OEDAŞ to Monitor Electricity Network via Satellite
By Fortune Türkiye
Osmangazi Elektrik Dağıtım AŞ (OEDAŞ), the electricity distribution company operating in Afyonkarahisar, Bilecik, Eskişehir, Kütahya and Uşak, has started to use a system that can track possible malfunctions in electricity networks and lighting via satellite. The system, developed in cooperation with the satellite and space technologies company Plan-S, will be used in areas with poor GSM coverage.
For the pilot application of the new system, OEDAŞ identified a neighbourhood in Afyonkarahisar with a total of 120 subscribers in a rural area. Since the GSM reception power in the region was weak, consumers had difficulty in notifying OEDAŞ of situations such as power outages or lighting malfunctions. With the system that has started to be implemented, the electricity network and lighting are continuously monitored with information from the satellite. Thus, OEDAŞ detects the malfunction and carries out the necessary work without the need for consumers in the region to report it.
One of the most important advantages of the new system is that the information received via satellite is not interrupted in disasters such as earthquakes. In such a case, OEDAŞ officials will be able to easily detect faults in all areas where the satellite system is used and intervene in a more coordinated manner.
Approximately 1 tonne less carbon will be emitted in each region
The satellite tracking system will be used for network and lighting monitoring as well as measuring the energy consumption data of the region. Normally, in order to measure energy consumption, the region is visited regularly every month and meter measurements are performed. OEDAŞ, which serves in five cities spread over an area of approximately 50 thousand square kilometres, will prevent excessive use of vehicles by making these measurements remotely with the use of satellite. In this way, there will be around 1 tonne less carbon emission per year for each region where the system is used.
Starting the pilot project in a rural neighbourhood, OEDAŞ has identified all residential areas with poor GSM reception in its service area. Accordingly, the project will be expanded to cover five cities in the coming period. On the other hand, since all operational processes of Plan-S satellites are carried out in Turkey, a completely domestic solution is offered without the data travelling abroad.
