Electrical Substations

Physical Security & Monitoring

Ensuring Compliance vs Building Resilience

The realization that the vast majority of substations have significant security vulnerabilities was crystalized after the Metcalf incident of April 2013, during which unknown assailants caused the failure of 17 transformers at the Silicon Valley PG&E transmission substation in Metcalf,...

Substation Technologies

Ethernet Cable Selection for Utilities

Electric utilities are constantly searching for the most efficient, reliable and cost-effective methods to deliver electricity to customers. A vision for accomplishing this is the migration of the electrical grid from a reliable, but inflexible system to the Smart Grid, which promises adaptability...

Breakers & Relays

Global study finds continuing moderate growth in protective relay market with commitment to improving protection coordination and grid security practices

In 2016, Newton-Evans Research Company completed a six-month research study and survey of protective relay usage patterns in the world community of electric power utilities. Findings from 114 large and mid-size utilities in 28 countries pointed to some newer trends in adoption and use of protection...

Lightning Protection

Lightning Discoveries & Technologies

How this phenomenon affects electric utilities BY JIM SIEBERT, FOX 26 Chief Meteorologist Advances in technology are helping scientists understand lightning in ways that were not possible a few years ago. Beforehand, meteorologists primarily studied lightning, focusing most of their efforts on...

Substation Protection

Substation Focused on Environmental Design

One of the important trends in design of new overhead lines over the past 20 years has been development of structures and designs that are less obtrusive and more pleasing visually. Much the same process has also been going on at substations. For example, even 25 years ago, efforts had already been...

Substation Automation

Future-proofing Substations with Ethernet Technologies

Nine steps to help develop a future-proof infrastructure for your substation BY TIM WALLAERT, Belden Substations with Ethernet technologies: the convergence of industrial Ethernet technologies, Smart Grid practices and the increased need for security has provided an opportunity for power...

Home Transformation Electrical Substations

Utilizing Fault Resistance to Test Distance Relays

Taking power grid protection to an all-new level

BY JASON BUNEO & RENE AGUILAR, Megger

The testing of distance relays has evolved from testing simple electromechanical relays to the newest modern microprossesor relays. Most modern relays employ advanced algorithms that not only compare the direction of voltages and currents in the system but also rather look at other system components. For example, many modern relays utilize various methods in order to determine the direction of...