Development of a GIS-based model for the planning and operation of electrical distribution grids in rural areas: a case study in Peru

Access to electricity is nowadays considered a necessity to health and human dignity. Most of the people who do not have access to electricity are located in remote rural areas, where electrification costs are often prohibitively high. Due to the relevant investments, planning and operation require new strategies and tools to be developed capable to manage effectively the problem's specificity. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have significant potential for contributing to the necessary geospatial analyses and visualization methods for awareness-building and decision support for distribution networks planning and operation. Using a real study case in the municipality of Chacas, Peru, the paper presents the valuable advantages of using GIS systems in the DSO's daily tasks. On the one hand, GIS is valuable for developing accurate databases, improving internal efficiency in power supply monitoring, commercial and customer services. On the other hand, GIS is handy for essential functions like network analysis, facility management, load management, theft detection. In particular, the paper details the Chacas distribution network conversion procedure from traditional support to the GIS model and some network analysis examples to highlight the benefits of the GIS-based models in power systems.