Utility Automation & Monitoring
Texas PUC Shelves $1B Grid Credit Mechanism
Grid Modernization Strategies
Utility Automation & Monitoring

BIG DATA ADVANTAGES
Currently, modern electric utilities are facing an avalanche of new data. Each new system deployed presents a tremendous amount of information that can provide great value to the utility. Unfortunately, the tools available to work with this information are often rudimentary and create difficulties to take advantage of the potential value “locked up” in this data.
For example, a modern advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system can collect meter readings much more frequently than what...
Related Articles

Grid Modernization Strategies
Moving utilities toward a modern energy system BY RONNY SANDOVAL, Environmental Defense Fund The need to build a smarter energy infrastructure has never been greater. Storms and other extreme weather events such as Hurricane Sandy continue to test the limits of the existing, century-old electric...

RTU and HMI Redundancy in Electrical Substations
As the substation RTU takes on more applications, such as Human-Machine-Interface (HMI), alarm annunciation, math & logic and “relay communication processing”, its need for high availability increases. Anything that takes the RTU out of service – configuration change, firmware update, or...

THE SMART GRID: STATUS AND OUTLOOK
The electrical grid in the United States comprises all of the power plants generating electricity, together with the transmission and distribution lines and systems that bring power to end-use customers. The “grid” also connects the many publicly and privately owned electric utility and power...

Opening the Door to Grid Modernization
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...

FERC Complaint Targets Duke, PJM Transmission Planning
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...

Texas PUC Shelves $1B Grid Credit Mechanism
The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has unanimously decided to shelve the proposed $1 billion Performance Credit Mechanism (PCM) for power generators, concluding that it would not deliver the anticipated grid reliability benefits. The PCM was conceived as a means to incentivize power...

FERC Rejects PJM Transmission Planning Change
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...

FERC Approves Interconnection for Talen Energy, Amazon Data Center
In a significant move that underscores the growing demand for reliable and sustainable energy to power the expanding digital infrastructure, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved an interconnection agreement between Talen Energy, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Exelon. This...

RWE Expands Its Footprint with 450 MW of Battery Energy Storage in Texas
In a significant move for the renewable energy landscape, RWE, a leading global energy company, has announced the addition of 450 megawatts (MW) of battery energy storage capacity in Texas. This expansion underscores the growing importance of energy storage solutions in enhancing grid reliability...

Pathways Initiative Proposes Regional Organization to Oversee Western Power Markets
In a landscape characterized by evolving energy demands and increasing pressure to transition to renewable sources, the Pathways Initiative is proposing a significant restructuring of power market oversight in the Western United States. This initiative seeks to create a regional organization that...