[UC32] Power Outage Visualization

Outages and reliability are one of the most important metrics for utility companies. Electricity outages have three significant negative impacts on electricity distribution utilities: customers become dissatisfied with their service, regulators impose restrictions and fines for frequent and long-duration outages, and utilities lose revenue due to unused energy during the outage. Although there are different stakeholders for each of the three ramifications, these are all significant concerns for the utility as a whole.

For these reasons, it is necessary to eliminate the outage as soon as possible. For fast recovery, among other things, a comprehensive visualization is necessary. The outage must be shown directly on the map so that the dispatcher and the field worker know precisely where the outage has occurred. The map must also show the affected area with the number of customers affected. If multiple outages occur, the repair of the outages must be prioritized, which is only possible with this information. It is also essential to know the classifications of customers affected to prioritize repairs for important customers (e.g. hospitals, furnaces, etc.).

Detailed information about the location of the outage can also help repair the outage quickly. Therefore, it is necessary to have information not only from the Outage Management System but also from other systems like the Client Information System (CIS) and/or Geographical Information System (GIS), which will pinpoint the location and component damaged for the field crew, removing the need for manual inspection.

Proper visualization and evaluation of the outage can help to reduce the reliability indicators (i.e. SAIDI and SAIFI), which will lead to bonuses for the utility and therefore increase the utility’s profits.