Reducing network operation costs by optimal resource planning

A main part of operation expenditures for electrical networks results from non-electrical resources, e.g. field service personnel, agency staff, material and tools that are required for executing processes for maintenance, fault clearance as well as for investment projects. Consequently, network operators have to optimize their resource allocation strategy to increase their network operation efficiency and reduce costs. This paper presents examinations on optimal resource strategies for operating high-voltage networks. With a new optimization method, that minimizes resource costs, dependencies between costs and outsourcing strategies are quantified for an exemplary network area. Further sensitivity examinations assess different strategies of resource assignment for fault clearance and predictable maintenance processes. It is shown that the newly developed method enables an objective cost evaluation.