Utility Automation & Engineering T&D articles from July 2005

Utility Automation & Engineering T&D archives from July 2005

Metering and AMR enjoying a heyday.(FROM THE EDITOR)
July 1, 2005... For the last four years, Utility Automation & Engineering T & D magazine has run a special section focusing on automatic meter reading (AMR) in its July/August issue. This year is no different, and, in conjunction with the Automatic Meter...

New high-capacity conductor installed at Xcel Energy.(installation of aluminum conductor composite reinforced )
July 1, 2005... Xcel Energy has installed and energized 3M's new Aluminum Conductor Composite Reinforced (ACCR) overhead conductor on a 10-mile line that is an integral part of the grid in the upper Midwest. It is the first commercial application of the ACCR,...

METC working with GE, ABB to improve transmission system.(Michigan Electric Transmission Company)
July 1, 2005... Michigan Electric Transmission Company (METC) recently teamed with two companies to improve its transmission system. First, METC contracted GE Energy to manage the complete upgrade of METC's existing protection and control system, including its...

U. of Arkansas researchers developing electronic systems for power grid.(NEWS)
July 1, 2005... The federal government has asked engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas to develop purely electronic systems to make the nation's power grid more reliable and efficient. The goal would be to replace outdated and obsolete...

ABB announces transformer business restructuring.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ABB announced in late June that it will undertake restructuring activities within its North American transformer business unit as part of a global effort to strategically realign the transformer business for profitability and service to...

Utilities report increased spending on substation automation and integration.(NEWS)
July 1, 2005... The Newton-Evans Research Company has released preliminary findings from its mid-year study of North American utility substation officials. At this point in the study, with survey tabulations from 67 North American utilities accounting for...

TXU to implement system-wide power factor management.(CBC7000 supplied from Cannon Technologies Inc)(TXU Electric Delivery Corp)
July 1, 2005... Cannon Technologies Inc. recently signed a contract with TXU Electric Delivery to execute a multi-year, multi-phased project to implement a real-time power factor management system across TXU's distribution system. The TXU project will...

Utility Automation & Engineering T & D launches Online White Paper Library.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Utility Automation & Engineering T & D magazine, in conjunction with Electric Light & Power magazine, has launched an Online White Paper Library at http://uaelp.pennnet.com. The library contains a wide variety of utility industry-related white...

AREVA engineer wins awards for work in HVDC technology.(Areva transmission and distribution)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... AREVA T & D power electronics engineer Michael L. Woodhouse was recently designated as the recipient of the 2005 Uno Lamm IEEE Award for his contributions in the field of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology. Woodhouse has been...

AMDS completes nationwide AMR network coverage.(NEWS)
July 1, 2005... Advanced Metering Data Systems secured 652 multiple address system (MAS) exclusive-use radio spectrum licenses in the May 2005 Federal Communications Commission spectrum auction, the second largest number of licenses across all bidders. In...

Siemens wins EMS/substation automation contract from N.E. Missouri co-op.(NEWS)
July 1, 2005... Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution recently announced a contract to provide Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative (Northeast Power) with a new energy management system (EMS) and integrated substation automation solution. ...

Report outlines technology best practices for power system operators.(NEWS)
July 1, 2005... Gestalt, a business and IT services firm providing strategic consulting and decision support technologies to the energy and utilities industries, presented a report in late May on Information Technology Guidelines for Power System Operators....

EleQuant's AGORA receives technology innovation honor.(achieved 2005 grid monitoring technology innovation of the year award)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... In late May, EleQuant received the "2005 Grid Monitoring Technology Innovation of the Year Award" at Frost & Sullivan's Excellence in Industrial Technologies awards banquet. EleQuant received the recognition for its AGORA product, a...

Pacific Northwest to test smart grid energy technologies.(NEWS)
July 1, 2005... Several Northwest electric utilities and a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory recently kicked off a regional initiative to test and speed adoption of new smart grid technology that can make the Northwest power grid more resilient and...

Tantalus wins Best Wireless Product Award at UTC Expo 2005.(NEWS)(Tantalus Systems Corp.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The two-way utility command and control capabilities of TUNet earned Tantalus an award for "Best Wireless Product" at the United Telecom Council's 2005 Expo in late May. TUNet was selected as the top wireless product by a panel of utility...

Progress energy selects G/Technology to merge systems, streamline work.(NEWS)
July 1, 2005... Progress Energy has selected Intergraph Corp.'s G/Technology to upgrade and merge disparate AM/FM/GIS systems within its two electric utilities, Progress Energy Florida and Progress Energy Carolinas. Progress Energy will upgrade its existing...

Xcel Energy launches 'Utility Innovations' program.(a new service from energy)
July 1, 2005... I recently had the opportunity to travel to Denver and attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a pioneering visitor center and program initiative that has been undertaken by Xcel Energy. This initiative, rightly named Utility Innovations, is...

AMR trends: is it time for fixed networks?
July 1, 2005... San Francisco-based Pacific Gas & Electric Co.'s recent decision to deploy a two-way powerline carrier system from St. Louis-based Distribution Control Systems Inc. (DCSI) on 5 million meters will no doubt accelerate the deployment rate for...

Data, data everywhere: advanced metering poses unique challenge.(Automatic Meter Reading Association.)(Cover Story)
July 1, 2005... "Data, data everywhere but not a place to store it" is the mantra being sounded more and more frequently in today's utility market. The following is a conversation at "Utility ABC" between "Joe," director of metering, and "Sam," director of...

TWACS[R] by DCSI: two-way Power Line Communication AMI and allied technologies.(Automatic Meter Reading Association: special advertising section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... TWACS[R] (Two Way Automatic Communication System) technology is the preeminent two-way Power Line Communication (PLC) system for utilities deploying automatic information technologies, with over 8 million two-way devices installed or under...

Advanced Metering Data Systems delivers: reliable. Connected. Performance. Now.(Automatic Meter Reading Association: special advertising section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... Advanced Metering Data Systems (www.amdswireless.com), based in New Orleans, Louisiana, has roots in automatic meter reading dating back as far as 1987, when its founders filed the first patent for spread spectrum RF technology in AMR...

ORION[R]--catch a rising star in multi-utility RF mobile and fixed network systems.(Automatic Meter Reading Association: special advertising section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... Flexibility is the key! ORION is Badger Meter's most flexible automated meter reading system for water and gas utilities. Developed as a state-of-the-art, non-licensed radio frequency (RF) system, ORION utilizes bubble up (broadcast)...

Yukon from Cannon Technologies.(Automatic Meter Reading Association: special advertising section)(digital meters )(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... Yukon... a bold, unusual name for an AMR/electric distribution management platform, but Yukon echoes the qualities utilities look for in a multi-purpose platform: scalability, flexibility, innovation, intelligence and support. Cannon...

Comverge, the power in power technology.(Automatic Meter Reading Association: special advertising section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... In August 2002, the FCC amended Part 22 of its Rules, modifying the requirements that carriers provide analog service compatible with Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) specifications. The FCC determined that the current analog services...

AMR communications solutions from DCB.(Automatic Meter Reading)(Data Comm for Business Inc)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Data Comm for Business Inc. (DCB) provides a variety of communications solutions for utilities using AMR. The SCADA Multidrop Mulitplexer (SMD) is being used by many utilities to combine AMR and SCADA communications over existing SCADA MAS...

iCon meter offers flexible AMR platform.(Automatic Meter Reading Association: special advertising section)(Sensus Metering Systems.)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... When Sensus Metering Systems developed the iCon electricity meter line, the strategy was not to become solely an electricity meter vendor, but to provide a strategic solution to the marketplace. The solution allows the electricity meter to act...

AMR and the HR department.(Automatic Meter Reading Association: special advertising section)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... Much has been written about how Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) technologies have revolutionized the way today's utilities conduct business. Most of the emphasis has been (rightly) directed at applications for the reams of data produced by many...

Elster Electricity's EnergyAxis[R] System with intelligent two-way communications.
July 1, 2005... In today's highly competitive global arena, the utility industry faces challenges and opportunities never seen before. Change has become constant, with innovation the standard rather than the exception. Reducing costs, enhancing customer...

Cellnet--providing utilities with the solution to turn data into intelligence.(Automatic Meter Reading Association: special advertising section)(InfiNet from telecommunication industry)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... Creating an Intelligent Network Cellnet is the leading provider of wireless fixed networks for AMR in the utility industry. We know that intelligent businesses require intelligent solutions--solutions that not only address single business...

Satellite meter reading emerges.(automatic meter reading association: special advertising section)(measure and read the units)(Brief Article)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... Satellite meter reading is growing in popularity as energy companies learn more about its benefits and its affordability. Especially suited for remote and hard-to-reach locations, satellite metering can be a more flexible option when meter...

Fixed-network automatic meter reading (AMR) system can transform any utility into an efficiency expert.
July 1, 2005... Putting the right information, in the right hands, at the right time, can not only transform a utility into a productivity engine but can also make it a world-class customer service organization. If that sounds more like wishful thinking than...

Minnesota Power captures unexpected benefits from AMR deployment.(Automatic Meter Reading Association: special advertising section)(Minnesota Power and Light Co.)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... In business, nothing beats good timing, especially for an investor-owned utility trying to stay one step ahead of the regulators. Minnesota Power (MP) recently completed a major deployment of an automatic meter reading (AMR) system. The...

ARCS case study: Kentucky Utilities, Inc.(Automated Route Control System)
July 1, 2005... Kentucky Utilities Company (KU), based in Lexington, Kentucky, purchased DB Microware's Automated Route Control System (ARCS) in June 1994 for $80,000. At that time KU had 435,000 customers spread across Kentucky and Virginia and was reading...

The spirit of Saft.(Automatic Meter Reading Association: special advertising section)(SAfe batteries )(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... As a newly independent company, we at Saft are just as committed as ever to pursuing the win-win partnership with industry we have developed over the past 100 years. Saft is the world leader in the design and manufacture of high-tech battery...

The SmartSynch[R] SmartMeter.
July 1, 2005... SmartSynch[R], a global leader in wireless technology, is the preeminent provider of smart metering solutions throughout North America. During the last 5 years, SmartSynch has deployed more poly-phase meters with embedded wireless...

SCADA by satellite helps AMP-Ohio increase data reliability.(supervisory control and data acquisition., American Municipal Power-Ohio.)
July 1, 2005... Electric power cooperatives and investor-owned utilities (IOUs) nationwide have used supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems for many years to track power-flow data and ensure economical use of resources. A growing number of...

Lessons learned during major transmission projects.
July 1, 2005... In steady decline since the mid-1970s, investment in the high-voltage equipment used to move power from generating plants to the distribution system looks to finally be back on the upswing. In a study published in May 2005, The Edison Electric...

A balancing act: tools and considerations to keep voltage in line.
July 1, 2005... Understanding basic principles and rules can go a long way toward effectively mitigating distribution voltage unbalance and keeping polyphase motors cool. For example, shunt capacitors are usually installed to improve distribution feeder...

The benefits of roll-in replacement breakers.(GETTING EQUIPPED)
July 1, 2005... The phrase "aging infrastructure" is getting a lot of use these days, and nowhere is it more evident than in electrical components that have moving parts and that under-go significant physical wear. Utilities across the country are facing a...

Revenue meter.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The CI-20 revenue meter, from AMETEK Power Instruments, is an affordable solid-state device designed specifically for commercial and industrial power users and complements AMETEK's premier line of JEMStar generation and transmission revenue...

AMR endpoint.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... Hunt Technologies Inc.'s TSI GE I-210 endpoint integrates Hunt's automatic meter reading (AMR) technology with the GE I-210 single-phase electronic watt-hour meter. The TS1 endpoint integrates seamlessly into the I-210 solid-state meter. Using...

Surge suppression.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... 9 Corp. and Vortex Technologies partnered to create the Theon INL08000, an electrical transient and surge suppression device for electronic equipment. The new Theon technology provides a unique point-of-protection device that offers true 3-line...

Meter reading software.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... Electro Industries introduces its new PDA-based meter reading and programming software, called Copilot EXT. Based on the Pocket PC architecture, this application allows users to view, download and re-program meters using a PDA running Pocket...

Meter power supply.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... Elster Electricity's A3 ALPHA meter is now available with the AnyPhase power supply. This new power supply keeps the A3 ALPHA meter energized providing there is voltage on any two-voltage connections to the meter. The AnyPhase power supply is...

Miniature thermometer.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... Fluke Corp. has introduced The Fluke 62 Mini, a convenient general-purpose non-contact thermometer. The Fluke 62 Mini makes basic temperature checks quick, easy and accessible to everyone. It is rugged enough for industrial environments, small...

Solid-state RF module.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... Landis+Gyr and Hunt Technologies collaborated to introduce a solid-state RF module for the FOCUS meter. With a commercial release date of September 2005, the radio frequency-based AirPoint FOCUS endpoint is integrated for use with Itron mobile...

Network security solution.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Buyers Guide)
July 1, 2005... Thales' new Datacryptor Select Application (SA) is a compact and comprehensive security solution for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) networks. The new Datacryptor SA provides a complete cost-effective security solution that can...

Field information system.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... GE Energy's latest release of its Smallworld Field Information System product, a component of the Smallworld 4 product suite, provides increased access to spatial data across the organization, and introduces integration with GPS technology. The...

Meter management software.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... Itron's Enterprise Edition Customer Care application is a software solution that leverages Itron's Meter Data Management software platform while providing improved usability and value to end-use customers. Customer Care provides end-use...

Intelligent energy meters.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... Power Measurement introduces three new options for its ION 7550 and ION 7650 intelligent energy meters: an ION 7550 RTU (remote terminal unit) option for monitoring multiple utilities (such as water and gas); a non-intrusive current transformer...

Remote meter disconnect.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... Cannon Technologies' AMR technology now includes the MCT 410iD, which is a Remote Service Disconnect Meter Base designed to work with the MCT-410i solid-state, single-phase AMR meter, using EMETCON Power Line Carrier (PLC) communication between...

Ground rod clamps.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... Galvan Industries' SRC ground rod clamps are now listed as suitable for direct burial in soil and concrete applications in both the United States and Canada. The universal "one size fits all" ground rod clamps feature bronze alloy body...

Calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... DistribuTECH 2006: The utility industry's most comprehensive conference on automation, information technology and T & D engineering Feb. 7-9, 2006. Tampa, Fla. // Phone 918.831.9443 // Fax 918.831.9875 // Website www.distributech.com ...