Overhead T&D

Distribution Protection

Coping with Extreme Weather Events

How to optimize the entire outage lifecycle BY RICK NICHOLSON, Ventyx The extreme weather just keeps coming. In 2012, there were 11 outages due to severe weather costing at least $1 billion. The year of 2013 had its share as well. More and more, the scale and variety of such major events are...

Case Study

FirstEnergy Explores Alternatives to PJM Capacity Market

In a strategic move aimed at enhancing its power supply reliability, FirstEnergy is actively exploring alternatives to the PJM capacity market. This development reflects the company’s proactive approach to addressing challenges within the existing market structure and ensuring a more robust...

Wire and Cable

The Evolution / Revolution of Overhead Conductors… and why it matters

Brief Background: In the early 1900's Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR) conductor was developed to replace copper wires, due to the war effort when copper was needed for munitions. In the 1970's growing demand for electricity inspired the development of higher capacity Aluminum Conductor...

Underground Distribution

Safety in Underground Power Systems

Protecting utility personnel working below ground BY MIKE DOHERTY, PowerTel Utilities Contractors Limited "Safety” in “underground systems” has different connotations for different sectors depending on the tasks performed. “Qualified electrical workers” can have...

Conductors & Materials

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,...

Infrastructure & Technologies

Estimating Transmission Costs for New Generation Technologies

Often when project developers talk about the cost of a new power plant, wind farm, or solar installation, they’re referring to the capital cost of building a facility. Certainly those development costs have dropped over time—especially for wind and solar. But developers overlook the...

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Mobile Workforce Using Augmented Reality

Plugging workers into data analytics and information technologies

BY JOHN SIMMINS, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)

Collectively, North American electric utilities operate in a unique environment. They need to serve all willing customers; they are in one of the most capital-intensive industries; and their product is consumed immediately. Yet the planning and pricing for that product might have lead times greater than a year, even as utilities suffer from the same rapidly evolving technology challenge...

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