AES Case Study: Lessons learned from AES's deployment of Dynamic Line Ratings

42 LineVision Sensors deployed in IN & OH increasing grid capacity & providing grid flexibility for critical C&I load integration.

CONTEXT

AES, operator of over 2,000 miles of overhead transmission lines across Indiana and Ohio, has partnered with LineVision to deploy Dynamic Line Ratings (DLR) on critical lines in their service territory to study how the technology could unlock additional carrying capacity. As an alternative to costly system upgrades, DLR efficiently helps to integrate large commercial customers and renewable energy, and provide previously unavailable visibility to their assets.

AES OBJECTIVES

• Prove DLR cost-benefit ratio
• Evaluate DLR in grid planning to maximize efficiency and meet customer energy demands
• Ensure reliable and safe power delivery with accurate carrying capacity data
• Evaluate DLR's compounding impact and operational insights across assets, use cases, and RTOs

LINEVISION SOLUTION

LineVision installed 42 non-contact LUX sensors across 5 lines ranging from 69 to 345kV. The installation was completed in less than two weeks, averaging just 30 minutes per sensor. Efficient and beneficial sensor placement was determined by heading, vegetation/structures, topology, and conductor type. LineVision provided DLR for the studied lines through best-in-class model calibration and training methodology tha tutilizes: sag, computational fluid dynamics, and wind speeds calculated for each span to calculate 240-hour DLR values.

RESULTS - 345 KV LINE

One of the lines studied had several large load interconnections and upcoming generation projects that were projected to overload the line. LineVision's DLR achieved an average capacity increase of 43% over the Static Line Rating (SLR), exceeding the SLR 97% of the time and the Ambient Adjusted Rating 82% of the time. DLR for this line proves to be cost-effective and customer-focused, costing just 7.6% the price of reconductoring, with the ability to avoid 2.5 months of outages.

Key Stats

43% 
Avg. Capacity Gain

7.6% 
DLR Project Cost vs. Reconductor

2.5
‍Months of Outages Avoided

‍

APPLICATIONS USED

RESULTS 69 KV LINE

A second line expeirenced frequent thermal overload from generation. LineVision's DLR identified a heavily-vegetated section which reduced the average DLR rating of the line, meaning that static line ratings were overstating the line's true carrying capacity and posing an operational risk. By combining DLR, a targeted asset upgrade, and vegetation management, AES estimates an average of 10% extra capacity delivered with $1.24M in cost savings and a year in construction time saved.

Key Stats

$1.2 
Million in Cost Savings

10% 
‍Avg. Capacity Gain

1 Year
Construction Time Avoided

* projected benefits with implementation of DLR combined with targeted reconductoring