Designing optimal networks comes with a number of challenges. Often done manually, the designing is time-consuming and despite all the effort, doing it in a thorough manner is difficult. It requires systematic evaluation from numerous technical and economic viewpoints. In addition, the outcomes can be inhomogeneous with every network planner working in their personal way, which makes it difficult to compare the results. Yet every electricity utility faces the very same challenge: how to serve the end-customers with short response times while keeping the costs as low as possible.

For all of this, automation can help tremendously.
We talk about savings worth
​ one million euros per year.
Markku Hyvärinen
​Director, Network Development
​Helen Electricity Network Ltd, Finland
Helen has developed and researched network optimization together with Trimble Energy since the beginning of its times.

Optimization for Electricity Networks

Bring whole new efficiency and accuracy to your network designing with automated optimization tools. The network optimization can be used for both existing and new networks, gaining higher-quality network structures with a consideration of the entire network life-cycle costs.

You can easily auto-generate proposals for an optimal network structure, including suggestions for the internodal connections, routing, and dimensioning of the lines based on electro-technical calculations. The optimization allows for setting utility-specific and case-specific requirements and rule sets, such as voltage and ampacity rules, reliability requirements (SAIDI), and preferred components and prices (lines and switches). Finally, the planner can review and refine the network plan with technical planning and analysis tools.
​The network optimization aims at finding your optimal network based on the minimum life-cycle costs, a task where utilizing a computerized algorithm over manual work will have undisputable benefits. The optimization enables your utility to raise the level of your decision-making, taking into account your expected investments as well as maintenance costs, operational costs or losses, and outage costs over the asset life-cycle.
​The sole objective of optimization is finding a network
of minimal life-cycle costs.
Eero Saarijärvi
A scholared expert on network optimization
​Trimble Energy

How to Optimize

For long-term planning, use the automation to efficiently find your target networks, that is, the overall optimal of your utility's network assets that you can then start to work towards.

In short-to-medium-term planning, take the target network into account, optimizing network switching, for example, in terms of the location, type, state of your switching devices, as well as the technical planning and pricing for your new connection points.

Make use of network optimization and minimize the life-cycle costs of your network in terms of underlying topology, switching and detailed routing of the lines. Consider various electricity uses, such as production (DER), consumption and micro-grids. The existing network can be taken into account as an underlying basis for expansion planning, as well as in overall network optimization on which existing parts to keep and for how long, and where to make new investments.

Why Optimize?

Improved decision-making with alternative network plans considering entire life-cycle costs
Faster network design processes and wider evaluation possibilities for different scenarios
​Savings in life-cycle costs, including construction, maintenance and outage costs
​Improved distribution quality with fewer losses and better reliability
​Higher-quality asset management process with homogeneous electro-technical and economic principles
New service possibilities for the end customers, such as tendering in new connection points

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