Electric Light & Power articles from March 2004

Electric Light & Power archives from March 2004

Public power gains popularity as sector sustains its financial strength.(industry report)(Interview)
March 1, 2004... Electricity consumers across the country are awakening to a new way of doing business with an electricity provider. Particularly in the West, they are exploring the concept of public power systems. The prospect of shielding from rate spikes and...

Over $1b to be spent on EMS/SCADA/DMS in 2003-2006.(news)
March 1, 2004... In the second half of 2003, Newton-Evans Research Company published its five-volume series of reports on the status and outlook for energy management systems, SCADA systems and distribution management systems in electric utilities worldwide....

Taking air pollution to heart.(commentary)
March 1, 2004... With cardiovascular disease tightening its death grip as America's No. 1 killer, an article published in January's issue of Epidemiology, the journal of The International Society of Environmental Epidemiology, is sure to capture attention in...

Meter data management at Northeast utilities.(This month online ...)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Interval meter data--it's the basis for utility revenues, but as information technology has advanced it has become a valuable commodity in its own right. The rising demand for customer usage data has put legacy utility IT systems to the test....

What's your plan to make 2004 a great year for customer service?(This month online ...)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... In some situations, your utility customers have a choice between you and a competing utility. If your competition is less expensive, will your customers remain loyal even though you aren't the cheapest provider? Learn six tips on how to improve...

Slashing the cost of generator monitoring on the grid.(This month online ...)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... When power producers look to connect to the electrical grid, they must meet the information needs of all involved parties: generator owners, transmission companies or ISOs, and facility operators. Addressing these challenges requires the right...

DG is not a perfect solution.(letters to the editor)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... It was with much interest that I read the article "How big of a 'player' will DG become?" by Roger Saillant, CEO of Plug Power (December EL&P). It was refreshing that a proponent of DG was open about the fact that DG is not the silver bullet to...

Environment takes back seat to economics.(letters to the editor)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I just finished reading your December commentary and I wanted to let you know that your monthly thoughts of-ten coincide with my current opinions. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one in the power industry who's concerned about...

Watching the watchdogs: PUCs use authority to "stretch" their reach.(news)(public service commissions)
March 1, 2004... New York Fitch Ratings recently released the results of an in-depth survey of state public service commissions in the U.S. Fitch completed the survey to evaluate how the regulators perceive their authorities to regulate utilities in areas...

Six steps toward continuity in the face of disaster.(news)
March 1, 2004... To say the least, utilities were not left unscathed by the summer heat and the August blackout. With investigations pending and wide scale calls for improvements to the nation's power grid, electric power delivery providers must to be prepared...

Is the U.S. getting serious about offshore wind?(news)
March 1, 2004... Over the past five years Europe pioneered the development of offshore wind farms, establishing 13 small offshore plants in Sweden, Denmark, Holland and UK. In 2002, the 160 MW Horns Rev project went online off the Danish coast. Fueled by...

Views from an industry veteran of 40 years: mood swings plague global power industry.(executive insights)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... (Editor's note: Williamson, president of global sales for GE Energy, is retiring after more than four decades in the global power industry. Following are his comments on some of the major changes he has witnessed in the industry during that...

The aging workforce: targetting youth, community and employee retention.(news)
March 1, 2004... In this third installment of a four-past series, IBM Consulting Services focuses on bringing a new generation into the workforce and grooming them for successful long-term careers in the industry. Nuclear plant external communications...

Energy hog teaches kids about energy efficiency.(news)
March 1, 2004... "Got an energy hog in your house? If energy is being wasted, you probably do." A dastardly new character, The Energy Hog, is teaching kids about the importance of energy efficiency in a new PSA campaign slated to debut this February. The Ad...

Reliability, regions and RTOs.(transmission & distribution)(Regional transmission organisations)
March 1, 2004... Part one of a two-part series. On August 14, 2003, a cascading failure blacked out significant areas of the U.S. and Canada. This incident was a fundamental failure to maintain system reliability, or "keep the lights on." With the interim...

Composite core technology could help security, reliability of the U.S. grid.(opinion)
March 1, 2004... In the wake of the disaster of September 11, 2001 and the blackout of August 14, 2003, the vulnerability of the nation's electric power grid has become a matter of urgent national concern. Exacerbating this situation was a subsequent series of...

Out of sight, out of mind? Costs and benefits of undergrounding overhead power lines.(transmission & distribution)
March 1, 2004... In the last decade, the U.S. East Coast and Midwest regions have experienced several catastrophic "100 year storms." These storms have left widespread electric power outages that have lasted for several days. Given the critical role that...

Energy technology venture investment remains steady: start-ups funding totals $428 million in 2003.(finance)
March 1, 2004... San Francisco Venture capital investment in the United States for energy-technology-related start-up companies reached $428 million during 2003, about even with the $435 million raised during 2002, according to Nth Power LLC, an energy...

Exclusive to EL&P: steady gains continue into 2004: C Three composite index up 2.6 percent so far.(finance)
March 1, 2004... All four of the C Three Group's Energy Utility Indices lead the Dow Utilities Index so far in 2004 with the C Three Composite Index leading the way, up 2.6 percent vs. 1.4 percent for the Dow Utilities. The C Three Merchant Energy Index...

Siebel CRM OnDemand offered to IBM business partners.(IT/CS Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Siebel CRM OnDemand offered to IBM business partners: Siebel Systems Inc. announced that Siebel Systems and IBM will promote Siebel CRM OnDemand to IBM business partners looking to have a robust CRM system in place quickly with a minimum...

BMC Software helps Southern Co.(IT/CS Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... BMC Software helps Southern Co.: BMC Software Inc., a provider of enterprise management solutions, announced that Southern Co., has standardized on BMC Software's InTune and MAINVIEW for OS/390 solutions for tuning and monitoring the company's...

Secured Services Inc., ABB launch security assessment service.(IT/CS Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Secured Services Inc., ABB launch security assessment service: Secured Services Inc., a provider of identity management and access control software and services, announced a partnership with ABB to offer comprehensive security and vulnerability...

Maximum Performance Group celebrates one-year anniversary.(IT/CS Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Maximum Performance Group celebrates one-year anniversary: Maximum Performance Group, a provider of web-based, real-time energy asset management solutions has announced the nationwide rollout of its patented Energy Management and Control (eMAC)...

Case study on billing: Tennessee utility cuts disconnects by 70 percent.(information technology customer systems)
March 1, 2004... Telephony technology is changing the way many utilities across the country collect on their overdue accounts and how they communicate with their customers in general. Through automated phone messaging, billing departments are able to send...

Distributed energy resources market is starting to rebound.(generation)
March 1, 2004... After shrinking dramatically in 2002, the market for distributed energy (DE) such as engine generators, microturbines, and fuel cells began to rebound in 2003, according to Primen, an energy market intelligence company. Primen's December...

Global SOFC market to reach $335 million.(Generation Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Global SOFC market to reach $335 million: According to a report from Business Communications Co., the global market for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) is currently estimated at $123 million, of which the North American market is estimated to be...

Japan, U.S. to research together.(Generation Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Japan, U.S. to research together: Spencer Abraham, U.S. secretary of energy, and Goji Sakamoto, senior vice minister of economy, trade and industry of Japan have signed a joint statement of intent to pursue pre-competitive research and...

Exelon Nuclear reports record generation.(Generation Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Exelon Nuclear reports record generation: Exelon Nuclear's 17 generating units produced a total of 143.9 million net MWh of electricity in 2003, the highest production ever for Exelon Nuclear. The fleet also achieved an average capacity factor...

GE to launch 7H gas turbine technology.(Generation Briefs)(General Electric Co.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... GE to launch 7H gas turbine technology: The world's first application of GE Energy's 7H gas turbine technology--the 60H version of GE's advanced H System--will be an 800 MW class, combined-cycle project with Hydro-Quebec Production, the...

NCMPA1, Progress Ventures announce agreement.(Generation Briefs)(North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NCMPA1, Progress Ventures announce agreement: North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 (NCMPA1) and Progress Ventures Inc. have announced an agreement whereby Progress Ventures will provide NCMPA1 with 50 MW of peaking capacity. The...

EPRI reports foreign mercury invasion.(Generation Briefs)(Electric Power Research Institute )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... EPRI reports foreign mercury invasion: According to researchers at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), mercury depositing on the earth's surface here in the U.S. predominately originates outside the country. The movement of mercury is...

New method for hydrogen storage.(Generation Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... New method for hydrogen storage: University of Chicago scientists have proposed a new method for storing hydrogen fuel in the online edition of the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences." The most popular current storage...

EAM insulation: viable alternative for medium-voltage power cable applications.(transmission & distribution)(ethylene-alkene copolymer)
March 1, 2004... To meet increasing energy demands, utilities today are upgrading the nation's electrical power infrastructure with underground cabling systems that avoid disrupting the surrounding landscape while meeting regulatory requirements. However,...

Executive spotlight.
March 1, 2004... COMPANY PROFILE With 4 million customers and nearly 39,000 megawatts of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is the premier super-regional energy company in the Southeast and a leading U.S. producer of...

Add zing to your job performance.(management methods)
March 1, 2004... Just getting by? Find your self-motivation slipping? Here are some ways to pep up your performance. * Work a little harder. You've known the magic of days when pushing yourself just a little bit more than usual paid dividends out of all...

Management's six deadly sins.(management methods)
March 1, 2004... If you are like most managers, you yearn for a work environment that is free of exasperation. Typically, you want to operate efficiently in a rational, orderly atmosphere. But inevitably you get entangled in emotional, human problems. ...

Time management tips.(management methods)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... * Put your goals in writing. Then set your priorities. Make sure you're getting what you realty want out of life. * Focus on objectives, not on activities. Your most important activities are those that help you accomplish your objectives....

How to stand out from the crowd.(management methods)
March 1, 2004... Does your boss view you as someone clearly marked for advancement, or just another face in the crowd? While there may not be any certain way of determining the answer to that, the odds say that if you have been identified as high potential...

Primer on load modeling and measurement.(power pointers)
March 1, 2004... Recent blackouts have shown that the dynamic behavior of loads can seriously impact overall electrical grid system performance. And, as a result, knowledge of dynamic loads has become a hot topic. If utilities are to manage these loads...

Events.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... MARCH 24-25 Mercury & Multi-emissions Seminar American Coal Council (303/431-1456) www.americancoalcouncil.org Irving, Texas 25-26 Third Annual Conf. on Demand Response Center for Business Intelligence (781/939-2400) www.cbinet.com...