Shapelets to Classify Energy Demand Time Series

Data are an important asset that the electric power industry have available today to support management decisions, excel in operational efficiency, and be more competitive. The advent of smart grids has increased power grid sensorization and so, too, the data availability. However, the inability to recognize the value of data beyond the siloed application in which data are collected is seen as a barrier. Power load time series are one of the most important types of data collected by utilities, because of the inherent information in them (e.g., power load time series comprehend human behavior, economic momentum, and other trends). The area of time series analysis in the energy domain is attracting considerable interest because of growing available data as more sensorization is deployed in power grids. This study considers the shapelet technique to create interpretable classifiers for four use cases. The study systematically applied the shapelet technique to data from different hierarchical power levels (national, primary power substations, and secondary power substations). The study has experimentally shown shapelets as a technique that embraces the interpretability and accuracy of the learning models, the ability to extract interpretable patterns and knowledge, and the ability to recognize and monetize the value of the data, important subjects to reinforce the importance of data-driven services within the energy sector.