Examining the evolution of outage management systems
BY GERALD GRAY & JOHN SIMMINS, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Once again, a major storm event, in this case Hurricane Sandy, has brought increased attention to a utility’s capability to respond to and mitigate damage to its infrastructure. With all of the investment that the utility industry has seen in infrastructure over the last few years, with major projects and the U.S. Department of Energy matching funds,...
The permeation of intelligence into the medium-voltage network is continuing apace, bringing the reality of the Smart Grid ever closer. One target of the Smart Grid is to improve service continuity by recognizing, locating, and isolating faults as quickly as possible. Concurrently, the amount of...
Using the ARCOS Callout and Scheduling solutions, GVEA’s supervisors, dispatchers and line workers, among others, will be able to plan, launch and track the status of automated, after-hours calls for emergency crews from their desktops, tablets and smartphones. GVEA will begin rolling out the...
In a survey conducted in September 2016 by ARCOS LLC (a provider of emergency resource management software), the software provider asked utilities how they manage damage assessment in the wake of major events like storms and earthquakes. Thirty-five percent of utilities polled said they relied on...
The occurrence of severe weather events is on the rise at an alarming rate. According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, extreme weather events that used to happen once every 40 years now occur as frequently as every six years in some regions; severe weather is expected to become even more frequent...
A coalition of large energy consumers and ratepayer advocates has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), urging the agency to prohibit transmission owners from independently planning "local" transmission projects exceeding 100 kilovolts (kV). The coalition argues...
In a significant move that underscores the growing demand for reliable and sustainable energy to power the expanding digital infrastructure, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved an interconnection agreement between Talen Energy, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Exelon. This...
In the rapidly evolving landscape of power grid management, digital twin technology is emerging as a game-changer for substations. By creating virtual replicas of physical assets, digital twins bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds, enabling enhanced operational efficiency and...
The increasing frequency and intensity of climate-related disasters are placing unprecedented strain on the world's electricity networks, with severe implications for global energy security. According to a recent Bloomberg report, the effects of climate change are pushing many electricity grids to...
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,...
IntroductionIn November of 2018, the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in California history burned a total of 240 square miles, destroyed 18,804 structures and resulted in 85 civilian fatalities. Known as the Camp Fire, it devastated several communities including the towns of Paradise and...
