AES Ohio set for second phase of smart grid deployment

AES Ohio has reached settlement on the next phase of its smart grid deployment, with the go ahead subject to approval by the Ohio Public Utilities Commission.

With approval the settlement should see investment of $240 million in capital projects over the 4-year period following Smart Grid phase 1, due for completion in mid-2025.

The second phase is planned to continue the work of phase 1, with continuing investments in the development and deployment of operational tools and smart grid technologies, along with an enhanced secure telecommunications network.

“We have a commitment to our customers and community to ensure the reliability and resiliency of our grid,” says Tom Raga, AES Ohio president.

“In Smart Grid 1, we successfully deployed smart meters and reclosers and our customers are already benefiting from fewer outages and decreased restoration times. The Smart Grid phase 2 settlement is the next step to advancing the benefits of smart grid and realising the tangible improvements bringing value to our customers every day.”

Have you read?
Three Ohio utilities set for additional 1.4 million smart meters
How AI can support a reliable and resilient electrical grid

Specific elements in phase 2 include volt/var optimisation and conservation voltage reduction on 86 circuits, distribution automation on 119 circuits and in at least five municipalities with at least 15% of the population below the poverty line and substation automation at 27 substations.

AES Ohio also is required to publish an online hosting capacity mapping took for new distributed energy resources by June 2027.

In addition the company proposes to expand its ‘disadvantaged communities energy initiative’, which currently provides an annual budget of $2.7 million benefiting low income customers in qualified communities.

Based on the figures the plan is calculated to deliver an NPV benefit-to-cost ratio of 5.1, including both direct and indirect customer benefits, while adding about 1%, around $1.70, to an average customer bill using 1,000kW per month.

A major feature of phase 1 has been the installation of smart meters, with 95% coverage anticipated by June 2025.

Benefits reported by AES Ohio in the smart grid phase 1 include a reduction in customer minutes interrupted (CMI) by 28.5% and reduced estimated meter reads by 96%.