How utilities can stand firm to save money and save lives
BY PHILL FELTHAM, Executive Editor
Electricity Today Magazine
Copper theft has become a growing problem for utilities in Canada and the United States. This precious metal has increased in value in recent years, so thieves are stripping copper from substations and power lines to make money. Unfortunately, copper theft does more than cost millions of dollars in damage for utilities; it costs lives as...
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...
Distribution companies are continually looking for ways to improve system reliability, all while conserving capital investments and operational costs. With an aging infrastructure, one of the main issues that utilities face is a way to assess the actual condition of their capital assets. With...
The 25 kV Class 200 Ampere loadbreak separable insulated connector system didn't always have today's reputation for safety and reliability. As 25 kV Class loadbreak connectors increased in popularity in the 1980's and 1990's, utilities reported unacceptably high numbers of flashovers...
Aging underground residential distribution (URD) cables is a growing problem in communities around the world, disrupting customers and causing business challenges for utility providers. But in most cases, the traditional remedy for URD cable failure—taking the impacted cable out of service...
Essentially, cable cleats are devices designed to secure cables and to ensure the retention and support of them, reducing the load that the cable may be exposed to under its own weight. They are also designed to contain the cables under fault conditions, protecting the cables and the cable...
To support decarbonization mandates in the U.S., many utilities and transco's have proposed new transmission lines to link load centers with new renewable generation assets and move power from one region to another over vast distances. While the U.S. government continues to struggle to find ways to...
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...
Reflections: Nearly twenty years ago when I got into the energy business, reliability was a second-tier design objective for most transmission engineers. Safety factors had already been established and the materials we used for structures and powerline wires (conductors) were well known. While...
Based in Brighton, CO, United Power Inc. is the 2nd largest electric cooperative in Colorado. With over 5,000 miles of power lines and nearly 83,000 meters, they serve over 200,000 customers along the north central range of the Colorado Rockies. A section of the United Power service area also heads...
The 25 kV Class 200 Ampere loadbreak separable insulated connector system didn't always have today's reputation for safety and reliability. As 25 kV Class loadbreak connectors increased in popularity in the 1980's and 1990's, utilities reported unacceptably high numbers of flashovers...
