Utility Automation & Engineering T&D articles from January 2007

Utility Automation & Engineering T&D archives from January 2007

New technologies for T & D--and for news reporting.
January 1, 2007... This issue of Utility Automation & Engineering T & D is packed with articles that I think get to the heart of what this publication is all about: new technology and the use of older technology in new and exciting ways. For example, the use...

Siemens wins largest order in PTD group's history.(Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution (PTD) has been awarded an order worth more than 700 million euros by Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) as part of Qatar's continuing power system expansion. The order consists...

Researcher says competition not good for consumers; advocates fire back.(NEWS)
January 1, 2007... "[D]espite much advocacy, there is no reliable and convincing evidence that consumers are better off as a result of restructuring of the U.S. electric power industry," said Dr. John E. Kwoka, after reviewing a dozen often-cited research studies...

These "currents" run deep.(Podcasting)
January 1, 2007... In December, the editorial team of Utility Automation & Engineering T & D and Electric Light & Power made its first foray into a new medium: podcasting. Currents: The Energy News Podcast is a new way to stay current on energy news with...

Increasing demand seen for fault current limiters.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... According to American Superconductor Corp., most of the second generation (2G) high temperature superconductor (HTS) wire--known as 344 superconductors--the company is shipping this fiscal year is being used in the development of fault current...

Western Governors urge transmission reform.(Western Governors Association)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Western Governors have urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to adopt transmission reforms that would promote more flexible use of the existing transmission system and provide greater access for generators of intermittent...

PSE & G secures National Achievement award.(NEWS)(Consolidated Edison Inc., San Diego Gas & Electric Co., Public Service Electric and Gas Co. get awards from PA Consulting Group Inc.)
January 1, 2007... PA Consulting Group recently announced the winners of its annual ReliabilityOne and ServiceOne Awards at a reception in Miami, Fla. The ReliabilityOne awards are given annually to utilities that have excelled in delivering reliable electric...

Bayard Group acquires Cellnet in $705M deal.(NEWS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In late November, the Bayard Group announced it would acquire Cellnet for $705 million. With the acquisition, Bayard continues its growth in the automatic meter reading field, having already acquired Landis + Gyr (in 2004) and Hunt Technologies...

World's largest energy storage system completes third year of operation.(NEWS)
January 1, 2007... The world's most powerful battery energy storage system (BESS) has completed its third year in operation at Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA). The BESS, which GVEA has had in operation since 2003, has prevented more than 734,000...

Buckeye Power deploys voltage monitors to improve system reliability.(Telemetric Corp.)
January 1, 2007... Columbus, Ohio's Buckeye Power Inc. has deployed Telemetric Corp.'s TVM3 voltage monitors to detect and report delivery point outages from more than 330 points on the utility's system. In addition, the devices will provide power quality and...

DistribuTECH 2007: old friends, warm temps, big-time football and vital content.(Show in Print)
January 1, 2007... The average high temperature in Milwaukee, Wis., in February is right around 30 degrees, and it's gotten as cold as 24-below. But Russ Fanning of We Energies doesn't care. For one thing, he's used to it. For another, the average high temps in...

New siting model helps utilities address power line controversy.(Column)
January 1, 2007... The use of geographic information systems (GIS) in the electric utility industry took a leap forward in 2006 with the Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI's) publication of a new methodology for siting transmission lines. Developed...

Solving the smart metering puzzle.(complications involved in smart meter integration)
January 1, 2007... Smart metering technology is far enough advanced, and enough large-scale implementations have been undertaken, to allow utilities sufficient proof that smart metering is indeed "smart"--both for them and for their customers. But smart...

High-voltage technology taken to the max.(ultra high voltage direct current testing facility opened by ABB AB)
January 1, 2007... In mid-November, ABB kicked transmission system technology up a notch with the unveiling of its ultra-high voltage DC (UHVDC) test facility in Ludvika, Sweden. The facility will allow long-term testing of direct current rated at 800 kV....

Anaheim plants park above underground substation.(Anaheim Public Utilities)
January 1, 2007... In October of last year, Anaheim Public Utilities unveiled Park Substation, the first underground electric substation in the United States. The substation is nestled below the city's Roosevelt Park, a two-acre facility that serves the East...

Power Quality Clamp Meter.(NEW PRODUCTS)
January 1, 2007... The Fluke 345 Power Quality Clamp Meter from Fluke Corp. is a tool for servicing and commissioning electronic switching loads including variable frequency drives, electronic lighting and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems. Combining the...

Fiber Optic Sensor.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Nomad from Neoptix Fiber Optic Sensors Inc. is a battery-operated, portable fiber optic thermometer that can save temperature readings on up to one gigabyte flash cards and features a large 160x160 pixel LCD display. The Nomad operates on...

Curtailment Manager software.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Itron Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The latest release of Itron's Enterprise Edition Curtailment Manager application enables utilities to automate the management, execution, and performance reporting for demand response programs and EPAct requirements. Curtailment Manager is an...

Option Board for meters.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... WebGate iCIS-INT Option Board for the GE Encompass Family of Electronic meters (GE kV2c) is available for immediate delivery. It's the first in a series of products that bring a web connection to meters employing ANSI C12.19 tables. This...

Hot stick barrier.(NEW PRODUCTS)
January 1, 2007... Chance has introduced the new SafetyShield hot stick barrier for clamp-sticks, hooksticks and elbow-puller tools. The patented device quickly mounts with a non-metal clamp and fastener on 1 1/4-inch and 1 1/2-inch diameter live line tools to...

Power line carrier.(NEW PRODUCTS)(UPLC Universal Power-line Carrier of AMETEK Power Instruments )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The UPLC Universal Power-line Carrier from the Pulsar unit of AMETEK Power Instruments represents the next generation in power-line carrier technology. Incorporating the latest digital signal processor and very large-scale integration...

Managed Ethernet switch.(NEW PRODUCTS)
January 1, 2007... GarrettCom's new Magnum 6K32TRC managed Ethernet switch builds on the gigabit port accessibility of its companion 6K32T managed switch with the first free-convection-cooled high-port-count industrial switch. This opens up un-clean control...

Interrelated land surveys.(NEW PRODUCTS)(National Survey and Engineering creates High Accuracy Geographic Information System )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... National Survey & Engineering has created a High Accuracy Geographic Information System (GIS) technology that will dramatically change the land surveying and GIS industry. Boundless is believed to be the first GIS in the nation to feasibly...

Transmission line switch.(NEW PRODUCTS)(S and C Electric Co.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... S & C has extended its Alduti-Rupter Switch product line with a new 69-kV model. When equipped with an LS-2 Switch Operator and Model 5801 Automatic Switch Control with IntelliTEAM II Automatic Restoration System, the new Alduti-Rupter Switch...

AMI endpoint.(NEW PRODUCTS)(TS1 GE kV2c DRR from Hunt Technologies)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Hunt Technologies has announced the availability of the TS1 GE kV2c DRR endpoint for Hunt's TS1 system. The TS1 GE kV2c endpoint reads the registers in the meter directly and transmits kWh and kW data to an installed TS1 power line carrier...

Rugged computers.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Panasonic Computer Solutions Co.)(CF-19 )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Panasonic Computer Solutions Company has introduced two new rugged Panasonic Toughbook computers: The CF-19 convertible tablet PC, and the flagship CF-30 clamshell notebook. Building on the success of the CF-18 tablet and CF-29 notebook, these...

Transformer monitoring system.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... GE Energy has developed a new transformer monitoring system with more processing power, memory and diagnostic features than was available in products from previous generations. The new Intellix MO150 system monitors medium to large...

Integrated RTU.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Joslyn Hi Voltage Corp. introduced SmartLink 5000 Series)(remote terminal unit )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Joslyn Hi-Voltage introduces the SmartLink 5000 Series, an integrated cellular Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) providing reliable and cost effective two-way communications with Fisher Pierce overhead radio faulted circuit indicators (FCIs). The 5000...

Outdoor vacuum circuit breakers.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution Div.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution Inc. introduces the next generation of its SDV family of outdoor vacuum circuit breakers. Designated the SDV6, with voltage ratings of 15.5 kV, 27.6 kV and 38 kV, it will replace both the SDV4A and SDV5...

Insulator coating.(NEW PRODUCTS)
January 1, 2007... Sylgard HVIC+, Dow Corning's newest one-part silicone high voltage insulator coating (HVIC) for electrical system maintenance, provides long-term water repellency to protect against power distribution interruptions due to arcing and flashover...

SCADA security.(NEW PRODUCTS)
January 1, 2007... Tenable Network Security Inc., a developer of security management solutions and creator of the award-winning Nessus 3 vulnerability scanner, announced the immediate general availability of a set of Nessus 3 plugins for detection of...

Forecasting tool.(NEW PRODUCTS)
January 1, 2007... Itron Inc. has released MetrixLT 4.0, the latest version of the company's modern and powerful hourly electric forecasting tool. MetrixLT 4.0 offers five new modeling features that can be used to develop long-term hourly and sub-hourly load...

Is your attitude hazardous to your health?(safety measures and employee attitudes towards them)
January 1, 2007... Why does a worker make the decision to bypass a safeguard, take a shortcut or not wear personal protective equipment? Such unsafe behavior often leads to injury--to the employee or someone else. A safety director in a utility once remarked, "We...

Calendar.(conferences of information technology services)(Calendar)
January 1, 2007... 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 JANUARY 22-23 Smart Grids...

Why Europe's smartest favor smart meters.
January 1, 2007... Until recently, North America has been the hotbed of advanced metering. There have been metering rollouts in Italy, Scandinavia and elsewhere, but at least 80 percent of all sales have been in the U.S. Now, there are strong signs advanced...