Utility Automation & Engineering T&D articles from November 2005

Utility Automation & Engineering T&D archives from November 2005

Datapanik in the year zero five.(FROM THE EDITOR)
November 1, 2005... When I started working as a professional journalist a little over a decade ago, the company I worked for was not what you would call "Internet-savvy." I don't think we were alone in that respect. This was 1995, and, although it doesn't sound...

Study finds utilities implementing outage management systems separate from SCADA.(NEWS)
November 1, 2005... Newton-Evans Research Co. released a summary of findings and observations from its latest study of transmission and distribution monitoring and control systems used in many of the world's key electric power utilities. The 2005 study includes...

Grid upgrades reduce bottlenecks in California.(NEWS)
November 1, 2005... Improvements and upgrades to the high-voltage power grid controlled by the California Independent System Operator (California ISO) are showing their value for California energy consumers as the costs associated with congestion continue to drop...

Report gives recommendations to strengthen demand response.(NEWS)
November 1, 2005... The Distributed Energy Financial Group (DEFG) and the Center for the Advancement of Energy Markets recently released the results of a study of demand response conducted from May to October 2005. The study focused on the participation of retail...

METC hires IBM to transform transmission system.(NEWS)(Michigan Electric Transmission Company)
November 1, 2005... Michigan Electric Transmission Company (METC) has finalized an agreement with IBM to conduct consulting and integration services for the upgrade of its protection and control relay system, a project designed to enhance the overall reliability...

So Cal utilities explore ice to reduce demand from air conditioners.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Eleven Southern California municipal electric utilities are considering ice to help reduce peak electricity demand during hot summer months. The 11 municipalities, which together serve 2 million customers, are members of the Southern...

HECO selects integrated software solutions from SPL.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) has selected SPL WorldGroup to deliver an integrated software solution consisting of SPL Outage Management System (SPL OMS) and SPL Mobile Workforce Management (SPL MWM). HECO hopes the pre-integrated solutions...

New meter reading software platform launched at Dayton Power & Light.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Itron Inc. has successfully installed a new generation of meter reading software for walk-by and drive-by meter reading operations at Dayton Power & Light, in Dayton, Ohio. The Itron Field Collection System (FCS), built on web services...

Ameren, MidAmerican and TVA join Demand Response effort.(NEWS)(Tennessee Valley Authority)(United States Demand Response Coordinating Committee )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Ameren, MidAmerican Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority have joined the United States Demand Response Coordinating Committee (DRCC) to work with the other national leaders in the organization to increase knowledge and understanding of...

Companies at risk for information theft from inside sources.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... As many as 80 percent of corporate employees will disclose sensitive company or customer information to people they do not know over the telephone, and up to 33 percent will do the same via e-mail, according to RavenEye, an information security...

Cellnet and Ameren set to expand AMR system.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2005... Cellnet Technology Inc. and Ameren Corp. announced they have signed a letter of intent for the expansion of the Cellnet fixed-network automated meter reading (AMR) system for an additional 1 million electric and gas meters in Ameren's Illinois...

Thousands to attend DistribuTECH 2006 in Tampa.
November 1, 2005... Conference organizers anticipate more than 4,000 industry professionals will attend DistribuTECH 2006 when it comes to Tampa, Fla., Feb. 7-9, 2006. Those gathered at the Tampa Convention Center will have access to more than 60 informative...

Technologies to increase transmission capacity.(Cover Story)
November 1, 2005... According to the most recent "Long-term Reliability Assessment" from the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), electricity demand is expected to grow by about 69,500 MW between 2005 and 2009. Projected resource additions over this...

Substation automation: achieving benefits enterprise-wide.
November 1, 2005... Substation automation has been a popularly used term in the industry for years, yet many utilities still use the term loosely to describe little more than a classic supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system encompassing a master...

SEL[R].(EXECUTIVE SPOTLIGHT)(Company Profile)
November 1, 2005... Company Profile Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL) introduced the world's first digital relay in 1984, which revolutionized the power protection industry by offering entirely new capabilities--innovations that have become...

Raising the bar on substation backup power.
November 1, 2005... Inevitably, utility managers rethink many aspects of their operations in the wake of major outages. Backup power for substations is no exception. The industry is ripe for alternatives. Extreme cost pressure is compelling utilities to root...

Wireless communications and control for underground network systems.
November 1, 2005... Beneath our feet, under the concrete and side streets of most major cities, there exists a myriad of cables and power equipment supporting AC power distribution systems. This distribution network consists of interlaced loops or grids supplied...

You've implemented AMI. Now what? Benefits of meter data warehousing.(advanced metering infrastructure )
November 1, 2005... With an increased focus on customer interaction and data efficiency, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) initiatives have become a priority for utilities throughout North America. While the trend is still taking hold, the benefits associated...

Transformer hot spot monitoring comes of age.(GETTING EQUIPPED)
November 1, 2005... For years now, there has been much discussion in the industry about applying new technologies toward improving T & D grid reliability. One such technology--direct hot spot monitoring of transformer windings using fiber optics--is actually not...

Demand response thermostat.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2005... Comverge Inc. and Emerson Climate Technologies have released a demand response-capable thermostat platform for electric utility peak load management programs that integrate demand response with automated meter reading. Developed jointly by the...

Low-Voltage Regulator.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2005... The Low Voltage Regulator (LVR) from MicroPlanet Technology allows utilities to resolve low-voltage customer service problems quickly and inexpensively. Designed to eliminate severe voltage drops and sporadic flicker at the point of delivery,...

Optical probe.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2005... Landis+Gyr's 2-in-1 AIP200 ANSI & IEC Optical Probe has the ability to read both ANSI C12.18 and IEC 1107 optical ports, allowing meter technicians to reduce the number of probes they carry. The AIP200 Optical Probe reads every Landis+Gyr meter...

ALPHA meter.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2005... The new IEC-compliant A1800 ALPHA meter series from Elster Electricity offers advanced revenue protection capabilities combined with a platform designed to support utility customers' present and future communication needs. The meter is ideal...

Overcurrent/Reclosing Relay.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2005... The SEL-511C Overcurrent/Reclosing Relay from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories combines complete overcurrent protection and multi-shot reclosing to protect lines and equipment using a sensitive and secure mix of phase, negative-sequence and...

GPS unit.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2005... The GeoXH handheld receiver from Trimble is the first integrated GPS field computer to deliver subfoot (30 cm) accuracy for geographic information system data collection and mapping. The GeoXH handheld is based on Trimble's H-Star technology,...

Polyphase meter interface.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2005... The multi-voltage/multi-protocol MCT-470 from Cannon Technologies is a versatile automated meter reading device designed for remote reading of popular digital polyphase meters in four to six seconds over power lines. It is the first "micro-RTU"...

Hot stick light.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2005... Underwater Kinetics has released the LitFinger, a special utility light for use in hot stick operations in dark or unlighted areas for changing out fuses on electrical poles. LitFinger is a virtually indestructible light that is mounted on top...

Multiplexer.(NEW PRODUCTS)
November 1, 2005... A new Ethernet and serial data multiplexer from TC Communications multiplexes one 10/100M Ethernet and four channels of RS-232, RS-422, TTL or Dry Contact interfaces over single mode or multimode fiber. A "one fiber," two-way communication...

Calendar.(Calendar)
November 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 918.832.9265 // Fax 918.831.9875 // Website www.distributech.com ...