A Review of Voltage Control in Smart Grid and Smart Metering Technologies on Distribution Networks

With the growing power demand and increasing use of renewable energy, the traditional electricity transmission and distribution network can be improved into an interactive service network or a Smart Grid. The basic concept of a Smart Grid is to have monitoring capability with data integration, advanced analysis to support system control, enhanced power security and effective communication to meet the power demand as well as reduce the energy consumption and costs. As one of the main Smart Grid technologies, smart metering is a subject that attracts much more attention due to its key functions and features. The number of sensors on a Smart Grid can be considerably more than that found on existing power systems. The speed of data sensing from all the sensors is required to be high within a few power-cycles. Wireless communication systems for the Smart Grid have been introduced. The smart metering can provide the necessary voltage information from all the monitors to the master head end within a short duration to establish a near real-time control. This paper reviews the opportunities for voltage control in Smart Grid and smart metering technologies on distribution networks. The impacts and benefits of Smart Grid and smart metering for voltage control are investigated to provide an improved development of the future power system. The potential use of the data communication system for on-load tap-changer (OLTC) voltage control strategy is also discussed.