Leveraging AMI to improve grid reliability and outage response
BY TIM WOLF, Itron
Getting a handle on overall grid reliability and outage trends for the entire U.S. can be challenging. Despite generally high reliability numbers, power outages are occurring more frequently and the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that outages cost the American economy as much $150 billion per year. Unfortunately, outages are affecting more people and lasting longer than just a decade ago. These...
Taking metering technologies to the next level BY BRIAN SEAL, Electric Power Research Institute Between 2004 and 2009, the production of traditional electromechanical electricity meters in the U.S. was gradually shutdown in the wake of the successful introduction of solid-state electronic meters....
Standardizing communication to achieve plug-and-play interoperability BY RYAN MALEY, ZigBee Alliance All over the world, there is increasing demand for standardizing communication in the Smart Grid. Electric utilities and their regulators are increasingly concerned with upgrading all aspects of the...
Smart meters and transactive energy: Examining the benefits and addressing the concerns BY JOHN CASKEY, National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) Smart meters are beneficial to consumers and utilities. What makes this meter “smart” is its two-way communication system and ability to...
In a significant shift, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has decided to abandon its transmission incentives policy, particularly the construction work in progress (CWIP) incentives. This decision marks a pivotal change in how transmission projects are financed and regulated,...
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 evolving demands of modern power grids necessitate the adoption of advanced technologies that can provide enhanced efficiency, reliability, and flexibility. Smart transformers are at the forefront of this technological revolution, offering a range of capabilities that significantly improve the...
In a significant shift, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has decided to abandon its transmission incentives policy, particularly the construction work in progress (CWIP) incentives. This decision marks a pivotal change in how transmission projects are financed and regulated,...
In a landmark move aimed at accelerating the U.S. transition to a more resilient and sustainable energy grid, the Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a groundbreaking investment of $2.2 billion in innovative transmission and energy storage projects across 18 states. This significant funding...
In the past 100 years, customer interaction with electric utilities has not changed significantly. However, with the introduction of smart meters, customers are now able to sign up for new programs and access their electricity usage data. In early 2013, the Illinois Energy Infrastructure and...
Already, smart city technologies are strong in Europe and the Middle East. Now, cities all over North America are joining the smart cities movement as well. Once the journey begins, a city quickly realizes that it cannot become smart and sustainable without the help of its electric power utility....
