SC Energy Data

The table below shows electric distribution and transmission line miles in South Carolina. Distribution lines deliver the electric power to individual customers. Transmission lines carry the electricity from power plants to different regions and substations.

 

 

Electric power system reliability can be measured and reported in several different ways to provide performance trends, both in outage duration and in outage frequency.

 

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) defines the generally accepted reliability indices in its standard number 1366, “Guide for Electric Distribution Reliability Indices.”

 

The most common measurement indices that distribution utilities follow and share are the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) and the System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI).

 

SAIDI indicates the total duration of interruptions for the average customer across the electric system during a predefined period of time such as a month or a year.

 

SAIFI indicates how often the average customer experiences a sustained interruption over a predefined period of time, typically a year.

 

For more information on SAIDI and SAIFI see EIA’s video on the topic. 

 

 

Smart meters record the consumption of electricity in intervals of usually an hour or less and relay the data back to the electric provider. The electric provider can use this information for monitoring and/or billing purposes. The meters also allow electric providers to remotely “see” what the consumer experiences regarding power quality and make adjustments to improve their electric utility service without requiring the consumer to initiate contact with their provider.

 

Automatic Meter Read (AMR) meters, also known as drive-by meters, communicate data about a customer’s energy use and/or outage status to electric providers by sharing information over power lines or to nearby collection equipment through radio frequencies.

 

Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters are more advanced than AMR meters and enable two-way data communication. This system allows for better outage reporting, remote disconnection of service, the installation of load-management devices, and a finer resolution of energy use. This finer resolution allows utilities to provide information and services that give customers better control over their energy costs by capturing hourly energy use and demand data.