Survey on application of Information Technology (IT) to distribution system

Application of Information Technology (IT) to distribution systems is an important factor for making the business effective and profitable. Similarly to other fields of the electrical sector, IT is rapidly increasing in the distribution system. A survey on the current status has been carried out (from December 2002 to May 2003) as an activity of the CIGRE Working Group WG 37.35 “Information technology development and its effect on the economy, security and market operation of power systems”. The results of a survey on the current status of the Information Technology application to distribution systems is described in this paper. A questionnaire has been sent to many organizations all over the world. Six topics were surveyed: Intranet/Internet, Communication Media, GPS, Remote monitoring, Automatic metering, and Trading.