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Conductors & Materials


Converting Power Lines to Smart Wires

Increasing the observability and control of the transmission network BY FRANK KREIKEBAUM, JERRY MELCHER, & JULIE COUILLARD, Smart Wire Grid, Inc. The North American power grid has evolved into a connected set of four major interconnections delivering low-cost and reliable energy. The U.S....

Case Study


Fort Collins Municipality Case Study

A proposal for equipping broadband services to the Fort Collins, CO, municipality was approved by residents and a $120 million bond is now providing Fort Collins with resources to build and improve the municipality’s infrastructure so it can support broadband service for any qualifying...

Vegetation Management


Scheduling Vegetation Maintenance Activities

How to adopt best practices to improve reliability and reduce costs BY PHILIP CHARLTON, Utility Arborist Association Electric utilities have always faced the challenge of determining the optimum frequency of maintenance operations for the control of trees and brush growing near the electric system....

Outage Management & Restoration


Digital Twins for Substations: Bridging the Physical and Digital Worlds

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...

Infrastructure & Technologies


Detecting Faults in Underground Networks

Enhancing protection using directional faulted circuit indicators BY CHRISTOPHER EVANICH, Thomas & Betts Underground electrical networks provide reliable service to end users, but create problems for utility personnel in locating faults. Electric utilities who utilize an underground network...

Pole Line Hardware


Fiber-Reinforced Composite Cross Arms for Transmission Structures

Fiber-reinforced polymers versus traditional cross arms materials BY JANOS TOTH & GRANT LOCKHART, FRP Transmission Innovations Inc. Recently, utilities have started using newer options such as component polyurethanes instead of older, widely used conventional materials. Specifically,...

Overhead T&D

Fighting Wildfires to Increase Pole Protection

Evaluating pole selection for increased protection

BY BUTCH BERNHARDT, North American Wood Pole Council

The number of wildland fires reached record levels in many states in 2014, prompting questions about what poles perform more efficiently in fires: steel or wood. Research from a bulletin entitled, “The Performance of Distribution Utility Poles in Wildland Fire Hazard Areas”, published by the North American Wood Pole Council and authored by independent engineer Stephen T. Smith, P.E., contains some...

Overhead T&D Articles