A mining framework to detect non-technical losses in power utilities

This paper deals with the characterization of customers in power companies in order to detect consumption Non-Technical Losses (NTL). A new framework is presented, to find relevant knowledge about the particular characteristics of the electric power customers. The authors uses two innovative statistical estimators to weigh variability and trend of the customer consumption. The final classification model is presented by a rule set, based on discovering association rules in the data. The work is illustrated by a case study considering a real data base

Improving Knowledge-Based Systems with statistical techniques, text mining, and neural networks for non-technical loss detection

Currently, power distribution companies have several problems that are related to energy losses. For example, the energy used might not be billed due to illegal manipulation or a breakdown in the customer’s measurement equipment. These types of losses are called non-technical losses (NTLs), and these losses are usually greater than the losses that are due to the distribution infrastructure (technical losses). Traditionally, a large number of studies have used data mining to detect NTLs, but to the best of our knowledge, there are no studies that involve the use of a Knowledge-Based System (KBS) that is created based on the knowledge and expertise of the inspectors. In the present study, a KBS was built that is based on the knowledge and expertise of the inspectors and that uses text mining, neural networks, and statistical techniques for the detection of NTLs. Text mining, neural networks, and statistical techniques were used to extract information from samples, and this information was translated into rules, which were joined to the rules that were generated by the knowledge of the inspectors. This system was tested with real samples that were extracted from Endesa databases. Endesa is one of the most important distribution companies in Spain, and it plays an important role in international markets in both Europe and South America, having more than 73 million customers

A real application on non-technical losses detection: the MIDAS Project

The MIDAS project began at 2006 as collaboration between Endesa, Sadiel and the University of Seville. The objective of the MIDAS project is the detection of Non-Technical Losses (NTLs) on power utilities. The NTLs represent the non-billed energy due to faults or illegal manipulations in clients’ facilities. Initially, research lines study the application of techniques of data mining and neural networks. After several researches, the studies are expanded to other research fields: expert systems, text mining, statistical techniques, pattern recognition, etc. These techniques have provided an automated system for detection of NTLs on company databases. This system is in test phase and it is applied in real cases in company databases

Detection of Non-Technical Losses in Smart Distribution Networks: a Review

With the advent of smart grids, distribution utilities have initiated a large deployment of smart meters on the premises of the consumers. The enormous amount of data obtained from the consumers and communicated to the utility give new perspectives and possibilities for various analytics-based applications. In this paper the current smart metering-based energy-theft detection schemes are reviewed and discussed according to two main distinctive categories: A) system statebased, and B) arti cial intelligence-based.Comisión Europea FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IT

Detection of Non-Technical Losses: The Project MIDAS

The MIDAS project began in 2006 as collaboration between Endesa, Sadiel, and the University of Seville. The objective of the MIDAS project is the detection of Non-Technical Losses (NTLs) on power utilities. The NTLs represent the non-billed energy due to faults or illegal manipulations in clients’ fa cilities. Initially, research lines study the application of techniques of data mining and neural networks. After several researches, the studies are expanded to other research fields: expert systems, text mining, statistical techniques, pattern recognition, etc. These techniques have provided an automated system for detection of NTLs on company databases. This system is in the test phase, and it is applied in real cases in company databases

Heterogeneous data source integration for smart grid ecosystems based on metadata mining

The arrival of new technologies related to smart grids and the resulting ecosystem of applications andmanagement systems pose many new problems. The databases of the traditional grid and the variousinitiatives related to new technologies have given rise to many different management systems with several formats and different architectures. A heterogeneous data source integration system is necessary toupdate these systems for the new smart grid reality. Additionally, it is necessary to take advantage of theinformation smart grids provide. In this paper, the authors propose a heterogeneous data source integration based on IEC standards and metadata mining. Additionally, an automatic data mining framework isapplied to model the integrated information.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2013-40767-

Solutions for detection of non-technical losses in the electricity grid: a review

This paper is a review of literature with an analysis on a selection of scienti c studies for detection of non-technical losses. Non-technical losses occurring in the electric grid at level of transmission or of distribution have negative impact on economies, affecting utilities, paying consumers and states. The paper is concerned with the lines of research pursued, the main techniques used and the limitations on current solutions. Also, a typology for the categorization of solutions for detection of non-technical losses is proposed and the sources and possible attack/vulnerability points are identifi ed. The selected literature covers a wide range of solutions associated with non-technical losses. Of the 103 selected studies, 6 are theoretical, 25 propose hardware solutions and 72 propose non-hardware solutions. Data based classi cation models and data from consumption with high resolution are respectively required in about 47% and 35% of the reported solutions. Available solutions cover a wide range of cases, with the main limitation found being the lack of an uni ed solution, which enables the detection of all kinds of non-technical losses

Increasing the efficiency in non-technical losses detection in utility companies

Usually, the fraud detection method in utility companies uses the consumption information, the economic activity, the geographic location, the active/reactive ration and the contracted power. This paper proposes a combined text mining and neural networks to increase the efficiency in NonTechnical Losses (NTLs) detection methods which was previously applied. This proposed framework proposes to collect all the information that normally cannot be treated with traditional methods. This framework is part of a research project. This project is done in collaboration with Endesa, one of the most important power distribution companies of Europe. Currently, the proposed framework is in the test stage and it uses real cases

A Novel Features-Based Multivariate Gaussian Distribution Method for the Fraudulent Consumers Detection in the Power Utilities of Developing Countries

According to statistics, developing countries all over the world have suffered significant non-technical losses (NTLs) both in natural gas and electricity distribution. NTLs are thought of as energy that is consumed but not billed e.g., theft, meter tampering, meter reversing, etc. The adaptation of smart metering technology has enabled much of the developed world to significantly reduce their NTLs. Also, the recent advancements in machine learning and data analytics have enabled a further reduction in these losses. However, these solutions are not directly applicable to developing countries because of their infrastructure and manual data collection. This paper proposes a tailored solution based on machine learning to mitigate NTLs in developing countries. The proposed method is based on a multivariate Gaussian distribution framework to identify fraudulent consumers. It integrates novel features like social class stratification and the weather profile of an area. Thus, achieving a significant improvement in fraudulent consumer detection. This study has been done on a real dataset of consumers provided by the local power distribution companies that have been cross-validated by onsite inspection. The obtained results successfully identify fraudulent consumers with a maximum success rate of 75%. 2013 IEEE.This work was supported by the Qatar National Library.Scopus2-s2.0-8510734936