A CENTRAL INVENTORY OF STORAGE AND OTHER TECHNOLOGIES TO DEFER DISTRIBUTION UPGRADES - OPTIMIZATION AND ECONOMICS

We examine some alternatives available to postpone the upgrading of di stribution facilities such as upgrading a transformer in a substation, or reconductoring a line. This concept of distributed utility install ation examines alternative technologies from a central inventory to be wheeled into a substation, operated for a few months and moved to a d ifferent substation if conditions warrant. The economics of holding po rtable energy storage units to postpone transformer upgrades are exami ned for their optimum size, using the distribution system of a utility in a large metropolitan area as an example. The optimization method u ses a dynamic program. This analysis is also applicable to other techn ologies such as flywheel energy storage, photo-voltaic generation, or fuel cells.