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Silver Sequestered Beneath the Sea: Climate Change's New Impact

Recent research has unveiled a surprising consequence of climate change: silver, a metal traditionally associated with jewelry and electronics, is now being buried beneath the ocean. This new discovery highlights an intricate and concerning shift in how climate change is altering Earth’s geochemical cycles. The study, detailed in a recent article on Live Science, provides a fresh perspective on the broader implications of our warming planet.

The Unexpected Journey of Silver

Silver, while typically celebrated...

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Exelon Expands Data Center Load and PJM Capacity

In a rapidly evolving energy landscape, Exelon’s recent moves in the energy and data center markets signal a pivotal shift in how utilities are engaging with the intersection of technology, grid capacity, and sustainability. The company’s entry into data center load management and its...

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Electrical Substations

Vacuum Interrupter Testing for Circuit Breakers

How to predict field life using vacuum interrupters

BY FINLEY LEDBETTER, Group CBS

Utilities have widely replaced older air-magnetic and oil interrupters for circuit breakers rated at one kilovolt (kV) or higher with vacuum interrupters (VI) due to higher interrupt capability. Vacuum interrupters also last up to 10 times the expected lifetime than newer sulfur hexafluoride (SF-6) gas interrupters. Unfortunately, the downside to building a protective device with a long service life is that utility planners, technicians, and maintenance professionals believe it will last forever.

However, that misconception, plus the difficulty in field testing VIs, has placed a large portion of the U.S. industrial and utility distribution switchgear at risk of failure. Luckily, several traditional “pass/fail” testing methods and one new “predictive” field-testing method exist for verifying the isolation capability of VI-protected circuit breakers and motor controls. These three testing methods are covered in detail in this...

Electrical Substations Articles

Understanding the IEC 61850 Protocol in Substation Automation

The IEC 61850 protocol has become the global standard for substation automation, enabling high-speed communication, interoperability, and streamlined integration of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs). It plays a foundational role in transforming traditional substations into digital substations...