The plan involves installation of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) to about 900,000 consumers; distribution automation circuit reconfiguration (DACR) to boost the consistency of 250 distribution circuits; in addition to optimization of volt/VAR (VVO) to gain more control over the voltage of 80 distribution circuits.
AEP Ohio is anticipating completing the project in four years upon the regulatory review and approval.
AEP Ohio president and chief operating officer Pablo Vegas said that installation of these technologies provide customers with more accurate information to view their energy consumption, improved billing accuracy and enhanced reliability.
"AEP Ohio has learned from recent significant weather events like the 2012 Derecho and Super Storm Sandy that modernization of the distribution grid can help pinpoint damage more accurately, and ultimately support faster restoration times during future weather events," Vegas said.
Planned to be deployed in over 31 communities throughout AEP’s service territory, the AMI, also known as smart meters, use two-way communication capabilities to offer accurate real-time meter readings and securely transfer consumers’ usage data to AEP Ohio for billing and operational purposes.
In addition to improving billing accuracy and eliminating the requirement of a meter reader to enter onto a customer’s property, the AMI also offers users the tools and required information for efficient usage of electricity.
AEP Ohio will also be able to check for any disruption in service and confirm that service has been restored upon an interruption.
AMI is being integrated with service restoration systems in a bid to better detect power outage location and allow completing repairs more rapidly.
"AMI provides environmental benefits as well," Vegas added.
"Because we no longer have to send meter readers out to a customer’s home or business, we estimate we will be able to eliminate 187,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide by reducing 440,000 miles driven annually."
As part of plans, DACR devices will also be installed on 250 distribution circuits that serve over 330,000 customers, while VVO will also be installed on 80 distribution circuits serving approximately 119,000 consumers.
The investment in the project is expected to be recovered via a rider to consumers’ bills.
