An example of Smart grid project based on PowerFactory is the ERDF (French DNO) LINKY Project. ERDF "LINKY" project aims at creating value from the large amount of data from smart meters in terms of distribution network planning and power quality improvement. A prototype was presented in this paper, consists in automatically running a “playback”, day after day, of the system. This is made possible by projecting the individual measured load curves on the network models imported from the GIS and Smart Meters into DIgSILENT PowerFactory.

The tool builds dashboards and “snapshots” of each LV network element enabling network resizing or phase balancing for voltage quality enhancement purpose. The system was used during the 2012 winter on 350 LV networks processing with 11 000 individual load curves. Phase balancing operations are currently being handled on the field.

The deployment of the Linky Automated Meter Management system is a promising approach to significantly improve network investments. The new data obtained opens interesting possibilities to improve distribution network operation and planning in terms of optimization of voltage profiles, minimization and monitoring of losses, Optimizing reinforcement investments and calls for a completely new method for modelling loads and identifying constraints. For instance, the true individual load curves and phase connections are known. This is important for LV networks where constraints are often due to unbalanced loads, whose presence leads to additional losses, voltage drops and constraints on current ratings.

The LINKY Data Analysis implemented in PowerFactory consists of four processes:

1. Daily Process
2. Monthly Process
3. Yearly Process
4. On Demand Task

Daily Process:

• Import of daily load/generation characteristics from smart meters and update LV-Projects in PowerFactory
• Import of real temperature and estimation of missing consumer characteristics using the temperature
• Execution of 3-phase load-flow time sweep over the considered day
• Capturing of extreme conditions and export of corresponding snapshots to result database
• Computation / update of several parameters (e.g. Duration in hours of thermal constraints, average values, minimum and maximum values, cumulated unbalance losses etc.) and storage in the result database
• Export of daily cases for on-demand analysis

Monthly Process:

• Each month, the so-called “static data” are imported, from the input databases (GIS and AMM (Automated Metering Management) system) into the PowerFactory database.
• Carry out a real phase assignment for customers equipped of smart meters
  Phase-balancing for customers without smart meters

On Demand Task:

• On-demand functions are tools built to process the results on users’ PCs equipped with PowerFactory
• Snapshots and results can be imported back from the result database to PowerFactory to carry out detailed LV network studies