Utility Automation & Engineering T&D articles from October 2007

Utility Automation & Engineering T&D archives from October 2007

Of dogs, tails and Eisenhower-esque vision.(FROM THE EDITOR)
October 1, 2007... I was fortunate to have been invited to attend a small but very meaningful gathering of utility executives recently. Quanta Services held its annual Utility Perspectives conference in Boston last month, and two topics dear to the hearts of this...

EPRI issues updated "Red Book".(NEWS)
October 1, 2007... The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) unveiled an updated and expanded edition of its landmark guidebook EPRI AC Transmission Line Reference Book: 200 kV and Above, Third Edition, which is widely known as the "Red Book," the industry...

The fantastic four of transmission development.(NEWS)
October 1, 2007... Arizona Public Service Company, PacifiCorp, National Grid and the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority have entered into an agreement to work together on preliminary development of new high-voltage transmission lines for the West. The...

UTC to utilities: all aboard! CIP compliance now!(NEWS)
October 1, 2007... The Utilities Telecom Council (UTC) recently released this opinion statement: [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many utilities have taken steps to comply with new North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure...

LiveData assists Georgia Power.(NEWS)
October 1, 2007... LiveData and Oracle have deployed the companies' SCADA integration solution for distribution outage management at Georgia Power Company (GPC). The largest electric utility in Georgia, GPC has improved its response to outages and other...

Tidbit.(NEWS)(Anaheim Public Utilities completed production deployment )(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The City of Anaheim Public Utilities has completed the production deployment of the Advanced Control Systems (ACS) PRISM real-time outage management system (OMS). In addition to OMS, Anaheim has deployed ACS solutions for SCADA, substation and...

EU commission happy about surveillance.(Eye on Europe)
October 1, 2007... EU energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs welcomed the positive outcome of the electricity suppliers surveillance system deployed this summer being ready to act in the event of any major supply disruptions. Although the system has been running...

Neptune project ahead of schedule.(NEWS)(Neptune Regional Transmission System LLC )(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... In July 2005, Siemens was awarded the contract to build a Sayreville, N.J.-Long Island, N.Y. interconnection by Neptune Regional Transmission System LLC of Fairfield, Connecticut. After commissioning, Neptune RTS, owner and operator of the...

FERC report marks growth of demand response efforts.(NEWS)(Federal Energy Regulatory Commission)
October 1, 2007... Demand response and advanced metering programs have grown significantly over the past year, according to a new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) report that charts progress in the number of demand response programs, the number of...

ITC, AEP study outlines transmission project.(NEWS)
October 1, 2007... ITC Holdings Corp., in collaboration with American Electric Power (AEP), has released the findings of a joint study evaluating the feasibility and benefits of building a new 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission network across Michigan's southern...

The new crew: keeping pace with the 21st century asset boom.
October 1, 2007... When electric-utility construction flourished in the 1960s and 1970s, so did the lucrative careers of the engineers behind the boom. Today, however, this "old crew" is gradually fading from the workforce--taking its irreplaceable knowledge with...

Protective relaying reliability in the new century: condition-based maintenance management.
October 1, 2007... Protective relaying systems stand guard over the power grid, watching for faults and disturbances, and making selective decisions in milliseconds to operate circuit breakers to isolate the problem. Relays have been described as silent...

Demand response program design: start at the end.
October 1, 2007... A growing number of utilities are increasing their commitment to implementing and enlarging demand response programs. At the same time, ISOs are introducing new and improved demand response (DR) programs and specialized DR firms are expanding...

Intelligent electric meters: gateways for advanced utility applications.
October 1, 2007... Electric utilities today are harvesting the operational benefits of automated meter reading (AMR) systems to improve the bottom line in an ever-demanding market. In addition to the positive economic benefits derived from a mechanized read...

Mobile workforce management: licensed vs. outsourced.
October 1, 2007... Over the last 20 years, field workforce automation was the poster child for overlooked opportunities in utility technology. Dispatching had not kept pace with innovations in other utility technologies, such as customer information systems and...

Utility trucks: where the rubber meets the road.
October 1, 2007... Later this month, the International Construction & Utility Equipment Exposition, or ICUEE, will take place in Louisville, Ky. The biennial demo expo gives utility and construction workers a chance to get some hands-on time with a variety of...

HVDC.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... Siemens Power Transmission and Distribution (PTD) has launched a high-voltage direct current transmission (HVDC) system, based on a new generation of converters using voltage-sourced converter (VSC) technology. The HVDC Plus system is suitable...

Lithium batteries.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... Tadiran Batteries has introduced an improved version of its PulsesPlus battery that possesses "end-of-life" indication functions, allowing end-users to maximize the service life of the original battery. PulsesPlus batteries offer two distinct...

Discrete I/O Module.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... NovaTech has released the Distributed Discrete I/O Module (DDIO). Its rugged design allows the DDIO module to be installed without any special environmental conditioning and to withstand the wide temperature range and electrical noise commonly...

Router software.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... GarrettCom Inc.'s software release for the DynaStar line of substation-hardened routers extends the reach of the newer generation carrier data services that are based on MPLS (multi-protocol label switching). The new DynaStar OS 7.4 software...

Work management services.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... Osmose Utilities Services, Inc now offers engineering and work management services to America's utilities that face increased workloads due to aging infrastructure and aging workforce trends. Osmose has combined two competencies--field...

Static Line Lifter.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... Responding to field demands from the T & D maintenance industry, Diversified Product Development's SLL-60 Static Line Lifter provides a safe and effective solution for power line and electric utility crews looking to optimize use of personnel...

Mobile resource management.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... Mobile resource management (MRM) solution provider Wireless Matrix Corp. has released an upgraded version of FleetOutlook, its hosted MRM solution. The new version provides fully integrated planning and dispatch functionality to enterprise...

Utility vehicle switches.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... Cole Hersee, a manufacturer of heavy-duty electrical and electronic products for the vehicle industry, announces its 25A MicroRelay Switches. More compact than regular relays, Cole Hersee's MicroRelays accept a load of up to 25A at 12V DC and...

Transmission line Spacer.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... Designed to provide proper spacing and maximum protection for transmission conductor bundles, the CUSHION-GRIP Twin Spacer from Preformed Line Products (PLP) is available for both standard and high temperature applications. Unique to the...

RTU Expansion Module.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... The OSIRIS XM (OSI Remote Information System Expansion Module) from Open Systems International is a convenient, affordable means to add I/O expansion to OSI's OSIRIS remote terminal unit (RTU). OSIRIS XM can double or triple the point count of...

Work boot.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... The new Thermal Force work boot from Timberland PRO features an innovative heat retention system designed specifically for those who work in cold environments. The boot offers superior performance without added bulk, providing workers with...

Disconnect switch.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... Chance has introduced the M3C disconnect switch for 15.5 or 27 kV with a 600 Amp continuous-current rating, plus 900 Amp rating in the 27 kV. The design installs like a cutout, its single EPS silicon-alloy rubber insulator derived from the...

Self propelled utility plow.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... BRON crawlers are available with static or vibratory plows for the direct burial of underground utilities including telephone, electrical, conduit, gas and water lines. The power unit pictured here features a BRON 250 crawler with a BRON...

Ruggedized fiber optic cables.(NEW PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2007... With a need to collect and move data at Gigabit speeds, high-performance fiber optic cable is increasingly migrating from the cool confines of air-conditioned office buildings and data centers into the hothouse, rough and tumble environment of...

Calendar.(Conference news)(Calendar)
October 1, 2007... DistribuTECH and TransTECH 2008: The utility industry's most comprehensive conference on automation, information technology and T & D engineering Jan. 22-24, 2008. Tampa, FL. // Phone 918.832.9265 // www.distributech.com OCTOBER 15-17 ...

Using a smart grid to address our aging infrastructure.(SMART GRID PERSPECTIVES)
October 1, 2007... A large underground pipe bursts, sending scalding hot plumes of steam and water into the air one block from New York's Grand Central Station. An interstate highway bridge, jammed with rush hour traffic, collapses in Minneapolis. A large power...