The grid hierarchy

How Texture models your distribution grid, from substation to meter

Grid elements are the physical pieces of your distribution grid: substations, feeders, transformers, lines, switches, protection equipment, and the service points where meters connect. Texture builds them from your utility's GIS (geographic information system) data, the map of your grid that Texture's Solutions team loads with you.

Grid elements aren't devices. A meter or battery is a device that reports readings. A transformer or substation is a grid element, and most of what you see about it comes from the meters beneath it.

The hierarchy#

Every grid element connects back to a substation. Power flows from the substation outward to meters:

Substation
  └─ Feeder
       └─ Transformer
            └─ Service point
                 └─ Meter

Between a feeder and a transformer there are often lines, switches, regulators, and protection devices that the tree leaves out.

Upstream means toward the substation, and downstream means toward the meters. From any element, you can move up to the substation above it or down to the meters below it.

For each element type and what the dashboard calls it, see Grid elements and hierarchy.

Names that differ#

Substation is labeled Source on the Explore map. In Texture, "source" can also mean a data source such as AMI, SCADA, or GIS.
A feeder is the circuit leaving the substation. Texture models it as the protection device at the head of that circuit.
Service points appear on the map as Consumer (a meter that uses energy) or Generator (a meter that produces it, such as solar).

Where an element's data comes from#

Data	What it gives grid elements
GIS	Each element's location, type, and place in the hierarchy
AMI meters (smart meters)	Usage and voltage, summed from the meters placed beneath each element. See Meters.
SCADA (your utility's control system)	Direct measurements at substations, shown on the substation's one-line diagram. See Read a one-line.

So a transformer with no meters placed beneath it shows no usage, even though it's on the map. See Troubleshoot missing data.

Utility-scale batteries are devices, not grid elements, but they connect to the grid and appear alongside it.

Where to find grid elements#

Open Explore to find an element on the map and see what's beneath it. See Find and inspect an asset and Explore. A site's Grid Infrastructure section shows the transformer, feeder, and substation above it.