National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) has kicked off a project that will use data from smart meters and helicopter surveys to how the low voltage (LV) network is connected to the high voltage (HV) network. The data will help identify cost-savings to networks, reduce voltage issues for customers, increase the number of connection opportunities and identify where reinforcement might be needed to accommodate growing demands for electricity, particularly in rural areas where single-phase HV sections and transformers can lead to network imbalances and inefficiencies.
David Penfold, innovation and deployment engineer at NGED, said, “Understanding exactly how our HV network is connected at a phase level is essential for a smarter, more flexible grid. This project empowers us to make data-driven decisions, leading to optimised rural infrastructure.”
Electrical power distribution on overhead 11kV networks often includes instances where a three-phase network supplies single-phase sections of line or single-phase transformers. The exact connectivity, identifying how the phases are connected is often missing from   network models. This transition greatly impacts network efficiency and reliability. Long-distance electricity transmission favours three-phase power for its efficiency and higher capacity over single-phase power. However, most residential and light commercial consumers use single-phase power.
Accurate modelling is crucial for predicting network changes, demand increases and renewable integration. Single-phase load variability challenges load balancing, causing voltage fluctuations and increased equipment wear. Managing unbalance in rural LV networks faces challenges due to insufficient three-phase to single-phase documentation, worsened by low-carbon technologies like heat pumps and EV chargers, increasing losses and voltage variations. Optimally balanced loads could reduce losses and enhance capacity for these technologies.
The financial benefits are expected to be around £2.5 to £2.8 million per annum within NGED’s licence areas, made up of:
 savings from reduced voltage complaints and improved network balancing 
reduced network losses and customer bills 
savings from reduced manual survey costs for phase confirmation 
enhanced network planning and reduced costs associated with inaccurate fault location identification.