Today, almost every major industry has become increasingly data-driven, and the utility sector is no exception. Be it generation, transmission, or distribution of energy, managing the vast amounts of data that is being generated every minute or even second can be daunting. However, when leveraged properly, this data can be a catalyst for improved business processes, reduced losses, and smarter decision making.
The million-dollar question is, how can utilities achieve this?
The first step is to enable the seamless processing, cleansing and transformation of incoming data into an easy-to-analyze format and to store it in a single place: enter data warehousing. Advanced data warehousing platforms are becoming popular in the Utilities industry. They help centralize data, gain real-time insights and analytics and detect potential anomalies. This blog will explore why data warehousing is critical for utilities in streamlining their operations and achieving unparalleled efficiency. But first, we need to understand what exactly is data warehousing?
What is Data Warehousing?
Simply put, data warehousing is the process of organizing and centralizing data that comes from multiple sources, and storing them in one unified database. The data can be stored both on-premises or the cloud, depending on the organization’s preference. More and more companies are moving towards cloud-based data warehousing solutions since they offer a low-maintenance, cost-effective and scalable alternative to erstwhile high-upfront costs or limited scalability of on-premise solutions.
It is important for people in the utility industry to understand why data warehousing has become such a critical component. New-age data warehousing solutions like Grid are offering a more customizable approach that can be tailored to business requirements. These innovative platforms enable utilities in overcoming several challenges within the AMI, such as:
- Managing vast amounts of data generated by smart meters, making storage and analysis of the data a complex process
- Fragmented data silos, which makes it difficult to gain actionable insights and enhance operational efficiency within the AMI network
- Theft, tampering or unauthorized consumption of electricity
- Unable to identify causes for energy losses within the distribution network
How Data Warehousing Transforms Utility Operations
Centralized data management
One of the core challenges within the AMI (advanced metering infrastructure) for utilities is that data is spread across multiple systems- MDM, HES, Consumer Billing Platforms, Operational Technology Platforms like SCADA, etc. This fragmented data framework often creates efficiency challenges while accessing and analyzing information such as metering data, with data silos making it difficult to gain a unified view of operations. It also leads to a limited ability in identifying trends, and delayed decision making, possibly resulting in operational bottlenecks.
An ideal data warehousing solution integrates data from multiple data sources, including meter readings, alarms, device status, etc. For example, Grid integrates with MDM systems of any utility, facilitated via Kafka data streams, with the utility receiving critical information about each meter, such as their configurations and operational status. This unification of data eliminates data silos, with utility personnel being able to access data that is consistent and reliable. Moreover, by consolidating information from multiple sources into one centralized repository, companies can streamline their existing workflows, minimize redundancies, and improve inter-departmental collaboration. With Grid, utilities can merge data from SCADA systems with consumer usage patterns identified from AMI devices, enabling them to gain an end-to-end view of grid performance and energy usage patterns.
Real-time monitoring and analytics
Utilities are generally large scale enterprises with a vast array of networks and devices, generating massive amounts of data daily. Devices such as smart meters are equipped with IoT sensors, which help collect and transmit data on an hourly basis to intervals of 15 minutes or even less. Any potential delay while accessing this information could result in missed opportunities for grid intervention or optimization. For operations & maintenance personnel, identifying possibilities of equipment failure or energy spikes in real-time or beforehand is important to maintain grid reliability. However, this process is often hindered by legacy systems that generally have a high latency.
Cloud-based data warehousing solutions like Grid addresses the above challenges via capabilities that support flexible data models and integrations that can be tailored to a utility’s requirements. For example, Grid’s OLAP (Online Analytical Database) can manage up to 1Billion+ data points daily, as well as performing query processing within 3 seconds. With rapid data processing and centralized storage features, every concerned stakeholder within the utility network can easily access and manage critical data. Moreover, modern data warehousing solutions present data in the form of intuitive dashboards, allowing teams to gain actionable insights in an easy-to-understand format. This ensures that both technical and non-technical members are able to make informed decisions with available data.
Advanced reporting capabilities
To address complex challenges like theft detection, energy loss, and reporting such as energy audits, utilities should be able to create customized reports that help address specific needs. Traditional reporting tools are often not flexible enough to adapt to distinct demands, or require manual intervention to generate insights tailored to various use cases.
Today, modern data warehousing solutions are equipped with reporting capabilities that enable users to visualize data as per their needs. Like our solution Grid’s reporting engine, which offers configurable dashboards with 14 widget options, and supports multiple export formats (CSV, PDF). Data warehousing tools like Grid can also be configured to track real-time load balancing across transformers, and generate weekly energy loss reports at feeder levels simultaneously. These advanced capabilities enable both operational and management teams to receive actionable insights tailored to their unique requirements. Moreover, new-age data warehousing platforms come with a no-code framework, which means that even non-technical users are able to create and customize reports without relying on IT team experts.
Energy loss accounting
In utility projects, losses can occur due to both technical (line losses) or non-technical reasons like theft or unauthorized energy use. To ensure energy loss accounting, companies must be able to point to various losses within the distribution network. However, without access to tools that provide granular analytics, it can be challenging to compare real-time input/output measurements of energy at various points in the network.
Data warehousing solutions such as Grid addresses these hurdles by integrating directly with SCADA systems and AMI devices, and capturing input/output measurements from connected meters and transformers within the network. Once collected, the measurements are stored in a central database with high-speed query processing capabilities. By leveraging this data, loss accounting reports can also be created that are segmented by regions or network components. For instance, Grid’s system compares total sum energy imported into a transformer against the energy consumed by all connected meters. Now, any discrepancies in the calculation can be flagged as potential losses, with the utility being able to identify areas of concern in a quick manner.
Advanced data warehousing tools also allow utilities to drill down into specific loss trends over a time period. If any feeder consistently signifies higher-than-average-losses during peak times, operators can be dispatched to identify whether those losses stem from technical issues or unauthorized consumption. With these insights, utilities can create targeted campaigns to minimize losses, such as upgrading the infrastructure or deploying stricter monitoring protocols.
Before We Wrap Up…
Data warehousing has emerged as an important cornerstone for utilities in overcoming the challenges of the AMI. The true value of adopting data warehousing platforms lies in the ability to enable proactive decision making- be it in anomaly detection via reports, analyzing losses or monitoring the device status for improved performance. Platforms like Grid are designed with a robust framework that enables utilities to prioritize scalability, data integrity and configurability in their data management campaigns. With features like real-time analytics, loss accounting, VEE reporting, fraud detection and more, Grid is revolutionizing how utilities manage and use their operational data. Connect with our team today to know how you can leverage your utility data to your advantage.
