Utility Automation & Engineering T&D articles from April 2006

Utility Automation & Engineering T&D archives from April 2006

Does competition breed innovation?(FROM THE EDITOR)
April 1, 2006... I recently attended a conference in Washington D.C. where attendees debated the future of energy competition in North America. To be perfectly honest, there really wasn't a lot of debate going on at the conference. This was a decidedly...

Collaboration hopes to yield new transmission lines in western U.S.(NEWS)(Arizona Public Service Co. (APS), National Grid USA and the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority (WIA) )
April 1, 2006... Arizona Public Service Co. (APS), National Grid USA and the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority (WIA) have made plans to collaborate in development of new electric transmission lines between Arizona and Wyoming. The recent memorandum of...

IntelliGrid to debut in Poland.(NEWS)(IntelliGrid Consortium)
April 1, 2006... The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) announced that Poland's PSE-Operator S.A. has initiated the world's first demonstration project based on the IntelliGrid transmission architecture, an enhanced electricity delivery model that could...

Current launches smart grid consortium.(NEWS)
April 1, 2006... Current Communications Group announced the formation of an industry-wide network of companies committed to enabling utilities to create their own broadband over power line (BPL)-based "smart grids." Current's strategic partners in...

SmartSynch partners with Utilismart.(NEWS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... SmartSynch has partnered with Utilismart Corp. to establish an advanced metering service bureau in Canada that provides wireless technology to utilities and local distribution customers. Ontario-based Utilismart Corp. specializes in utility...

Salt River Project deploys REX meters.(NEWS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Salt River Project (SRP) Agricultural and Improvement Power District in Phoenix is currently deploying 10,000 Elster Electricity REX meters per month as part of its EnergyAxis System expansion project. The EnergyAxis System is an advanced...

AMDS installation 'virtually flawless' at Alabama Power.(NEWS)(Advanced Metering Data Systems)
April 1, 2006... Advanced Metering Data Systems (AMDS) has completed the delivery of 50,000 AMDS Connect-enabled Sensus iCon electricity meters for Alabama Power Co. in Birmingham. Derl Rhoades, principal in Alabama Power's power delivery metering...

Hunt Power forms demand response alliances.(NEWS)(Hunt Power and EnergyICT enter into strategic alliance )
April 1, 2006... Hunt Power, a provider of demand response and energy efficiency solutions, and EnergyICT, a European energy data collection and management systems provider, have formed a strategic alliance to deliver demand response solutions to utilities and...

SuperVAR enters manufacturing phase.(NEWS)(American Superconductor Corp. starts production for SuperVAR dynamic synchronous condenser )
April 1, 2006... American Superconductor Corp. (AMSC) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced the start of production of two SuperVAR dynamic synchronous condensers. AMSC's SuperVAR dynamic synchronous condenser stabilizes grid voltages, increases...

Itron teams with Cannon Technologies, GeoSpatial Innovations.(NEWS)
April 1, 2006... Itron recently announced two partnerships with other industry companies. First, a partnership with Cannon Technologies will enable Itron to augment its wireless fixed network technology with Cannon's power line carrier (PLC) technology to...

CenterPoint Energy, IBM deploy intelligent grid technology.(NEWS)
April 1, 2006... CenterPoint Energy Inc.'s electric transmission and distribution subsidiary, CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, will follow a broadband over power line (BPL) pilot program completed in 2005 with a limited deployment of "intelligent grid"...

Tiny dreams for the future of transmission capacity.(TRANSMISSION CAPACITY)(nanotechnology)(Cover story)
April 1, 2006... It's a concept difficult to grasp: the nanometer. A billionth of a meter. A measure of space so small it doesn't seem to take up any space at all. It's smaller than a breadbox, smaller than a human hair, smaller than a blood cell. Think about...

Yeah, it's got a HEMI: high-end results from a low-cost geospatial package.(GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGY)
April 1, 2006... Readers of a certain age will remember when Chrysler introduced the HEMI engine. By making the cylinder head hemispherical rather than flat, Chrysler got more power from a given engine displacement. Valves were mounted in line rather than side...

The impact of EPAct 2005 on AMR and AMI.(AUTOMATIC METER READING)
April 1, 2006... Six months after the enactment of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), industry response has been mixed. Some interpret it as calling for specific action, while others question its significance. Nevertheless, the language of EPAct gives U.S....

10 years of results: AmerenUE's AMR business case evolves to support AMI.(ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE)
April 1, 2006... The year was 1995, and automated metering and wireless communications were still in their early development stages. Most AMR initiatives at the time were confined to handheld collection and mobile point system solutions. Only a scattering of...

NERC CIP compliance at Cinergy.(NERC COMPLIANCE)
April 1, 2006... Editor's note: The following article was completed in mid-March 2006. At the time of this writing, the Cinergy-Duke Energy merger had not yet closed. The merger was expected to close around the beginning of April, after this issue went to...

Time to make a move on mobile asset management.(MOBILE MANAGEMENT)
April 1, 2006... The days of paper-based communication and manual processes are over, and a new era of automation and wireless communication has arrived. One area where this change is especially striking is in the maintenance and repair of T & D assets. As...

Mobile computing devices on display at DistribuTECH 2006.(GETTING EQUIPPED)
April 1, 2006... Only a small percentage of the 220-plus exhibitors at DistribuTECH 2006 were vendors of mobile computing devices and peripheral equipment. But, for being in the minority, those few vendors made a lot of noise with new product introductions...

Automatic circuit Restoration System.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... S & C's IntelliRupter PulseCloser is available with S & C's new SpeedNet Radio--required by S & C's IntelliTEAM III Automatic Restoration System. IntelliTEAM III incorporates a precision curve fitting algorithm. When provided with specifics on...

Handheld computer.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... TDS Ranger handheld computers from Tripod Data Systems (TDS) now feature the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 platform. Windows Mobile 5.0, which replaces Windows Mobile 2003 in the Ranger, unlocks the USB host functionality of the Ranger's...

Ethernet solution.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... Microwave Data Systems' (MDS) MDS entraNET 900 now offers enhanced Distributed Network Protocol (DNP.3) routing over an Internet Protocol (IP) backbone network. The MDS entraNET is a long-range, solar-friendly, secure, wireless IP/Ethernet...

Substation data manager.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... GE Energy announced the availability of its D400 substation data manager. Key applications for the D400 include IED integration, non-operational data management, network security and SCADA system interfaces. The D400 was developed to meet...

BPL solution.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... MapInfo Corp.' new suite of solutions is designed to provide electric utilities with a comprehensive view of their networks, customers and potential customers as they enter the broadband over power line (BPL) market. Using BPL, electric utility...

Ruggedized switch line.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... Transition Networks Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Communications Systems Inc., announced the release of its new line of ruggedized Ethernet switches designed to reliably operate in harsh networking environments. These devices are backed by...

Line angle/bisector.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... From Excel Engraving, the overhead line staker's fast and inexpensive way to measure line angles and determine bisector anchor locations. Consists of a stainless steel sighting arm and a degree disc attached to a range pole cap for easy...

NERC CIP solution.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... Scalable Software Inc. has two new solutions to help electric utilities comply with upcoming NERC Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards. The solutions provide capabilities and services needed to achieve, demonstrate and maintain IT...

Infrared Camera.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... The new ThermaCAM P65HSV Infrared Camera from FLIR Systems Inc. delivers high-resolution thermal images in real time. FLIR's P-Series infrared cameras are widely used by professional thermographers for commercial and industrial applications...

Calendar.(Brief article)(Calendar)
April 1, 2006... DistribuTECH 2007: The utility industry's most comprehensive conference on automation, information technology and T & D engineering. Feb. 4-6, 2007. San Diego, CA // Phone: 918.832.9265 // www.distributech.com APRIL 19-21 ENTELEC 2006...