We used measurements of home loads to optimally size transformers.

Our first paper describes how to model home energy consumption using Markovian models for transformer sizing. We collected load measurements taken at six second granularities from 20 homes over four months to build these models, which can now be used by simulations and analyses for related problems [1].

Our second paper applies the Markovian model described above to determine the optimal transformer sizing for a neighbourhood. We demonstrated that the electric load distributed from a transformer can be modelled the same way as the traffic from data sources distributed from a router. Because of this equivalence, we were able to use teletraffic theory, usually used to size telecommunication access networks, to size power distribution networks. We showed that this method of sizing transformers gives results that match the sizes of transformers currently deployed in neighbourhoods. This method can be used to size transformers when building new neighbourhoods in the future [2].

[1] O. Ardakanian, S. Keshav, and C. Rosenberg. Markovian Models for Home Electricity Consumption, Proc. ACM SIGCOMM Green Networking Workshop, August 2011.
[2] O. Ardakanian, S. Keshav, and C. Rosenberg. On the Use of Teletraffic Theory in Power Distribution Systems, Proc. e-Energy, May 2012