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Utility Pole Showdown: Wood vs. Steel

A recent study that takes an in-depth look at the environmental performance of wood and steel utility poles challenges current perceptions on the sustainability advantages of wood poles when compared with steel poles. The detailed study, titled “Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Southern...

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....

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...

Pole Line Hardware


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


Improve Energy Efficiency in Underground Systems

Making appropriate cable component design and material choices BY DENNIS DOSS, General Cable ore than ever, society is realizing that energy resources are dwindling and becoming more expensive. In response, North American electric utilities offer consumers a variety of incentives to deploy energy...

Infrastructure & Technologies


Smart Grid and Aging Infrastructure

Why technologies are important to grid modernization BY MANI VADARI, Modern Grid Solutions Electricity is one of the cornerstones of our economy. A modern electric grid is critical for our economic and national security. The National Academy of Engineering has called the North American power grid...

Overhead T&D

I Need To Hire a Utility Contractor. Where Do I Start?

In June 2012, the Ontario Legislature unanimously passed Bill 8, the Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, which, among other things, requires owners of buried infrastructure in the public right of way – including municipalities, universities, hospitals and private condominium properties – to register their buried infrastructure with Ontario One Call (ON1Call).

Before an excavator breaks ground, he or she must contact ON1Call which in turn will contact the infrastructure owner to accurately locate and...

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