of communications media. Communications hardware can account for as much as one-half of the installed cost of a field automation system and on-going costs for communications can be an important consideration. Often a utility must implement a number of different communications systems to gain all of the necessary capabilities. Substantial savings in communications costs can result from integrating communications for a number of automation functions on a single medium rather than installing communications equipment on an application-by-application basis. Hence, there is a premium on studying the overall communications needs of the utility as part of a strategic technology plan.

These automation and supporting communications technologies are critical to utilities, however many challenges accompany their implementation. All such applications are complex, options for deployment abound, and automation technology is changing rapidly. Many of these systems are expensive and difficult to implement.
It has been repeatedly demonstrated that good planning of automation systems is critical to cost-effective and successful operation of an electric utility.
We have termed the process by which automation technologies are evaluated for relevance to the utility, planned for, implemented, purchased and integrated into the utility as Automation Master Planning. A short paper on the topic is found in “Introduction to Automation Master Plans”.

Cornice has the expertise to address every step of the process to produce an Automation Master Plan and the associated Automation Work Plan.

Cornice can provide the following services related to Automation Master Planning:

Assist the utility to evaluate the status and effectiveness of existing automation systems.
Assist utility staff to review or establish operations performance standards.
Develop priorities for automation additions to best support operational needs.
Assist utility staff to assess budgetary and manpower resources available to meet automation goals.
Develop budgetary cost estimates and manpower impacts associated with implementation of proposed automation systems.
Develop a phased implementation plan to move from the current situation to the proposed system, while taking budgetary and manpower constraints into account.

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