Utility Automation & Engineering T&D articles from February 2009

Utility Automation & Engineering T&D archives from February 2009

Believe.(From the Editor)(Editorial)
February 1, 2009... When you think of wise Americans from history who are still quoted today, Will Rogers and Mark Twain, or even FDR, might come to mind. For me, however, Lou Holtz is near the top of the list. I suspect one of the reasons I like him is because he...

ABB delivers ultra-low-noise transformers to New York City.(NOTES)
February 1, 2009... ABB, a leading power and automation technology company, has developed the technology for ultra-low-noise power transformers to help electric utility Consolidated Edison (ConEd) meet the newly enforced noise regulations of New York City,...

KEMA report talks storage, grid.(NOTES)
February 1, 2009... KEMA, a global energy and utility industry consulting firm, released a report highlighting the benefits of energy storage technologies for system regulation in independent system operator (ISO) markets. The report, "Benefits of Fast-Response...

North America utility industry: top 10 predictions by Rick Nicholson, energy insights.(NOTES)
February 1, 2009... We are now experiencing an economic crisis the likes of which none of us have previously experienced. The merchant sector has been hit hard. Energy industry stocks are following the general market trend and are down a staggering 37 percent over...

Aclara software provides hourly usage data to PPL customers.(NOTES)
February 1, 2009... PPL Electric Utilities in Allentown, Penn., is the first major electric utility to provide hourly usage data in a full system deployment via the Web, according to its software partner Aclara. In addition, PPL Electric Utilities is using the...

Northeast Utilities, NSTAR pursue Quebec solutions.(NOTES)
February 1, 2009... Northeast Utilities (NU) and NSTAR submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) a request for a declaratory order on a proposed transmission interconnection with the Canadian province of Quebec. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

NRECA CEO: talks meters, machinations & MultiSpeak.(Interview)
February 1, 2009... With more than 900 member cooperatives serving 40 million people in 47 states, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) cheers on and shores up consumer-owned energy. Thought up during World War II to buy, sell, trade and...

Trends and outlook: EMS, SCADA & DMS.(SURVEY ENCLOSED)
February 1, 2009... Nearly 150 major and mid size electric power utilities from the United States and Canada participated in the 2008 North American control systems market study. Ninety-five percent of the respondents indicated that their respective utilities have...

Planning infrastructure renewal? Look to project coordination technology.
February 1, 2009... In every town and city across the nation, infrastructure construction and maintenance is being conducted by various players--electric utilities, gas utilities, water companies, departments of transportation (DOTs) and highway agencies. All are...

Driving success in substation control and information system projects.
February 1, 2009... The electric utility market is experiencing unprecedented change. Reduced workforce, increased capital expenditures for infrastructure projects, additional federal regulations and implementation of new technologies have combined to create a...

A peek inside Waukesha's emergency call center for transformer support.
February 1, 2009... When transformers alarm, trip or are damaged, owners often seek assistance from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) or technical subject matter experts to assist in the diagnosis, repair or supply of replacement parts. As any maintenance...

Knowing the language: the history and practice of IEEE C37.2.
February 1, 2009... At a recent substation automation conference, the audience was asked, "How many of you are familiar with a second language?" Few hands were raised. Then the second question, "How many of you know what a 52 is, or a 52a, or a 51 or a 79?" This...

For vegetation management, all LiDAR is not created equal.
February 1, 2009... The massive Aug. 14, 2003, electrical power blackout was the largest outage experienced in North America; yet power-related disturbances continue to cost $25 billion to $180 billion annually. To reduce the likelihood of future system blackouts,...

Automation and ROI on the road to the smart grid.
February 1, 2009... Electric utilities are facing ever increasing pressure to meet growing energy demands, soaring energy costs and unprecedented environmental constraints. Since 1990, electricity demand has increased approximately 25 percent in the United States....

Industrial-grade radio.(PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2009... GE Digital Energy's MDS Mercury 3650 is a secure, industrial-grade radio that provides up to 9 megabits per second (Mbps) aggregate Ethernet throughput for mission critical, industrial SCADA, AMI, video and VoIP wireless communications...

All-terrain Tree Trimmer.(PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2009... Jarraff All-terrain Tree Trimmer recently received ROPS (rollover protective structures), FOPS (falling object protective structures) and OPS (operator protective structures) certifications for the cab. The cab is completely enclosed, providing...

Next-generation smart meter.(PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2009... Elster Electricity's REX2-EA smart meter is built upon the design and functionality of Elster's REX meter. Compatible with new and existing EnergyAxis systems and offered in addition to the REX meter, REX2-EA provides an expanded feature set...

Hybrid fiber-optic sensing.(PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2009... SensorTran and Micron Optics, Inc. offer the first integrated, hybrid fiber-optic sensing solution. The system offers distributed temperature sensing (DTS) capabilities and Fiber-Bragg Grating (FBG) point sensing capabilities, which measure...

Hot plugging connector.(PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2009... Anderson Power Products (APP) adds the SBS75x Connector to its Finger Proof family of products. The connector provides power contacts rated up to 110 amps, and the touch-safe design provides user protection by eliminating finger contact with...

Calendar.(Calendar)
February 1, 2009... FEBRUARY 11-16 TechAdvantage 2009 NRECA www.techadvantage.org New Orleans 11-18 NRECA Annual Meeting 2009 NRECA www.nreca.org New Orleans 17- The Fundamentals of Today's U.S....

'Big E' thinking: evolving engineers into dynamic business leaders.(PERSPECTIVES)
February 1, 2009... My favorite joke about engineers goes like this: How can you tell which engineer is the extrovert? Answer: He's the one looking at everyone else's shoes. I appreciate the good-natured poke at our profession's famous introversion, but the...