Utility Automation & Engineering T&D articles from April 2007

Utility Automation & Engineering T&D archives from April 2007

A look back at DistribuTECH 2007.
April 1, 2007... Although the show was two months ago, this is my first opportunity to write here about my reflections from DistribuTECH 2007 (www.distributech.com). I serve as chairman of the advisory board that puts this conference together each year, so I'm...

Report details use of Geospatial Tech.(NEWS)(Geospatial Information & Technology Association)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) has published the 2006 Geospatial Technology Report. The eighth in a series from GITA, the 149-page report contains detailed information on the complexity, direction, and completeness...

Enel.(Eye on Europe)(Endesa S.A. to be acquired by Enel FTL)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Italian utility Enel has jumped into the scuffle over Spanish powerhouse Endesa. For months, it looked like Endesa was slated for an E.On takeover. The German company had bid over 41 billion euros for Endesa--only awaiting a shareholder vote to...

European Research Council.(given approval for scientific collaborative research called as Seventh Framework Programme)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The European Research Council has been given the green light (and a budget of in the billions of euros) to focus on scientific endeavors and breakthroughs. Known at the Seventh Framework Programme, or FP7, the collaborative research will focus...

PowerGrid Europe conference.(Eye on Europe)
April 1, 2007... Delegates and exhibitors continue to sign up for the first PowerGrid Europe conference in Madrid, Spain, June 26-28. More information can be found online at www.powergrideurope.com.

Word on the street.(Smart Energy Alliance survey on North American Electric Reliability Corporation and electric utilities)(DistribuTECH 2007)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... At DistribuTECH 2007, UAE partnered with the Smart Energy Alliance to survey attendees about their views on the industry. Here's what we found out. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] What effect will NERC's new authority as the Electric Reliability...

PPL using Telemetric modules.(NEWS)(Pennsylvania Power and Light Co.)
April 1, 2007... PPL Electric Utilities has deployed a system for monitoring and control of distribution reclosers based on Telemetric's intelligent wireless remote telemetry modules (RTMs) and supporting software applications. This allows PPL Electric...

Word on the street.(DistribuTECH 2007)(Smart Energy Alliance survey on utilities investment and technology usage)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... At DistribuTECH 2007, UAE partnered with the Smart Energy Alliance to survey attendees about their views on the industry. Here's what we found out. Where do you think your utility company will be spending the most money in the next five...

Arizona Electrical District number three selects ACS.(NEWS)(Advanced Control Systems)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Advanced Control Systems (ACS), a global provider of smart grid solutions to the electric power industry, has contracted with Arizona's Electrical Power District No. 3 of Pinal County (ED3) for the deployment of an ACS distribution management...

Itron to acquire Actaris metering for approx. $1.6b.(NEWS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... * Acquisition of Luxembourg-based Actaris will create an international company with more than 8,000 utility customers, expand Itron's product offerings, and increase Itron's access to global markets for electricity, gas and water meters and...

SecureWorks, NRECA offer discounted services.(NEWS)(National Rural Electric Cooperative Association )(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) and SecureWorks have partnered to offer SecureWorks' information security services to NRECA's members at a discounted rate. This agreement gives NRECA members access to all of...

Bushings weather the storm.(NEWS)(de-icer project is implemented by electric utilities as a method of preventing damages caused by ice storms)
April 1, 2007... The northeastern ice storm of 1998 was catastrophic, damaging hundreds of kilometers of high-voltage transmission lines and towers. The storm hit parts of eastern Ontario, southern Quebec and Nova Scotia in Canada, and areas of northern New...

Everything's bigger--and greener--in Texas.(Cover story)
April 1, 2007... The mainstream media took notice in late February when TXU Corp. announced it was the target of a $45 billion cash-and-debt buyout by private equity firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group. But that wasn't the only...

Communications for distribution automation.
April 1, 2007... Most automation by electric utilities has been applied in the substation and at the enterprise level. Relatively few utilities have deployed distribution automation--the automation of devices outside the substation fence (i.e., out on the...

AMR communication systems: making an intelligent choice.
April 1, 2007... An automatic meter reading (AMR) system stripped down to its most basic elements consists of meter endpoints, concentrating and collection devices, network servers and, finally, the utility's meter data management system. A robust and reliable...

BPL: deployment challenges on overhead MV distribution networks.
April 1, 2007... In the last several years, utilities have been deploying and testing high-speed data communications systems using distribution circuits as the communications medium. Known as broadband over power lines, or BPL, this technology is a unique...

Focus on the public power engineer: Orlando Utilities Commission.(Interview)
April 1, 2007... Editor's note: I met Aaron Staley in Atlanta at IEEE's Power Systems Expo. It was the luck of the industry editor, as I had an upcoming item post-it-noted on my wall that said: need to find public power engineer to interview, a.s.a.p. ...

Reducing distribution losses without breaking the bank.
April 1, 2007... With increasing concerns about energy efficiency, distribution loss reduction is again assuming a role of prominence in the utility industry. For most North American utilities, the 1 percent or 2 percent of additional peak capacity that could...

'Hardening' the power substation.(GETTING EQUIPPED)
April 1, 2007... In the beginning, there was the electromechanical relay. With the advance of technology, solid state and later microprocessor relays began to be installed in substations, but while they offered tremendous improvements over their predecessors,...

Substation I/O Module.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2007... The rugged design of the Distributed Discrete I/O Module (DDIO) from NovaTech allows it to be installed without any special environmental conditioning and to withstand the wide temperature range and electrical noise commonly found in HV...

Rugged BlackBerry case.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2007... The OtterBox 1930 and 1931 cases from Otter Products accommodate BlackBerry handsets allowing access to phone and data functions right through the case. The OtterBox 1930 fits the BlackBerry 8700 Series and the 1931 fits the BlackBerry 7200...

New Toughbook models.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2007... Panasonic Computer Solutions has introduced two new Toughbook computers: The CF-19 convertible tablet PC and the CF-30 clamshell notebook (pictured). Both come equipped with Intel Core Duo processors, daylight-readable screens and rugged...

Outage/workforce management.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2007... Intergraph's new version 8 of the InService outage/workforce management solution features support for a Citrix environment, Outlook-based calendar scheduling and viewing, a switching simulator, and improvements to schematics generation. The...

Power quality monitoring.(NEW PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2007... The new Fluke 1750 Three-Phase Power Recorder provides users with long-term visibility into distribution systems to address intermittent or hard-to-diagnose power quality issues. The 1750 features a capture algorithm that lets users record...

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2007... DistribuTECH 2008: The utility industry's most comprehensive conference on automation, information technology and T & D engineering Jan. 22-24, 2008. Tampa, FL. // Phone 918.832.9265 // www.distributech.com APRIL 11-13 ENTELEC 2007,...

Unleashing the power of a smart grid.(SMART GRID PERSPECTIVES)
April 1, 2007... In emerging markets and established economies worldwide, insufficiencies in the electric transmission and delivery systems are increasingly being recognized as barriers to economic growth and development. Increased pressure from a range of...