Electricity Forum Intelligent Power Today Magazine Arc Flash Clothing

State of Industry


PG&E Shows Utility Stocks Aren’t Boring Anymore

It wasn’t so long ago that investors saw utilities as safe, boring, and modestly profitable. With dependable revenue from monthly electric bills and regular dividends, they were a favorite among penny-saving retirees and portfolio managers wanting to hedge against volatility in the broader...

Cyber Security Strategy is a Must-Have for AMI/MDMS and DA Systems

Over the past decade, utilities around the world have taken advantage of the many clear benefits that Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and subsequently Distribution Automation (DA) can afford. In addition to the proven cost savings of automated and remote meter reading, utilities have been...

The End of the Road for Transmission Incentives

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,...

Moving Forward with LED Retrofits

Evaluating options for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) BY JEFF GOLDSTEIN, LaMar Lighting Lighting and related maintenance costs can constitute a significant portion of the commercial building's budget. Tasked with reducing costs, facility managers, owners and operations professionals re-evaluate...

Duke Energy Approved to Deploy New Power Generation in NC

Duke Energy has received approval from North Carolina regulators to deploy a significant amount of new power generation capacity in the state, including new natural gas plants, as part of its long-term energy transition strategy. The decision, which is expected to have a major impact on the...

FirstEnergy Explores Alternatives to PJM Capacity Market

In a strategic move aimed at enhancing its power supply reliability, FirstEnergy is actively exploring alternatives to the PJM capacity market. This development reflects the company’s proactive approach to addressing challenges within the existing market structure and ensuring a more robust...

State of Industry

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 component failure – means not only loss of SCADA but also loss of local visibility, loss of non-operational data and, in some applications, loss of local control. Redundancy can address the needs for higher...

State of Industry Articles