Utility Automation & Engineering T&D articles from July 2008

Utility Automation & Engineering T&D archives from July 2008

Do ancient nuns dream electric dreams?(FROM THE EDITOR)(Editorial)
July 1, 2008... During my week in Milan for POWERGRID Europe 2008, I spent any extra moments in my room on the balcony, eyeing the ornate Italian convent across the street. I didn't realize it was a convent when I first stepped out to take a picture of...

Letter to the editor.(Letter to the editor)
July 1, 2008... Dear Sir, An article appears in the May 2008 (Volume 13.05) issue of Utility Automation & Engineering T&D that does a disservice to your readers. The article in question is titled: "Mineral and Vegetable Transformer Oils Equally Green?"...

New initiative to explore smarter electric grid for illinois.(NEWS)
July 1, 2008... A new public-private collaboration is exploring how smart grid technology may bring the people of Illinois more reliable electric service and a cleaner environment, while holding down costs of electric services. The Illinois Smart Grid...

NERC enforces compliance.(NEWS)(North American Electric Reliability Corporation )
July 1, 2008... The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has submitted the first set of violation notices in the United States to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERQ for approval under Section 215 of the Federal Power Act. ...

Brattle group: dynamic pricing can reduce U.S. peak demand.(NEWS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... The Brattle Group has determined that dynamic pricing can play a substantial role in meeting the demand response goals of various utilities, states and regional transmission organizations in the United States. This conclusion is based on a...

Tidbit.(NEWS)
July 1, 2008... Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), a subsidiary of Constellation Energy, has selected 1 Cooper Power Systems to provide a system for peak demand reduction designed for BGE's residential customers. Cooper expects the project will...

Alabama Power to install 3M high-capacity ACCR conductor.(NEWS)
July 1, 2008... Alabama Power Company plans to install 3M's high-capacity Aluminum Conductor Composite Reinforced (ACCR) transmission conductor to upgrade a key line at its Miller Steam Plant, according to Tim Koenig, head of 3M's High Capacity Conductor...

Aclara selected for PG&E's 2008 Smart meter Program.(NEWS)
July 1, 2008... Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has selected the STAR Network system from Aclara RF Systems Inc. (formerly Hexagram), a subsidiary of ESCO Technologies Inc., to provide additional electric advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) products...

Eye on Europe:.(NEWS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Rank and file: SAP ranked first and Excelergy second in CIS/ billing vendor name recognition in a new survey of European utilities and energy marketers. The survey results were part of a new study published by UtiliPoint International Inc. The...

Colorado Springs, Cellnet+Hunt reach metering project milestone.(NEWS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Colorado Springs Utilities, a community-owned utility serving customers in Colorado Springs and the surrounding area, has surpassed 280,000 endpoints deployed in its electric, gas, water and wastewater advanced metering project that started in...

Utility board considers salary freeze.(NEWS)
July 1, 2008... Kissimmee Utility Authority's board of directors discussed a staff suggestion to implement an employee salary freeze for the upcoming budget year. The move would achieve an estimated savings of $661,000. The plan also suggested the transfer...

Tidbit.(NEWS)
July 1, 2008... SensorTran has joined the GridWise Alliance, a leading consortium focused on transforming the nation's electric grid. Sensor Tran is the first distributed temperature sensing (DTS) provider to join more than 50 companies--including Cisco, GE,...

Overheard:.(NEWS)(Quotation)
July 1, 2008... "ABB experienced a very good start in 2008 across all businesses and regions. Demand from utilities and most of our major industrial markets remained strong around the world, especially in emerging economies." --Michel Demare, ABB's chief...

Lake Country Power completes AMI deployment.(NEWS)(automated metering infrastructure )
July 1, 2008... Lake Country Power of Grand Rapids, Minn., has successfully deployed a full two-way automated metering infrastructure (AMI) to its entire service territory covering more than 10,000 square miles in northern Minnesota. The Cannon AMI system...

Advanced metering infrastructure: the rural co-op perspective.(AMI: NORTH AMERICA)
July 1, 2008... Many of the drivers for implementing advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) are no different from initiatives put in place by successful companies throughout the globe: improving operational efficiencies, decreasing liabilities, controlling...

Advanced metering infrastructure: the international perspective.(AMI: EUROPE)
July 1, 2008... Smart metering, also referred to as advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), is one piece of the puzzle in developing smart grids. The change from automatic meter reading (AMI) to AMI means moving from one-way communication with meters to...

Flying high with AEP.(AERIAL INSPECTIONS)
July 1, 2008... I got the call that the weather would work to fly the next day as I left an evening showing of "Iron Man" around 9 pm. with a friend, It was hot, but it as finally dry. As we exited the theater, my cell phone began to sing: It was American...

False start.(AERIAL INSPECTIONS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... I was at the Richard L. Jones/Riversied airport in Tulsa the following morning at 7:30 am. Unfortunately, I was waiting at the incorrect hangar and had to be "talked in" by Roger Moore, senior transmission coordinator for the Tulsa region AEP,...

Life off.(AERIAL INSPECTIONS)
July 1, 2008... Helicopter 6566 Alpha left the airport a bit after 8 a.m. that Tuesday morning, and as we left our pilot joked that he could offer me 2-100 air conditioning: two windows at 100 MPH. Even though the temps in Tulsa were creeping into the 90s as...

Old towers Mean old problems.(AERIAL INSPECTIONS)
July 1, 2008... The Riverside-Kendrick line featured nice steel towers, but our second line of the day wasn't quite so lucky. The Okemah-Weleetka corridor (both very tiny towns) featured wood structures holding a 69-KV line. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Satisfying customer expectations through your mobile workforce.(MOBILE WORKFORCE)
July 1, 2008... You promised the boss you'd attend that 11:00 meeting. But, the plumber who said he'd be at your home by 9:00 is more than an hour and a half late. You've used up an entire vacation day waiting for the movers who never arrived. It's...

Dutch utility powers up workers with rugged PCs.(MOBILE WORKFORCE)
July 1, 2008... To streamline processes and as a cost-savings measure, Dutch power company Essent decided to equip all its service engineers with rugged tablet PCs. Challenges included: the operation's massive scope, distribution of the tablets, building the...

JCP&L improves SAIDI with SCADA-controlled adaptive relay scheme.(SCADA)
July 1, 2008... In 2005, Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of Akron, Ohio-based FirstEnergy Crop., initiated a project to identity protection system improvements that could be made to proactively combat sustained power outages resulting from...

Superconductor cables: advanced capabilities for the smart grid.(GETTING EQUIPPED)
July 1, 2008... The need to make major improvements in the nation's power grid is widely recognized, with Tide XIII of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 providing the needed legislative and political support for a "smart grid." The National...

Power system design.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2008... Operation Technology Inc. (OTI), developer of the ETAP enterprise solution for electrical power systems, has released ETAP 6.0, which incorporates a robust set of new features and enhancements, including new analysis modules, time-saving...

Rugged PDA.(NEW PRODUCTS)(M3 Mobile PDA from Handheld US )(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... The rugged M3 Mobile PDA from Handheld US features an integrated barcode scanner, WLAN, Bluetooth, camera, GSM/ EDGE cellular capabilities and GPS. The M3 Mobile weighs only 250 grams, is IP64 rated, can handle extreme temperatures and multiple...

MV vacuum recloser.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2008... Siemens Energy has launched a recloser that operates with vacuum interrupters and integrated controller aimed at the market in countries with extensive medium voltage overhead systems. Installed in an overhead line route or at the transformer...

Wide-area communication system.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2008... Sunrise Technologies' BrownBetty system creates a mesh network for communications between ground-based sensor and control devices and the Internet, utilizing Ember's ZigBee wireless network technology. By taking advantage of the existing...

Polyethylene insulator.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2008... Hendrix Wire & Cable's new HPI Polyethylene Tie Top Pin Insulator, the HPI-55-5, is made from Hendrix proprietary high-density polyethylene blend. The HPI-55-5 is vandal-proof and resistant to cracks, chips and breakage. It is designed in two...

Smart grid platform.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Open Systems International (OSI) has enhanced its "monarch" control system architecture to support smart grid initiatives. OSI's monarch/SGP (monarch Smart Grid Platform) offers a scalable platform for utilities that intend to embark on smart...

Cable identifier.(NEW PRODUCTS)(HD Electric Company )(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... IID's new PF-50 Cable Identifier identifies the correct phases of de-energized and discharged overhead and underground cables. It consists of a transmitter and receiver that are designed to be handheld with or without gloves, or can be mounted...

High voltage testing.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2008... Measurements International introduced the AccuLoss System, a line of loss measurement systems for use in the testing of high-voltage transformers and reactors. The AccuLoss System, according to the company, is a result of a commitment to bring...

Smart battery tester.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Natis communications)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Natis communications, a company that specializes in electricity distribution feeder automation, announced a new smart battery tester capable of being retrofitted into multiple types of equipment. By periodically imposing a load across the...

Interoperable communications.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Control Microsystems released the SCADAPack 350 E)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Control Microsystems released the SCADAPack 350 E and SCADAPack 357E, two additions to the SCADAPack E-Series family. These products respond to the growing demand for interoperability and reliable communications by featuring native DNP3 and IEC...

Calendar.(Brief article)(Calendar)
July 1, 2008... DistribuTECH and Trans TECH 2009: The utility industry's most comprehensive conference on automation, information technology and T&D engineering Feb. 3-5, 2009, San Diego, CA. //Phone 918.832.9265 // www.distributech.com July 20-24 ...