Time to refresh transformer testing regimes

30 September 2021

Time to refresh transformer testing regimes

Cost-benefit calculations have historically stymied thorough transformer testing practices for all but the most expensive high voltage units on the grid. But is the race for net zero changing the maths for low voltage assets?

The pressures of energy system transformation make it more important than ever for energy network operators to have an accurate picture of the resilience of key assets, including transformers.

But while high voltage transformers have long been subjected to rigorous and varied testing regimes to ensure emerging problems are spotted and units kept operational, at distribution level the situation is quite different.

In this report, Utility Week – in association with electrical testing experts at Megger – describes how cost-benefit considerations have historically held back the development of transformer testing at lower voltage levels and why system decentralisation, which is placing ever increasing dependency on the performance of distribution level assets, mean it is time to make change.

Download the report to discover:

  • How improvements to transformer testing regimes can help boost network confidence through the energy transition.
  • What regulatory outperformance opportunities could be unlocked via improved testing.
  • What an effective transformer testing regime should look like and the potential positive impact this can give to a asset’s lifespan.
  • How to select which tests to include in regimes for assets operating in a variety of environments.
  • International case studies demonstrating the benefits of rigorous transformer testing.