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Underground Distribution


Underground Smart Grid

In recent years, the cost to bury high-voltage power lines has decreased dramatically. The American Transmission Company reports that installation costs for underground transmission lines (over 100 kilovolts) are now only 2.5 to 10 times the cost of an equivalent overhead line. Consequently, the...

Wire and Cable


Pole Line Hardware


Facing Wildfire? Choose Toughened Glass Insulators

Insulators under fire, what are we talking about? A line directly in the fire is considered as lost A line near the heat of a fire can be saved What is the condition of insulators on a line nearby a fire? Reliability of insulators during or after a fire is a key consideration for T&D...

Overhead Distribution


Roping Electrical Equipment

How synthetic ropes show results for heavy lifts BY BILL PUTNAM, Yale Cordage Years ago in Oklahoma, an investigation ensued after a pole-mounted transformer dropped thirty feet off a wire winch line and onto the foot of a line worker during a routine maintenance operation. Initially thought to...

Conductors & Materials


Insulators' ageing in North America - How about testing them?

Sediver has established in the USA an assembly factory for glass insulators in 2017 but also, and perhaps more interesting for some engineers, a laboratory capable of performing all the tests required by the world’s standards. Large test campaigns have already been conducted in this...

Vegetation Management


Implementing Advanced Vegetation Management Strategies

Improve grid reliability today. BY SARA SANKOWICH, Unitil In 2011, the New England region faced two significant weather events: Hurricane Irene and an unseasonably early October snowstorm—on top of other frequent major storm events in the preceding four years. Utilities could not avoid the...

Overhead T&D

Electrical Connectors for Overhead Lines

Utility distribution systems utilize a variety of connectors to join and attach overhead conductors. These components are simple and relatively inexpensive; however, due to their critical function and the large number of components utilized in the electrical system, they deserve some consideration from the maintenance perspective.

Factors such as corrosion, improper installation, and manufacturing defects can cause in-service failure of connectors leading to safety risks to lineman crews and the public, and compromising the...

Overhead T&D Articles