Typical Load Curves
Curvas Típicas turns the data from a measurement campaign into typical load curves, in accordance with Section 2.2 of Module 2 of the Distribution Procedures (PRODIST). The system excludes problematic days, groups measurement points by curve shape and delivers weekday, Saturday and Sunday curves by consumer class and consumption band, adjusted to the energy recorded in the Distribution Company Geographic Database (BDGD).
It gives special attention to prosumers, with separate consumption and injection curves, and to transformers whose power flow reverses during the day, which no longer need to be discarded. The curves are delivered in the Estrutura format, ready to be used in the calculation of Reference Tariffs.
For each study, the system generates the methodology and results reports and checks the measured sample against the maximum error of 20% required by the regulation. The service is intended for distribution companies and for consulting firms that prepare the load typologies for the tariff review.
What the service covers
- 24-hour weekday, Saturday and Sunday curves by consumer class and consumption or demand band, following the stratification set out in items 28 to 35 of Module 2.
- Low- and medium-voltage loads, networks, transformers and injection points, with census treatment when the entire population is measured.
- Prosumers, with separate consumption and injection curves adjusted to the annual injected energy.
- Transformers and networks with reverse power flow, without discarding their curves.
- Adjustment of the curve energy to the population of each band in the BDGD, with a reconciliation check.
- Sampling table by band, with measured points, required points and sampling error against the 20% limit.
Sector Overview
At each tariff review, the distribution company must carry out a measurement campaign (item 26 of Module 2 of PRODIST). For the calculation of the Distribution System Use Tariff (TUSD), it submits to ANEEL the load typologies representing all consumer units, other users, networks and injection points, adjusted to the energy market, together with the measurement data from which they were derived (item 52).
The regulation defines how consumer units are stratified by voltage level, consumer class and consumption or demand band (items 28 to 35). It also requires the sampling error of each stratum to be at most 20%, at a 95% confidence level (items 46 and 47), and the measurements to produce typical curves for weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays (item 49).
A campaign may arrive as dozens of files, with one sheet per measurement point. There are days with zero energy, meters with partial readings, curves copied between sheets and values on the wrong scale. Curvas Típicas applies the same rules to every point and records what was excluded, so that the result can be checked and defended.
PRODIST also requires distributed generation to be considered in the planning of the medium-voltage distribution system (SDMT, item 19g) and of the high-voltage distribution system (SDAT, item 17e). This calls for curves that represent consumption, injection and the network at the times when the flow reverses.