THE TECHNOLOGY OF PROGRESS

Any enterprise wishing to progress needs to make use of the latest technology in order to keep abreast of modern requirements and international standards. Special responsibility here lies with those organizations and structures that reach out not just to a specific section of the population, but to a whole town or even country. This is specially so when it concerns such a vital facility as electricity supply.

It is particularly comforting in this context to learn that the ''Bakielektrikshebeke'' open joint-stock company, which handles electricity distribution in Azerbaijan's capital, sees the use of state-of-the-art technology as one of its main attributes and is studying the experience of advanced countries, purchasing new equipment and explaining it to its customers.

Thus ''Bakielektrikshebeke'', as part of its investment programme, is buying SCADA, SMS meters and high-voltage gas-isolation switchgear apparatus - the new equipment necessary for technical improvement of the network.

An improved control system

The information system used until now is totally inadequate for current requirements: dispatch control of the network was carried out on an old mnemonic circuit, with the names of substations, which did not match the switching circuit in real-time mode.

'Bakielektrikshebeke' is currently introducing the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data) control system which is designed to collect data about a facility, analyze it and carry out routine conversion to real-time mode. On-site contact between dispatchers and operators, system monitoring, prompt handling of equipment, as well as measurement and equal distribution of loads, is much simpler with this system. Further, it provides for greater control of the purchase and distribution of energy, conducting energy balances and monitoring. 

Connection to the system begins with the collection of data on site (substations) from measuring instruments, protected automated devices and meters, and transmission to remote terminal units (RTU). This device programmes all the collated information, synchronizes it and turns it into signals which are transmitted to the system's main server along fibre optic channels. Via special software, this information is reflected visually on the dispatcher's screen, and the dispatcher, after analyzing it, makes the appropriate decision and carries out the necessary commutation.

Modern meters

Many of ''Bakielektrikshebeke''s' technological innovations are guided by concern its for customers. For example, in order to organize a more civilized means of clearing debts for energy used, the company introduced a system to notify debts owed by telephone and SMS. Subscribers can pay by post, at banks, via the internet, at pay points in shopping centres and rail and bus stations or directly at 'Bakielektrikshebeke's' own customer services centres. Thanks to modern equipment, the facilities available on the '199' emergency service have also been expanded.

The introduction of Smart-meters for more precise and convenient monitoring of energy consumption and means of payment may be the company's most significant innovation. These meters have a number of important advantages, including the ability to monitor via SMS, to work on a prepayment principle and to download the balance on a meter from the central system via SMS.

The actual design of the meter makes any attempt to vandalize it pointless, because the data on electricity consumption in kilowatt-hours and manats, as well as on payments made, is stored in the meter however much it is damaged. Any attempt to interfere with the normal working of the meter (switching the positions of the input leads, exposing it to a powerful magnet, violating the integrity of the seals or attempting to break open the case) leaves a coded message in its memory which also cannot be destroyed.

Furthermore, the use of differentiated electricity tariffs is also provided for in these meters. In other words, it is a system which provides for the application of different tariffs in the course of 24 hours (one for night-time consumption, another for daytime), of a month (one for holidays, another for working days) and also for different types of customers (one for commercial, another for industrial and yet another for private citizens).

In conclusion, I should point out that ''Bakielektrikshebeke'' is also making technical improvements to its work to try to enhance the level of its operations in purchasing electricity from 'JSC Azerenergy', having installed the latest remote meters. Information system resilience has also been strengthened and the adaptation of IP-phones and so on, has begun. So Baku's energy distribution network is now entering a new stage of development, demonstrating its latest achievements in improving quality of service.