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In Australia and many other countries, distribution network service providers (DNSPs) have an obligation to their customers to provide electrical power that is reliable and of high quality. Failure to do so may have significant implications ranging from financial penalties theoretically through to the loss of a license to distribute electricity. In order to ensure the reliability and quality of supply are met, DNSPs engage in monitoring and reporting practice. This paper provides an overview of a large long-running power-quality monitoring project that has involved most of Australia's DNSPs at one time or another. This paper describes the challenges associated with conducting the project as well as some of the important outcomes and lessons learned. A number of novel reporting techniques that have been developed as part of the monitoring project are also presented. A discussion about large-volume data management, and issues related to reporting requirements in future distribution networks is included. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Voltage fluctuations caused by rapidly changing loads, such as arc furnaces, can propagate to different parts of a power system. Although the flicker level at its origin can be high, levels that are measured at other sites are subject to attenuation, a process that is influenced by fault levels, transformer impedances, line impedances, and composition of the connected loads. This paper presents the methodology, measurement results, and data analysis in relation to synchronized flicker measurements carried out in a high-voltage (HV)/medium-voltage (MV) power system which contains an arc furnace supplied by a dedicated feeder connected to the HV busbar. The flicker transfer coefficients derived from measurement results clearly indicate that flicker transfer from the arc furnace site to the upstream HV busbar is governed by the fault levels at the two locations. However, the transfer of flicker from the upstream HV busbar to other downstream busbars is dependent on the downstream load composition. These flicker transfer coefficients are vital in the application of methodologies described in many reports and standards in relation to establishing planning levels at various voltage levels and in the allocation of flicker emission to customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]