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Energy Efficiency has historically focused on delivering savings to offset growth in energy supply. Today’s growing emphasis on decarbonization of the energy supply is driving renewables adoption and increased interest in electrification. As a result, energy efficiency is being assessed not just in its ability to offset load growth, but also for its ability to alleviate location-specific constraints on transmission and distribution infrastructure. This work demonstrates that advanced measurement and verification modeling techniques can be used to estimate the spatio-temporal grid impact of a portfolio of energy efficiency programs. It extends measurement-based methods to an entire Demand Side Management portfolio and uses a single model to predict annual as well as seasonal building energy use with near-zero bias. In addition, new metrics are introduced to assess grid level impacts of energy efficiency. The results show that the efficiency program portfolio delivers savings of over 12% at the territory-wide proxy level, with substation and feeder level savings ranging from 0.4% to 26%, and −5%-42% respectively. These savings impacted 1.0%–1.4% of the energy used at these locations in the grid. This work provides a methodology with potential to connect efficiency with distribution planning, carrying implications for non-wires alternatives and targeted delivery of efficiency programs.

Energy Efficiency has historically focused on delivering savings to offset growth in energy supply. Today's growing emphasis on decarbonization of the energy supply is driving renewables adoption and increased interest in electrification. As a result, energy efficiency is being assessed not just in its ability to offset load growth, but also for its ability to alleviate location-specific constraints on transmission and distribution infrastructure. This work demonstrates that advanced measurement and verification modeling techniques can be used to estimate the spatio-temporal grid impact of a portfolio of energy efficiency programs. It extends measurement-based methods to an entire Demand Side Management portfolio and uses a single model to predict annual as well as seasonal building energy use with near-zero bias. In addition, new metrics are introduced to assess grid level impacts of energy efficiency. The results show that the efficiency program portfolio delivers savings of over 12% at the territory-wide proxy level, with substation and feeder level savings ranging from 0.4% to 26%, and −5%-42% respectively. These savings impacted 1.0%–1.4% of the energy used at these locations in the grid. This work provides a methodology with potential to connect efficiency with distribution planning, carrying implications for non-wires alternatives and targeted delivery of efficiency programs.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems will drive deep electrification of energy systems leading to clean energy 2050. However, connecting large amounts of solar PV systems on direct current (DC) networks, like solar farms and potential future DC distribution systems, would lead to over voltages and loss of solar PV power output due to voltage issues. Further, current PV integration within distribution networks operate exclusively to maximize output using maximum power point tracking algorithms, without network coordination, which may lead to reduced solar output due to voltage issues. Here, a coordinated optimization model for solar PV systems and distribution network voltage regulators is presented. The proposed model optimally controls the settings of voltage controllers (DC‐DC converters), placed at the outputs of solar PV units and selected distribution lines, while maximizing solar power output and minimizing substation power (i.e. system losses). The solar PV systems are modelled using a trained neural network. Testing various systems against uncoordinated situations revealed that the proposed model yielded an increase in solar power of up to 60.06%, in the 28‐bus case. The proposed method will be an excellent tool enabling deep electrification using solar PV system and it overcomes limitations of uncoordinated systems used in practice today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complementary renewable technologies support renewable energy use as they can help balance the intermittency of solar and wind generation. Previous research has shown that environmental policies directly targeting renewable energy can drive innovation in solar PV and wind technology. This study explores the impact of renewable policies on innovation in complementary renewable technology that assists with integration, including combustion with mitigation potential, efficient power transmission or distribution, and enabling technologies. We use negative binomial models and a panel of 25 OECD countries from 1997 to 2015 to evaluate these relationships. We are not able to find evidence that renewable policies incentivize innovation in complementary combustion or transmission and distribution technologies, and only limited evidence that demand-pull instruments are associated with increased innovation in smart grid technology. Technology-push policies, such as public research and development funds for renewable energy, have had limited impact on grid-supporting energy storage innovation. Our findings suggest that policymakers wishing to accelerate these complementary technologies need to go beyond policies targeting renewable energy in order to drive innovation in complementary fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems will drive deep electrification of energy systems leading to clean energy 2050. However, connecting large amounts of solar PV systems on direct current (DC) networks, like solar farms and potential future DC distribution systems, would lead to over voltages and loss of solar PV power output due to voltage issues. Further, current PV integration within distribution networks operate exclusively to maximize output using maximum power point tracking algorithms, without network coordination, which may lead to reduced solar output due to voltage issues. Here, a coordinated optimization model for solar PV systems and distribution network voltage regulators is presented. The proposed model optimally controls the settings of voltage controllers (DC‐DC converters), placed at the outputs of solar PV units and selected distribution lines, while maximizing solar power output and minimizing substation power (i.e. system losses). The solar PV systems are modelled using a trained neural network. Testing various systems against uncoordinated situations revealed that the proposed model yielded an increase in solar power of up to 60.06%, in the 28‐bus case. The proposed method will be an excellent tool enabling deep electrification using solar PV system and it overcomes limitations of uncoordinated systems used in practice today.

The great uncertainty caused by the high penetration of renewable energy brings severe challenges to the economic dispatch of transmission systems. In this study, a day-ahead economic dispatch model is proposed. The model is based on the coordination framework of transmission and distribution, and it fully considers the response potential of the distribution network. The scenario generation method based on the Copula function is used to describe the uncertainty of the energy output of renewable energy sources such as wind power, and then, the response potential of the distribution network is analyzed. A day-ahead economic scheduling framework for transmission and distribution coordination is proposed, which is solved by a deep reinforcement learning algorithm. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified through application to the IEEE 6-bus transmission network and the IEEE 7-bus distribution network.

Transactive energy is an effective way to share and trade energy among peers. A transactive energy framework is composed of several integrated blocks such as an energy market, service providers, generation companies, transmission and distribution networks, prosumers, etc. The success of such a framework can be measured by analyzing the effectiveness of its major building blocks. This paper provides a basic definition of transactive energy which helps in identifying its primary building blocks. Based on the identified building blocks, each block of the transactive energy system is discussed briefly to highlight its significant role and effectiveness. Some enabling technologies for such systems are then reviewed along with pilot projects. In the end, some policy guidelines are presented to speed up their implementation.

The large-scale integration of renewable generation and the gradual decommissioning of conventional power plants has led to decreased availability of resources for providing services and support to the bulk transmission grid. This paper presents a novel methodology for providing support to the bulk transmission system through the control of thousands of small distributed energy resources (DERs), located in distribution systems. This control scheme is expected to serve jointly with other classical countermeasures against instability conditions. The proposed method is model-free, scalable, and does not rely on extensive communication infrastructure. It integrates an online method (New LIVES) to monitor the voltage stability status of the transmission system, a rule-based decentralized decision algorithm, and the local DER mechanisms implementing the control actions. The proposed approach is implemented on a combined transmission and distribution test system with over 4200 low-voltage buses and the dynamic simulation results illustrate its flexibility, practicality, and tractability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to advantages such as being economical, environment friendly and taking less time to reach destination, electrified railway traction system is used widely around the world as a significant means of mass and public transportation. With the development of electrified railway system, the power quality of traction grid becomes more serious. The electric power to railway trains is supplied through the transformer. Traction transformer is one of best solution to improve power quality related to electrical railway traction Power system. For this purpose, different traction transformer like Scott transformer, V-V transformer, YN/VD transformer, YD and Impedance matching transformer are studied, modeled and analyzed using MATLAB Simulink/Software. In this paper, a number of traction transformers are considered in the electrified railway traction power system. Due to the single phase & non-linear load behavior of electrical railways traction system, it has many issues of power quality like reactive power, Grid unbalance currents, harmonics etc. This problem can be solved by implementation a two single phase electrified railway traction system with a suitable traction transformer YD along with full bridge Converter. The full bridge converter (FBC) is used to transfer active power and suppressing the harmonics. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the traction transformer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the lessons learned about fillers that are added to silicone rubber insulation housing composites, in order to improve the erosion resistance against the dry-band arcing are presented and common perceptions. Common practices that employ alumina tri-hydrate are reviewed, including the additional influential effect of the water of hydration in the suppression of the dry-band arcing. The effect of the water of hydration is shown to be dependent on various factors, such as the hydrated filler level and the type of the hydrated filler. More recent paradigms in which hydrated fillers have not been employed are also reviewed. Volume and shield actions of fillers are essential aspects that need to be understood in the design of silicone rubber insulation housing composites for new applications such as HVDC. In addition, the thermal degradation mechanisms of silicone rubber and the corresponding suppression effects of the added fillers are summarized.

The advancement of new equipment for construction of electrical transmission and distribution line is essential for safety, cost and time. The drone technology enhances the construction field with their enormous benefits as compared to their traditional method for the power lines construction. This article gives a prologue to drone technology innovation and give perspective result for technical specification, surveying and accurate measurement in construction and eliminate use of heavy air-craft. The primary viewpoints that have prompted the substantial spread of drone technology in construction of power lines are examined and here compared with their traditional methods with evolution with some technique like MADM, quantitative representation, relative weighing and additive weighing and then choose the best methods which provides strong position for attributes that consider for the subject. Although all methods are relatively important on its way of use but comparison between them made easy selection for most benefits for use. The iterative methods already show that the drone technology proven best practice for construction of power lines in terms of time, cost, risk, size, location, quality and environment sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an open-source MATLAB toolbox is presented that is able to generate synthetic, combined transmission, and distribution network models. These can be used to analyse the interactions between transmission and multiple distribution systems, such as the provision of ancillary services by active distribution grids, the co-optimization of planning and operation, the development of emergency control and protection schemes spanning over different voltage levels, the analysis of combined market aspects, etc. The generated test-system models are highly customizable, providing the user with the flexibility to easily choose the desired characteristics, such as the level of renewable energy penetration, the size of the final system, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter a deep learning-based model is proposed for online inspection of silicone rubber outdoor insulators. The inclined plane tracking and erosion test is used as per ASTM D2303 in order to simulate standard erosion on silicone rubber insulation composites. Photos taken for the tested composites are used as training and testing inputs for a convolutional neural network topology in the proposed deep learning model, thereby classifying the degree of erosion damage into light, moderate and severe. The remarkable classification accuracy obtained shows the potential of utilizing the proposed framework for online monitoring of outdoor silicone rubber insulators in the transmission and distribution grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gas transmission & distribution system are gas pipeline system and associated facilities designed for gas supply to consumers. Gas transmission & distribution system is a link between gas fields and gas consumers. In Bangladesh there are 21 operating gas filed producing nearly 2700 MMSCFD gas. There are total 23733.1 Km pipe line (Transmission-2536.26km, Distribution -2,371.80 km, Feeder Main and Service line-16,609.52 km, Others-2001.95 km) supplying natural gas to nearly 3332966 (Captive Power-1477, Power-81, Fertilizer-9, Industrial-5976, Commercial - 17865, CNG-572, Domestic-3306890 and Tea-96) legal customers and more than 300000 illegal customer in Bangladesh daily. During legal connection, customers the rules and regulation for transmission & distribution of natural gas sometime applied but in illegal connection, the customer as well as the contractor ignore rule and regulation, which may cause an accident in the energy industries. The government should take necessary steps to stop illegal gas connection as well as ensure the safety of the legal transmission & Distribution line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harmonic transient analysis of wind turbine generators (WTGs) requires reliable models to reproduce harmonic dynamics accurately and to ensure that such models perform closely to actual components. A recent harmonic modeling technique, named flexible extended harmonic domain (FEHD), is adopted in this paper as part of the proposed approach. FEHD provides reduced-order extended harmonic domain (EHD) models that include an arbitrary number of harmonics (not necessarily sequentially-numbered) in each state/part of the system; thus, leading to computational burden improvement while keeping accuracy and high-frequency ripple information. The adopted FEHD together with time-domain (TD) are interfaced in this paper to produce a hybrid TD/FEHD, which is used to model a synchronous-based WTG. In the proposed WTG model, the whole system is divided into TD-based and FEHD-based subsystems. These two subsystems can use distinct integration time-steps; thus, leading to improvement in CPU-time compared to pure EHD models, without losing accuracy. The criterion to select both subsystems consists on simulation requirements, i.e., using TD for the zone where averaged dynamics are sufficient whilst FEHD is used where high-order harmonic dynamics are important for harmonic transient analysis. The obtained results are verified with experimental data and validated with PSCAD/EMTDC, revealing a very good agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an investigation into the application of systems management in the operation of public utilities in Nigeria, specifically, in the electric power sector; towards the effective utilization of electric energy for physical facilities, namely, residential, commercial and institutional buildings, etc. The paper commences with a definition of terms, especially, systems management, system failure and system collapse, in connection with regulation, management and ownership in the electric power sector. It then proceeds to an elaboration of the phases or steps in the historical evolution of the electric power industry in Nigeria and the associated factors which can be isolated in each stage of the historical development of utilities. It then progresses to an examination of the problems of electric power generation, transmission and distribution within the organizational framework of the new Power Holding Company of Nigeria PLC (PHCN), in terms of the Power Sector Reform Act 2005. The paper provides an elucidation of the existing and proposed strategies for policy implementation in the Power Holding Company of Nigeria PLC (PHCN). In this regard, it highlights the operational link between PHCN, management on the one hand and its supervisory board, supervisory ministry (the Federal Ministry of Energy) and the Presidency on the other hand. These strategies set the stage for new directions and management. This paper then reaches the conclusion of the centrality of adequate power supply to family life and business life in the country; that a stable power supply creates a positive multiplier effect in the whole economy. Indeed, that low service delivery in the Nigerian electricity sector is, perhaps the greatest developmental drawback facing the country in the areas of residential development and industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Life-cycle cost, energy, and environmental assessment of electricity in Tehran. • All power technologies and transmission & distribution networks have been assessed. • Fossil power plants are the main contributors to electricity impacts in Tehran. • Electricity supply to buildings results in 0.603 kg-CO 2 /kWh global warming. • Low-voltage electricity supply costs 1.44 USD/kWh over the life cycle. • Diesel phase-out substantially reduces electricity supply impacts in Tehran. This paper conducts a joint life-cycle costing and life-cycle assessment to address the cradle-to-gate energy, cost, and midpoint/endpoint environmental impacts of Tehran's electricity generation/supply industry. According to the ReCiPe model, photovoltaic and biogas combined heat and power (CHP) technologies have the highest ecotoxicity, eutrophication, human toxicity, ionizing radiation, and mineral resource scarcity impacts. In comparison, fossil technologies, particularly gas turbines, have the highest midpoint global warming and particular matter and ozone formation impacts and endpoint damages to ecosystems, human health, and resources. As per the cumulative energy demand method, gas-turbine has the highest energy demand (16.08 MJ/kWh), while biogas-CHP has the lowest (1.38 MJ/kWh). In contrast, the biogas CHP has the highest electricity supply costs (1.07 USD/kWh), while hydropower has the lowest cost (0.39 USD/kWh) and midpoint/endpoint environmental impacts. The electricity industry's damages to ecosystems (1.99E-09 species.year/kWh) and human health (7.71E-07 DALY/kWh) majorly arise from power plants' global warming effects (0.603 kg-CO 2 /kWh), while resource damages (0.101 USD/kWh) primarily originate from their high nonrenewable energy demands (12.36 MJ/kWh). Despite small contributions to energy/environmental impacts, transmission/distribution networks account for 48.3% of overall electricity supply costs (1.44 USD/kWh). Findings suggest that displacing diesel from Tehran's electricity mix can significantly augment electricity supply sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of power factor (PF) in electrical utility grids is a mainstay of load balancing and is also a critical element of transmission and distribution efficiency. The measurement of PF dates back to the earliest periods of electrical power distribution to public grids. In the wide-area distribution grid, measurement of current waveforms is trivial and may be accomplished at any point in the grid using a current tap transformer. However, voltage measurement requires reference to ground and so is more problematic and measurements are normally constrained to points that have ready and easy access to a ground source. We present two mathematical analysis methods based on kriging and linear least square estimation (LLSE) (regression) to derive PF at nodes with unknown voltages that are within a perimeter of sample nodes with ground reference across a selected power grid. Our results indicate an error average of 1.884% that is within acceptable tolerances for PF measurements that are used in load balancing tasks.

The history of electricity regulatory bodies in Nigeria is as old as the introduction of electricity services in the country. The generation, transmission, distribution, and sales of electricity was first under the control of the Public Work Department, PWD created in 1896. However, in 1945 a unit in charge of electricity was carved out of PWD and was named Nigerian Electricity Undertaking, NGEU. The British Colonial Authority passed the electricity ordinance in 1950 which ushered in Electricity Corporation of Nigeria, ECN in 1951. In 1972, the National Electric Power Authority, NEPA was established. The Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, emerged as a new regulatory body in 2005 replacing NEPA, which is in line with liberalization policy of the civilian Administration that came into power since 1999. The aim of this paper is to examine the changing roles and functions of these electricity regulating bodies in Nigeria with the view of assessing whether these changes have impacted significantly on the development of the power sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural gas pipeline network (including distribution network) may be subjected to some extreme conditions such as pipeline rapture, sudden changed demand and etc. The behavior of natural gas pipeline network should be properly identified to prevent network failure and have continued pipeline operation under these extreme conditions. These conditions usually cause unsteady behavior of the pipeline network. Consequently, it is necessary to develop an unsteady state mathematical method to study natural gas pipeline network under unsteady conditions. To achieve this goal, an analytical approach has been developed to analyzed natural gas pipeline network. The governing equations derived for one-dimensional isothermal compressible viscous flow with Kirchhoff's laws have been employed to develop a method for studying the pipeline network under unsteady conditions. The proposed method has been compared with previous studies for validation purposes. The validation shows the proposed method has an average absolute present derivation (AAPD) less than 0.7%. Finally the effect of a few parameters including: friction factor, natural gas composition and decreasing and increasing demand have been studied. Results show that Weymouth and AGA equation predict highest and lowest pressure drop at the network nodes respectively. Also by increasing natural gas molar mass, the pressure at nodes will be decreased. It could be also concluded that demand rise causes pressure drop to decrease and demand fall causes pressure drop to increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the existing commercial framework of electricity in Malaysia, commercial and industrial customers are required to pay for the peak power demand charge every month. Usually, the peak demand charge can contribute up to 30% to their electricity bills due to the use of open-cycle gas power plants that deliver expensive electricity to the customers. Therefore, alternative means are sought after in order to reduce the peak demand for the customers. Distributed small-scaled energy storage can offer a good option to reduce the peak. This paper aims to identify the financial benefits of the energy storage system for utility companies and customers. An energy dispatch model is developed in HOMER to determine the cost of electricity. The model considers the heat rates of power plants in calculating the costs of electricity under different regulatory frameworks of natural gas with various prices of battery components. Apart from that, the cost-benefit for the customers under various electric tariff structures is evaluated. Four battery storage technologies, namely lead acid, vanadium redox flow, zinc-bromine, and lithium-ion are considered. The simulation results show that the storage system with lead acid batteries is more cost-effective than other battery technologies. The customers can reduce their electricity bills with the payback period of 2.8 years. The generation cost for the power system with energy storage is lower than that without energy storage. Besides, the system with energy storage has lower greenhouse gas emissions than that without energy storage. The deferral of the reinforcement of transmission and distribution infrastructure can be achieved with the installation of energy storage at distribution network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of electricity from renewable energy sources is currently a big issue that affects all areas of the power industry (generation - transmission - distribution - consumption) and it relates to all highly developed as well as developing power industry systems. There has recently been a significant increase of installed capacity of renewable energy sources, especially of photovoltaic power plants in the Czech Republic. High levels of electricity generation from renewable energy sources occur during favorable weather conditions in the Central Europe region. This causes loop flows and overloading of transmission systems in the whole region. Huge development of renewable energy sources in the region considerably affects both the distribution system and the transmission system of the Czech Republic. Operation of the Czech power system is negatively influenced and project development of the power system needs to be repeatedly modified and updated. Steeply raising development of subsidized renewable energy sources in Europe and in the Czech Republic brings about many challenges and risks, technical as well as economic and social. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a methodology to estimate power versus distance envelops of high voltage alternating current (HVAC) transmission systems for subsea applications. Alternating current (AC) technology is mature and is proven for land-based applications and relatively short offshore tiebacks. However, for long tiebacks, due to increased conductor capacitance, large reactive power needs to be supplied, leading to higher cable current rating, losses, and expensive umbilical. Subsea ac cables are limited in their capability to transmit power beyond a certain distance, depending on cable characteristics, installation conditions, and system operating mode. Power transfer boundary charts for ac technology based on analytical methods are presented. Analytical calculations and computer simulations of HVAC power cables were performed on more than 30 cables with rated voltage between 35 and 150 kV and cable cross sections between 95 and 400 \mm^2. Effects of reactive compensation on system tieback distance have been analyzed, as well as low-frequency transmission and different modes of system operation. Cable models employing multiple pi sections and distributed parameters were used. Well-known power flow and simulation tools were used for validation. AC transmission boundaries were estimated based on the voltage and current limits for various cables under various operating modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The power sector is one of the most critical growth drivers for any country. The power sector in India is highly regulated by the government and is dependent on the policies framed regarding bidding for power projects, regulations regarding transmission of power between states and pricing of power supply to consumer is also decided by the government. In India, the passage of the Electricity Act, 2003 brought about an impetus in the sector which paved way for new reforms in it. India certainly needs a huge jump in its electricity supply to sustain its rapid economic growth and meet the growing demand; it needs to make every effort to efficiently manage all components of value chain. In order to provide adequate support to country's growth aspirations, it is imperative that the sector scales its capacity up across the value chain and push reforms in requisite stages. This paper firstly presents the overview of Indian power sector followed by analysis of value chain of power sector in India -its current scenario as well as future prospects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Suspended particles are well known to cause serious problems in natural gas pipelines and related equipment. In this study, suspended particles in the natural gas transmission and distribution network of the city of Kerman, Iran were investigated. Particle concentration and size distribution were measured, under isokinetic condition, in different locations of the natural gas pipeline network. Additional particle characterization was carried out through SEM/EDX and XRD analysis. The filtration performance was found to be rather inefficient according to the particle concentration in the natural gas flow, although it decreased along the pipeline to the end of the network. Larger particles were more likely to exist at the network entrance with respect to the network pipeline exit. The results of particle characterization confirmed the presence of corrosion products in the suspended particles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Output from a real-time sag, tension, and ampacity program was compared with measurements collected on an outdoor test span. The test site included a laser range-finder, load cells, and weather station. A fiber optic distributed temperature sensing system was routed along the conductor and thermocouples were attached to the conductor's surface. Nearly 40 million data points were statistically compared with the computer output. The program provided results with a 95% confidence interval for conductor temperatures within ±10°C and sags within ±0.3 m for a conductor temperature of 75 °C. Test data were also used to determine the accuracy of the IEEE Standard 738 models. The computer program and the Standard 738 transient model gave comparable temperatures for temperatures up to 160 °C. Measured temperatures were used to estimate the radial and axial temperature gradients in the ACSR conductor. The effect of insulators and instrumentation attached to the conductor on the local conductor temperature was determined. The real-time rating program is an alternative to installing instrumentation on the conductor for measuring tension, sag, or temperature. The program avoids the problems of installing and maintaining expensive instrumentation on the conductor, and it will provide accurate information on the conductor's temperature and ground clearance in real-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Robust transmission and stochastic distribution grids are distributionally planned. • With source-load uncertainties, transmission contingency uncertainty is considered. • The convergence and optimality of the proposed iteration methods are guaranteed. • The benefits of dynamic TSO-DSO interaction are unlocked in a hierarchical manner. • A transmission-distribution network is designed to validate the proposed approach. The plurality of active distribution networks (DNs) has made it ready to connect the transmission network (TN) for the dynamic power interaction. Coordinated expansion of transmission and distribution networks is the key to the economic and reliable operation of the integrated system in the future uncertain environment. This paper proposes a distributed decision-making framework to determine the robust TN expansion solution and stochastic DN expansion solutions. Uncertainty sets are deployed to model the uncertainties in TN while the scenario-based technique is implemented to tackle the uncertainties in DNs. To guarantee the consistency of transmission-distribution interaction, the deviation penalties of the interactive power are introduced into the objective function of each level. The iteration solution algorithm is used to transform the robust min–max-min problem for transmission expansion into a two-stage mixed-integer linear programming problem, and coordinate transmission and distribution expansion problems in a parallel manner. Case studies validate the effectiveness and high performance of the proposed distributed expansion method and the solution procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the lessons learned about fillers that are added to silicone rubber insulation housing composites, in order to improve the erosion resistance against the dry-band arcing are presented and common perceptions. Common practices that employ alumina tri-hydrate are reviewed, including the additional influential effect of the water of hydration in the suppression of the dry-band arcing. The effect of the water of hydration is shown to be dependent on various factors, such as the hydrated filler level and the type of the hydrated filler. More recent paradigms in which hydrated fillers have not been employed are also reviewed. Volume and shield actions of fillers are essential aspects that need to be understood in the design of silicone rubber insulation housing composites for new applications such as HVDC. In addition, the thermal degradation mechanisms of silicone rubber and the corresponding suppression effects of the added fillers are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Microgrid reliance on existing T&D infrastructure. • Microgrid benefit "Staircase" Framework. • 10 case studies on microgrids in the US. The current discourse on microgrids is mostly limited to enhancing resiliency and misses the importance of existing transmission and distribution (T&D) infrastructure. Using a conceptual framework and ten microgrid case studies, we illustrate that T&D infrastructure affects the anticipated benefits of microgrids. Currently microgrids are often constructed in lieu of T&D improvements. In the long run, microgrids can work with existing T&D infrastructure to improve the reliability, efficiency and environmental sustainability of the electrical grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]