Utility Automation & Engineering T&D articles from November 2004

Utility Automation & Engineering T&D archives from November 2004

Helping the grid get smarter.(FROM THE EDITOR)
November 1, 2004... Progress toward what has been referred to as the "smart" power grid of the future got a boost recently when the Electricity Innovation Institute (E2I), an EPRI affiliate, announced completion of the first phase of the Intelligrid Architecture...

E2I and EPRI unveil architecture for power grid upgrade.(NEWS)(Electricity Innovation Institute, affiliate of Electric Power Research Institute)
November 1, 2004... At a briefing in Washington in mid-October, the Electricity Innovation Institute (E2I), an affiliate of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), announced completion of the first phase of the Intelligrid Architecture, a comprehensive...

Itron spins off new company for transmission line, substation design.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Itron Inc. announced in early November that it has granted exclusive licenses of its transmission and substation design software products to a new Spokane-based firm called Pondera Engineers. The agreement includes the sale and support of...

Broadband over powerline technology moves from trials to deployments.(NEWS)
November 1, 2004... The delivery of broadband access has been marked in recent years by increasing competition between cable-television operators and local telephone companies. This market shows signs of becoming even more competitive with new technology and new...

AMR system survives Hurricane Ivan in Alabama, Mississippi.(NEWS)(automatic meter reading)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Southern Company service territories in Alabama and Mississippi were among the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ivan when it came ashore from the Gulf of Mexico on the evening of Sept. 15. Yet despite top winds of 135 miles per hour, a deluge of...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2004... We neglected to credit the cover image from the September/October 2004 issue of Utility Automation & Engineering T & D to the appropriate source. The September/October cover image (which also appeared on Page 12 of that issue) came to us...

Upgrades at SDG & E substation improve reliability, reduce energy costs.(NEWS)(San Diego Gas & Electric)
November 1, 2004... San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG & E) recently energized a new 500-kV switchyard and transformer at its Miguel substation site in Bonita two months ahead of schedule. The project involved building a gas-insulated substation within the...

DistribuTECH returns to West Coast for 2005 Conference.(Show Preview)
November 1, 2004... After a four-year absence from the West Coast, the DistribuTECH Conference and Exhibition will return to San Diego for its 15th annual event, which takes place Jan. 25-27, 2005, with pre-conference Utility University work-shops on Jan. 23 and...

Exhibitors featured in this issue.(Show Preview)
November 1, 2004... Editor's note: The following company listings are provided as a courtesy to those DistribuTECH 2005 exhibitors who showed their support of Utility Automation & Engineering T & D magazine by advertising in this issue. Check www.distributech.com...

Designing substations in 3D.(SUBSTATION DESIGN)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2004... Editor's note: The following article is an adaptation of a paper that will be presented at DistribuTECH 2005 in San Diego, Calif., in the Power Delivery track on Wednesday, Jan. 26, at 9:30 a.m. Computer-aided design (CAD) of power...

Keys to successful substation automation system design.(SUBSTATION AUTOMATION)
November 1, 2004... Substation automation can mean different things to different electric utilities. To one, it could mean adding a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system for remote monitoring and control to a traditional substation with mimic...

The power of choice works for Allegheny Power.(CASE STUDY)(Allegheny Power Service Corp)
November 1, 2004... Four years ago, Allegheny Power (AP) embarked upon a search for a meter reading system that would meet the present and future needs of the utility. After an extensive evaluation, AP chose the FieldNet[R] System by DB Microware as the only...

Advanced substation automation offers solution to universal problems.(SUBSTATION AUTOMATION)
November 1, 2004... Just as intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) ushered in the era of substation automation some 15 years ago, recent breakthroughs in high-speed data collection, knowledge-based analysis and information delivery have touched off a technological...

Five deadly data mistakes--and how to avoid them.(DATA ACCURACY)
November 1, 2004... You're planning a major system implementation--a new outage management system, geographic information system, graphic design tool or maybe all three. It's a whirlwind of technology, personnel, deadlines, test runs and nitpicking details. In...

GIS mapping drives efficiency of ENMAX crews.(ENMAX Power Corporation using geographic information system)
November 1, 2004... With more than 360,000 residential and business customers, ENMAX Power Corporation (EPC), based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, requires timely management of its infrastructure, such as transformers, power poles, power lines and connected devices....

DSTAR's transformer cost analysis software enhances utility decision process.(GETTING EQUIPPED)(Distribution Systems Testing, Application, and Research)
November 1, 2004... Distribution transformers represent a significant cost to electric utilities, both as a capital investment and as an ongoing operating expense. A survey of seven 2003 FERC Form 1 filings shows that distribution transformers can account for...

Fuse links.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2004... Positrol Fuse Links, from S & C Electric Company, are high-surge-capacity fuse links designed to fill a market niche not presently served by S & C's offerings. With their "extra-slow" time-current characteristics, KSR Speed Positrol Fuse Links...

Radio Frequency Link system.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2004... DCSI's new Two-Way Automatic Communication System (TWACS) Radio Frequency Link (RFL) technology, a consumption data transmission system between water, gas and/or propane meter encoders and a TWACS transceiver mounted in an electric meter,...

Revenue-grade meter.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2004... Electro Industries/GaugeTech has introduced the Shark 100, a high-performance, revenue-grade panel meter. Based on a new platform, this meter has high-end 0.2 percent meter performance and low-end economical pricing perfect for new metering...

Advanced metering application.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2004... Comverge Inc. and Landis+Gyr Inc.'s advanced C & I metering application uses Comverge's data acquisition and analysis PowerCAMP software to interrogate Landis+Gyr's two-way S4 wireless meters. It is now available for purchase or for rental as a...

Metering automation server.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2004... Enhancements to Elster Electricity's EnergyAxis System include the release of the EnergyAxis Metering Automation Server Release 5.1 and the REX meter with remote service disconnect switch. The EnergyAxis System is used for residential and small...

Cable Distance Meter.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2004... HD Electric Company's Cable Distance Meter is a handheld meter for measurement of cable sag, cable height distance and overhead clearance of conductors. It is a modern alternative to telescopic measuring poles. The Cable Distance Meter utilizes...

Dc-to-dc converter.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2004... Wilmore's new Series 1720 dc-to-dc converters provide 400 watts of output power while occupying only 1.75 inches of vertical space in 19-inch or 23-inch equipment racks. Innovative power conversion circuitry minimizes heat production and allows...

Calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
November 1, 2004... DistribuTECH 2005: The utility industry's most comprehensive conference on automation, information technology and T & D engineering Jan. 25-27, 2005. San Diego, Calif. // Phone 918.831.9443 // Fax 918.831.9875 // Website www.distributech.com...