Asset and risk management for electric utilities
BY SIRI VARADAN, UISOL, & SERGE VANASSE, Clevest
Aging transmission and distribution (T&D) infrastructure is a critical issue for electric utilities, resulting in the need for utilities to make decisions regarding the replacement, repair, or refurbishment of their assets under a constrained investment environment and other factors.
North American electric utilities are faced with determining the optimal portfolio of asset investment projects from a number of potential projects...
Calling utilities and regulators to move forward with new ideas A significant regulatory barrier stands in the way of innovation in Canada’s gas and electric utility sectors. Current regulatory practices were designed for existing and relatively low-risk technologies rather than innovative new...
Improving T&D planning and operations BY TAO HONG, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Running the most complicated man-made object in the world, utilities are keeping the lights on for 5.3 billion people globally. In such an engineering savvy industry, energy forecasting is a crucial but...
Smart grid is an idea of upgradation of the traditional electric grid infrastructure. The efficiency of the existing electrical grid can be automated by integrating with innovative technical equipment such as: high-tech forecasting system, digital sensors, advanced two-way communication and...
Increasing the hosting capacity of distributed generation in power distribution systems is identified as key low-carbon solution to help meet the aggressive greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in the energy sector. The deployment of distributed generation technologies is creating a paradigm...
Distributed energy resources (DERs) can benefit the power system and individual homes and businesses. DERs can increase the resiliency and reliability of the power grid, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the overall power cost, and provide power at the point of use. Several types of DERs can...
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...
This project won EEI Transmission Project of the Year – 2016 Description: 240 circuit miles, 345 kV line, double bundleProject: Replace 1,440 miles of ACSR conductor with ACCC Objectives Improve reliability (reduced sag and corrosion) Increased capacity to serve growth (2X...
A recently published report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlights the significant cybersecurity risks facing the nation’s power grid. One of the key findings in this report is that “the grid is becoming more vulnerable to cyberattacks - particularly those involving...
If you thought growth in renewable electricity generation was a big deal – and it is – you haven’t seen anything yet. Full-scale transformation to a cleaner, smarter and more flexible grid will be driven by a suite of innovations – referred to as Distributed Energy Resources – that...
The idea of a cyberattack on the power grid may invoke images of flickering lights and a race against the clock to block an intrusion – but, often the most serious threats aren’t that obvious or dramatic.Cyber threats that target critical infrastructure facilities like the power grid...
