Network Optimization - Better Networks with Lower Costs

When electricity network optimization combines it all, including the likes of load flow calculation and open points, it can truly boost your asset analytics and investment planning. I happen to know someone who has given the topic a thought or two.

​​Eero Saarijärvi, consultant for Electricity and Gas at Trimble Energy, is one of our super-pros when it comes to network optimization.

Looking at what he’s done around the topic over the years, there’s no doubt he’s the man you want to talk to. He did his doctoral studies on it. He’s co-authored a number of papers on it, for example for IEEE. He played a key role in taking the solution to where it is today and now, he keeps pushing its development further with several utilities. And, to top it all, he’s a really nice guy!

“All of this put together, the optimization saves months of manual work from the network planner!”

​Eero emphasizes that, in the approach he’s worked on, the optimization is ultimately about minimizing costs. However, his work isn’t only about the construction costs, but it takes the entire asset life-cycle into account. This means, in addition to the construction costs, also the reliability, operating, and maintenance costs - whatever costs you can imagine for the network. Now that is something you don’t get from every store.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Eero Saarijärvi received his M.Sc.Degree in Electrical Engineering in 2008, and completed his D.Sc. in 2013.

In his doctoral studies, Eero challenged the simplicity of what is commonly suggested for power distribution enhancement – replacing overhead lines with underground cables. He co-developed an algorithm for network topology planning that puts weight also on factors such as the overall life-cycle cost-efficiency, load density, and the characteristics of the terrain.

But Eero is not all about just research.  Building on his studies, Eero has been developing network optimization at Trimble since 2014. He’s taken the theory into practice in projects with several electric utilities, including tryouts for planning primary networks at urban areas in Finland, and the ongoing international piloting project for using the optimization in practice. The aim is at a fully functional tool that could benefit so many utilities out there.

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“We have really started the thinking from the real problems in the network planning. Our solution not just creates the basic topology but bases it all on the load flow calculation. It places the switching devices of three different types as well as the open points into the automatically generated network in minutes, which itself is already extremely interesting. The optimizer provides the preferred network and, then the network planner can continue modifying the network further with standard tools,” Eero explains, and continues: “All of this put together, it saves months of manual work from the network planner!”

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Video: Challenging the Classic

“We have really taken in the challenges when it comes to solving the real planning problems.”

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When network planning resources are low, it’s obvious that a tool like this would allow for planning networks that are as optimal as possible, yet keeping both the planning and construction costs low. As Eero puts it: “Our only goal in the optimization is finding a network of minimal cost”.

Found this interesting? Stay tuned – there’s definitely more to come!

-Hanna

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