Case Study | Utility Engineering & Consulting
Electric Power Distribution System Modeling
For one of its municipal electric system clients, Tangibl built a model of the electric power system in ETAP, an industry-recognized power system simulation tool. Using information collected at the circuit and transformer level in the Town’s substation, circuit capacity was compared with actual peak loads. The Joint Action Agency to which the Town belonged asked Tangibl for an example of how the model can be used to assess hosting capacity for interconnection of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations.
Tangibl’s analysis showed that for the two circuits with existing customers having the propensity to interconnect DERs or install EV charging stations, both circuits notionally had capacity for such facilities. When considering light load and peak load conditions, however, DERs would be limited to the light load level for injection so as not to create reverse power flow into the substation bus. As such, the available capacity was further constrained. A time-series study of load versus DER injection, particularly for rooftop solar, would likely reduce the constraint as the light load periods in the PJM zone in which the Town is located generally occur overnight.