The digitization of Bjäre Kraft’s power grid: sustainable development

Bjäre Kraft delivers electricity to approximately 14,000 households in the beautiful Bjäre Peninsula in northwestern Skåne. They are committed to promoting sustainable development within their power grid. As early as 2016, they installed dLab in Förslöv to make the power grid ‘smarter’ with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Since then, they have also established it in Grevie, Möllhult, Båstad, Torekov, and Vejbystrand.

With the help of dLab, Bjäre Kraft can now monitor the state of the grid in real time and respond quickly to early warning signals to prevent outages.

dLab’s grid analysis platform, known as, dInsight Analytics Platform, collects comprehensive data from the power grid and analyzes it to present the information easily. By leveraging this data, Bjäre Kraft can receive early warnings of potential faults in the power grid, enabling efficient operation and proactive maintenance.

In practice, this means that Bjäre Kraft receives notifications from dLab’s system containing deviation reports. This allows them to quickly decide how to act to ensure a smooth operation of the power grid.

EXAMPLES OF EVENTS

In the summer of 2020, recurring alerts in dLab’s platform indicated high ohmic earth faults on line feeder supplying power to 14 substations. A team was immediately dispatched to conduct a field investigation of the substations and discovered a burnt smell coming from one switchgear.

Upon disassembling the switchgear, it became evident that the high heat had destroyed the fuses. The customers were informed about the planned maintenance work, and the switchgear could be replaced during daylight hours in an organized manner, thereby avoiding a power outage for several hundred customers.

During the summer of 2023, dLab’s platform detected a potential switchgear failure in one of their primary substations. An alarm was triggered, and Bjäre Kraft took immediate action. The issue was isolated at the site of the switchgear failure, affecting only about 30 customers. Without dLab installed, over 300 customers would have been without power, underscoring the significance of dLab in preventing extensive outages

An insulator fault was detected thanks to dLab’s continuous monitoring of the power grid. In this case, dLab provided an early warning, allowing actions to be taken promptly through a planned repair during a regular workday. If this fault had not been detected in advance, it could have led to power outages for approximately 500 customers. Instead, a new insulator was installed before any disruption occurred.

ADVANTAGES

Increased personal safety
Personal safety is strengthened by proactively avoiding outages occurring at inconvenient times, such as weekends or nights, and instead planning and implementing them in organized ways.

Increased customer satisfaction
By preventing potential interruptions or
anticipating and communicating maintenance in good time increases customer satisfaction.

Reduced costs
Getting early warnings from the power grid and spotting potential risks, prevents expensive repairs and contributes to more cost-effective operations.