The OpenLV project is trialling a new platform in substations called LV Cap; 69 of these LV Cap platforms have now been installed out of a total of 80 to be used by the project.
As part of the OpenLV project, the software will be installed in 80 Low Voltage (LV) distribution substations located in Western Power Distribution’s (WPD’s) licence areas – the Midlands, the South West and South Wales. The software could ultimately be deployed across the electricity network.
Ten of the 80 units were dedicated to community projects. These have all been installed, including four in the village of Marshfield, providing complete coverage of the village of approximately 850 households. These will be used to help the community model energy patterns for the complete village.
Another ten units have been dedicated to projects proposed by businesses and universities. Five of these units have already been installed.
The other sixty units are dedicated to DNO learning, with 54 of these units having now been installed. Four of the remaining six are scheduled to be installed during 2018, with the last two in January 2019.
Ten of the units dedicated to DNO learning will be used for active network management by allowing meshing of the network using ‘Alvin RecloseTM’ technology to provide extra capacity. This technology has already been installed in four substations.
The project team has also been deploying and updating apps remotely without having to visit substations.
OpenLV platforms have been generating data since January 2018. The project is currently processing around 6,000 files per month, equating to 5GB, and the database already contains 140GB of data.
