Utility Automation & Engineering T&D articles from May 2005

Utility Automation & Engineering T&D archives from May 2005

Think cybersecurity isn't a concern?(FROM THE EDITOR)
May 1, 2005... Think cybersecurity isn't still a real concern for utility companies? Read this excerpt from an article by Justin Blum in the March 11, 2005, issue of The Washington Post and see if your opinion changes: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

ABB-powered battery enters Guinness book of world records.(NEWS)(Battery energy storage system)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... A massive multi-celled battery system developed by ABB and battery maker Saft has powered its way to a certified Guinness world record as the world's most powerful battery. ABB's BESS (battery energy storage system), which occupies an area...

Wireless Internet to be tested as part of Ontario metering initiative.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Hamilton Utilities Corp. (HUC) has announced a pilot project to install WiFi signal towers at a series of locations across the city to provide WiFi service. The signal towers will be connected to the existing ultra high-speed FibreWired network...

American Superconductor supplying HTS wire for AEP cable project.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... American Superconductor Corp. has received an order for 48,760 meters (approximately 30 miles) of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) wire from Ultera to manufacture a 200-meter-long HTS power cable to serve the electrical distribution load...

SDG & E files proposal for advanced meters.(NEWS)
May 1, 2005... San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG & E) has unveiled a proposal to install technologically advanced electric meters for its customers over the next four years. The new meters would ensure accurate automated meter readings, lead to quicker response...

AEP joins research consortium "DSTAR" Program 10.(NEWS)
May 1, 2005... The Distribution Systems Testing, Application, and Research consortium (DSTAR) announced recently that American Electric Power (AEP) has joined DSTAR Program 10. After its involvement in the successful DSTAR Program 8, AEP is stepping up...

Newton-Evans releases latest SCADA/EMS findings.(NEWS)(Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition )(Distribution management system )
May 1, 2005... Newton-Evans Research Company has released a summary of preliminary findings and observations from its newest study of T & D monitoring and control systems used at North American electric utilities. More than 200 utilities, collectively...

Sharyland Utilities gets green light to build Texas-to-Mexico DC tie.(NEWS)(Certificate of Convenience and Necessity)(Public Utility Commission of Texas )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Sharyland Utilities has obtained a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN) from the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to build an electrical interconnect between the Texas and Mexico power grids. This cross-border tie will be the...

FirstEnergy selects Autodesk to modernize distribution system.(NEWS)
May 1, 2005... FirstEnergy, operator of the nation's fifth-largest investor-owned electric system, has chosen to expand its use of Autodesk's geospatial products and services to create an enhanced platform for utility distribution network design and...

Tipmont REMC using soybean oil in overhead transformers.(NEWS)(Tipmont Rural Electric Membership Corp.)
May 1, 2005... Tipmont REMC, a 20,000-customer electric co-op located in Linden, Ind., has announced that all overhead electric transformers it purchases in the future will utilize a soybean-based oil rather than petroleum oil as a coolant. Tipmont is...

Energy and utilities to lead growth in U.S. smart network device market.(NEWS)
May 1, 2005... Despite perennial predictions heralding the era of the fully automated "smart building" as the next big thing, for practical purposes, the prospect of intelligently networked devices, until very recently, has remained a fantasy. Intriguing as...

Proposed SDG & E transmission line to improve reliability, reduce energy costs.(NEWS)(San Diego Gas & Electric Co.)
May 1, 2005... San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG & E) has selected an eastern connection for its proposed new 500-kV transmission line that is expected to improve grid reliability, reduce energy costs and provide access to renewable energy sources. While no...

Preventing knowledge loss: as more utility workers retire.
May 1, 2005... The United States is one of the most electrically dependent nations in the world. A loss or serious reduction of available electric power would make it extremely difficult--if not impossible--for U.S. infrastructure to function at an acceptable...

Using dynamic VAR technologies to boost grid reliability.(volt ampere reactive)
May 1, 2005... Today's competitive pressures and siting obstacles make sound planning for transmission system expansion more important--yet more uncertain--than ever before. To manage these challenges cost-effectively, new tools are required. Recent material...

Cybersecurity for critical utility applications.
May 1, 2005... Just a few years ago, a law requiring publicly held companies to annually certify information security practices would have been unheard of. Today, that scenario is a reality. NERC standards 1200 and 1300, ISO 17799, SAS 70 and the...

GIS becomes geospatial: issues affecting the evolution of geospatial technology.(Geographic information systems)
May 1, 2005... In an ideal world, an electric utility engineer monitoring the company's assets would hear an alarm, look at a computer screen, see an area experiencing an outage and immediately have access to information needed to fix the underlying cause,...

Field applications improve service delivery and maintenance at JEA.(Jackson Energy Authority)(Geographic information system )
May 1, 2005... Jackson Energy Authority (JEA) is responsible for the delivery of electric, gas, propane gas, water, wastewater and broadband services for more than 50,000 customers in its roughly 559-square-mile territory in west Tennessee, approximately...

IEC 61850: where are we headed with substation communications?
May 1, 2005... For years, the power utility industry has struggled with standardization of communications in the substation environment. When substation automation was initially considered, the biggest hurdle was the integration of different vendors and...

10 steps to help reduce S[F.sub.6] emissions in T & D.(Transmission and Distribution)
May 1, 2005... Sulfur hexafluoride (S[F.sub.6]) is widely used in the electric utility industry for insulating circuit breakers, substations and switchgear in electric power transmission and distribution. Its introduction in the 1950s allowed for the...

Voltage Indicator.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... HD Electric Company's DVI Digital Voltage Indicator is a direct contact, compact instrument designed to read the voltage on a conductor up to 99 kV line-to-ground. The large 2.5-inch-tall, ultra-bright LED display is easy to read on the end of...

Transmission capacity software.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Digital Inspections' new software module allows utilities to maximize electrical transmission capacity on their lines. LOAD (Line Optimization & Analysis Database) is a unique program that factors actual data from line equipment with...

Computer case.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Otter Products introduces their improved handheld computer case, the OtterBox 1900. The 1900 allows users to take their iPaq, Axim or Palm anywhere without fear of damaging the device. Independently tested to meet IP-67 and MIL SPEC 810F...

Wireless I/O modems.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Cirronet Inc.'s line of HopNet wireless I/O modems includes the HNIO-091R and HNIO-241R relay modems, which operate at 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz respectively, and the 900 MHz NHIO-091A and 2:4 GHz HNIO-241A analog/digital modems. The new wireless I/O...

Storm Recovery application.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Datria's Storm Recovery is a voice self-service application for mobile field employees. Storm Recovery helps energy utilities and telephone companies restore service more effectively after outages caused by weather events such as tornados,...

Two-way AMR meter.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Hunt Technologies Inc. and Landis+Gyr Inc's TS2 FOCUS endpoint combines Hunt Technologies' two-way, AMR technology with the Landis+Gyr solid-state FOCUS meter. The TS2 FOCUS endpoint monitors power consumption with a direct register read from...

Rugged handheld computer.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... The CE8640X from DAP Technologies includes increased memory capacity (128 MB), a USB host for external link integration, and is equipped with an Intel XScale PXA 255 400 MHz processor. The CE8640 series, a highly reliable and rugged family of...

GPS receiver.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... Trimble's Pathfinder ProXH is a high-accuracy GPS receiver for GIS data collection and mapping. The GPS Pathfinder ProXH integrates GPS receiver, antenna and battery in a compact and lightweight unit. The ProXH receiver uses Bluetooth...

Rugged laptop.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... The MobileForce M220-5, from Getac Inc., is their next generation of rugged laptops with a 15-inch screen. The M220-5 is the first truly rugged laptop/notebook computer with its 15-inch TFT XGA LCD sunlight readable screen that is certified to...

Current Probe.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... AEMC's AC Leakage Current Probe Model 2620 measures leakage current shunted to ground caused by insulation faults. It enables the operator to locate failures when they occur, or anticipate them before they occur, without shutting down equipment...

Transmission line inspection.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... har*GIS Field Information Systems' new software application for transmission line inspection and maintenance operates in conjunction with the company's TruckMap Field Information System, and is called TransCo Inspector. The new application is...

Surge protection.(NEW PRODUCTS)(Brief Article)(Buyers Guide)
May 1, 2005... The D-LAN, from Phoenix Contact, is the new family of surge protection devices for sensitive data and Ethernet networks certified to Cat 5e interface requirements. The D-LAN surge protection products keep damaging transient voltage and current...

Calendar.(Calendar)
May 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 JUNE...