Trimble Network Optimizer

So many possible scenarios, so little time – Beat network planning challenges with the help of robotics

Trimble Network Optimizer is a next-generation planning solution whose power lies in the ability to effortlessly evaluate countless scenarios: a planner provides input, and the solution returns the most optimal network in an instant. Why is this revolutionary?

When designing a network, there are always multiple aspects to consider:

technical quality of distribution
reliability of distribution
economic effects.

Finding optimal solutions is particularly challenging when a network design must also take into account the effects of e.g. energy transition and urbanization in the future.

The traditional way of designing a network requires manual modeling of any changes to the network (i.e. adding, deleting or changing objects) and the calculation of technical and financial indicators as separate work steps and with separate tools. This is repeated for all possible planning scenarios. In practice, taking into account different variables, evaluating several scenarios and finding good solutions is very laborious and time consuming for the network planner – if not impossible.

Also, the resulting network designs may not be comparable, and it becomes difficult to assess the impact of projects. The risks for investment decisions based on incomplete data are very high, and the visibility into the future indicators is inaccurate.

Feels like switching from a bicycle to an electric bike

What if you started doing network planning from a whole new perspective? Instead of laborious routines, the planner would select objects and click a button. The planning robot would then generate network models, dimension lines and fuses, locate switches, search for routings, and calculate cost impacts. The power of the planning robot lies in its ability to iterate numerous scenarios and form a proposal for an optimal solution in an instant.
This saves time and effort for the planner. The resulting network designs are consistent in quality and investment decisions can be based on facts.

Benefits of Trimble Network Optimizer for Electricity Utilities

The planning robot instantly produces a proposal for a technically secure and feasible network that minimizes investment, outages, and costs for losses. It is an excellent assistant for the network planner but also brings clear benefits to decision making:

Extremely easy and powerful robotically-assisted planning. It only takes a few seconds and one click of a button to design a fully functional low or medium voltage network
The designs follow the utility's network strategy.

Future-proof electricity distribution will be reliable and of high quality also in the future, as network designs take into account e.g. the effects of the energy transition and urbanization.
Network plans are consistent in quality, which supports utility’s data-driven, optimal investment decisions.

Considering life cycle costs also brings savings in operating costs.

What is taken into account when optimizing distribution network?

There are separate options for Medium Voltage and Low Voltage planning. You can design completely new distribution networks or make renovation designs for existing networks.

Optimization is performed within customer and case specific requirements and rule sets:

Electro-technical rules (voltage and ampacity)
Reliability requirements (backup policies)
Preferred components and prices (lines and switches)
LV Assemblies and fuse planning rules
Routing based on a map.

Some use cases

PLAN LOW VOLTAGE SCENARIOS

Is your utility concerned about handling increasing loads in the form of Electric Vehicles (EV) or increasing amounts of infeed from Distributed Energy Resources (DER)? Have you ever struggled with the question of where exactly to put your renovated distribution substation – or should there be two instead of one?
Low voltage scenario planning is key to tackling these challenges. It enables you to make better, long-sighted investment decisions with less planning effort regardless of the volume of investments.

HOW IT WORKS
For example, add EV or DER, or apply load growth in any specific area. Network Optimizer will provide proposals for future renovations.

MASTER YOUR LOW VOLTAGE INVESTMENTS

Is there a bulk of investments ongoing in your network? Are you struggling with deciding which of the investments should be prioritized to ensure alignment with your utility’s business strategy? With low voltage networks, efficient asset investment management and planning requires sufficiently accurate information on alternative projects. Such plans, if made by contractors, can be costly but still not optimal from the utility’s business perspective. Also, using some rough factors may not provide information accurate enough for prioritization. Network Optimizer beats these challenges by giving accurate information on alternative projects and helping you make the right investment decisions while saving on planning costs, especially when dealing with large investment volumes.

HOW IT WORKS
When doing preliminary planning, Network Optimizer automatically collects material quantities and uses them for certain key figures to compare plans and projects.

KEEP YOUR MEDIUM VOLTAGE TARGET NETWORK UP-TO-DATE AND ROBUST

Are you using target networks in your MV network investment planning? Do you know what your optimized target network would look like? If so, is your target network up to date and has it been designed with respect to various possible scenarios, such as increasing penetration of DER, or constructing new primary substations?
With Network Optimizer, your target network stays up-to-date and robust enabling long-sighted investments that cover different scenarios in your utility’s changing operational environment.

HOW IT WORKS
Network Optimizer provides you with an optimized target network that is technically secure and feasible, and minimizes investments, outages, and costs for losses. You can start working towards your target network either when planning a new network or making renovation designs.

GET THE BENEFITS FROM MEDIUM VOLTAGE SWITCH PLANNING

Would you like to make quick savings on interruption costs by making minimal point investments in your MV network prone to faults? Interruption costs directly affect the allowed regulatory profit, and investing in switching devices is a very powerful way to influence this. Find the optimized switching configuration for your MV network and harvest the great saving potential by making only small investments. This solution is available to utilities as a service (SaaS).

HOW IT WORKS
Network Optimizer can optimize Medium Voltage switching in terms of location, type, and the state of the switching devices. To perform switch optimization, a valid network is required along with the correct cost settings. The network may also contain existing switches that will be included in the optimization task.

How does Trimble Network Optimizer work?

Select the design area and define the input data (e.g. the location of distribution substations, the location, consumption and generation data for customer points, lines to be retained and removed).

Click a button and wait a few seconds: you will get a network dimensioned for transformers, lines and fuses, the most cost effective routing, and a proposal for distribution cabinets and their locations.

Review and verify results using power system analysis (PSA).

Questions? We have answers.

WHAT CAN I USE NETWORK OPTIMIZER FOR?

Trimble Network Optimizer can be used for designing low- and medium-voltage network and their scenario analysis.

HOW COMPLETE DOES A UTILITY’S NETWORK DATA NEED TO BE IN ORDER TO USE OPTIMIZER?

Network Optimizer needs surprisingly little data to calculate the optimal network. This means that incomplete network data is not a barrier to using Optimizer. Network data can also be entered into Optimizer manually.

IS NETWORK OPTIMIZER DIFFICULT TO DEPLOY?

Network Optimizer is very easy to deploy.

IS NETWORK OPTIMIZER A PSA?

Network Optimizer is not just a PSA (a Power System Analysis tool) because Network Optimizer also calculates various cost factors such as construction costs, technical losses and outage costs.

DOES NETWORK OPTIMIZER TAKE INTO ACCOUNT DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES AND ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING POINTS?

Yes, it does. Network Optimizer deals with both consumption and production when optimizing a network.

DOES NETWORK OPTIMIZER TAKE INTO ACCOUNT AN EXISTING NETWORK OR DOES IT ONLY CALCULATE NEW NETWORK?

Network Optimizer can be used to design a completely new network or to design a network where the existing network is also used as input data. Users can choose from the existing network what they want to keep. Network Optimizer also has tools that help the users determine what to keep.

DOES NETWORK OPTIMIZER SUPPORT DIFFERENT NETWORK TYPES?

Network Optimizer supports the designing of both cable and overhead networks.

Trimble Network Optimizer

for revolutionary network planning