An Algorithm for Detaching Technical Losses from Non-Technical Losses in Distribution Systems

Electric energy losses in the power grid are divided into technical and non-technical losses. Examples of non-technical losses include losses that are caused by non-technical sources such as tampering with metering units, attacking the smart metering communication infrastructure, tapping service cable, and malfunction of metering unit. To be able to identify and estimate the non-technical losses (NTL), it is required to determine the technical losses (TL) first. This work aims to propose an algorithm that features two main functions: estimating the actual power losses when the measurements of the smart meters are wrong, and estimating the power consumed due to sources of NTL other than a meter in error (e.g., unregistered consumer tapping a service cable). The algorithm is being tested using simulations to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm in identifying NTL accurately by determining TL.