Powering Insight In Real Time

CIPCO is making major operational advances by implementing real-time metering, a 2023 Capital Project led by Director of Engineering and Operations Terry Fett. 

This project is a key investment as CIPCO prepares for operational challenges in the future brought by changes in load, new generation, evolving compliance requirements, and increasing operational responsibilities. 

Installed at substations and key delivery points, meter devices track electricity usage across the transmission system, providing information about performance and reliability. 

Historically, CIPCO’s meters were mainly used for billing purposes, read just once per month, and offered limited capabilities. The data collected provided energy usage profiles but little else. 

“In the past there wasn’t a lot of use for advanced meter capabilities,” Fett said. “But that has changed as our operational needs have evolved.” 

Today, CIPCO and Alliant currently share an area of the electric grid within MISO, where usage data is combined from both utilities. In the future, CIPCO will have increasing requirements for reporting real-time load data, which would require getting accurate data instantly rather than monthly. Real-time metering will be critical for reporting load obligations, managing demand response resources (DRR), and supporting transmission operations. It can also enhance balancing authority functions, load management programs, firm load shedding, and state estimation. 

“We’re building these capabilities now so that when they’re needed, we’re ready,” Fett said. “We have several staff who have spent a lot of time figuring out the best way to use this information and have become subject matter experts in a variety of relevant topics.” 

This effort builds on two long-standing efforts: the Meter New-to-Replace- Old (NTRO) and SCADA NTRO programs, which have upgraded old equipment and improved communication technology across CIPCO’s system. These updates have added new safety alerts, better features, and stronger, more versatile cellular connections. Improvements to remote terminal units (RTUs) have also made the system more flexible and able to handle more data. 

This summer, CIPCO began testing a new real-time metering platform, managed by its 24/7 dispatch team, that pulls data every few seconds and is accessible through SCADA. This system includes a dashboard view of substation loads, cooperative-level data, and total system load. The database also accounts for connectivity issues, maintenance events, and substation outages to keep information accurate. Real-time alarms are integrated from all meters into the SCADA platform, allowing dispatch to monitor failures and communication issues instantly. A summary dashboard categorizes alarm severity and timing, while a specialized DRR screen provides a quick view of load curtailments. 

Future plans include creating an expanded SCADA map that combines data from adjacent utilities, allowing CIPCO to combine data from nearby systems. Additional objectives include creating mobile access for field and operations staff, integrating with CIPCO’s GIS mapping system for outage and storm tracking, and providing access to real-time load and generation data.

“We are implementing solutions to monitor more things as cost effectively as possible,” Fett said. “We’re continuing to look for additional things we can put in the field to provide more operational information.” 

The 2020 Derecho storm highlighted the need for faster, more reliable access to system data. During that event, some information was not coming in quickly enough to make timely decisions. The new metering system directly addresses that challenge by providing the near-instant visibility needed to manage outages and coordinate restoration more effectively. 

“We want to have the ability to see everything and direct traffic when we need to,” Fett said. “Really, this is about giving ourselves more autonomy and visibility so we can advocate for what’s most important for CIPCO and our Member-owners.”