A practical approach to meter placement in distribution networks

This paper presents a novel approach to the optimal meter placement problem in distribution networks. Conventional methods place meters in order to achieve a predefined level of accuracy for the estimated parameters such as voltages and currents. However, there is no generic method to determine this desired accuracy value for the individual parameters. Hence, a uniform accuracy value is generally chosen. Considering that parameters which are not in proximity to their constraint do not need to be monitored with a high level of accuracy, using a uniform accuracy for every estimated parameter may not be optimal. The method proposed in this paper takes a new approach which accounts for the proximity of the estimated parameters to their constraints. This approach can potentially reduce the number of required metering devices compared to conventional meter placement methods, while providing a practical level of state estimation accuracy.