Incorporating asset management into power system operations

Generally, decisions regarding power system operations are based only on operational parameters of the distribution network (DN) such as voltages, currents and power flows. Asset condition is a key parameter that is usually not considered by network management systems in their optimisation process. Against this background, this study seeks to indicate that the condition of power system assets can influence the network operation decisions. The criteria used to decide the optimal network operation are asset condition-based risk and losses. This is illustrated by a case study, where a number of network reconfigurations are examined in a representative DN and the results show that by taking asset condition information into account, then an improved operation of the network can be achieved.