Case Study: AES Ohio improves distribution reliability with SEL Wireless Protection System

AES Ohio improves recloser coordination with SEL Wireless Protection System in 6 ms

AES Ohio, an electric utility serving West Central Ohio, faced the challenge of improving distribution reliability by coordinating hundreds of new recloser controls. Without a fiber-optic infrastructure, the company needed a high-speed communications method to implement a trip-blocking scheme and prevent widespread power outages from recloser miscoordinations. They partnered with Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) to find a solution.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories implemented its innovative SEL Wireless Protection System. This wireless solution uses transmitters and receivers to send fault data between recloser controls in milliseconds. The results allowed AES Ohio to deploy the system at scale, with approximately 40% of their over 200 new recloser controls using coordination schemes enabled by SEL. This has been a key component in the utility's multi-year program to significantly improve reliability.

AES Ohio