ELE 106 - Distribution System and Substation Design

Student Activity Sheet Module #1

Name: ______________________________________________________ Class number: _____

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________ Date: ____________

Lesson title: Distribution System Planning Materials:

Lesson Objective: At the end of the lesson, you should be Calculator , Notebook
able to:
References:
1.To understand the basic knowledge about Distribution System Electric Power Distribution System
2.The Origin of electric Utility Industry Engineering (Second Edition )–
3.How System Planning relates with the growing demand of Turan Gonen
electricity Electric Power Substations
Engineering (Third Edition)- John
D. McDonald

Productivity Tip:
At the start of the day, create a list with one (1) to three (3) Most-Important-Tasks (MIT) for the day. MITs are
tasks that you need to finish before the end of the day.

A. LESSON PREVIEW/REVIEW
1) Introduction (3 minutes)
Teacher orients students with regards to class policies and introduces grading system to students.
Teacher also informs class about class schedules.

2) Activity 1: What I Know Chart, part 1 (3 mins)

What I Know Questions: What I Learned (Activity 4)

What do you know all about

Distribution System?

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 ELE 106 - Distribution System and Substation Design
Student Activity Sheet Module #1

Name: ______________________________________________________ Class number: _____

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________ Date: ____________

What is the main objective of

distribution system planning?

B. MAIN LESSON
1) Activity 2: Content Notes (8 minutes)

Introduction
The electric uti lity i ndustry was born in 1882 when the first electric power station, Pearl Street Electric
Station in New York City, went into operation. The electric utility industry grew very rapidly, and generation
stations and transmission and distribution networks spread across the entire country. Consideri ng the
energy needs and available fuels that are forecasted for the next century, energy is expected to be
increasi ngly converted to electricity.
In general, the definition of an electric power system includes a generating, a transmission, and a
distribution system. In the past, the distribution system, on a national average, was estimated to be
roughly equal in capital investment to the generation facilities, and together they represented over 80%
of the total system investm ent [l].In recent years, however, these figures have somewhat changed . For
example, Figu re I.I shows electric utility plants in service for the years 1960 to 1978. The data represent
the privately ow ned class A and class B utilities, which include 80% of a ll the electric utility in the United
States. The percentage of electric plants represented by the production (i .e., generation), transmission,

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 ELE 106 - Distribution System and Substation Design
Student Activity Sheet Module #1

Name: ______________________________________________________ Class number: _____

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________ Date: ____________

distribution, and genera l pla nt sector is shown in Figure 1.2. The major investment has been in the
prod uction sector, with distri bution a close second. Where expenditures for individual generation facilities
are visible and receive attention because of their mag nitude, the data indicate the significa nt inves11nen1 i n the
distribution sector.
Furthermore, total operation and maintenance (O&M) costs for the privately owned utilities have
i ncreased from $8.3 billion in 1969 to $40.2 billion in 1978 [4). Product ion expense is the major factor in the
total electrical O&M expenses, representi ng 64% of the total O&M expenses in 1978. The main reason for the
increase has been rapidly escalating fuel costs. Figure 1.3 shows the ratio of maintenance expenses to the
value of plant in service for each utility sector, namely, generation, transmission, and distri bution . Again, the
major O&M expense has been in the production sector. Followed by the one for the distribution sector.
Succinctly put, the econo mic importance of the distribution system is very high, and the amount of
investment involved dictates careful planning design, construction, and operation.

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 ELE 106 - Distribution System and Substation Design
Student Activity Sheet Module #1

Name: ______________________________________________________ Class number: _____

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________ Date: ____________

Distribution System Planning

Distribution System planning is essential to assure that the growi ng demand for electricity can be
satisfied by distribution system add itions which are both tech nically adequate and reasonably
economical. Although considerable work has been performed in the past on the application of some type
of systematic approach to generation and transmission system planning, its application to distribution
system planning has unfortunately been somewhat neglected. In the future, more than in the past, electric
utilities will need a fast and economical planning tool to evaluate the consequences of different
proposed alternatives and their impact on the rest of the system to provide the necessary economical,
reliable, and safe electric energy to consumers.
The objective of distribution system planning is to assure that the growing demand for electricity, in terms of
increasing growth rates and high load densities, can be satisfied in an optimum way by additional
d istribution systems, from the secondary conductors through the bulk power substations, which are both
technically adequate and reasonably economical. All these factors and others, for example , the scarcity
of available land i n urban areas and ecological considerations, can put the problem of optimal
distribution system planning beyond the resolving power of the unaided human mind. Distribution system
planners must determine the load magnitude and its geographic location. Then the distribution substations
must be placed and sized in such a way as to serve the load al maxi mum cost effectiveness by
minimizing feeder losses and construct ion costs, while considering the constraints of service reliability.
In the past, the planning for the other portions of the electric power supply system and distribution
system frequently had been authorized at the company division level without review of or
coordination with long-range plans. As a result of the increasing cost of energy, equipment, and labor,
improved system planning through use of efficient planning methods and techniques is inevi table and
necessary. The distribution system is particularly important to an electrical utility for two reasons: (i) its
close proxi mity to the ultimate customer and (ii) its high investment cost. As the distribution system of
a power supply system is the closest one to the customer, its failures affect

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 ELE 106 - Distribution System and Substation Design
Student Activity Sheet Module #1

Name: ______________________________________________________ Class number: _____

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________ Date: ____________

customer service more directly than, for example, failures on the transmission and generating
systems, which usually do not cause customer service interruptions.
Therefore, distribution system planning starts at the customer level. The demand, type, load factor.
and other customer load characteristics d ictate the type of distribution system required. Once the customer
loads are determi ned, they are grouped for service from secondary lines connected to distribution
transformers that step down from primary voltage. The distribution transformer loads are then combined
to determi ne the demands on the prima ry distribution system. The primary distribution system loads are
then assigned to substations that step down from transmission voltage. The distribution system loads,
in turn, determi ne the size and location, or siting, of the substations as well as the routing and capacity
of the associated transmission Lines .In other words, each step in the process provides input for the step
that follows.

The distribution system planner partitions the total d istribution system plann ing problem into a set of
sub problems which can be handled by using available, usually ad hoc, methods and techniques. The planner,
in the absence of accepted planning techniques, may restate the problem as an attempt to minimize the
cost of sub transmission, substations, feeders, laterals, and so on, and the cost of losses. In this process,
however, the planner is usually restricted by permissible voltage values, volt- age dips, flicker, a nd so on, as
well as service continuity and reliability. In pursuing these objectives, the planner ultimately has a significant
influence on additions to and/or mod ifications of the sub transmission network, locations and sizes of
substations, service areas of substations, location of breakers and switches, sizes of feeders and laterals,
voltage levels and voltage d rops in the system, the location of capacitors and voltage regulators, and the
loadi ng of transformers and feeders.

There are, of course, some other factors that need to be considered such as Transformer impedance,
insulation levels, availability of spare transformers and mobile substations, dispatch of generation, and the
rates that are charged to the customers. Furthermore, there are factors over which the d istribution system
planner has no influence but which, nevertheless, have 10 be considered in good long-range distribution
systems planning, for example, the timing and location of energy demands, the duration and frequency of
outages. the cost of equipment, labor, and money, increasing fuel costs, increasing or decreasing prices
of alternative energy sources, changing socioeconomic conditions and trends such as the growing demand
for goods and services, unexpected local population growth .or decli ne, changing public behavior as a
result of technological changes, energy conservation, changing environ mental concerns of the public,
changing economic conditions such as a decrease or increase in gross national product (GN P) projections,
inflation and/or recession, and regulations of federal, state, and local governments.

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 ELE 106 - Distribution System and Substation Design
Student Activity Sheet Module #1

Name: ______________________________________________________ Class number: _____

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________ Date: ____________

Activity 3: Skill-building Activities (10 minutes including checking)

Guided Practice: Fill in the Blanks

1. The electric uti lity i ndustry was born in when the first electric power station, Pearl Street
Electric Station in New York City, went into operation.

2. In general, the definition of an electric power system includes a generating, a transmission, and a
_

3. The main reason for the increase of Operational and Maintenance Cost of privately owned
Utilities is ______________

4. __________________ is essential to assure that the growi ng demand for electricity can be
satisfied by distribution system add itions which are both tech nically adequate and reasonably
economical.

5. ________________ must determine the load magnitude and its geographic location.

Activity 4: What I Know Chart, part 2 (5 mins )

Go back to Activity 2 and answer the last column.

Activity 5: Check for Understanding (10 mins)

1. Enumerate some factors to be considered in Distribution System Planning

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
_______________ .
2. distribution system planning starts at the ____________.

3. the first electric power station, _________________________________, went into

operation.

4. The three major component of power system are :_____________________

____________

5. _______________ is the major factor in the total electrical O&M expenses.

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION

 ELE 106 - Distribution System and Substation Design
Student Activity Sheet Module #1

Name: ______________________________________________________ Class number: _____

Section: ____________ Schedule: ________________________________ Date: ____________

C. LESSON WRAP-UP
1) Activity 6: Thinking about Learning (5 mins)

What portion of the lesson(s) did you find the easiest to understand?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

What portion of the lesson(s) did you find it difficult to understand?

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Answer keys:
Guided Practice: 1. 1882
2.. Distribution System
3. rapidly escalating fuel costs
4. Distribution System planning
5. . Distribution system planners

This document is the property of PHINMA EDUCATION