Techniques For Analysis Of Data From Smart Meters

Abstract

A computer system analyzes data from smart meters. The computer system can, for example, analyze the data from a smart meter to determine if the smart meter is connected to a different distribution transformer, if the smart meter is at a customer site where power theft is occurring, if the smart meter is located at a customer site having a solar photovoltaic system, if the smart meter is located at a customer site having an electric vehicle, or if the smart meter is located at a grow house.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer system comprising at least one processor device, wherein the computer system is configured to:
 determine if voltage data received from a smart meter connected to an electric distribution system indicates that the smart meter is located at a customer site having a solar photovoltaic system that is sending power to the electric distribution system;   determine if data indicating power usage received from the smart meter indicates that the smart meter is located at a customer site having an electric vehicle that charges from the electric distribution system;   determine if the voltage data or the data indicating power usage received from the smart meter indicates that the smart meter is located at a grow house that uses substantially more power than other smart meters in a local area; and   determine if the voltage data and the data indicating power usage received from the smart meter indicates that the power usage of the smart meter accounts for voltage drops measured by the smart meter to identify power theft.   
     
     
         2 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the computer system is further configured to determine if the voltage data received from the smart meter indicates that the smart meter is located at a customer site having a solar photovoltaic system by analyzing the voltage data from the smart meter to determine if voltage measured by the smart meter repeatedly increases more than voltages from at least some of the other smart meters in the local area during mid-day hours of multiple days of a multiple day period. 
     
     
         3 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the computer system is further configured to determine if the data indicating power usage received from the smart meter indicates that the smart meter is located at a customer site having an electric vehicle by determining if power usage indicated by the smart meter increases rapidly, draws substantially more power than most of the other smart meters in the local area, and then decreases rapidly during multiple days of a multiple day period. 
     
     
         4 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the computer system is further configured to determine if the voltage data or the data indicating power usage received from the smart meter indicates that the smart meter is located at a grow house by determining if the power usage is substantially and continuously larger than power usage indicated by the other smart meters in the local area for several hours of multiple days of a multiple day period. 
     
     
         5 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the computer system is further configured to determine if the voltage data or the data indicating power usage from the smart meter indicates that the smart meter is located at a customer site having a large on-site battery that is charging from the electric distribution system, and wherein the processor device flags the smart meter as being associated with possible power quality issues if the voltage data or the data indicating power usage from the smart meter indicates that the smart meter is not located at a customer site having a large on-site battery. 
     
     
         6 . A computer system comprising at least one processor device, wherein the computer system is configured to:
 determine if data indicating power usage received from a smart meter connected to an electric distribution system indicates that the smart meter is located at a customer site having an electric vehicle that charges from the electric distribution system by determining if power usage indicated by the smart meter increases rapidly to a peak that is more than power usage indicated by most other smart meters in a local area, and then decreases rapidly during multiple days of a multiple day period; and   generate a flag for the smart meter if the data indicates that the customer site has an electric vehicle.   
     
     
         7 . The computer system of  claim 6 , wherein the computer system is further configured to determine if the data indicating the power usage received from the smart meter indicates that the customer site has an electric vehicle if the data indicates that the power usage received from the smart meter is more than the most other smart meters in the local area for over an hour. 
     
     
         8 . The computer system of  claim 6 , wherein the computer system is further configured to determine if the data indicating the power usage received from the smart meter indicates that the customer site has an electric vehicle if the data indicates that the power usage received from the smart meter increased above 10 kilowatt hours. 
     
     
         9 . The computer system of  claim 6 , wherein the computer system is further configured to determine if the data indicating the power usage received from the smart meter indicates that the customer site has an electric vehicle if the data indicates that the power usage received from the smart meter increases rapidly to a peak that is more than power usage indicated by the most other smart meters in the local area, and then decreases rapidly during multiple days in each of multiple weeks in a measured time period. 
     
     
         10 . The computer system of  claim 6 , wherein the computer system is further configured to determine if the data indicating the power usage received from the smart meter indicates that the customer site has an electric vehicle if the data indicates that the power usage received from the smart meter increases rapidly to a peak that is more than power usage indicated by the most other smart meters in the local area, and then decreases rapidly during multiple days in each of multiple months in a measured time period. 
     
     
         11 . The computer system of  claim 6 , wherein the computer system is further configured to:
 determine if voltage data received from the smart meter or the data indicating power usage from the smart meter indicates that the smart meter is located at a customer site having an on-site battery that is charging from the electric distribution system.   
     
     
         12 . The computer system of  claim 11 , wherein the computer system is further configured to:
 flag the smart meter as being associated with possible power quality issues if the voltage data or the data indicating power usage from the smart meter indicates that the smart meter is not located at a customer site having an on-site battery.   
     
     
         13 . A method for determining if power theft is occurring at a utility customer site using a computer system, the method comprising:
 calculating voltage drops through distribution lines between a distribution transformer and smart meters connected to the distribution transformer in an electric distribution system using electric current values for the smart meters and resistances of the distribution lines;   if a voltage drop between a voltage at the distribution transformer and a voltage measured by one of the smart meters does not match one of the voltage drops between the distribution transformer and the one of the smart meters calculated using the electric current values, calculating an electric current that causes the voltage drop between the voltage at the distribution transformer and the voltage measured by the one of the smart meters using the voltage measured by the one of the smart meters and the resistances; and   comparing one of the electric current values that corresponds to the one of the smart meters to the electric current calculated using the voltage measured by the one of the smart meters.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising:
 receiving the electric current values from the smart meters connected to the distribution transformer at the computer system, wherein the electric current values are instantaneous electric current values measured by each of the smart meters. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising:
 calculating the electric current values for the smart meters based on a measurement of power usage and voltage data received from the smart meters. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising:
 calculating a parasitic loss of the distribution transformer from resistance in wire windings, magnetic core losses, and eddy current loss of the distribution transformer. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  further comprising:
 summing the electric current values for the smart meters to determine a total electric current that is being drawn from the distribution transformer to the smart meters. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  further comprising:
 calculating the voltage at the distribution transformer using the parasitic loss of the distribution transformer and the total electric current drawn from the distribution transformer to the smart meters. 
 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 13  further comprising:
 if the one of the electric current values that corresponds to the one of the smart meters is substantially less than the electric current calculated using the voltage measured by the one of the smart meters, flagging the one of the smart meters as being associated with power theft at the utility customer site. 
 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the computer system comprises at least one processor device.