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News and Trends

Latest News From The T&D Industry

PJM Urges FERC to Dismiss Complaint Over Soaring Capacity Auction Costs

In a recent development, the PJM Interconnection, along with independent power producers and clean energy trade groups, has urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to dismiss a complaint filed by ratepayer advocates concerning PJM's last capacity auction. The complaint, which seeks to overturn the auction results, has sparked a debate over market reliability and consumer costs.

Background of the Complaint

The complaint was filed by ratepayer advocates from various states, including New Jersey, Illinois,...

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Climate Change News

How Utilities Can Navigate the Energy Transition

The energy transition is an evolving process that is reshaping the utility sector, bringing both opportunities and challenges. As utilities face the need to shift from fossil fuels to cleaner, more sustainable sources of energy, they must develop strategies that address immediate operational needs...

Renewable Energy News

New Solar Maker Enters U.S. Market

NuVision Solar, an American-owned and operated manufacturer of solar cells and modules, has announced its entry into the North American market. This strategic move aims to bolster domestic solar manufacturing and reduce reliance on imported solar components. Background The U.S. solar industry has...

T&D Trends


Utility News

Biogas Tax Credit Finalized, Supporting RNG Growth

The biogas industry achieved a significant milestone with the finalization of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), incorporating favorable provisions for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG). This policy breakthrough is expected to spur investments in biogas and RNG projects across the United States, advancing...

Utility News

The End of the Road for Transmission Incentives

In a significant shift, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has decided to abandon its transmission incentives policy, particularly the construction work in progress (CWIP) incentives. This decision marks a pivotal change in how transmission projects are financed and regulated,...

Electrical Substations

Power Factor Testing of Circuit Breakers

Detecting contamination and deterioration in SF6 breakers to ensure longevity

BY LINDA NOWAK, Doble Engineering Company

The purpose of “Doble testing”, or power factor testing, SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride) circuit breakers is to detect the presence of contamination and/or deterioration of the breaker’s insulating system. This process will allow corrective actions to be taken to ensure the integrity of the breaker.

The Doble test is completed by measuring the insulation’s dielectric-loss and capacitance and calculating the power factor. The increase of the dielectric loss and, consequently, the power factor, is representative of an increase in contamination and/or deterioration of the insulating system. The Doble test can detect a number of problems including the following items.

• Moisture contamination resulting from leaks or incomplete cleaning and drying • Deterioration of line-to-ground and contact-grading capacitors • Surface contamination of weathersheds • Deterioration of insulating components such as operating rods,...

Electrical Substations Articles


Substation Automation

RTU and HMI Redundancy in Electrical Substations

As the substation RTU takes on more applications, such as Human-Machine-Interface (HMI), alarm annunciation, math & logic and “relay communication processing”, its need for high availability increases. Anything that takes the RTU out of service – configuration change, firmware update, or...