Improving communications for electric utilities
BY MIKE KOCH, Motorola Solutions
Utility management has never been an easy profession. The stakes rose dramatically when the U.S. government designated energy and communications as two of the top industries of all 16 critical infrastructure industries. Utility managers must live up to the reality of this vital designation. Yet, this designation as critical infrastructure provokes potential contradictions with the realities of for-profit utilities that must also watch bottom-line costs...
IESO stays ahead of Ontario’s rapidly changing marketplace BY PHILL FELTHAM, Editor-in-Chief Electricity Today Magazine Grid modernization is a buzz term used by regulators, utilities, and other participants within North America’s power sector. Modernizing the power grid is the proposed answer...
NEURAL GRID TAKES SMART GRID INTO THE CLOUD The Neural Grid represents more than Smart Grid v2.0—much more. Today, the smart grid implies the legacy mechanical power transmission and distribution (T&D) networks enhanced by pockets of automation, connectivity, and centralized IT systems. The...
Itron Inc, which makes technology to monitor energy and water usage, said it would buy Silver Spring Networks Inc., in a deal valued at about $830 million, to expand its presence in the smart city and smart grid markets. Silver Spring’s network equipment and services help transform power...
As the big push behind NERC CIP v5/v6 comes to some form of “conclusion”, most U.S. utility executives are breathing a huge sigh of relief. Their efforts to make their high and medium impact facilities compliant are finally completing. However for some insiders, there is a concern that a...
Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and private 5G networks promise deterministic, low-latency communication for modern protection and control—extending real-time reliability beyond the substation fence. Why Determinism Matters In protection systems, milliseconds determine success or failure. A...
In a strategic move to tackle the growing electricity demand and bolster energy security, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), under Secretary Chris Wright, has announced plans to focus on expanding baseload and dispatchable power generation. This shift in priorities, outlined on January 5, 2025,...
A coalition of large energy consumers and ratepayer advocates has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), urging the agency to prohibit transmission owners from independently planning "local" transmission projects exceeding 100 kilovolts (kV). The coalition argues...
The shift from traditional electrical grids to smart grids marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of energy distribution and management. Smart grids leverage cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced automation to transform how...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has rejected a proposal from PJM Interconnection, one of the United States' largest regional transmission organizations, to alter its transmission planning protocol. The decision represents a significant victory for state regulators who had expressed...
As Texas continues to experience rapid population growth and surging electricity demand, there is increasing pressure on the state's electrical grid to meet the needs of its residents. According to Texas energy leader, Dan Woodfin, the state's grid needs a fundamental redesign to address the...
