Measure Bundles by End Use
Three measures were modeled to reflect baseline system conditions, levels of savings available, and cost. The measures are described below.
Energy Conservation Measure 1 (ECM1) uses line drop compensation only. This measure applies only to distribution systems where substations have voltage regulation controls already in place. This includes voltage regulation devices with settable controls, instrumentation, and required signals. No new equipment is needed. Costs are limited to engineering, testing, and technician activities.
ECM2 adds Primary Voltage Optimization to ECM1. The measure uses telemetry to all primary distribution assets and software to deploy optimized voltage control of primary distribution system assets. Additional costs over ECM1 include telemetry to remote assets on the feeders, end-of-line nodes, switched capacitor nodes and software. Savings from ECM2 are typically triple the savings from ECM1.
ECM3 adds an additional level of savings by enhancing performance using Automatic Meter Infrastructure (AMI) which allows voltage to be controlled along more segments of each feeder. The estimates for savings from ECM3 assume that AMI infrastructure is in place. The timeframe for savings from ECM3 is based on completing the roll out of AMI across the region and then using that full AMI system to enhance CVR. The additional cost of ECM3 are relatively small and based on hardware and software to allow the telemetry systems and the AMI systems to communicate and optimize voltage along each segment of each feeder.
In the final supply curves, ECM2 and ECM3 were combined because levelized costs of savings for ECM3 are lower than for ECM2.
Major and New Measures
No new measures were added for the 2021 Plan. However, an addition was made in that the three measures analyzed are now partially applied to feeders that are primarily industrial (earlier plans had zero applicability for these) to account for light industrial customers that do not have voltage controlling equipment on site. The table below shows the applicability of each measure in each of the three classes of feeders.
Applicability of Distribution System Measures by Feeder Type
Measures Not Included in 2021 Plan
None