Electrical distribution systems have been experiencing
many changes in recent times. Advances in metering system
infrastructure and the deployment of a large number of smart
meters in the grid will produce a big volume of data that
will be required for many different applications. Despite the
significant investments taking place in the communications infrastructure,
this remains a bottleneck for the implementation of
some applications. This paper presents a methodology for lossy
data compression in smart distribution systems using the singular
value decomposition technique. The proposed method is capable
of significantly reducing the volume of data to be transmitted
through the communications network and accurately reconstructing
the original data. These features are illustrated by results
from tests carried out using real data collected from metering
devices at many different substations.