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This was published 5 years ago
The ‘self-healing’ system designed to keep western Sydney’s lights on
By Cole Latimer
The electricity distributor for Greater Western Sydney is automating parts of its network to stop or reduce the impact of blackouts during storms or heatwaves as the population in the region soars.
Endeavour Energy’s chief information officer, Andrew Bettenay, said the "machine-learning" system from French multinational Schneider Electric would increase the network's safety and reliability.
Endeavour Energy is launching a 'smarter' grid in partnership with Schneider Electric that uses machine learning to automate its processes.Credit: Paul Jones
In the event of a major storm or run of extreme hot weather, the system will track which areas of the grid are affected, how the workforce should be sent out, tell them how best to bring the power back online and learn from it to respond better next time.
“This system uses machine learning to develop 'self-healing' processes and keep lights on,” Mr Bettenay said. “It uses an AI, machine-learning algorithm to understand how the network operates and responds, and it will, at first, suggest to operators how they can best respond to events.
“Over time, as we enhance its complexity, it will be able to introduce self-healing more and more.”
Schneider Electric’s vice president for energy, Simon Mouat, said its system was “designed to be the heart and soul of a future [energy] distribution network”.
“It connects all the systems, the workforce planning, modern geospatial information, schematics and machine learning to bring everything together."
Earlier this week, about 32,000 South Australian households were left without power after severe storms hit the state.
Mr Bettenay said the partnership to upgrade the network was putting Endeavour on the front foot to cope with western and South Sydney’s forecast population and economic boom.
One in every 11 Australians live in the Greater Western Sydney area and about half a million new residents are forecast to move to western Sydney, South Sydney, the Illawarra and Blue Mountains region by 2030.
“Western Sydney is one of the largest individual economies in Australia at the moment and we’re expecting this to continue to boom,” Mr Bettenay said. “It’s also a reality that western Sydney has some of the highest density needs in the National Electricity Market, and during summer there are days that go above 40 degrees Celsius, so air conditioning becomes a necessity and we have to plan for this.”
Electricity control rooms have come a long way, and are becoming fully digitised.Credit: Robert Walker
Mr Mouat said the machine learning would track this and allow Endeavour to plan and optimise its network for the upcoming growth. The upgraded system would also allow households across Endeavour Energy’s region to install more rooftop solar panels and battery systems.
“This will allow us to effectively integrate distributed renewables [such as solar panels and battery storage] into the network, and do so without negatively impacting on other customers,” Mr Bettenay said.
Mr Mouat said "irrespective of a policy vacuum" in Australia, there was growing interest in microgrids, distributed energy and electric vehicles. "This system is designed to prepare businesses for that,” he said.