TRANSMISSION AND

DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
PLANNING

Dr. AHMED-ALARASHI

TOPICS TO BE COVERED
Transmission and Distribution system
planning
• Introduction
• Planning Basic Steps.
• Long Term and Short Term Planning.
• Factors Affecting System Design.
• System Planning Technic.
• Power system analysis packages.
• General Goals of System Design

Introduction
• The objective of planning is to provide the
foundation to be able to supply electrical
energy reliably and economically.
• The system should be of simple configuration,
clearly arranged operation conditions and
flexibility in respect of extensions.
• Proper planning needs clear vision of
electrical energy provider.
• Several data need to be available. Including
load, equipment, advanced in technology.
…..etc.

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 PLANNING BASIC STEPS
Planning involves five basic steps:
1. Identify the problem - forecast where
demand will exceed present capacity.
2. Set the goals - the system must meet
all criteria, at the lowest possible
cost.
3. Identify alternatives - different
reinforcement or alternative plans.
4. Evaluate each for electrical and
reliability performance and for cost.
5. Select the lowest-cost alternative
whose performance meets all criteria.

1- Identifying the planning problem.

• Planners should identify explicitly the nature
of the "planning problem.“.
• It might be helpful to answer questions such
as:
• Is it concerned with only the siting and sizing
of a single new substation.
• Is it about how electrical needs will be served
and what is the geographical coverage.
• Does the problem to be solved concern fixing
certain issues.
• The planning problem and scope should be
formally written.

2- Identifying the planning goals

• Clear identification of the goals makes it
more likely that they will be met.
• Examples of sum special goals are:
• New facilities will be located in certain
region of the country.
• New plan will include nothing over 132 kV.
• New substations will be installed in non
agriculture lands.
• Only certain equipment rating should be
used.

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 3- Identify the Alternatives
• This is the most critical part of the planning.
• Good deal of skill, breadth of thinking, and
time is required to identify the range of
possibilities.
• Questions to be answered:
• What could be done?
• What options are available?
• What variations on these options would be
possible?
• Planners should study if and how it assures
that all possible options are considered.

4- Evaluating the Alternatives

• All alternatives should be evaluated against a
common and comprehensive evaluation standard.
• Constraints the plan must meet, including voltage,
flicker, and other service quality standards,
contingency margin rules, summer and winter
loading limits, safety and protection standards,
operating guidelines, service and maintainability
rules, and all other design standards and
guidelines.
• All acceptable plans cost is determined.
• Computer usually used in evaluation.
• Example of computer programs.

5- Selecting the Best Alternative

• It is important to assure that the definition of
"best" is clearly stated.
• Truly matches the goals and value system
being used.
• The evaluation/selection method is capable of
distinguishing between alternatives in a valid
manner.
• Does the definition of "best" match the
planning goals?
• Can the planning method accurately
distinguish between alternatives?

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Long Term and Short Term Planning

Electrical system planning can be:

•Short term planning (1-7 years)
•Long term planning (5-25 years)

Short Term Planning (1)

• The purpose of short-range planning is to
make certain that the system can continue to
serve customer load while meeting all
standards and criteria.
• Short-range looks far enough ahead to span
the lead time, and leads to project
authorizations. A utility must do short-range
planning in order to function

Short Term Planning (2)

Typical Minimum Lead Times at Various Levels of the System

Level Years Ahead

Generation 13
EHV Transmission 9

Transmission 8
Sub-transmission 7

Substation 6
Feeder 3
Lateral 5
Service level 1

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 Long Term Planning
• The purpose of long term planning is to look beyond
the lead time to see that short term plans and
commitments make good sense in the long run and
that investment in durable physical assets has lasting
benefit.
• It Provides several useful functions, as listed below:
• Good investment is to be assured.
• Help evaluating short terms plans.
• Forecast of long-range budgets.
• Identification of long-term direction and strategy.
• A basis for evaluation of new ideas or changes in
procedure.
• Coordination of planning among levels of the power
system.

Factors Affecting System Design (1)

1-Load Forecasting
• It is the main factor that guides the planning.
• It’s purpose is to provide forecast of power delivery
requirements.
• Selected years to cover the period from 1 to 25 years ahead.
• Small area forecast by year of peak demand, annual kWh,
customer types, and other factors (e.g. reliability).
• Coordinated with Corporate forecast, customer-level
planning (DSG impacts forecast). Marketing plan. Critical
input to distribution plan.
• Spatial load forecast method are used (simulation or
trending).

Factors Affecting System Design (2)

2- System expansion.
3- Voltage selection.
4- Feeder System.
5- Feeder route.
6- Size of conductors.
7- Cost.

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Additional Factors Affecting System Design (1)
• Economic factors:
1. Inflation.
2. Availably of fund.
3. Customer rate.
• Demographic factors:
1. Rate of birth
2. Movement of population.
• Technology factors:
1. Availably of new nonconventional energy
sources.

Additional Factors Affecting System Design (2)

• Good planning and use of modern planning
tools such as network editor.
• Make use of load management concept to
make the system able to:
1. Reduce load at certain periods.
2. Encourage costumers to use energy during
low load demand.
3. Other load management aspects.
• Technology factors, such as availably of new
nonconventional energy sources at cheaper cost.

Distribution System Planning Technic (1)

• Computers are mainly used.
• Starting with load forecasting and analysis.
• Load forecasting.
• Analyzing the present situation to find out
system technical criteria.
• Used Power system analysis programs such
as:
• Load flow programs.
• Voltage profile.
• Transient Stability.
• Short circuit capacity.

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Distribution System Planning Technic (2)
• Operational researches methods used for
economical analysis, they include:
• Decision making analysis.
• Linear programing.
• Transportation Problems.
• Assignment Problem.
• Queuing theory.

Load Forecasting
• Purpose: to provide forecast of power delivery
requirements for T&D planning.
• Timing: selected years to cover the period from 1 to 25
years ahead, usually 1, 2, 3, 5, 7,10,15, and 20 years ahead.
• Products: small area forecast by year of peak demand,
annual kWh, customer types, and other factors (e.g., end-
use, reliability).
• Coordinated with: Corporate forecast, customer-level
planning (DSM impacts forecast). Marketing plan. Critical
input to distribution plan.
• Tools used: Spatial load forecast method (simulation or
trending). End-use analysis of load/customer value.
Corporate forecast database.

Over View of Power System Planning

• Generation Planning
• Transmission Planning
• Sub-transmission Planning
• Substation Planning
• Feeder System Planning
• Feeder Planning
• Customer Level Planning
• The Coordinated Multi-Level Plan

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 GENERATION PLANNING
• Purpose: short- and long-range planning of
facilities to build new generation plants.
• Timing: short-range - 3 to 7 years; long-range
- 5 to 20 years.
• Products: Power plant, schedule coordinated
with transmission grid plans.
• Coordination with: transmission system, sub-
transmission, distribution and substation
planning.
• Tools used: load flow and short circuit, route.

TRANSMISSION PLANNING
• Purpose: short- and long-range planning of facilities to
deliver power to the sub-transmission and distribution
substations.
• Timing: short-range - 3 to 7 years; long-range - 5 to 20
years.
• Products: schedule coordinated with sub-transmission,
substation plans.
• Coordination with: generation, sub-transmission,
distribution and substation planning.
• Tools used: transmission network load flow and short
circuit, route optimization software, combined sub-
transmission-substation optimization programs.

SUB-TRANSMISSION PLANNING
• Purpose: short- and long-range planning of facilities to
deliver power to the distribution substations.
• Timing: short-range - 3 to 7 years; long-range - 5 to 20
years.
• Products: short-range - sub-transmission project
schedule coordinated with substation and transmission
grid plans; long-range - a base sub-transmission plan.
• Coordination with: "transmission system" planning
(EHV, grid, generation), substation-level planning (must
deliver power to substations).
• Tools used: transmission network load flow and short
circuit, route optimization software, combined sub-
transmission-substation optimization programs.

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 SUBSTATION PLANNING
• Purpose: short- and long-range planning of facilities to
control, route, and transform power from T to D.
• Timing: short-range - 3 to 7 years; long-range - 5 to 20
years.
• Products: short-range - substation project schedule
coordinated with sub-transmission and distribution
plans; long-range - long-range plan.
• Coordination with: sub-transmission planning,
distribution planning.
• Tools used: GIS systems, substation selection
optimization applications, combined sub-transmission-
substation-feeder system optimization application.

FEEDER SYSTEM PLANNING

• Purpose: long-range planning of the feeder system,
mainly so that feeder impact of substation-level
decisions is assessed for substation planning.
• Timing: 5 to 20 years.
• Products: evaluation of feeder-level cost and
performance for all substation-level decisions; long-
range feeder level cost estimates for budgeting.
• Coordination with: substation planning, customer-
level planning.
• Tools used: multi-feeder (multi-substation)
optimization programs, multi-level plan, substation-
feeder system optimization applications.

FEEDER PLANNING
• Purpose: short-range planning of the feeder system to
produce project definitions and authorization for
feeder additions and enhancements.
• Timing: 1 to 5 years.
• Products: feeder system project specifications,
schedule, and budget.
• Coordination with: feeder system planning, substation
planning, customer planning, and construction.
• Tools used: "feeder design" CAD systems, feeder
optimization programs (either single or multi-feeder),
AM/FM and GIS systems.

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 CUSTOMER LEVEL PLANNING
• Purpose: short- and long-range planning of customer-level
resources including DSM, DG, DS, RTP and TOU rates.
• Timing: 1 to 25 years.
• Products: schedule of customer-side resource
projects/programs; long-range plan of DSM/DG/DS targets.
• Coordination with: all levels of planning, corporate
forecast/rate plan, spatial load forecast. Note: this planning
is often done by the rate or corporate planning department.
• Tools used: End-use load models. Integrated resource
Programs. Customer response models.
Econometric/demographc models. Spatial load forecast.

COORDINATION MULTI-LEVEL PLANNING

• Purpose: to assure coordination and
optimization among all system levels.
• What: A coordinated multi-level long-range
plan which includes essential elements from
the long-range plans of the sub-transmission,
substation, distribution and customer levels.
• Coordinated with: everything. Tools used:
results of all other planning levels. Attention to
detail and good communication.

POWER SYSTEM ANALYSIS PACKAGES (1)

1-Load ow:
• Results of a load flow study can be seen as a snapshot of
the system once steady-state conditions have been
reached.
• Simulate normal load conditions of system voltages,
power factor, line and transformer loadings.
2- Short circuit
• A fault analysis program derives from the need to
adequately rate switchgear and other equipment for
the maximum possible fault current.
• A load flow is performed prior to fault analysis so that
the load currents can be added to the fault currents.
• Identify 3-phase and line-to-ground fault currents.

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POWER SYSTEM ANALYSIS PACKAGES (2)
3- Circuit breaker duty
• Identify asymmetrical fault current based on
X/R ratio.
4- Protective device coordination
• determine characteristics and settings of medium
voltage protective relays and fuses, and entire low
voltage circuit breaker and fuse coordination.
5- Motor starting
• Identify system voltages, motor terminal voltage,
motor accelerating torque, and motor accelerating
time when starting large motors.

POWER SYSTEM ANALYSIS PACKAGES (3)

6- Transient Stability
• It looks at the dynamic response of the power system.
• It calculates wither machines will maintain
synchronism or not after network fault or disturbance.
If not machine is removal from service.
7-Sizing study
• The sizing study selects the equipment size based on
some given requirements.
• Example Conductor, Transformer and Feeder sizing.
7- Harmonic Analysis.
• Calculating the harmonics and finding out if it is
within acceptable limit.

Impact of Dispersed Storage and

Generation
• Dispersed Storage and Generation is a new
approach used in power system.
• It includes storage batteries, local
generators, local solar and wind systems.
• They can help in
• Reducing capacities.
• Improve reliability.
• Reduce losses.

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 Decisions in planning
• Decisions in planning may include:
• Substation (expansion, transformer sizing,
feeder sizing and routing).
• Generation (additional power plants,
Location, Type)
• Transmission System (AC or DC, Overhead
or underground, Voltage selection).

GENERAL GOALS OF SYSTEM DESIGN (1)

• Safety: System should be safe for people and
equipment.
• Minimum Initial Investment: When trying to
minimize initial investment for electrical equipment,
consideration should be given to the cost of
installation, oor space requirements and possible
extra cooling requirements as well as the initial
purchase price.
• Maximum Flexibility and Expendability:
• System should accommodate for load changing.
• Consideration must be given to future expansion

GENERAL GOALS OF SYSTEM DESIGN (2)

• Maximum Service Continuity: The degree of service
continuity and reliability needed vary depending on the type
and use of the facility. It could be achieved by considering the
following:
• .Supplying multiple power sources by utility.
• Supplying multiple connection paths to the loads served.
• Using short-time rated power circuit breakers.
• Providing alternate customer owned power sources. Selecting
the highest quality electrical equipment.
• Using the best installation methods.
• Designing appropriate system alarms, monitoring and
diagnostics.
• Selecting preventative maintenance systems or equipment to
alarm before an outage occurs.

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GENERAL GOALS OF SYSTEM DESIGN (3)

• Maximum Electrical Ef ciency (Minimum

Operating Costs): Minimize the losses in
conductors, transformers and utilization
equipment.
• . Minimum Maintenance Cost: Simpler
electrical system design and simpler electrical
equipment.
• Maximum Power Quality: Consideration to
whether the loads are affected by harmonics

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