Piloting distribution grid automation in Nepal: Enhancing remote monitoring & power quality

The Nepal Energy Foundation piloted a distribution grid automation project in the Tallo Nallu load centre of Lalitpur District to address reliability issues caused by radial feeder configurations and manual fault detection. The project integrated smart energy meters with a GIS-based monitoring platform using OpenDSS and Python, achieving a visualisation error of 2.47%. Key technical achievements include a fault localisation algorithm based on voltage sag measurements and the installation of an automatic voltage regulator (AVR), which reduced voltage regulation fluctuations from over 15% to below 2% and increased minimum consumer endpoint voltage from 0.65 pu to above 0.94 pu.

• The project implemented a GIS-based monitoring platform using OpenDSS and Python that provides real-time data on voltage, current, power, and power factor with an average visualisation error of 2.47%.
• A fault localisation algorithm was developed to identify fault locations using voltage sag measurements, providing a scalable and cost-effective alternative to extensive metering infrastructure for rural grids.
• The installation of an automatic voltage regulator (AVR) at the distribution transformer improved voltage regulation from over 15% to below 2% and raised the minimum voltage at consumer endpoints from 0.65 pu to above 0.94 pu.

APA

Özkan, O. (2025). Piloting distribution grid automation in Nepal: Enhancing remote monitoring & power quality. Alliance for Renewable Electrification. https://renewelec.org/piloting-distribution-grid-automation-in-nepal-enhancing-remote-monitoring-power-quality/

Chicago

Özkan, Okan. Piloting distribution grid automation in Nepal: Enhancing remote monitoring & power quality. Alliance for Renewable Electrification, 2025. https://renewelec.org/piloting-distribution-grid-automation-in-nepal-enhancing-remote-monitoring-power-quality/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Özkan |first1=Okan |title=Piloting distribution grid automation in Nepal: Enhancing remote monitoring & power quality |publisher=Alliance for Renewable Electrification |date=22 October 2025 |url=https://renewelec.org/piloting-distribution-grid-automation-in-nepal-enhancing-remote-monitoring-power-quality/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{zkan2025piloting, author = {Özkan, Okan}, title = {{Piloting distribution grid automation in Nepal: Enhancing remote monitoring \& power quality}}, institution = {Alliance for Renewable Electrification}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://renewelec.org/piloting-distribution-grid-automation-in-nepal-enhancing-remote-monitoring-power-quality/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }