Smart Grid 26 l Distribution Planning 52 l Transmission Lines 58

From one
engineer to
another, let’s talk
peer-to-peer.
The quickest route is usually the most direct route. A fact
holds especially true when it comes to restoring service fol-
lowing a power disruption. Which is why direct, point-to-point,
distributed intelligence is paramount to creating a rapid self-
healing Smart Grid.
Enter S&C’s IntelliTEAM SG™ Automatic Restoration System,
– – ”  ” – ‘ ‘ Ƭǯ•Ƥ Ǧ’”‘˜ – ‘ ‘ ›Ǥ–ǯ• 
•‘ –™ ”  •‘ —– ‘  – – ’ • –  ” – ›  Ƥ 
equipment, allowing decisions to be made where they are
needed most.
 – 
 —–‘ – ›” ‘ Ƥ —” •–  •–” —– ‘ 
system after a fault and quickly restores service to segments
‘ –  ” – – ” ǯ– ơ – Ǥ – ‘—  ‘– 
control and central monitoring are fully supported, neither
•” “— ” Ǥ • ‘ • ”   ‘ ›ǡ • ‘ ” Ǧ– 
loading data. Using the excess capacity from any available
alternate source, be it conventional, wind, solar or battery
storage, IntelliTEAM SG restores service in seconds, making
it the fastest restoration solution on the market. And, if an
overload develops after the transfer, the system will auto-
matically transfer or shed load based on priorities that
›‘— ‘ Ƥ —” Ǥ
 –  ’ – ‘” – – • •’‘™ ” —  • – •ƪ š ǡ – 
SG can work with systems of all sizes. There are, literally, no
limitations on the number of sources or switching devices.
It is also easy to deploy and maintain. It does not require
custom programming and can be easily expanded using
 – 
 • ”ǡƬǯ• ™ ‘ Ƥ —” – ‘ –‘‘ Ǥ
‘ Ƥ —”   ’–  ‘—  –‘ ™‘”  ™ –  ›‘—”
needs today yet powerful enough to shape your Smart Grid
‘ –‘ ‘””‘™ǡ – 
 • Ƥ Ǧ’”‘˜ ǡ• Ǧ 
solution that will change forever the amount of time your
customers will lose to unexpected power interruptions.
To learn more about IntelliTEAM SG and our other unmatched
Smart Grid solutions, visit www.sandc.com/rapidrestore.

©2010 S&C Electric Company 1042-A1004

 Is it possible to be a pioneer
from generation to generation?

SIPROTEC – for over 100 years, a unique success story of

innovation and quality in protection technology.
Since the beginning of the twentieth century and the pioneering days of protection technology, customer
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one step ahead of the competition. Our strategy of innovation, combined with a total focus on our customers
and their benefits, has made Siemens the market leader. www.siemens.com/energy/siprotec2011

Answers for energy.

 CONTENTS ™

Vol. 63 No. 3
MARCH2011

32
C O V E R
S T O R Y

When Overbuild Meets Underbuild

Surge arresters provide a simple solution to a complex
overvoltage problem.
By Daniel J. Ward, Dominion Virginia Power

44 32 Smart Customer Choices

Vendors rush to offer residential, commercial and industrial solutions.
By Gene Wolf,
f Technical Writer

44 Electric Vehicles Charge Ahead

Under the mobile smart grid concept, electric vehicles will give and get.
By Else Veldman
V , André Postma and Han Slootweg, Enexis B.V.;
Madeleine Gibescu, Delft University of Technology; and Wil L. Kling,
Eindhoven University of Technology

52 52 Dispersed Energy Storage

American Electric Power deploys battery energy storage across its
service territory.
By Emeka Okafor, r American Electric Power

58 Twice the Capacity on the Same Towers

Brazil uprates an environmentally sensitive river crossing with ACCR.
By Caetano Cezario Neto, Companhia de Transmissão de Energia
Elétrica Paulista

65 Customer Engagement Leads to Lower Costs

50
58
United Illuminating’s online system helps customers understand
energy use and make informed usage decisions.
By Joseph D. Thomas, The United Illuminating Co.

2 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

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 CONTENTS

Departments
8 GlobalVIEWPOINT
The Stepford Utility. We need to celebrate diversity rather than encourage
conformity if we are to realize true value in team.
By Rick Bush, Editorial Director

10 BUSINESSDevelopments
10
● NYISO Passes Reliability Audit, Meets All Reliability Standards
and Requirements
● PGE and BPA to Discuss Mutual Interests in Transmission Projects

14 SMARTGrid
● NEMA Announces SGIC Product Strategy
● Cooper Power Systems and Cisco Announce Smart Grid Collaboration

18 TECHNOLOGYUpdates
● A123 Systems to Supply 20 MW of Advanced Energy Storage Solutions
to AES Gener for Spinning Reserve Project in Chile
● East Kentucky Power Cooperative Awards SCADA/EMS System Contract

24 22 QuarterlyREPORT
The Geospatial Workforce Shortage. The geospatial industry is facing a
labor shortage, and electric utilities must be proactive in their recruiting
efforts. By Dave DiSera, GITA

24 CHARACTERSwithCharacter
An Accidental Engineer. Engineer Christer Eriksson receives a special
commendation in honor of his 50-year career with ABB.
By Stefanie Kure, Contributing Editor

70 70 PRODUCTS&Services
● Intelligent Self-Healing Software
● Software for Collaboration with Oracle Database

80 StraightTALK
Put the Smart in Customer. Utilities implementing smart grid
must change their relationship with consumers.
By Ellen Krohne, Yellow Energy Consulting

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PRECISE-ER.
Editorial Director Rick Bush rbush@tdworld.com
Technology Editor Vito Longo vlongo@tdworld.com
Senior Managing Editor Emily Saarela esaarela@tdworld.com
International Editor Gerry George gerry.george.tdw@talk21.com
Automation Editor Matt Tani mattelutcons@joplin.com
Contributing Editor Amy Fischbach afischbach@tdworld.com
Contributing Editor Stefanie Kure skure@tdworld.com
Technical Writer Gene Wolf GW_Engr@msn.com
Art Director Susan Lakin slakin@tdworld.com

Publisher David Miller David.Miller@penton.com

National Sales Manager Steve Lach Steve.Lach@penton.com

Buyers Guide/Marketing Services Joyce Nolan Joyce.Nolan@penton.com
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 GlobalVIEWPOINT
The Stepford Utility
O
ur utility executives tend to have this disconcert-
ing habit of stamping out employees in their image.
That’s not to say our executives see themselves as
all-knowing gods, rather that they are quite enamoured with
the mirror.
Some of our utilities even have internal colleges to hone
the masses into products that can be dispensed as “full-time
equivalents” (FTEs). Nothing could be more demoralizing
than to realize you are a commodity designed to fill a slot in a
production line.
The Palletized Man
So why is the concept of palletized FTEs so common?
Because it seemingly makes a manager’s job easier. Have a hole
in an organization? Go to the depth flow chart and pick the
next FTE in the queue. He or she has been through the proper
stamping and forging operations, so there is no risk to you.
You can always blame the system if it doesn’t work out. But
woe to you who go with that unconventional someone. If he or
she doesn’t pan out, it’s all on your head.
The Stepford Staff
As an industry, we find it easier to deal with people who
look and think and speak just like us. We talk a good game, but
we only give lip service to diversity.
We live in the land of the Stepford Staff.
I just had breakfast with a utility buddy who is vice presi-
dent of operations in a mid-sized utility. I was sharing with her
how my former utility had job descriptions for each job class,
so the ideal person would fit the job perfectly.
Seems logical doesn’t it? Logical, yes, but in hindsight, this
may not be the best approach.
Think about this scenario. You just gathered superinten-
dents together from all the divisions in your utility so they can
share perspectives and best practices. After a few days, what is
the typical result? Because you went to the same promotional
pool and picked similar persons with similar backgrounds and
similar training and put them in similar jobs, why would you
expect them to the share different perspectives?
Instead of coming out of the “sharing experience” full
of renewed vigor, you find you have funded a two-day gripe
session that ends with all present feeling more depressed and
demoralized than when they arrived.
Threatening the Status Quo
Now, put an odd flyer in the group with new ideas and what
*Stepford is a mythical town where helpmates are programmed to be perfectly compliant.
8 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com
happens? You can be sure the other superintendents will take
him down. Why? His ideas represent a threat to the status quo.
After all, what are the odds of him being right and all the
Stepford Superintendents being wrong?
There Is a Better Way
First, let’s assume there is true value in diversity. Let’s
assume that having significantly differing opinions, skill sets
and experiences within the same job classification is a good
thing. Then assume that constructively handling the conflict
that inevitably erupts makes a company stronger and better
able to handle change. Yes, the clashing of ideas and person-
alities creates friction, but maybe we could generate sufficient
heat to light the fire of change.
Right now, I see a lot of utility executives pulling back be-
cause of the downturn in the economy. Executives are can-
celling travel, pulling their staff out of industry groups and
hunkering down into holy huddles. This is a bad move for our
utilities and it is even worse for employees.
I’ve never been a big fan of benchmarking, because we di-
lute ourselves to be the best of the mediocre. We can do better.
The risk in incremental tweaking is actually greater than the
risk of bold steps.
I like to say that innovation overcomes resistance. Why?
Because resistance is not that bright. It often has a heart but
seldom displays a brain.
What It Takes to Be a Smart Utility
Another utility buddy made a simple yet profound state-
ment, “If we only knew what we already know, we would be the
smartest utility in the country.”
Why is he so right on? Because our utilities are made up
of incredibly talented individuals with perspectives, thoughts
and passions that are too seldom put into play. We settle for
what is comfortable instead of demanding what is achievable.
So rather than downsizing our staffs to the point of exhaus-
tion, then executing those who stick their heads up, why don’t
we celebrate diversity?
Let’s bring to the front our passionate people who will bring
a breath of fresh air to invigorate our companies and bring
additional value to our customers and our stockholders.
Editorial Director
 Bigger
Better

Perceptive planning shapes a powerful future.

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 BusinessDevelopments
PATH Seeks
to Withdraw
Applications for
NYISO Passes Reliability Audit, Meets All Transmission Project
Reliability Standards and Requirements American Electric Power (AEP) and
The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) announces the successful FirstEnergy Corp. have announced their
results of a comprehensive reliability audit conducted by the Northeast Power Coor- affiliates will file to withdraw their appli-
dinating Council Inc. (NPCC). The audit found the NYISO to be compliant with all cations for state regulatory approval of
38 reliability standards and the 156 requirements of the North American Electric the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission
Reliability Corp. (NERC) applicable to the NYISO. The audit was conducted from Highline (PATH) project following an
Dec. 6 to Dec. 9, 2010. announcement by regional grid opera-
“The NYISO prides itself on commitment to excellence in operations and main- tor PJM Interconnection that the project
taining the reliability of New York’s bulk electric transmission system,” said NYISO has been suspended.
President and CEO Stephen G. Whitley. “This comprehensive audit is not something PATH is a joint venture between the
an organization like the NYISO can just prepare to pass like a test; compliance must former Allegheny Energy and AEP to
be engrained in our culture. Our team works very hard every day to exceed these build a 765-kV, 275-mile (443-km) trans-
standards, and the results of this audit underscore that commitment.” mission project from Putnam County,
In conducting the audit, the team reviewed data, information and evidence sub- West Virginia, to Frederick County,
mitted in the form of policies, procedures, e-mails, logs, studies and data sheets, Maryland. Allegheny Energy merged
which were validated, substantiated and cross-checked for accuracy as appropriate. with FirstEnergy, effective Feb. 25, 2011.
In addition to auditing compliance with standards and requirements, the audit team PJM Interconnection is suspending
also reviewed the NYISO’s compliance culture. further development of the PATH proj-
“During all contact, the NYISO staff was professional in their approach to compli- ect while PJM conducts a more rigorous
ance and understood the importance of the compliance and its role in maintaining analysis of the potential need for PATH
reliability and security,” the audit report concluded. “For those that participated in as part of its continuing Regional Trans-
the audit, it was clear that all were committed to both compliance and the improved mission Expansion Plan. PJM directed
reliability and security that a strong compliance program leads to.” the construction of PATH in 2007 to
For more information, visit www.nyiso.com. resolve violations of national and local
standards for reliable operation of the
PGE and BPA Agree to Discuss Mutual region’s transmission system. Since then,
annual studies reaffirmed the need for
Interests in Transmission Projects PATH as the recommended solution for
Portland General Electric (PGE) has entered into a Memorandum of Under- resolving these issues. However, PJM’s
standing (MOU) with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) that allows the latest analyses indicate that the project-
two utilities to coordinate planning of new electrical substations and transmission ed need for the project has moved well
facilities and to consider joint development. into the future.
PGE has proposed Cascade Crossing, a double-circuit transmission project run- PJM has indicated that it will under-
ning from the city of Boardman to the Salem area, to help meet Oregon’s growing take an evaluation of its planning meth-
energy needs, enhance reliability of the electrical grid and allow for development of ods through a stakeholder process.
more renewable power projects to help meet the state’s Renewable Energy Standard. This process will evaluate the criteria
The project would connect new and existing energy-generating resources east of the used to determine the need for transmis-
Cascades to the Willamette Valley. sion projects under its Regional Trans-
BPA is building the McNary–John Day transmission project, which will be com- mission Expansion Plan, and determine
pleted in January 2012. BPA is conducting environmental analysis on three proposed whether the need for PATH should be
500-kV transmission lines. In addition, BPA is developing several large electrical re-evaluated in light of any approved re-
substations to integrate wind generation into the Northwest grid. visions to its planning process. Once this
The MOU allows PGE and BPA to share confidential information as they work process is complete, PJM will reassess
together on a range of issues, including system interconnections, substation loca- the need for transmission expansion in
tions and utilization of existing transmission corridors. the region. Until then, PATH companies
PGE previously executed MOUs for discussions surrounding Cascade Crossing will immediately suspend most activities
with PacifiCorp, Idaho Power and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. In on the project except for those that may
order to build the project, PGE must obtain approvals from both the state and fed- be necessary to return the project to
eral governments. PGE is in the second year of what is expected to be a three-year active status at the conclusion of PJM’s
permitting process, which includes a variety of opportunities for public input. planning process review.
For more information, visit www.portlandgeneral.com or www.bpa.gov. Visit www.pathtransmission.com.

10 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 N E C A / I B E W C O N T R A C T O R S • T H E Q U A L I T Y C O N N E C T I O N

We can give you a leg up on the competition.

D eregulation opens up an entirely new vista of market opportunities. NECA/IBEW
contractors can give you a leg up on competition. NECA can be an experienced
partner with a stronghold in the geographical areas you’re targeting. NECA/IBEW
represents qualified electrical and line contractors employing more than 250,000
electrical construction workers throughout the United States.
NECA/IBEW contractors have the skills and experience to be competitive in
any market. They’ve mastered the latest technologies, codes and workplace safety
standards. And they have the advantages of local know-how, reputation and an
established customer base.
With NECA and the IBEW as your partner, you’ll be able to provide local customers
with high quality products and services at competitive prices. And you’ll reach those new
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International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
 BUSINESSDevelopments
PPL to Standardize Work, Asset and Supply Chain Management
PPL Corp. has selected the Ventyx Asset Suite enterprise
asset management (EAM) solution as its companywide stan-
dard for tracking equipment and infrastructure across all of
its operating subsidiaries — including PPL Generation’s fossil,
hydro and nuclear generation, as well as PPL Electric Utilities’
T&D assets.
Valued at US$10.2 million, this new license and services
contract further expands a long-standing relationship between
PPL and Ventyx. The energy company has used a previous
version of Ventyx EAM software to manage its enterprisewide
supply chain as well as all work and assets in its fossil generation
800.528.3113 • www.fecon.com • sales@fecon.com
12 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com
plants since the mid-1990s. In order to standardize company-
wide processes and leverage economies of scale, PPL elected to
upgrade the Ventyx solution and replace its current solutions
used for nuclear and T&D work and asset management with a
single integrated solution across all of its operations.
Approximately 70% of North American nuclear generation
relies on Ventyx management solutions, as do 19 of the top 20
North American nuclear operators measured by highest ca-
pacity factor. The ability to support an expanding T&D infra-
structure was of critical importance as well.
To learn more, visit www.pplweb.com or www.ventyx.com.
ABB Wins $16 Million
Order for Substation
Automation and
Protection in Brazil
ABB has won a $16 million order to
upgrade the automation and protection
systems in 25 substations for the Brazilian
power distribution utility, Light SA.
The project is part of an extensive mod-
ernization program being carried out by
the utility in the Rio de Janeiro region
to improve grid reliability as part of the
preparations for the Soccer World Cup in
2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016.
ABB will install substation automation
systems comprising a range of protection
and control equipment in the substa-
tions. Installations will include more than
1,250 relays from the RELION family of
intelligent electronic devices, modular
relays from the COMBIFLEX suite and a
MicroSCADA Pro supervisory system.
The project is scheduled for completion
by 2013.
ABB’s protection, control, measuring
and supervision devices are fully compli-
ant with the international standard for
substation automation, IEC 61850. This
standard ensures full interoperability
between substation automation devices,
irrespective of manufacturer, and, cou-
pled with the modular design of ABB’s
products, provides full flexibility for fu-
ture extensions to existing infrastructure.
Light SA is Brazil’s fourth-largest elec-
tricity distribution company. It distributes
electricity across one-quarter of the state
of Rio de Janeiro, an area 10,970 sq km
(4,236 sq miles), serving approximately
3.9 million customers.
Visit www.abb.com.
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 SMARTGrid
Cooper Power
Systems and Cisco
Announce Smart
Grid Collaboration
NEMA Announces SGIC Product Strategy Cooper Power Systems and Cisco
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) announces the are teaming up to incorporate Cisco’s
Smart Grid Interoperable & Conformant (SGIC) testing scheme to promote testing IP-based smart grid technology into
for products and devices based on the smart grid standards identified by the National Cooper Power Systems’ next-generation
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Smart Grid Interoperability substation and distribution automation
Panel (SGIP). solutions for electric utilities.
According to NEMA President and CEO Evan R. Gaddis, the NEMA program The agreement will allow Cooper
provides benefits for a variety of stakeholders, most notably utilities, government, Power Systems to include Cisco’s rug-
manufacturers and consumers. ged routers and switches, the Cisco 2010
“By a number of definitions, smart grid is an investment program,” said Gaddis. Connected Grid Router and the Cisco
“The federal government has invested billions of dollars through the Stimulus Act, 2520 Connected Grid Switch in Cooper
which has prompted corresponding investments by utility companies and manufac- Power Systems’ substation and distribu-
turers alike. Ultimately, in order for this to be a success, it will also require consumer tion automation solutions. This compo-
investment both in terms of in-home devices and electric rates that support utility nent of the evolving end-to-end IP-based
company deployments.” smart grid infrastructure will help en-
NEMA, which was named as a collaborator with NIST on the interoperability able utility customers to lower operating
framework in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, is creating the costs, support new sources of distributed
SGIC program to provide a forum where smart grid stakeholders can validate the energy and increase reliability, while si-
interoperability of individual grid elements on a consistent industrywide basis. multaneously automating and improv-
The first standards targeted under the scheme will be components of the ANSI ing outage management.
C12 Suite, a package of standards that provides requirements and performance “Both companies share a smart grid
criteria for electricity metering. vision of integrated networks and have
The smart meter standards, which are published by NEMA, are included on the complementary offerings” said Tom Pit-
initial list of “Standards Identified for Implementation” in NIST Special Publica- stick, vice president and general man-
tion 1108. Because meters are already being deployed, their testing under SGIC is ager of Energy Automation Solutions, a
designed to promote the major points that define the smart grid adoption process strategic business unit at Cooper Power
— testing and certification, governance, harmonization and backward compatibil- Systems focused on smart grid solutions.
ity, all while protecting participants’ intellectual property rights. “This integrated solution will play a
The design of the NEMA scheme is intended to conform to the appropriate In- central role in furthering that vision by
ternational Organization for Standardization guides for testing and certification, providing utilities with secure standards-
and to be compatible with the recently released Interoperability Process Reference based solutions to integrate smart grid
Manual from the SGIP Testing and Certification Committee. devices and systems into the next gen-
With a certification scheme in place, utility companies will be better able to sup- eration of smart grid utility solutions,”
port those investments and meet demands for equipment that fulfills interoperable said Pitstick. “Cooper will bring its do-
business needs, while simultaneously promoting the confidence for manufacturers main and applications systems expertise
to build products that will be accepted in the market. across a range of utility systems and will
In making the announcement, Al Scolnik, NEMA vice president of technical ser- take advantage of Cisco’s extensive net-
vices, said that the government’s objective of ubiquitous access by vendors is achiev- working experience to help utilities in-
able, while striving to provide a better plug-and-play experience for the consumer. tegrate their systems and deal with the
“While product testing has been in place for decades, interoperability testing is a increasing volume of data and complex-
relatively new concept to the electrical products market. Where interoperability was ity of interconnectivity brought by the
very evolutionary in the Internet, mostly through trial and error, we are moving very move to a smart grid.”
quickly to formalize the concept for the grid, simply because we have to,” Scolnik Cooper Substation and Distribution
said. “Consumers are fairly forgiving when their Internet connection goes down, Automation solutions already occupy
which is not the case when their electricity goes out — a condition that may also leading positions in the smart grid mar-
subject the utility companies to a penalty. We need to ensure, up front, that a variety ket. Cooper is actively involved in projects
of devices are compatible before they are deployed.” using IEC 61850, GOOSE and advanced
NEMA is confident of its experience as an ANSI-accredited standards develop- networking technologies. These efforts
ment organization as a qualification in developing the SGIC testing scheme. Stan- will benefit from Cisco’s leadership and
dards development organizations rely on a consensus process that includes open- vision in building the smart grid into an
ness, balance and lack of dominance among its tenets. integrated network platform.
For more information, visit www.nema.org. Visit www.cooperpower.com.

14 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 Join us at SEL’s
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 SMARTGrid
Transaction
Papers
Needed
Your paper will be viewed by a
worldwide audience of power and
energy professionals—your peers.
The journal will publish original
research on theories, technologies,
design, policies and implementation
of smart grid…including energy
generation, transmission, distribution
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Submit your paper now to:
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This journal is technically
co-sponsored by eight
different IEEE societies.
16 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com
SMARTGrid
Alstom Reinforces Smart Grid Capabilities
with Psymetrix Acquisition
Alstom Grid has completed its acquisition of Psymetrix, the U.K.-based smart grid
applications company with international expertise in wide-area monitoring systems
(WAMS), a key technology segment in the electrical grid control room market.
Psymetrix was created in 1997 and has since established a strong reputation in
phasor-based applications and on-line stability solutions for grid utilities. With a staff
of 10 employees, the company now provides its products and services to 18 customer
utilities worldwide and generated around 2 million euros in sales in 2010.
The company will bring complementary expertise to Alstom’s smart grid on-line
stability solutions and will continue to operate from its Edinburgh headquarters,
retaining the same staff and its quality products and solutions.
Psymetrix software gives transmission system operators (TSOs) and power utili-
ties the ability to increase power transfers in their systems and improve the reliability
of their networks while decreasing overall system risk. By combining their expertise,
Alstom and Psymetrix plan to develop and launch new critical software applications
for power electronics, advanced control, substation automation, grid self-healing
and defense plans, targeting grid utilities as well as power plant operators.
Alstom Grid and Psymetrix have already established a track record of success-
ful joint projects in South Africa and Sweden, providing comprehensive integrated
energy management system and WAMS platforms such as those currently under
delivery to Swedish TSO Svenksa Kraftnät.
For more information, visit or www.alstom.com or www.psymetrix.com.
Eaton Wins Federal Stimulus Grant
to Develop Microgrid for U.S. Army
Eaton Corp. will receive a US$2.4 million federal stimulus grant to develop a mi-
crogrid to help military bases better manage power and storage while reducing their
carbon footprints. The project is intended to achieve an uninterrupted power supply
(independent of commercial utility power) for critical mission and support functions
on military bases, and reduce energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions.
The first year of the 18-month project, administered through the U.S. Army
Engineer Research and Development Center’s Construction Engineering Research
Laboratory (CERL), will focus on research and development (R&D) activities at
Georgia Tech University, the University of Wisconsin and Eaton’s Innovation Cen-
ters in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. Eaton and the university research teams will also
demonstrate how the new system can operate independent of a civilian grid while
balancing the use of solar, wind and natural gas backup power, and storing energy
for future needs. The final six months of the project will focus on R&D activities and
a demonstration project at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
The CERL project will apply to civilian and other government applications, and
is part of the U.S. Army’s Net-Zero Energy initiative that promotes the construc-
tion and modification of buildings or installations that create as much energy as
they consume. According to the 2009 Defense Department Appropriations Act,
U.S. military installations consumed 3.8 billion kWh of electricity in 2008, enough
to power 350,000 households, and spent $4.1 billion on energy and fuel.
For more information, visit www.eaton.com.
 TECHNOLOGYUpdates

A123 Systems to Supply 20 MW of Advanced Energy Storage

Solutions to AES Gener for Spinning Reserve Project in Chile
A123 Systems, a developer and manufacturer of ad-
vanced nanophosphate lithium-ion batteries and systems,
has received an order from AES Gener for 20 MW of
A123’s advanced energy storage solutions for a spinning
reserve project in Northern Chile.
The project expands the relationship between A123
and AES Energy Storage and is AES’s second in Chile to
use A123 energy storage technology — in 2009, the com-
panies announced the commercial operation of a 12-MW
spinning reserve project at AES Gener’s Los Andes substa-
tion in the Atacama Desert in Chile, the first energy stor-
age system deployed in that country.
A123’s advanced lithium-ion energy storage systems A123’s Smart Grid Stabilization System installed at the AES Gener’s Los
Andes substation in Chile.
offer customers a complete solution to quickly and cost-
effectively hybridize power plants to improve grid stability and energy storage installation provides critical contingency ser-
facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources. The vices to maintain the stability of the electric grid in Northern
robust, highly scalable design consists of modular energy stor- Chile, an important mining area. It continuously monitors the
age racks, power electronics and communications and con- condition of the power system and if a significant frequency
trols software, enabling grid operators to implement a turn- deviation occurs — for example, the loss of a generator or
key package for frequency regulation, spinning reserve and transmission line — the energy storage system is capable of
other ancillary services. To date, A123 has shipped more than providing up to 20 MW of power nearly instantaneously. This
35 MW of its advanced energy storage units to AES and other output is designed to be maintained for 15 minutes at full
customers worldwide. power, allowing the system operator to resolve the event or
AES Gener will deploy A123’s energy storage solutions at bring other standby units on-line.
a new 500-MW power plant called Angamos. The advanced For more information, www.a123systems.com.

International Society of Arboriculture Annual Conference

July 23-27, 2011 ~ Sydney, Australia
Educational Opportunities for Utility Arborists

Sydney, Australia will be host to tree experts as they converge July 23–July 27 for the annual conference and trade show
of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). The conference is being hosted by Arboriculture Australia, the local
chapter of ISA.
ISA has announced the speaker lineup and session overview for the conference, which features a look at the best in new
research, trends and best practices for the arboricultural profession and can earn ISA certified professionals up to 20 ISA
certification continuing education units.
The three-day educational programming includes two full days of utility program with Tuesday and Wednesday tracks for
utility arboriculture education. The ISA and its professional affiliate the Utility Arborist Association annually work together
to provide educational opportunities for arborists working in utility services arboriculture. The track for 2011 includes
presentations on utilities and wildfire and integrated vegetation management as well as a discussion panel on global
challenges in utility arboriculture. The discussion panel consists of global experts:
◆ John Ho, China Light and Power, Hong Kong ◆ Trevor Gardiner, New Zealand
◆ Pedro Mendes Castro, CEMIG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil ◆ Brendan Murphy, Australia
◆ Nelsen Money, San Francisco, California, U.S.
Other featured presenters include: Neil Thiessen, Dr. Ken James, Mark Amos, Michael Neal, Jim Neeser, Matt Palmer
and William Conn, Paul Fearon, David Wood, Carla Perkins and Rich Hendler.
For more information and a schedule of activities for the ISA annual conference, visit www.isa-arbor.com/events/
conference.

18 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 technologyUpdates

East Kentucky Power Cooperative

Awards New SCADA/EMS System Contract to OSI
East Kentucky Power Cooperative (EKPC) has awarded
Open Systems International (OSI) a contract to replace and
upgrade its legacy supervisory control and data acquisition/
energy management system (SCADA/EMS) system with
OSI’s monarch (Multi-platform Open Network ARCHitec-
ture) technology.
EKPC is a not-for-profit generation and transmission
(G&T) utility that provides wholesale energy and services to
16 distribution cooperatives through power plants, peaking
units, hydro power and more than 2,800 miles (4,506 km)
of transmission lines. In an effort to upgrade and modern-
ize its expansive membership cooperatives’ G&T infrastruc-
ture, EKPC has elected to replace its existing SCADA/EMS
system, with OSI’s monarch platform. The new SCADA/EMS
system will be based on OSI’s next-generation Microsoft .NET
based graphical user interface and will include several of
OSI’s advanced application products for G&T control.
Visit www.osii.com or www.ekpc.coop.

Alcatel–Lucent Plays
Role in PECO’s Meter
Technology Upgrade
Alcatel–Lucent has been selected to
help build an advanced IP-based opti-
cal communications network as part of
PECO’s initiative to upgrade metering
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give customers the information they need
to use and save energy effectively.
The Alcatel–Lucent solution includes:
• A single converged IP/MPLS net-
With unmatched knowledge and experience in electric power distribution coupled work allowing PECO to offer new IP ser-
with Trinetics® components and Maysteel® precision fabrication, we can help you vices with enhanced quality of service
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Visit www.alcatel-lucent.com.

20 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 QuarterlyRepoRt
The Geospatial Workforce Shortage
By Dave DiSera, GITA
T
he fast-growing, technically advanced geospatial indus-
try is confronting a severe workforce development chal-
lenge. As such, electric utilities, the government, the
private sector, academic community and professional associa-
tions must prepare workers to take advantage of new geospa-
tial job opportunities.
As a general rule, electric utilities hire geospatial profes-
sionals to acquire, manage, analyze, integrate, map, distribute
and use geographic, temporal and spatially based information
and knowledge. These workers — who are in high demand
but short supply — are also involved with research and educa-
tion, technology development and applications to address the
planning, decision-making and operational needs of utilities
nationwide.
Hiring the Best Candidate for the Job
To effectively recruit, train and retain qualified geospatial
professionals, electric utilities must first pinpoint what skills
they are looking for in job candidates. It’s challenging for
utilities to recruit without a clear definition of requirements,
and there is no “brand” to entice young geospatial workers
into the profession.
Electric utilities, however, can ramp up their recruiting
efforts by investing in what’s called a geospatial competency
model. By establishing clear expectations and standards for
geospatial jobs within their companies, utilities can develop
realistic job descriptions that drive job postings. In addition,
they can use competencies to create a standard branding
message for future recruiting efforts.
While geospatial competency models may at first seem an
abstract concept, they are not only practical and useful, but
critical to an electric utility’s success. Imagine hiring a new
person in a key position, but only having a vague and general
idea of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for that
position. What impact would that have on the chance for
success for the new hire? And yet that is exactly what utilities
are doing every day.
Putting the Plan into Action
Developing a competency model is often a rigorous and
time-consuming process for electric utilities. By relying on
their available framework as well as standardized templates,
however, the process doesn’t need to be cumbersome. Once
a utility establishes a geospatial competency model, it sets the
foundation for the following critical processes.
Job design. Establish geospatial job duties, qualifications
22 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com
and standards of performance.
Recruiting. Provide a clear picture of the geospatial job
to prospective applicants to make the applicant screening
process more efficient.
Employee selection. Design interview questions, assessments,
skill tests and other methods to identify the best candidates for
geospatial positions.
Employee development. Identify career paths that include jobs
with related competencies and provide that information to
employees so they understand their options for growth within
the organization.
Training. Develop geospatial training programs (classroom,
online and on-the-job) that are targeted to the skills needed
for each position, making the most efficient and effective use
of training expenditures.
Performance-based coaching. Provide a clear basis for setting
expectations and performance goals, establishing standards
of performance and providing tools for managers to deal
effectively with job performance issues.
Confronting Challenges
Recruiting new geospatial professionals with the right tech-
nical and managerial skills is not the only challenge faced by
utilities. The majority of companies also aren’t taking a system-
atic approach to geospatial workforce planning. As a result,
these utilities are not satisfying the future need for workforce
sustainability.
Defined geospatial competency models can help to ensure
success during the employment lifecycle. In addition, they can
improve the efficiency of workforce planning by defining key
knowledge areas for training and development, workforce
succession and continuity, knowledge retention and manage-
ment, and career planning. Utilities can use competencies in
these practice areas to understand the workforce’s challenges
and opportunities. In turn, the companies can leverage the
strengths and fill the gaps in the geospatial industry.
Dave DiSera (ddisera@ema-inc.com) serves as the chairman
of the research committee for the Geospatial Information and
Technology Association and served as a board member
from 1997-2003. He is a vice president and CTO with EMA Inc.
Editor’s note: Visit www.doleta.gov for more information on the
Geospatial Technology Competency Model and the report on
“Defining and Communicating Geospatial Industry Workforce
Demand.”
 Static Rating MVA
Dynamic Rating MVA
700

600
MVA

500 22 23
24
20 21
18 19
16 17
14 15
400 12 13
11
10
9
8
7
300 5
6
4

200 1
2
3
Hours
 CHARACTERSwithCharacter
An Accidental Engineer
By Stefanie Kure, Contributing Editor
C
hrister Eriksson recently celebrated his 50th anniver-
sary. Not his golden wedding anniversary, as many
people would assume, but five decades as a dedicated
employee of Zurich, Switzerland-based ABB, a global power
and automation technology company that operates in 100
countries and employs approximately 124,000 people. After
half a century of working with high-voltage direct-current
(HVDC) transmission systems for the same company, it is dif-
ficult to imagine that, except for a bit of luck, the 67-year-old
may not have become an engineer at all.
“I grew up on the family dairy farm in Sweden, but I knew
that was not what I wanted to do with my life,” he recalled.
“My father had done some research and decided I should
leave home to apply for work in a large factory, so that is what
I did.”
In 1960, at the age of 17, Eriksson traveled 200 miles to
Ludvika, Sweden, and enrolled in an apprentice program at
ABB’s legacy company ASEA to learn about machine tools. But
because he was a high school graduate, the human resources
office asked if he would be interested in a position other than
the one for which he had applied.
“I said sure, not knowing what I was getting into,” Eriksson
laughed. “In those days, the company had just begun com-
mercial exploitation of HVDC for transmission purposes, so I
was assigned to the department building rectifiers for industry
and railroads for the next two years.”
Because military service is compulsory in Sweden, Eriks-
son left ASEA to serve 18 months in the army. He returned
to the company after being discharged and was offered the
opportunity to enter an industrial engineering program with
an emphasis on electrical.
“For the next two years, I received minimum wage payment
to attend school six days a week,” he said.
Upon graduating, ASEA assigned Eriksson to a project in
which he helped tie power between Sweden and Denmark.
The company next asked the young engineer if would take a
three-year assignment in Japan.
“That was sort of scary,” he said. “I was only in my mid-20s,
and three years seemed like a lifetime. In the end, I signed on
and went to Japan. I had the time of my life.”
The assignment stretched into five years, but as always,
Eriksson ultimately returned to ASEA and Sweden. Once
again, fate intervened.
“Walking into the company on my first day back, I ran into
24 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com
Christer Eriksson, ABB
an old friend,” he remembered. “We chatted, and he asked
what my business was. I told him I was on my way to the hu-
man resources department to get my next assignment, and
my friend asked me to wait. He said he had another assign-
ment that he would like me to consider. Before I knew it, I had
signed a new contract with ASEA and moved to Los Angeles,
California, to help in the rebuild of the Sylmar converter sta-
tion, which had been totally destroyed in an earthquake. That
is how I came to live in the United States.”
In 1980, Eriksson, who was by now married with a fam-
ily, moved to Corvallis, Oregon, to work on upgrades to the
Pacific Intertie HVDC system. Since the completion of that
project in 1988 — around which time ASEA merged with
Brown Boveri to become ABB — Eriksson has worked in nu-
merous after-sales and business development leadership roles
related to HVDC technology for the company’s grid systems
business. He currently is a director of business development
within the company’s Power Systems division, overseeing a
dozen projects with utilities on the West Coast and Canada.
October 3, 2010, marked the engineer’s 50-year anniver-
sary with the company. To celebrate this rare achievement,
Eriksson recently received two prestigious awards. The first,
the Royal Patriotic Society of Sweden’s Long and Faithful Ser-
vice gold medal, came from his home country. The Swedish
Ambassador presented the medal to Eriksson last Nov. 15 in
a surprise celebration at the Swedish Embassy in Washington,
D.C. The second honor, a lifetime achievement award, came
from ABB at the company’s annual sales meeting in Houston.
“I was totally overwhelmed by the recognition and celebra-
tion of both these events,” he said. “I am not used to this type
of fanfare. I work because, after all these years, I still find my
job challenging and extremely gratifying.”
As proof of this statement, Eriksson says has no plans to re-
tire any time soon unless he can find something to do that will
give him the same level of satisfaction as his career at ABB.
When asked if he would choose a different career if he
knew 50 years ago what he knows now, Eriksson does not hesi-
tate to respond.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “The technological progress I
have seen in the power industry since 1960 is mind-boggling,
and we continue to advance. I have witnessed the movement
from vacuum tubes to transistors to microprocessors to com-
puter-based systems. It is fantastic, and I cannot imagine what
our industry will be like in the next 50 years.”

At our house it never gets dark
...because my Dad makes sure the power grid is protected
With the CPC 100 + CP CU1 my Dad
measures line impedances and k-factors
on overhead lines and power cables. He
can also determine ground impedances
on large systems with the CP CU1, as well
as touch and step voltages.
Innovative Power System
Testing Solutions
www.omicronusa.com | www.omicron.at
Mains frequency malfunctions do not
influence the measurements, as the
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reproducible measurement results.
www.omicronusa.com/paintings
To increase Dad’s safety, the CP GB1
grounding unit comes with the CP CU1,
which can divert currents of up to
30 kA if its voltage limit value is exceeded.
Do it like Dad – and inform yourself
about OMICRON’s unique products and
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 overheadFacilities

Photo by Daniel J. Ward.

26 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com
 OVERHEADFacilities

When Overbuild
Meets Underbuild
Surge arresters provide a simple solution
to a complex overvoltage problem.
By Daniel J. Ward, Dominion Virginia Power

I
t was one of those so-called “overvoltage events.” Some-
how overhead wires from the top and bottom circuits
made contact. The cause was a tree contractor removing
a diseased tree at a private residence. One particularly
troublesome limb that had been cut had fallen into the line,
bridging the top phase with one from the lower circuit. The
result was predictable. The isolators on several surge arresters
were blown on the lower distribution circuit and some trans-
formers failed, too.
Several thousands of dollars in damage occurred to
Dominion Virginia Power equipment. Also, TVs, heat pumps
and other appliances of many customers served from the lower
circuit were damaged. Appliance repair and replacement
costs of US$1,000 to $2,000 or more per customer were typi-
cal. Some customers who were home at the time were fright-
ened by the overvoltage event. Others were upset when they
realized it could happen again. How can this complex over-
voltage problem be solved cost effectively?
the three measures are quite expensive, utilities often resort
to one of them in areas where repeat overvoltage incidents
occur.
What can the customer do? Surprisingly, the answer is the
customer can do very little. Some customers are often lured
to purchase the more expensive home surge protectors on
the market because of their warranty, which is normally in
the region of tens of thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, the
fine print on most of these devices contains a note that the
warranty does not cover damage associated with sustained
overvoltages.
The Fundamentals
Once a conductive path is established between the two
t

Overbuilt Circuits
As the incident illustrated, with two overhead circuits of
different voltages on the same poles, contact between the
two circuits can and does occur. When this happens, damage
and failures occur to both utility equipment and customer
equipment. Dominion experiences 13 sustained overvolt- t
age events annually on its distribution system. With more
than 600 miles (966 km) of overbuilt construction, mostly
34.5 kV over 13.2 kV, the annual incidence rate works out to
be 0.022/mile (0.014/km).
Traditional approaches to minimize or eliminate the risk
of these overvoltages have met with limited success largely
due to their high costs or operational difficulties. Some of the
traditional solutions include:
M Relocating or undergrounding one of the circuits

M Converting the lower-voltage circuit to the same voltage

as the upper one
M Insulating the lower circuit.
The combination of high cost and a low incidence rate
makes these types of projects undesirable to fund. Although
This is the result of a successful failure. When the higher-voltage line
came into contact with the underbuild, this arrester shorted out,
protecting the customer and utility equipment connected to the
lower-voltage circuit. Arrester image by Stephen E. Lackey.

m | March 2011
www.tdworld.com 27
 overheadFacilities

2.6 Solution Efforts

The main problem is to be able to detect a sustained over-
Per unit of nominal line-to-neutral voltage

Prospective
sustained voltage event involving an overbuilt distribution circuit and
overvoltage to provide protection to both utility equipment on the lower
levels
circuit and customer end-use equipment served by the lower
2.0 circuit.
This problem has been a challenge at Dominion for over a
1.8 Temporary decade. One early idea was to install a normally open recloser
overvoltage
cycle on the underbuilt circuit. The load side of the recloser would
be connected to ground. In principle, it would operate like a
Normal expected
operating range fast-acting grounding switch. Install some voltage sensing and
Duty cycle of arresters make sure it is not a temporary overvoltage. The last require-
Maximum ment effectively killed the idea. One would not have the luxu-
continous ry to wait very long before equipment was damaged. Besides, it
1.0 overvoltage
capability was just too expensive.
Not to be dismayed, the idea of shunting out the lower
Most arresters are applied to operate satisfactorily in a range covering circuit had some appeal, just not with a recloser. To limit the
the nominal line-to-neutral voltage up to the temporary overvoltage overvoltage on the lower circuit, why not use an arrester? After
limits.
all, an arrester operates like a switch, and it does so automati-
cally based on voltage. It would have to be an arrester that did
Overhead line not have an isolator and one capable of absorbing quite a bit
of energy.
A station class arrester was a natural fit. To be safer, a high-
Contact
energy design was selected. For this application, the station
class arrester would function as a sacrificial arrester (that is, it
Exposure
would short out for a sustained overvoltage and prevent dam-
age to the utility equipment on the lower circuit). Once it oper-
19.9 kV
ated, it would have to be replaced.
It was not clear whether this approach would provide suf-
7.6 kV
ficient protection for customer end-use equipment and ap-
pliances, particularly electronics. If they were not protected,
it would be a show-stopper. The Information Technology In-
dustry Council (ITIC) developed a voltage tolerance envelope
applicable to 120-V IT equipment. The overvoltage portion of
the ITIC curve indicates, for example, that electronic devices
A surge arrester used for overvoltage protection functions like a fast
switch during a sustained overvoltage event. In the one-line diagram, are likely to survive if the voltage is limited to 2 per unit for
when contact is made between the two circuits, the overvoltage causes 1 msec or less. From the arrester current-resistance character-
the arrester to conduct and rapidly short out. The low-impedance shunt
istics and the available fault current, it seemed reasonable to
protects the lower circuit from the overvoltage.
expect that a station class arrester could limit the voltage to
circuits, the higher-voltage circuit dominates. Reclosing usual- around 2 per unit. The time duration was unclear.
ly occurs with both circuits, so the lower-voltage circuit winds Surge arresters are normally applied such that their tem-
up getting energized with the higher-voltage one. Transform- porary overvoltage (TOV) capability is not exceeded. In this
ers on the lower circuit do what they are supposed to do — case, the plan was to apply a 10-kV arrester knowing full well
transform. that contact with 19.92 kV would put it well beyond its TOV ca-
For the two Dominion circuits, the resulting voltage was pability. It was expected that the increased duty would quickly
2.6 times normal, which would be 300 V at a 120-V outlet. (much less than 1 msec) short out the arrester’s metal-oxide-
From this level of overvoltage, it is fairly easy to imagine how varistor blocks. Would the arrester stay intact and remain
customer appliances get damaged or destroyed. shorted for a fault current level of around 6000 A in addition
The higher voltage impressed on the lower-voltage circuit to two-shot reclosing? More importantly, would it protect?
usually causes some utility equipment on the lower circuit to Then there was the issue about energy ratings, which for sta-
fail, too. Distribution surge arresters quickly short out and tion class arresters are based on impulse tests.
blow their isolators. Several distribution transformers also Extrapolating these values to something more meaningful
succumb to the high voltage. Each shot of reclosing results in that relates to a sustained fundamental frequency overvoltage
additional damage to the lower circuit. also was a gray area, and this uncertainty resulted in selecting
The overvoltage problem associated with overbuilt circuits an energy rating higher than the standard station class arrest-
is not unique to Dominion. It is an industrywide problem. ers used by the Dominion substation group.

28 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

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 overheadFacilities
Wildlife guards were added because of the low arrester height and
large conductive base. In addition, to identify a failed arrester and
aid in restoration, faulted circuit indicators were installed on the line
leads. Photo by Stephen E. Lackey.
Field Trials
To help answer these nagging questions about the concept,
tests at a high-power lab seemed like a logical next step, but the
labs were fully booked for close to a year. As a backup plan, a
field trial was arranged in August 2007. It was an area where
a 34.5-kV circuit ran over a 13.2-kV circuit for about 2 miles
(3.2 km). This circuit was selected because it had experienced
three sustained overvoltage events in the previous four years.
Both circuits were protected by circuit breakers with two-shot
reclosing. The available 34.5-kV fault current at the substation
was 9,400 A for a single line-to-ground fault.
One set of station class arresters were installed on a 10-ft
(3-m) crossarm below the 13.2-kV circuit near the source end
of the 34.5-kV circuit. Another set was installed 1 mile (1.6 km)
away. Because the 10-kV arresters were fairly short, wildlife
protection was added.
Finally, to aid in the restoration effort, faulted circuit in-
dicators were installed on the arrester line leads to provide a
positive sign when an arrester had shorted out.
Eight months later, a vehicle struck a pole, causing one of
the top-phase wires to fall on one phase of the lower circuit.
The fault location was approximately 0.1 mile (0.16 km) away
from one set of station class arresters and 0.9 mile (1.4 km)
away from the other set. As expected, the station class arrester
on the affected phase shorted out at both arrester locations.
The recorded fault current from the digital relays at the substa-
tion was between 5,000 A and 6,600 A for five of the six fault
events.
30 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com
Three hundred customers were affected by the event. As a
result of this outage event, other than the pole and crossarm
damage from the vehicle accident and the replacement of the
two shorted station class arresters, no other Dominion equip-
ment was damaged. No claims were reported from any of the
affected customers. It was a huge success.
The Sequel
A second field trial was installed a couple of months after
the first one. It involved the installation of two sets of station
class arresters on a 2-mile stretch of a 34.5-kV circuit under-
built with 13.2-kV. During a storm in May 2010, almost two-
and-a-half years later, the two circuits made contact. The
fault location was not evident, but it was suspected a tree limb
caused the event. Other than replacing the two station class
arresters, no other equipment was damaged and there were
no customer claims.
In hindsight, it was fortunate the overvoltage events oc-
curred on the selected circuits in a reasonable period of time.
It could have taken much longer to occur based on the average
incidence rate and circuit lengths involved.
The Aftermath
The overvoltage protector is a simple concept based on
polymer-housed high-energy station class arresters. In effect,
the overvoltage protector is an electrical weak link that can be
easily applied to overbuilt construction to prevent damage to
both customer and utility equipment from sustained overvolt-
age events.
The field trials proved to be quite successful, leading to
the deployment of many more station class arresters for this
purpose on the Dominion distribution system. Dominion has
found the overvoltage protector to be the most cost-effective
solution for preventing damages due to sustained overvoltages
from overbuilt circuits.
Acknowledgment
The overvoltage protector project involved some teamwork
at Dominion. Without the operational input and suggestions
from Dan Sullivan and Steve Barnard, the author’s concept
would have just remained a nice idea but probably would not
have been implemented. Their help was invaluable.
Daniel J. Ward (dan.ward@dom.com) is a principal engineer
with Dominion Virginia Power and a graduate of Stevens Insti-
tute of Technology with a BE degree and Union College with
a MSEE degree. Prior to joining Dominion, he spent 21 years
at General Electric. An IEEE Fellow, Ward received the IEEE/
PES Award for Excellence in Power Distribution Engineering
and revised the distribution chapter for the 2006 edition of the
Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers.
Companies mentioned:
Dominion Virginia Power www.dom.com
Information Technology Industry Council www.itic.org
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 SMARTGrid

Smart Customer Choices

Vendors rush to offer residential, commercial
and industrial solutions.
By Gene Wolf, Technical Writer

T
he 21st century started off with dire predictions of
an electric infrastructure collapse, but 10 years later,
the grid is still working. Instead of disintegration, a
dynamic and robust smarter grid is taking shape. It
has not been a slam dunk. There is a natural hesitation when
deploying new technology. It has taken some time and edu-
cation to separate rumors from facts, myth from reality and
vapor from substance.
Thanks to a massive educational effort from manufactur-
ers and professional organizations, the industry has come to
grips with a smarter grid. In 2010, Siemens began a six-city
cross-country smart grid tour, taking its technology directly
to utilities.
In April 2010, ABB set up a smart grid distribution circuit
at the IEEE Power & Energy Society Transmission and Dis-
tribution Exposition held in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
AREVA also had a remarkable virtual display of high-voltage
DC and flexible AC transmission system smart grid equip-
ment. Engineers and technicians were able to have hands-on
time with the latest smart grid equipment
Education and Acceptance
Unfortunately, utilities have not worked as hard at educat-
ing their customers. The industry may understand the tech-
nology, but the end user does not. This is changing as utilities
realize that educating and engaging customers is the long-
term solution to their acceptance of smart grid evolution.
A lack of understanding on the residential customer’s part
has led to what is being called a “smart meter backlash”:
● Residential customers had their electromechanical
meters replaced with smart (digital) meters with no warning
or preparation from the utility.
● Monthly residential electric bills jumped — doubled or
tripled in some cases — after the installation of smart meters.
● Legal actions to stop smart meter deployments have been
initiated in several cities in Northern California.
● Residential customers in Texas petitioned the public
utility commission to stop the deployment of smart meters.
As a result of the backlash, testing was performed. Utili-
ties found that less than 1% of smart meters had any sort of
mechanical problems and, accuracy-wise, the percentage was
less. The technology was not the problem.
As the famous line from the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke says,
“What we’ve got here is [a] failure to communicate.” Utilities
have started adding community outreach to their smart me-
ter deployments. To paraphrase the Department of Energy’s
“Smart Grid: An Introduction” report, the education of all the
interested members of the public is critical to the success of
the smart grid implementation.
Driving home the point, a Harris poll found that two-thirds

4,000
3,524
Annual consumption (kWh)

3,500 Results from a study of 4,822 households

across the United States, averaging 2.6
3,000 2,796 people per household with an average
2,552
2,500 household income of $30,000 to $39,000.

2,000
1,462
1,500
1,079 950 940
1,000
503
500 318 313
120 90
0
pu op
at e
ye es

he s
A/ om
e

pu p
g

TV lor
at er

as e
C al

r
he pac
ac

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r
to

in

te
er
dr oth

w loth
te
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er

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rn

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r

co Lap
ra
W

co es
S
Lig
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Fu

Cl
ge

C
D
fri
Re

Appliance

Average U.S. household annual electrical use for common appliances. Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration.

32 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 












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 smartGrid

100.5
ing of the smart grid. More than 79% of the respondents in
100.0 the United States and 72% in Australia were not at all familiar
with the term. Also, more than two-thirds of those claiming
Percent registration

99.5 knowledge of the term did not know if their homes were con-
99.0 nected to a smart grid.

98.5 Measured meter registration On a More Positive Note

versus years since calibration
98.0 (average of 400,000 meters)
97.5
97.0
0 5 10 15
Years of service
Electromechanical meters do fail. The most common failure is reduced
registration; anything that increases drag makes the meter run slower
resulting in reduced bills. When the electromechanical meter is re-
placed with a solid-state meter, the customers looses the drag discount
and can get very upset. Courtesy of EPRI.
of American electricity consumers have never heard of a smart
meter. Chartwell surveyed utility customers in Canada and
the United States and confirmed what the Harris poll found.
Chartwell also found that of those who had heard of a smart
meter, more than 10% believed the smart meter was a device
to monitor their movements inside the home.
GE conducted a survey specifically asking electric consum-
ers in the United States and Australia about their understand-
The good news is the GE survey reported that about 80%
of those who had heard the term smart grid were interested
in more information. They “wish” they knew more about the
smart grid and how it affects them. Only 2% thought the smart
20 grid was not a smart investment.
“We have to educate the customer,” said John McDonald,
director of technology strategy and policy development for
GE Digital Energy. “The customers have to understand what
is taking place for the smart grid to succeed. If people don’t
understand something, chances are they will not participate.”
To increase knowledgeable consumers, many manufactur-
ers are helping utilities with consumer education programs.
“Consumer education and acceptance are essential keys
to unlocking the economic and societal benefits a nationwide
smart grid can deliver,” stated McDonald.
A good example of this effort is GE’s Smart Grid Technol-
ogy Center of Excellence in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. The facility
opened in 2010 with about 10,000 sq ft (929 sq m) of exhibi-
tion area. GE is planning video demonstrations and interac-

34 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

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 smartGrid

7 Europe first. With the knowledge

Echelon
gained there, the transition in North
6
Elster America should be easier. ABB has also
GE 5 found electric customers want more

Solid state
Itron 4 information, and they want innovative
Landis+Gyr
technology that is intuitive, too.”
Sensus 3
IBM announced it will invest rough-
2 ly US$1 billion in energy and environ-
1 ment solutions. IBM’s consumer re-
5 0 search has shown that roughly 31% of
residential and small commercial cus-
4 tomers fall into the passive ratepayer
Electomechanical

3 category, energy consumers who are

relatively uninterested in making de-
2
cisions concerning energy usage. The
1 other 69% are interested and fall into
0
categories that run from some inter-
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 est to highly motivated with specific
Year energy-usage goals. The one-size-fits-
all approach does not work in today’s
Over the last decade, major electricity meter manufacturers have introduced solid-state meters
and discontinued electromechanical meters. Courtesy of EPRI. marketplace.

tive displays explaining exactly what the smart grid is and why No Turning Back
it is the future. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) recently
Gary Rackliffe, ABB’s vice president of smart grid, said, published a white paper titled “Accuracy of Digital Electric
“ABB introduced customer-side smart grid technology in Meters.” EPRI has found the transition from the electrome-

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36 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 SMARTGrid

Other 15% Transportation 0.2%

Lighting 38%
Office Industrial Residential
equipment 27% 37%
and computers
6%

Refrigeration
11%

HVAC 30% Commercial

36%

EIA commercial electricity consumption, 2008. EIA electricity end-user breakdown, 2009.

Other 10% Soon independent third-party companies like Verisae

Laundry
developed strategies for medium and smaller C&I clients to
appliances HVAC 31% increase their energy efficiencies.
7% “The first step is to perform an energy audit of their client’s
Home facilities,” said Paul Hepperla, vice president of product strat-
electronics egy for Verisae. “We needed to identify energy consumption
7%%
and the loads that are available for control.”
Lighting According to Hepperla, “On the average, the energy audits
9% identified 80 kW to 120 kW of reductions at each facility by
good management practices. Using Verisae’s active energy-
response software enabled clients to increase savings substan-
Water heater
9% Kitchen
appliances
27%

EIA residential electricity consumption, 2005.

chanical to solid-state meter is not a choice but a necessity for

utilities who intend to offer time-of-use pricing.
“Manufacturers are no longer making electromechanical
meters for the North American marketplace,” said Brian Seal,
senior project manager for EPRI. “There is, however, a stock-
pile of used electromechanical meters sitting in warehouses.
There is also a market for rebuilt electromechanical meters,
but there are no electromechanical meters coming off the
production lines.”

Ahead of the Curve

The EPRI report also pointed out that three-phase com-
mercial and industrial (C&I) meters were the first meters to
transition to the solid-state world in the 1980s. By the 1990s,
they were the norm, and those meters were a great deal more
complex than today’s residential digital meters. The C&I digi-
tal meters provided large C&I customers sophisticated energy-
usage data, which allowed power brokers to aggregate, or com-
bine, large commercial loads. This permitted C&I customers
to purchase electricity at greatly discounted rates.
The utilities’ C&I customers also were the first to make the
connection between energy management and saving money
on energy. They have succeeded by making energy manage-
ment noninvasive and automatic to the point the C&I custom-
ers are not aware it is taking place.

www.tdworld.com | March 2011 37

 SMARTGrid

Query Available AER (via web service) Report Available AER (via web service)

AER area A
Query available DR Check status Report available DR
AER area B Check status of all sites Check status of all sites Report status of
listed as available for DR listed as available for DR available sites
Tagged control sites
client A and/or B
Non-responsive Query available Query available Report available
DR Responding sites Responding sites
Web service send status send status

Sophisticated energy management systems like this Active Energy Response (AER) program allow an organization to monitor its energy con-
sumption in real time across a large number of locations and control their loads. Courtesy of Verisae.
tially. Verisae aggregates all of the client’s facilities by web- As of mid-2010, Google had partnerships with 10 utilities
based technology to track energy consumption and control — seven in the United States, one in Canada, one in Germany
their loads in real time.” and one in India — to help customers conserve power. Enel
has roughly 32 million smart meters installed in Italian house-
Disruptive Technology or Killer Apps holds and is talking with Google about a PowerMeter app for
The C&I sector did not wait for utilities to develop ener- Enel customers.
gy management programs, and there is a good chance the Microsoft also sees opportunity in this marketplace. Its
residential sector will not, either. Google’s energy tool Power- Hohm website makes it easy for anyone in the United States
Meter is poised to either be independent of utilities or partner to figure out how energy efficient their homes are. Presently,
with them. It is a competitive environment. Once customers the Hohm website gives an approximate evaluation of the cus-
realize the data is theirs, competition will drive the issue as it tomer’s house, but Microsoft’s goal is to have devices feed data
has in so many other industries. After all, PowerMeter is a free to the Hohm app for real-time analysis.
opt-in service that gathers information from residential smart Cisco has developed an interesting approach to customer
meters — Itron is a partner with Google — and other in-home energy efficiency with its Network Building Mediator. The sys-
energy management hardware. The consumer can see real- tem aggregates data from sensors in heating, lighting, ventila-
time electricity usage data over the Internet. tion and air conditioning systems. It is designed with any-to-

38 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com


In 2010, Siemens took on the challenge of smart grid education. The smart grid tour was the smart grid meets IMAX with a state-of-the-art video
projection scheme on a geodesic-dome combining interactive demos and displays. Photos by Gene Wolf.
any connectivity offering end-to-end energy management for
efficiency and conservation. It is an extendable platform using
third-party applications and cloud services.
Another customer-friendly scheme for the residential
sector energy management is offered by Tendril. It is a digital-
clock-inspired, wall-mounted home energy display called the
Vision, with a touch screen that shows real-time electricity
consumption.
Adrian Tuck, CEO of Tendril, compares Vision to the TiVo
for its simplicity and ease of use. The Vision connects to wire-
less thermostats and other ZigBee-enabled devices. It commu-
nicates with the smart meter through ZigBee, too. This gives
the consumer an almost intuitive way to participate in utility
demand-response programs.
Utilities Have Apps, Too
On the utility side, sensors are being installed through-
out the distribution grid, collecting real-time two-way data
between the utility and the customer. Companies such as BPL
Global, Capgemini, Oracle, Silver Spring Networks, Smart-
Synch and Trilliant are providing utilities enterprise-wide
systems that allow them to manage, transfer and store data.
Utilities using the technology can control transmission and
distribution power flows, reduce peak power demand and
communicate across multiple stakeholder platforms.
“The customer and the distribution system are being
integrated. It is an end-to-end approach,” said Brian Jenkins,
smartGrid
director of corporate marketing for Trilliant. “This approach
extends from inside the home, out on the feeder and on to
the substation. It provides intelligent communications and
advanced metering, and supports demand-response measures.
The customer can save on energy costs, and the utility can be
proactive in responding to events on the system.”
Cellular carriers also are interested in the smart grid mar-
ketplace. Many see this as a tremendous growth market, and
they are tailoring their services for utilities. AT&T and its part-
ner SmartSynch are working with Texas–New Mexico Power
Co. (TNMP), known for its innovative approach to problem
solving.
In 2009, TNMP installed roughly 10,000 smart meters from
GE and Elster equipped with SmartSynch SSI modules to com-
municate with AT&T’s cellular service. The smart meter cel-
lular system gives TNMP the ability to read meters every 15
minutes, connect and disconnect remotely, and receive real-
time notification of outages.
“Using a cellular solution just makes sense,” said Allan
Burke, director of REP relations for TNMP. “AT&T has the
infrastructure in place, and TNMP doesn’t need to spend its
money developing something that is already available. The
cost is very attractive [about $0.50/meter per month].”
“The yearlong pilot project proved so successful — a
99.96% average daily read rate — that TNMP plans to deploy
the system to its entire customer base once PUC approval is
received,” Burke added.
www.tdworld.com | March 2011 39
 SMARTGrid

Energi Fyn is in the final stages of a smart meter multi- ible and responsive to the needs of customers, while provid-
energy deployment that includes not only electricity, but ing utilities with operational efficiency and the ability to op-
heat and water, too. The enhanced customer services scheme timize assets. Where demand response once meant shedding
consists of fiber-optic communications and Landis+Gyr’s Ad- load, today it includes the ability to shift loads and even shape
vanced Metering Management system and meters. Energi loads.
Fyn reports high customer satisfaction with the system, which Electricity is no longer a passive purchase, either. Custom-
played a key role in deciding to expand the scheme to entire ers are involved as active participants in the electric market-
customer base. place, where choice means real-time pricing, peak-time re-
bates and critical peak pricing.
Where to Go From Here Independent third-party entrants (energy service compa-
The grid is getting smarter whether utilities like it or not. nies) are offering customer-centric services to the residential
It is evolving into an electrical grid that is interactive, flex- sector. Legacy utilities must become more customer focused,
flexible and efficient, or they risk their
customer base switching to more in-
From the Ground Up
novative entities offering value-added

The Speed products.

of Innovation Companies mentioned:

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Experience. Technology. Answers. TM
ABB www.abb.com
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Capgemini
www.capgemini.com
Cisco www.cisco.com
DOE www.energy.gov
Elster www.elster.com
Enel www.enel.com
Energi Fyn www.energifyn.dk
EPRI www.epri.com
GE www.ge.com
Google www.google.com
IBM www.ibm.com
IEEE www.ieee.org
Itron www.itron.com
Microsoft
www.microsoft-hohm.com
Oracle www.oracle.com
Siemens www.siemens.com
Silver Spring Networks
www.silverspringnet.com
Tendril www.tendrilinc.com
TNMP www.tnmp.com
Trilliant www.trilliantinc.com
Verisae www.verisae.com

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40 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

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 MOBILEGrid

Electric Vehicles
Charge Ahead
Under the mobile smart grid concept,
electric vehicles will give and get.
By Else Veldman, André Postma and Han Slootweg, Enexis B.V.; Madeleine Gibescu,
Delft University of Technology; and Wil L. Kling, Eindhoven University of Technology

R
oad transportation equipped with conventional
combustion engines is responsible for a significant
share of carbon-dioxide emissions and polluting
cities with fine dust. On the contrary, electric vehi-
cles are environmentally cleaner and more efficient than con-
ventional cars, even when all the energy losses from the power
plant to the electric vehicle are taken into consideration.
The depletion of fossil fuel reserves is stimulating the use
of renewable energy resources (for example, wind power
and solar energy), but the intermittent output characteristics
limit the optimal use of these resources and complicate their
integration into the power system. The flexible load of elec-
tric vehicles can use the electricity produced when available,
thereby supporting a high penetration of intermittent renew-
able energy generators. Furthermore, electric vehicles need to
be regularly recharged, offering storage capacity that creates

Communication of the mobile smart grid concept.

44 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 MOBILEGrid

350 200
300
Load Load

Current (amperes)
150
Current (amperes)

250 Capacity (= I nom) Capacity (= I nom)

64% 76%
200
100
150

100 50

50
0
0 0 5 10 15 20
0 5 10 15 20
Time (hours) Time (hours)

The average load profile and capacity of a medium-voltage trans- The average load profile and capacity of a medium-voltage distribu-
mission cable in Limburg. tion cable (fed by a medium-voltage transmission cable) in Limburg.

the opportunity to transfer more energy through the distribu-
tion network by using the surplus load-transfer potential of
the existing network.
When managed intelligently, it is possible for the network
to both supply the additional energy demand for electric
vehicles and cope with intermittent energy production from
renewable energy resources. To achieve this optimal approach,
the distribution network must have sufficient capacity for the
additional load and be equipped with the secondary systems
for communication and control.
Enexis, a distribution network operator in the Netherlands,
has analyzed the available capacity on a section of the exist-
ing distribution network to determine how this can be used to
support charging electric vehicles through the introduction of
the mobile smart grid, which also will have to include second-
ary systems to control the flexible loads.
Topology and Operation of Medium-Voltage Networks
The design of medium-voltage (MV) networks in the Neth-
erlands comprises a (regional) distribution network supplied
by high-voltage (HV) to MV substations. Typical primary
voltages of HV/MV transformers are 220 kV, 150 kV, 110 kV or
50 kV; secondary voltages include 25 kV, 20 kV and 10 kV.
The design of the MV network is normally based on the

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www.tdworld.com | March 2011 45

 mobileGrid

use of single transformer feeders, but more complex varia- 250

tions frequently occur in which, for instance, a MV substa-
200 Situation1
tion is connected to several other MV substations. Also,
Situation 2
many MV installations at HV/MV substations feed both

Load (%)
150 Situation 3
MV transmission networks and MV distribution feeders,
designed to operate as open rings. 100
MV transmission networks normally satisfy the n-1 cri-
teria, which establishes system firm capacity whereby no 50
load is lost when one of the cables in a parallel circuit
0
is isolated because of a system fault or for maintenance 0 50 100 150 200
work. Number of cables

Loading of cables of a medium-voltage network operated by Enexis.

Capacities of Medium-Voltage Cables
At Enexis, the maximum current rating of an exist-
ing MV cable under n-1 operational conditions is based
300
on the nominal rating, with de-rating factors assigned to
take into account the proximity of parallel circuits, circuit Situation1
loading characteristics, soil temperature and type of cable 200 Situation 2
insulation. Load (%) Situation 3

Medium-Voltage Networks 100

in the Province of Limburg
The capacity of the distribution networks installed in
the Province of Limburg in the south of the Netherlands
has been analyzed. This region comprises one-fifth of
the total distribution networks operated by Enexis and
includes 29 HV/MV substations. No transformers are in-
stalled on the MV networks; all transmission and distribu-
tion cables in these networks operate at 10 kV.
Medium-Voltage Transmission
The average load profile of the 69-kV transmission cables
in the Province of Limburg in 2007 on the day of peak sys-
tem demand, which was Dec. 12, and the average capacity of
these cables were determined. The capacity of the cables was
based on the nominal cable loading with allowances made for
the differences between cross-linked polyethylene-insulated
and paper-insulated lead-covered cables, and aluminum and
copper conductors. To determine the cable capacity, it was
assumed the cables were continuously loaded, a conservative
assumption.
The results showed that 64% of the total energy transfer
capacity of the MV transmission cables was not used in nor-
mal operation. This is mainly because of the n-1 criteria ap-
plied in the design (when a fault occurs, a part of the capacity
is needed to meet this criteria) and a conservative estimation
of the simultaneity of peak loads. Moreover, the networks are
designed and installed to supply foreseeable future loading.
Medium-Voltage Distribution
For the distribution cables, an average load profile and
capacity of 147 MV distribution cables supplied by MV trans-
mission cables was evaluated and, as continuous loading con-
ditions were assumed, correction factors were applied. The
evaluation confirmed that an even higher percentage of the
capacity (76%), compared to the capacity of the MV transmis-
0
0 50 100 150
Number of transformers
Loading of medium-/low-voltage transformers of a medium-voltage
network operated by Enexis.
sion cables, is not used in normal operation. This high per-
centage is mostly caused by the fact that these distribution net-
works are designed to be operated as open rings. When a fault
occurs, one part of the ring can be fed through the other side
of the ring by closing a net opening. Therefore, extra capacity
margin is needed.
The results confirm there is cable load-transfer capacity
available to supply additional energy in MV transmission and
distribution cables, provided no faults occur. Further studies
were undertaken on one of the Limburg distribution networks
to determine the available surplus load-transfer capacity avail-
able in this distribution network and the MV/low-voltage (LV)
transformers.
Three loading situations were simulated for a MV network
supplied by a HV/MV substation that comprised 228 cables
and 187 MV/LV transformers. The three situations were as
follows:
Situation 1. Under normal operation it is presumed domes-
tic customers have a dynamic load profile, using, on average,
70% of the capacity needed for peak demand. For industry, a
more continuous load profile is applied.
Situation 2. Maximum continuous loading of cables and
transformers is the same maximum load used in Situation 1.
However, in general, more energy can be transported while
the load is continuous throughout the day.
Situation 3. Only 50% of the extra available capacity of
cables and transformers is used (for example, by electric

46 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

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 MOBILEGrid
High voltage Medium voltage
Grid connections to enable managing green generation and smart consumption.
vehicles). It is assumed the additional load is as equally spread
over the network as the load in the first situation.
The results presented that in the first situation, the peak
load current on a few cables and transformers exceeded the
nominal, continuously allowable current. Because of the rela-
tively long thermal time constants in the cables and transform-
ers, this is currently not a problem.
In the third situation, the peak load current in 14 of the
228 cables and in 88 of the 187 transformers exceeded the
nominal, continuously allowable current. Therefore, to use
the surplus grid capacity, some of the MV cables and MV/LV
transformers would need to be upgraded.
The network load analyses confirm that the existing MV
networks have surplus capacity that could be made available
to supply flexible loads. Electric cars are flexible, not time-
critical, loads that can be disconnected from the network or
adjusted to a lower power when required. However, to opti-
mally use this capacity, these loads should be coupled to the
grid and operated in an intelligent way.
Charging Electric Vehicles
If flexible loads, such as electric vehicles, could be con-
trolled in such a way the load is optimized throughout the day,
the capacity of the existing networks can be used more effi-
ciently and more energy can be transported. Electric cars can
be charged during off-peak load periods when the demand is
low, and in this way, the increased electricity demand can be
48 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com
supplied with only a limited need for further investment in
grid capacity. This is in contrast with the design of the exist-
ing grid, which traditionally is based on peak load forecasts.
Flexible loads offer the opportunity to use the extra capacity
that is already available in the existing grid but is currently
not used.
The Mobile Smart Grid Concept
To be able to use the surplus capacity, or hidden poten-
tial, of existing grids for electric vehicles and intermittent re-
newable energy sources, a control strategy is needed. Enexis
is introducing the mobile smart grid concept. This concept
includes data collection from the flexible loads, on the basis of
which a loading schedule can be determined, taking into ac-
count customer preferences, local grid capacity, and the actual
and forecast availability of electrical energy generators.
An adequate communication structure, such as the Inter-
net, must support the flow of information needed for intel-
ligent charging of electric cars (that is, adjusting the loads
to the fluctuating in-feed at the distribution network (decen-
tralized generation) without a car owner experiencing any
inconvenience).
The loading schedules of the electric vehicles can be ad-
justed when extra electrical energy is available or when service
interruptions occur. It should also be possible to slow down
the charging speed of the electric vehicles in case of emergen-
cies on the MV transmission network to prevent interruptions.
AN INTEGRATED SOLUTION
FOR BES TRAINING & COMPLIANCE
 mobileGrid

Acknowledgement
The colleagues of the regional asset manage-
ment department of Enexis are acknowledged
for their cooperation and availability of the data
provided.

Else Veldman (else.veldman@enexis.nl) received

a MSME degree from the University of Twente in
the Netherlands and now works in the innovation
department of Enexis B.V., a large Dutch distribution
network operator. Veldman is also with the electrical
energy systems group at the Eindhoven University of
Technology in the Netherlands, where she is pursu-
ing a Ph.D. on the future function, planning and
operation of electricity distribution networks.

André Postma (andre.postma@enexis.nl) gradu-

ated in 1975 in communication and high-voltage
power systems, and from 1975 to 1985, he worked
for the Royal Dutch Air Force as a special officer for
The mobile smart grid enables smart charging of an electric vehicle plugged into communication and air base power systems. In 1985,
the network. he joined PNEM, a Dutch energy company, later
re-named Essent, and he now works for Enexis B.V.,
In this way, the n-1 principle of the MV transmission network an independent distribution network operator. For the past few
is still guaranteed and the reliability of supply to all other years, Postma has focused on the investigation and introduction
customers is not adversely affected by the mobile smart grid of electric vehicles, RES and superconducting techniques.
approach.
Han Slootweg (han.slootweg@enexis.nl) received a MSEE
Further Development degree in 1998 and a Ph.D. in 2003, both from Delft University of
The in-depth examination of the existing capacity on Technology in the Netherlands. Slootweg, who also has a MBA
Enexis’ grid showed that 64% of the load-transfer capacity of degree, is currently manager of the innovation department at
the MV transmission cables is available to transport extra en- Enexis B.V. Slootweg has a professorship in smart grids with the
ergy and an even higher percentage (76%) is available in the electrical energy systems group at the Eindhoven University of
MV distribution cables fed by these MV transmission cables. Technology in the Netherlands.
However, these two percentages are reduced when the surplus
capacity is corrected by factors that consider soil resistivity, soil Madeleine Gibescu (m.gibescu@tudelft.nl) received a diploma
temperature and the thermal influence of cables laid in close in power engineering from the University Politehnica, Bucharest,
proximity. Romania, in 1993, and a MSEE degree and Ph.D. from the Uni-
Provision must be made for surplus cable capacity that is versity of Washington in the United States. Gibescu has worked
needed to supply future increases in load. Nevertheless, a part as a research engineer for ClearSight Systems and as a power
of the existing capacity can be used for flexible loads without systems engineer for AREVA T&D Corp., but currently she is an
the need for further investment. assistant professor with the electrical power systems group at
Based on the assumption that 50% of this available exist- the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
ing capacity is used to transport energy, load calculations for
a MV distribution network show that some cables and a large Wil L. Kling (w.l.kling @tue.nl) received a MSEE degree from
percentage of the MV/LV transformers installed will need to the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands and,
be upgraded. Furthermore, to use the available surplus capac- from 1978 to 1983, he worked for KEMA before joining TenneT,
ity for flexible loads such as electric cars, the flexible loads will the Dutch transmission system operator, until 2008. In Decem-
need to be controlled. This can be done by the mobile smart ber 2008, Kling was appointed a full-time professor and chair of
grid concept, which will include the intelligence systems to the electrical energy systems group at the Eindhoven University
slow down the charging of electric vehicles, when necessary, to of Technology. Kling has been a part-time professor at the Delft
secure the n-1 principle. University of Technology (since 1993) and at the Eindhoven
The mobile smart grid concept will be developed further to University of Technology (since 2000).
make optimal use of the existing capacity and when additional
work involving a complete load flow survey of the Enexis grid Company mentioned: Enexis www.enexis.nl
is completed.

50 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

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 DISTRIBUTIONPlanning

Dispersed Energy Storage

American Electric Power deploys battery energy
storage across its service territory.
By Emeka Okafor, American Electric Power

T
he U.S. electric grid has several challenges to over-
come for continuous delivery of uninterrupted
power. Critical needs include the upgrade or replace-
ment of aging electrical infrastructure, increased NaS battery
intelligence and communication between components on the location
Zone 4
electric grid, and increased reliability of power for electric cus-
tomers. In addition, the increasing desire for renewable en- Zone 3
ergy places challenges on grid operators as these sources of
energy are intermittent. Accurate prediction of their availabil- Zone 2
ity is difficult, and curtailment of their output may be needed Zone 1
to keep grid frequency stable.
Energy storage has been identified as a means to address Remotely controlled switch
Remotely controlled recloser
some of these issues. However, determining an economical-
ly viable and technically sound solution has proven elusive. Islanding zones at AEP’s Churubusco, Indiana, NaS deployment.
American Electric Power (AEP) has researched several energy
storage technologies to determine which technologies can reduced the oil temperature of the associated substation trans-
help overcome certain electric grid challenges. former. This energy storage system was successful in deferring
the need to build a new substation.
The First Large-Scale NaS Battery Load leveling provides one of the largest cost benefits for
In 2006, AEP deployed the first utility-grid scale sodium- energy storage systems on the distribution portion of the elec-
sulfur (NaS)-based energy storage system in the United States, tric grid because it allows capital deferral of upgrading or re-
near Charleston, West Virginia. A 1-MW, 7.2-MWh NaS bat- placing substation electrical equipment. However, this benefit
tery was deployed. In its first three years of operation, the may not be enough to completely cover the cost of deploying
battery provided approximately 1 MW of load leveling during an energy storage system.
hot summer days, improved the feeder load factor by 5% and To fully rationalize the cost of deploying energy storage
systems, benefits have to be realized
from several applications of the tech-
nology. In addition to load leveling
for capital deferral, these benefits
include providing backup power, en-
ergy arbitrage, system frequency reg-
ulation, the reduction of system losses
and the integration of renewable
sources of energy. Most of these ben-
efits compete for the same energy and
power out of the battery, so analyses
have to be performed to prioritize the
benefits, and some energy allocation
may be necessary for the applications
chosen to be deployed.

Building Upon NaS Success

AEP deployed the first megawatt-class NaS battery in the United States at an electric distribution
substation near Charleston, West Virginia. AEP has deployed 11 MW of NaS battery storage on
After successfully deploying the
its system, including the nation’s largest utility-scale battery, a 4-MW system in Presidio, Texas. Charleston energy storage system,

52 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 DISTRIBUTIONPlanning

AEP decided to deploy more installations and added the abil-

ity to provide backup power as another application to increase
the benefit provided by the NaS-based technology. In coopera-
tion with S&C Electric Co., AEP deployed three 2-MW, 14.4-
MWh systems, commissioned in 2009. These projects were
partially funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
through Sandia National Labs. The NaS-based energy storage
systems provide 480 V and are connected to a step-up trans-
former to attain 12.47-kV or 34.5-kV circuit voltage.
For AEP, the new energy storage systems provided load-
leveling benefit to the substation as well as backup power to
customers during certain faults on the electrical system. The
maximum area that could be served by the battery was deter-
mined and broken into zones, creating flexibility in providing
backup power to customers. The Milton, West Virginia, NaS battery provided backup power during
an outage last fall.
Each zone is segmented by intelligent reclosers or switches.
During an outage, the last load information is recorded, and occurred that disrupted the three-phase power out of the
the battery comes on-line to energize as many customers as Milton, West Virginia substation. The battery successfully
possible. Based on that last load information, the number of came on-line and restored power to the entire island, approxi-
zones that can be energized by the energy storage system is mately 700 customers, until the damage was fixed and power
determined, and the switches open to disconnect the zones was restored from the station one hour and 17 minutes later.
that cannot be energized by the energy storage system. The In addition to distribution system batteries, AEP, specifi-
entire area can be energized by the battery, but during heavy cally its transmission group, commissioned a 4-MW, 25-MWh
load conditions, fewer zones may be picked up to ensure the NaS-based energy storage system in Presidio, Texas, in 2010.
maximum number of customers receives backup power. This is the largest such NaS-based deployment in the United
As an example, on Nov. 1, 2010, a motor vehicle accident States to date.

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 DISTRIBUTIONPlanning

Community Energy Storage

(CES) — small-scale, battery-
80 units, 25 kW (2 MW/2 MWh)
Control hub at Morse Road station (northern Columbus) based energy storage systems
Circuit F5801 that are connected to the sec-
1,742 customers ondary of utility distribution
System will cover approximately 20% of customers
transformers to provide backup
power to customers. Several sys-
tems can be aggregated to pro-
Customer backup
vide grid-level benefits to the
Load leveling
pf correction utility.
Morse Road Certain features of CES will
station
enable the systems to provide
benefits to both customers and
grid operators:
● Location. Energy storage
systems that are located closer
to customers increase the reli-
Benefits of a Community Energy Storage system. ability of the systems to provide
backup power. The closer those
The Next Wave of Energy Storage at AEP storage systems are located to customers, the less susceptible
The NaS-based energy storage systems have been success- they are to weather conditions that may damage power lines
ful and provided lessons that allowed AEP to continue improv- when backup power is needed.
ing energy storage systems to meet customer needs and enable ● Buffer renewable energy. Storage systems located closer
the utility to operate the distribution system more efficiently. to customers can more readily buffer small-scale, customer-
There will always be a need for substation-based energy stor- owned renewable sources of energy, like wind and solar.
age systems that are easily transportable to help overcome ● Synergy with other industries. Today, utilities do not pur-
sustained outages. However, AEP is demonstrating another chase a significant amount of battery-based energy storage sys-
approach where energy storage systems can be more flexible tems. If utilities leverage technologies used by other industries,
to provide greater benefits to customers while still supporting such as the automobile industry, there is greater opportunity
grid functions. to reduce cost by leveraging higher-purchased quantities than
This new approach is called Community Energy Storage are presently available.
● Smaller size. These units will be easier to install, operate
and maintain. Outages to smaller-sized units are less critical to
the operation of the electric grid.

CES Demonstration Project

As part of the AEP Ohio gridSMART demonstration proj-
ect, partially funded by the DOE, the utility plans to deploy
80 CES units in Central Ohio. All the units deployed in the
field will be connected on one circuit that provides power to
approximately 1,700 customers. CES units will be associated

A mock installation shows the community energy storage module in

the foreground and a padmount transformer in the background.

54 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 DISTRIBUTIONPlanning

Scheduled Discharge Parameters

with 20% of those customers. A CES con-
• Set points: • Dynamic inputs:
trol hub, located at the station, will be
used to aggregate the units to provide • Start time • Unit available energy
circuit-level benefits such as load level- • Ramp up duration (minutes) - Tup • Status (manual, etc.)
ing and power factor correction. • Flat duration (hours) - tFLAT • Unit output (kW, kVAR)
The CES units will utilize lithium- • Ramp down duration (minutes) - tDN • Voltage
ion batteries, similar to those that will Power Tup tFLAT tDN
be used by the automobile industry in
electric vehicles. The decision was made
to use lithium-ion because of its energy
density characteristic and the potential
for significant price reduction as a result
of the volume that will be purchased by
the automobile industry. AEP hopes to
benefit from the leveraged price reduc-
Schedule-based load leveling.
tion so it can deploy more of these units
in the future.
Time-Triggered Discharge Parameters
The batteries that will be deployed
as part of the demonstration project are • Setpoints:
rated for one hour. However, to suffi- • Start time (same for all days)
ciently meet grid needs and also provide • Minimum demand below which no energy should be discharged
backup power to customers, utilities will
need batteries that can provide rated
power for three hours to four hours. No discharge on
minimum demand No discharge
on low demands
CES Project Benefits
The CES project will demonstrate
three main benefits:
1. Backup power to customers during
outages on the electric grid
2. Load leveling at the substation
2 p.m. 2 p.m. 2 p.m.
3. Power factor correction. Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Backup Power Time-triggered load leveling.

The CES units are rated 25 kW for
power and 25 kWh for energy and will be located adjacent to
padmount transformers near customers’ homes. To provide
backup power to customers during an outage, a CES unit will
disconnect from the electric grid and provide power to the
customers associated with that transformer. The unit will be
capable of providing several hours of backup power, which is
sufficient to handle most typical utility outages, because it will
not be delivering fully rated power of 25 kW all the time.

Load Leveling
The CES units will be aggregated by a control hub at the
substation to provide load-leveling benefit to the associated
station transformer. The successful demonstration of this ben-
efit will show that these systems can be used for capital defer-
ral of equipment upgrade or replacement. A couple of differ-
ent schemes will be used for load leveling:
● Schedule-based load leveling. Using this method, utilities
can simply perform load research analysis to determine a
start time and choose a discharge schedule to perform load
leveling.
● Time-triggered load leveling. A more complex yet more intel-
John Mandeville, senior engineering technologist for AEP, tests a
prototype of the community energy storage battery system.
ligent method for load leveling involves using time of day as a
trigger for load leveling. At a specific time of day, a determina-
tion is made on the necessity to perform load leveling. If the
load is at or above a set level, load leveling will be performed
on that day. This benefits the battery because a discharge will
not occur on a low-peak day, thus extending the life of the

www.tdworld.com | March 2011 55

 DISTRIBUTIONPlanning

battery by requiring fewer battery cycles and reserving more
energy to provide backup power to customers. Load studies
will need to be performed to determine both the time to ana-
lyze the need for load leveling and the actual time to start load
leveling, which may differ.
Power Factor Correction
The last benefit that will be demonstrated during the CES
project is the ability to provide capacitive support to the elec-
tric grid. The CES units will use four-quadrant inverters ca-
pable of discharging and charging real power and also pro-
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.
viding inductive and capacitive power. The ability to provide
capacitive support has great benefits to the electric grid. Most
utility loads and power lines are inductive in nature, and sig-
nificant levels of these inductive loads can cause voltage-drop
concerns. Today, most utilities use capacitor banks to counter-
balance these inductive loads. CES units will be able to pro-
vide the capacitive support to counter these inductive loads
and enable the distribution system to run more efficiently.
Next Steps
AEP Ohio’s CES project is expected to be deployed and
monitored through December 2013.
Metrics are being developed to ascer-
tain the benefits the CES units provide
to the distribution system and will be
reported to the DOE as part of the

Get LumaSMART.
project.

Emeka Okafor (cokafor@aep.com) is an

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engineer in American Electric Power’s
research programs department in
Columbus, Ohio, U.S., and is responsible
for researching new energy storage
technologies and assessing them for
deployment at AEP. He is currently
managing the deployment of the utility’s
2-MW, 2-MWh lithium-ion based com-
munity energy storage systems in Ohio.
He holds a BE degree from Oral Roberts
University and a MSEE degree from
Oklahoma State University.
Editor’s note: This material is based upon work sup-
ported by the Department of Energy under award
number DE-OE0000193. This report was prepared
as an account of work sponsored by an agency of
the United States government. Neither the United
States government nor any agency thereof, nor any
of their employees, makes any warranty, express or
implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibil-
ity for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of
any information, apparatus, product or process dis-
closed, or represents that its use would not infringe
privately owned rights. Reference herein to any
specific commercial product, process or service by
trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise
does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorse-
ment, recommendation or favoring by the United
States government or any agency thereof. The
views and opinions of authors expressed herein do
not necessarily state or reflect those of the United
States government or any agency thereof.

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Companies mentioned:
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S&C Electric Co.
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www.energy.gov

56 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

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 TRANSMISSIONLines
Twice the Capacity
on the Same Towers
Brazil uprates an environmentally sensitive river
crossing with ACCR.
By Caetano Cezario Neto, Companhia de Transmissão de Energia Elétrica Paulista
B
razil is already South America’s largest consumer
of electric power, but over the next 10 years, the
nation’s demand for electricity is projected to in-
crease by 50%, according to Energy Minister Edison
Lobão. Accommodating that demand will require the addi-
tion of some 51,000 MW in generating capacity. Although it
is possible current global financial problems might alter this
projection downward to some extent, meeting any target even
close to that figure poses an enormous challenge for Brazil’s
utility industry.
Reconductoring activities on the Rio Paraná in southeast Brazil.
58 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com
Having abundant river resources, Brazil currently relies
on hydroelectric power to satisfy approximately 85% of its
electricity consumption. However, much of those resources
are situated a considerable distance from where the power
is needed most, in the rapidly growing southeastern portion
of the country, which includes the heavily populated states of
São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.
To meet the challenge of keeping pace with Brazil’s grow-
ing demand for electricity, it will be necessary not only to add
a great deal of generating capacity, but also to make distri-
bution and transmission as efficient as possible.
Hundreds of new power lines and substations
nationwide are planned for the coming years,
many of which are already under construction,
and existing lines will be improved to remove or
minimize bottlenecks.
Rio Paraná Crossing
As Brazil’s largest non-government-owned
transmission utility, Companhia de Transmissão
de Energia Elétrica Paulista (ISA CTEEP) trans-
ports almost all of the electricity consumed in São
Paulo and about 30% of the electrical power used
nationwide. The effort to upgrade the power-deliv-
ery system includes a search for new technologies
and approaches that enable achieving the greatest
efficiency and reliability, while minimizing costs
and adverse environmental impacts within the re-
quired time frames.
No project better illustrates that complex ob-
jective than the recent upgrade of a segment of
the Jupiá-Três Irmãos line that crosses the Rio
Paraná — South America’s second-largest river
system, after the Amazon — in an especially en-
vironmentally sensitive area where the river forms
the border separating the states of São Paulo and
Mato Grosso do Sul.
ISA CTEEP’s engineering department stud-
ied many technical options for line upgrades on
the Jupiá system. Initially designed to connect
two hydro generators, the system’s transmission
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 transmissionLines

capacity overloaded when the new Três Lagoas

Thermoeletric Power Plant was connected to
the system.
The purpose of this project was to more
than double the capacity of the Jupiá-Três
Irmãos line. To achieve that goal, it was de-
termined the line should be rebuilt with a
Grosbeak 636-kcmil aluminum conductor
steel-reinforced (ACSR) 0.99-inch (25.2-mm)-
diameter conductor, in place of the existing
Oriole 336-kcmil ACSR 0.741-inch (18.8-mm)-
diameter conductor.
However, a complication had to be taken
into account. The 1.1-mile (1.8-km) Rio Paraná
crossing has three towers that sit over special
concrete foundations rising out of the water.
Upgrading the line across the river with the
larger ACSR conductor would have required
construction of substantially larger towers in
the river bed, creating difficult problems. The
high cost of such an undertaking was one fac-
tor, but environmental considerations posed
even greater obstacles. The river and its flood
The structure foundations in the river bed are about 16 meters high (with 6 meters above plains are home to a huge variety of fish and
the water line). Many transmission lines are in this area delivering power into the Brazilian
electrical grid. In this photo, the new line is in the blocks and the linemen are going to be birds and, not surprisingly, are the subject of
clipping the conductors in. intense environmental scrutiny.

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60 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

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 transmissionLines
Linemen have released the new ACCR conductor from the stringing
blocks and are in the process of installing the support and attaching it
to the insulator string.
A Conductor Alternative
New construction of any kind in the river flood plain would
have been unwelcome, but exacerbating the problem is the
fact that not only the towers would have to be replaced, but
also new foundations would have been required. The permit-
ting process for such a disruptive procedure might have taken
over a year or more; in fact, it was entirely possible a permit
might never have been granted.
ISA CTEEP sought a reliable solution that would have me-
chanical properties similar to the existing Oriole ACSR con-
ductor yet also the electrical current capacity similar to that of
the Grosbeak conductor. After searching on the local and in-
ternational markets and evaluating a limited set of options for
the river crossing, the solution of choice was the 3M aluminum
conductor composite-reinforced (ACCR) conductor.
One of the best benefits of this alternative is that the need-
ed capacity could be achieved without having to replace or
enlarge the towers. The solution, which more than doubles
line capacity, is a 300-kcmil ACCR. This new conductor is not
only much lighter than the original conductor, the diameter is
smaller at 0.677 inches (17.2 mm). This means the same con-
ductor that increased line capacity by more than 100% also
reduced the wind loading on the existing structures by about
9%. It allowed the issue of river construction to be avoided
entirely.
The Installation
For the purpose of the upgrade, the 138-kV line required
an increase in capacity from 335 A to 860 A. The ACCR line
chosen can be operated up to 1,043 A for continuous opera-
tion at 210°C (410°F) and 1,113 A for emergency operation at
240°C (464°F). The ACCR conductor weighs 36% less than the
Oriole ACSR that had been in place. Maximum sag and maxi-
mum horizontal tension would remain essentially the same.
ISA CTEEP’s technical team worked with 3M’s Brazil and
U.S. teams to plan and prepare all the logistics for the installa-
tion in February 2009. The installation itself required only six
days. The 3M technical team provided pre-construction train-
62 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com
Genesis of aCCr
3M’s aluminum conductor composite reinforced (ACCR)
had a serendipitous genesis in the 1990s, when the com-
pany’s engineers were experimenting with metal-based
ceramic-reinforced composites for aeronautical applica-
tions. Working with a composite that demonstrated a
strong ability to resist the effects of heat, it occurred to the
engineers that such a quality could be useful to the electric
utility industry by reducing heat-induced sag on overhead
transmission lines.
The innovative product that emerged from that idea
was a conductor composed of a ceramic fiber-reinforced
aluminum core wrapped in aluminum-zirconium wires.
Basic feasibility testing began in the late 1990s. Less heat-
induced sag was only one of its potential benefits. The
high conductivity of aluminum combined with the metal’s
relatively light weight suggested the experimental product
could carry more power than conventional steel conduc-
tors while using the same infrastructure. For line upgrades,
that would mean no tower construction, no additional
easements and fewer environmental issues.
In 2000, 3M proposed a large-scale testing program
to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and several U.S.
utilities. The following year, intrigued by the new conduc-
tor’s promise, the DOE began a field test at its Oak Ridge
National Laboratories, while similar test projects were
inaugurated by Xcel Energy, Hawaiian Electric and Western
Area Power Administration (WAPA) to gather experience in
a wide range of climate conditions and weather extremes.
In 2004, WAPA installed additional test sites in the Arizona
desert, Salt River Project began a test installation just out-
side of Phoenix and the Bonneville Power Administration
undertook field testing in Washington State.
Meanwhile, in August of that same year, Xcel Energy
decided that four years of successful field testing had
established the new conductor’s dependability and com-
mitted to ACCR’s first commercial application — a key
10-mile (16-km) line designed to accommodate peak
power demand for the Twin Cities area. That line was
energized in May 2005, and one month later, WAPA chose
ACCR to upgrade a 20-mile (32-km) circuit line along the
Colorado River supplying power to communities in
Arizona, California and Nevada.
Today, ACCR is in use by more than two dozen U.S.
utilities and in six other nations, including those with the
world’s three fastest-growing economies: Brazil, China and
India.
ing for both ISA CTEEP and contractor employees.
The process and equipment were similar to that used for
installing an ACSR conductor. In fact, the existing ACSR con-
ductor was used to pull the ACCR through the existing towers.
Following manufacturer’s recommendations for ACCR installa-
tion techniques, the stringing employed a 59-inch (1,499-mm)
tensioner and 27-inch (686-mm)-diameter stringing blocks on
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 TRANSMISSIONLines

toward achieving the nation’s ambitious expansion goals for

generating and delivering electrical power, technological
innovations such as the 3M ACCR will play an expanding
problem-solving role.

Caetano Cezario Neto (CCezario@cteep.com.br) is the

engineering department manager for Companhia de Transmis-
são de Energia Elétrica Paulista (CTEEP), principally owned by
Grupo Empresarial ISA (ISA Group), one of South America’s
largest electricity and telecommunications providers. He is a
graduate of Faculdade de Engenharia de Barretos in Barretos,
Brazil, with a degree in electrical engineering, and he has been
an employee of CTEEP since 1984.

ACCR conductor on the reel goes through the tensioner and up onto
the line during the stringing operation.
suspension towers. Splice and dead-ended connectors were ap-
plied using a 100-ton (91-metric-ton) press. This installation
process enabled the tension to remain constant throughout,
avoiding any conductor contact with lower phases.
By using this lightweight, high-performance conductor
for the Rio Paraná crossing, ISA CTEEP was able to avoid a
potentially interminable delay, save costs, work with innova-
tive technology on its transmission line and complete a vital
project to help meet the power needs of a growing region. As
ISA CTEEP and Brazil’s entire utility industry move forward
Companies mentioned:
3M www.3m.com
Bonneville Power Administration www.bpa.gov
Companhia de Transmissão de Energia Elétrica Paulista
www.cteep.com.br
Energy Minister Edison Lobão www.brasil.gov.br
Hawaiian Electric Co. www.heco.com
Oak Ridge National Laboratories www.ornl.gov
Salt River Project www.srpnet.com
U.S. Department of Energy www.energy.gov
Western Area Power Administration www.wapa.gov
Xcel Energy www.excelenergy.com

TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION • DATA COMMUNICATION • RENEWABLES • SUBSTATIONS

URBAN & RURAL TELECOM • POWER PLOWING & TRENCHING • ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING

We are Aevenia. The way energy moves.

We are Aevenia, Inc., a premier energy and electrical construction company.

We offer a powerful bundle of services and back it up with 40 years in
the energy and electrical construction industry. Every day, we show our
customers what it’s like to do business where trust, integrity, efficiency and
quality are principal values.

www.aevenia.com • 218.284.9500 • 3030 24th Ave. So. Moorhead, MN 56560

64 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 CUSTOMERCare

Customer Engagement
Leads to Lower Costs
United Illuminating’s online system
helps customers understand energy use
and make informed usage decisions.
By Joseph D. Thomas, The United Illuminating Co.

T
he United Illuminating Co. (UI) has faced a variety their electric bills, accommodate time-of-day rates and reduce
of challenges over the last decade. A 1998 restructur- call-center volume. The company deployed the Bill Analysis,
ing law required the New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.- Load and Rates Analysis, and Energy Analysis modules of
based electric utility to sell its electricity generating Aclara’s ENERGYprism software to accomplish its goals.
plants. Starting in 2006, electricity prices
in the ISO–New England wholesale market
began to rise sharply as the price of natural
gas increased. Within two years, primarily
driven by the increase in wholesale power
costs, many of UI’s 324,000 customers had
seen their electric bills nearly double — at
precisely the time when the U.S. economy
was shedding jobs and falling into reces-
sion. At the same time, customers faced
several complex new choices as new rate
structures were introduced and competi-
tors entered the generation services mar-
ket for the first time.
These new laws and regulations brought
rapid change for customers but did little to
address the rising cost and sticker shock.
Electric rates in Connecticut were then,
and remain now, among the highest in the
nation. As of January 2011, UI residential
customers, on average, paid 23.56 cents
per kilowatt-hour, compared with 12.64
cents in 2000.
Barred by law from building new gen-
eration to increase supply, and constrained
by its inability to reduce market prices, UI
instead chose a strategy of helping custom-
ers control their electric bills at the source
— their homes and businesses. UI saw that
by providing customers with more infor-
mation, it could help them make smarter
choices and manage their energy use and
costs. That’s why the utility implemented
Information provided through UI’s web-based dashboard includes graphical representa-
specialized software from Aclara to help tion of on-peak and off-peak energy use as well as a breakdown of electricity costs by func-
customers understand energy use, lower tion or appliance.

www.tdworld.com | March 2011 65

 CUSTOMERCare

Off peak On peak Drawing on the data from UI’s

80
state-of-the-art metering and customer
information systems, UI provides cus-
tomers and call-center reps with access
60
to detailed daily usage information
Kilowatt-hours

and analytics through its My Account

40
system, the utility’s Aclara-driven cus-
tomer portal. This software provides
helpful tools for customers. UI’s dash-
20 board, the initial screen that custom-
ers see when they log on, puts all of the
most frequently accessed information
0 in one convenient place and provides
Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. them with helpful information the mo-
ment they log in.
This detail of the dashboard presents UI customers with a graphical representation of peak and
off-peak usage. They can use the information to analyze energy use and make changes to control
The software also tells consumers
use at peak times. how much they owe, why the current
bill might be higher or lower than
Understanding Energy Use the previous month’s, how consumption compares to similar
In the bygone era of relatively inexpensive power, custom- homes and businesses, and what household systems — such
ers rarely gave much thought to how and when they used elec- as heating, lighting and food storage — contributed to the
tricity, except when they received their electric bill. Helping total payment due. In addition, there is a projected bill esti-
them change long-ingrained habits meant providing them mate of how much energy they’ve used and its associated cost
with more information and making it available on demand to date. Finally, it shows an estimate of how much their next
instead of once a month. final bill might be. By providing this important data, custom-
ers can make informed choices
about their electricity usage and
potentially reduce their energy
expenses.

Helping Customers
Lower Costs
UI’s customers have little con-
trol over the many external factors
contributing to rising energy costs
and the increase in electric rates.
However, armed with the proper
information, customers can still
find ways to lower their bills by re-
ducing usage, improving efficien-
cy, switching to alternate genera-
tion suppliers and changing usage
behaviors. This approach also can
benefit the regional power grid
by reducing demand during peak
load times.
The software helps customers
reduce consumption in a variety
of ways. Simply being aware of
their electricity costs and usage
can encourage customers to make
smart choices that save money.
Customers also can use the soft-
ware to create energy profiles by
UI customers can perform on-request meter reads to verify correct meter operation and to further entering information about the
analyze usage up to four times per month. specific appliances they own and

66 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 customerCare

learning how each one fits into that customer’s overall energy Pool $107
consumption picture. For example, a customer might use the
Other $93
system to learn how much money could be saved each month
by replacing a 15-year-old refrigerator with a new, energy-effi- Lighting $54
cient unit. Beyond all of the dashboard information, interac- Hot water $39
tive energy-audits and pointers are just a click away. Food storage $31
Cooling $23
Accommodating Time-of-Day Rates
Cooking $21
For more than 40 years, UI has offered time-of-day rates
Heating $3
for residential and commercial customers. Its metering in-
frastructure, which was deployed 10 years ago, enabled the
company to capture and present daily, hourly and 15-minute This detail of the dashboard provides customers who have complet-
interval data to customers where applicable on a daily rather ed an energy audit a breakdown of how they are using energy. The
than monthly basis. This provides customers with an appro- graph makes customers aware of how much they spend for specific
appliances and other energy uses, and helps them to identify areas
priate price signal that enables them to enjoy a slightly lower where they might cut costs.
base rate but pay slightly more during on peak. The idea is to
encourage customers to use appliances or business processes an easy-to-understand graph showing on- and off-peak usage.
that require a lot of electricity — such as dishwashers, clothes In addition, there is a rate calculator to illustrate the impact of
dryers, pool pumps, air conditioners and manufacturing transitioning to time-based rates and how their bills might be
equipment — during off-peak hours, reducing strain on the affected simply by changing behaviors and use patterns. Cus-
electric grid. In 2009, state regulators required any residential tomers also can request an on-demand meter reading to get
customer who uses more than 2,000 kWh in a month to be real-time access to their meter and data usage.
switched to a time-of-day rate.
The portal solution provides helpful tools for customers Reducing Customer Care Center Volume
who are now on, or who recently were switched to, time-based Not surprisingly, the changes in UI’s regulatory environ-
rates. For instance, the My Account dashboard gives customers ment and energy markets led to confusion among customers.

Nordic’s
Cabinet
Collection
Connection Ƚ Tough &
Durable
Ƚ Nordic’s 35kV 600 Amp Fiberglass
cabinets connect each wind lasts for
tower’s power to the substation years!
for a “daisy chain” solution. Ƚ Double
Ƚ Install up to three, 2, 3 or 4 pt. Locking for
35kV 600Amp deadbreak Security
junctions with U-straps.
Ƚ 18” or 36” high extensions
are available for extra
depth for large
cable radius bends.

Ƚ Uni-strut channel for cable clamps.

Ƚ Holds cables upright for less elbow fatigue.

ORDIC FIBERGLASS, INC.

Quality Products for the Electric Utility Industry
32%R[:DUUHQ017HO)D[ZZZQRUGLF¿EHUJODVVFRP

www.tdworld.com | March 2011 67

 customerCare

Weatherization Questions
Please answer these questions about your home. Then click Next to get ways to save for Weatherization. This resulted in additional call volume
How much ceiling or attic insulation?
and extended call times in UI’s Customer
Excellent (12 inches or more)
Care Center. In addition, operating costs
Very Good (9 to12 inches)
increased for the company and often-
Good (6 to 9 inches)
times customers were frustrated due to
Fair (3 to 6 inches)
delays during high-volume periods.
Poor (under 3 inches)
Customers who register with My Ac-
None
count can find answers to many questions
instantly, without picking up the phone
UI’s energy audit asks customers a series of questions about what type of appliances they have and calling the Customer Care Center.
and what measures they have taken to make their homes more efficient. For example, custom- The applications explain details such as
ers are asked how much insulation they have in their homes. Results of the energy audit are
used to help analyze energy use.
non-energy-related charges, how billing
cycles and weather affect total charges,
and more.
UI also implemented an Aclara appli-
cation that gives Customer Care Center
representatives the same kind of infor-
mation customers see online. This makes
representatives call advisors who show
customers how to use the information
we provide to make informed decisions
about how to save on energy costs, rather
than strictly call takers.

Measuring Success
Use of UI’s Web portal has increased
dramatically. Transactions grew from
243,000 in 2007, to 607,000 in 2008, to
962,000 in 2009. That number surged to
nearly 1.3 million transactions in 2010.
Some 60,000 people — about 20% of
UI’s customers — visit the My Account
site on a monthly basis.
Planned enhancements to the website
include additional reporting capabilities
on energy usage. UI also will begin of-
fering customers the chance to sign up
for billing alerts that will tell them when
they’ve passed a certain dollar or usage
threshold. Plus, the company expects to
enhance Aclara’s carbon calculator on
the site to provide consumers with ways
to mitigate the effects of carbon taxes
that are expected in the future. Finally,
within two years, UI expects to integrate
the billing analytics into the bill print
process. This will enable customers still
receiving paper bills to understand why
their energy usage and cost has either
decreased or increased.
There are a variety of additional plans
UI has on the board that include “smart”
technology. By the fourth quarter of
2010, 32,800 new advanced meters were
installed at customer locations. These
meters provide two-way communication

68 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com


UI customers consult the Web-based tools to make decisions about
their electricity use and what they will spend for power.
with the power grid, which helps drive efficiencies in asset
utilization, voltage monitoring, outage detection and main-
taining a high level of power quality. This will help UI accom-
modate future demands on the electric system, such as electric
vehicles.
In addition, the meters are installed with a ZigBee mod-
ule for a home-area network to provide customers with more
real-time information and control within their homes to bet-
ter manage their energy use. They also could provide a way for
customerCare
the utility to manage distributed generation and better man-
age the performance of the electrical distribution system.
With energy costs rising in these challenging economic
times, many consumers feel they’ve lost control over their ex-
penses. But at UI, control is the whole point. That’s why the
companuy enlisted Aclara to offer tools and information that
customers can use to manage their energy use and help bring
costs under control. Now, with new technologies promising to
revolutionize the way consumers consume and pay for energy,
UI is positioning itself as its customers’ connection to a smart-
er, thriftier and more sustainable energy future.
Joseph D. Thomas is vice president, Electric System Opera-
tions and Client Fulfillment at The United Illuminating Co.
Among other things, he oversees the Revenue Cycle Services
process, which includes departments that support all aspects of
meter and customer field services, including the customer care
center, residential and commercial collections, revenue control/
special billing, revenue metering system and standard field. He
holds a BSEE degree from Bridgeport Engineering Institute and
a MBA from University of New Haven.
Companies mentioned:
Aclara www.aclara.com
The United Illuminating Co. www.uinet.com
www.tdworld.com | March 2011 69
PRODUCTS&Services
Rugged Mobile Solution

Intelligent Self-Healing Software

CG Automation offers SmartZone, an intelligent self-healing and adaptive network
solution for distribution automation that can be scaled from a single substation
solution to a complete DMS application. SmartZone takes switch status information
in combination with fault indications and pre-fault currents to determine the fault GammaTech, a manufacturer of
location, automatically isolate the fault and restore power to any unfaulted sections rugged notebook and tablet computers,
from alternative sources. announces the newest addition to its line
Features include: fault isolation and restoration, multi-level fault recovery, scalable of rugged mobile solutions, the S15C.
solution, one-touch restoration and drag-and-drop network configuration. Designed for rugged environments,
Simple restoration schemes with reclosers are only suitable for simple network the S15C provides portability and it’s
configurations. tough enough to be used virtually
CG Automation Systems USA Inc. | www.cgautomationusa.com anywhere. It’s tested by Military 810G
standard, which ensures that it’s drop,
Software for Collaboration with Oracle Database shock, dirt and spill resistant.
The S15C features a 15.6-inch (396-
GE’s Smallworld Enterprise Gateway solution enables users of GE’s geospatial mm) HD display, comes with Intel i7,
solutions to directly use Smallworld data for applications operating on Oracle Spatial i5 and i3 processors and Intel HM55
technology. This software product provides a comprehensive, high-performing chipset, and its two dual-channel DDR
solution to make Smallworld managed data available through an Oracle database. III SODIMM slots provide up to 8 GB
Customers benefit from improved performance of a range of business processes, of memory capacity. Security is of
including reporting, asset management and data warehouse applications. paramount importance and the S15C
As an integral part of GE’s Smallworld portfolio, the Smallworld Enterprise Gateway includes multiple security features such
solution is GE’s next step to strengthen the value of Smallworld solutions for customers as TPM 1.2 technology, Kensington Lock
operating in combined database architectures with Oracle Spatial. It allows re-using connector, administrator password/boot
the quality models of the Smallworld industry applications suite for non-Smallworld password and smart card reader slot.
applications and can be configured and operated very efficiently. GammaTech
GE | www.ge.com www.GammaTechUSA.com
 PRODUCTS&Services
Fluke Test Tool Catalog Wireless Networking
Fluke Corp. has published its new 2011 Test Tools Catalog, filled with not just tools S&C Electric Co. introduces the new
but expert advice on how test tool usage can improve the bottom line for commercial IntelliCom family of wireless networking
and industrial facilities and for contractors. communications products. These devices
Starting with a three-page spread on the newest test tools Fluke has to offer, the leverage distributed intelligence to help
68-page catalog goes on to unveil a new, easy-to-use format derived in good part utilities better manage and use the data
from customer suggestions. required to support applications ranging
The latest Fluke tools have been developed in response to the 2011 industrial and from AMI backhaul to time-critical
commercial working environment. More electronic equipment, tighter, more complex distribution automation.
panels and more pressure to make equipment last and to get as much or more The new product line features
accomplished with smaller teams. How can a test tool help with that? By anticipating IntelliCom WAN, a wireless high-speed
those needs and smartly innovating solutions that really do make a difference. wide-area networking router that
The iFlex current probe threads around large, tightly packed cables. The combines ultra-high throughput — up
detachable 365 Clamp Meter features a detachable clamp to snake into a cabinet to 400 Mbps — with extremely low
and reach small wires. The four-channel 190 Series II ScopeMeter allows one tool latencies of less than 1 msec. IntelliCom
to do the work of four, and the wireless 233 multimeter and 381 Clamp Meter allow WAN features 802.11n mesh radio
one technician to be in two places at once. The 810 Vibration Tester gives incoming architecture for maximum grid reliability,
technicians immediate capability to diagnose mechanical equipment in the way that with multiband operation in the 2.4-GHz
previously only highly experienced veterans — now gone from the workforce — or and 5-GHz unlicensed bands and the
highly expensive consultants could. And the new TiS thermal imager puts accurate, 4.9-GHz municipal licensed band. This
rugged thermal imaging capabilities into the hands of more people. The list goes network architecture is self-forming
on, from the 1555 Insulation Resistance Tester to the Fluke 2AC VoltAlert Voltage and self-healing; communication is
Tester and the Tl175 twistable test leads, the breadth and depth of Fluke innovation not inhibited by the loss of any single
continues. node. IntelliCom WAN offers FIPS 140-2
The 2011 catalog also details the full range of Fluke tools, including clamp meters, security compliance required by the U.S.
digital multimeters, laser distance meters, earth ground testers, electrical testers, Department of Defense for Homeland
indoor air-quality tools, insulation resistance testers, power-quality analyzers, process Security applications.
calibration tools, ScopeMeter tools, thermal imagers, thermometers, infrared The IntelliCom family also includes
windows, the vibration tester and Fluke accessories. IntelliCom LAN, which provides a wireless
Graphical illustrations of industrial and building facilities help readers understand access point to high-speed WANs,
which tool to use where to diagnose and maintain their operations. A “quick find” and IntelliCom CPE, which provides
card makes it easy to locate information in the catalog about a specific test tool. an interface to IntelliCom LAN for grid
The catalog is available in an online edition we well as in a printed edition. devices and mobile workforce access.
Fluke | www.fluke.com S&C Electric Co. | www.sandc.com

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www.tdworld.com | March 2011 71

 Products&Services

Comprehensive Business Intelligence Solution Land Management

Herbicides
ea consulting announces the launch of OneView, a comprehensive business
intelligence solution for the electric utility industry. Land managers committed to
The OneView solution provides utility executives and managers with a set of tools protecting public safety have new options
that will help them: available to help control challenging
l Identify their current state of operations across the enterprise via OneView’s weeds and brush: DuPont Perspective,
Executive Dashboard with data connectors ensuring accurate, timely information Streamline and Viewpoint herbicides.
The new herbicides are based on
l Establish goals and targets for performance improvements based on utility-
aminocyclopyrachlor, a new proprietary
specific and industrywide metrics, creating powerful benchmarked intelligence active ingredient from DuPont. The
l Develop an executable road map for performance improvement against specific herbicides provide long-lasting activity
KPIs with ea’s team of Certified OneView Business Partners. on a wide spectrum of difficult brush
For the electric utility industry, OneView leverages the industry-standard KPIs and broadleaf weeds in utility rights-of-
developed as a part of FERC Form 1 data efforts and related industry data. way, roadsides, nature preserves, parks
ea consulting | www.ea-inc.com and other areas. Low-use rates and
dry-blended formulations mean these
new herbicides require less handling,
Visit us at Transmission and Distribution SmartGrids Europe tank-mixing, storage space and waste
12-14 April 2011, Copenhagen, Denmark at booth # 4.07 disposal, which saves time and costs, and
delivers greater overall productivity.
DuPont Perspective herbicide
selectively controls broadleaf and
invasive weeds, including thistles, leafy
spurge and knapweeds, along roadsides
and other sites, while preserving
desirable grasses and natural habitats.
Perspective helps control ALS- and
glyphosate-tolerant species, including
kochia, marestail and pigweeds.
DuPont Streamline herbicide controls
brush in industrial rights-of-way where
desirable native and perennial grasses
need to be maintained. It controls tough
species, including boxelder, hackberry
and mesquite.
DuPont Viewpoint herbicide provides
broad-spectrum brush control of tough
species, including boxelder, hackberry,
mesquite, oaks and sweetgum in utility
and industrial rights-of-way.
The world needs to rethink power... Dupont
landmanagement.dupont.com
With new energy sources the power companies Mesh Routher for DA
are facing new challenges in their power
Tropos Networks introduces the
distributions grids - new energy sources will be Tropos 1310 Distribution Automation
applied and the need for control and supervision (DA) mesh router for communications
to DA devices such as reclosers and
of the grids is a necessity. sectionalizers.
This new router features the low
latency, high bandwidth and Quality of
PowerSense can help the power distribution Service (QoS) required by many mission-
critical DA applications. For latency
companies to be ready for the future with our sensitive DA applications, it supports
DISCOS® solution. under 3 msec link latency allowing for
sub-cycle response times needed by
DA protection and control systems.
...SmartGrid is a reality In addition, it can be connected with
many different vendors’ DA devices,
reducing operational cost and network
The DISCOS®6\VWHPIURP3RZHU6HQVHLVDPRGXODUDQGUHWUR¿WWDEOHV\VWHP
management complexity.
The DA mesh router is part of Tropos’
for supervision of the power distribution network. The system is based on optical
GridCom 2.0 standards-based architec-
sensor technology with a 2-way communication technology. Using the DISCOS® ture for smart grids and seamlessly and
System, you will be able to get control over your grid and make it smart! economically extends mesh connectivity
for DA applications.
For further information, please visit www.sensethepower.com or send an e-mail to The Tropos 1310 is managed by
sales@sensethepower.com. Tropos Control, which unifies wireless
network management and visibility ag-
gregating and simplifying configuration,
performance, software upgrades and
sensethepower.com
network fault management.
Tropos Networks | www.tropos.com

72 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 PRODUCTS&Services

Thermal Imaging Camera UPS Preassembled System

IDEAL has Eaton Corp.’s BladeUPS system is now available in a preassembled system cabinet
released the designed for easier power-cabling access. The BladeUPS Top-Entry Preassembled
HeatSeeker System simplifies installation for applications without a raised floor environment and
160 thermal serves as a flexible option when facing data center moves, additions or changes.
imaging The BladeUPS Top-Entry Preassembled System is designed for data center
camera for managers interested in consolidating stand-alone Uninterruptible Power Systems
electricians (UPSs) in order to ease UPS management and enhance power-capacity planning.
and Eaton recently worked with Allison-Smith Co., one of the South’s leading electrical
maintenance contracting firms, to specify a UPS for a customer with limited space in its information
engineers technology room.
that need a All preassembled systems simplify the shipping and installation processes for data
highly accurate center managers, while allowing them to take full advantage of the BladeUPS’ energy-
troubleshooting efficient, modular design.
solution. Eaton Corp. | www.eaton.com/powerquality
The HeatSeeker
160 features a Class
II laser and delivers a
high-resolution thermal
image (160 x 120 pixels) Concrete
Solutions
and a 2-megapixel
visual image for ultra-sharp images in a
wide temperature range of 14°F to 482°F
(-10°C to 250°C) with an industry standard
accuracy of ±2°C. from the
StressCrete
Designed for non-contact preventive
maintenance, it identifies potential
problems before they occur by detecting
hot spots on motors, switchgear,
processing pipes, compressors and fuse Group
panels. Its broad range of applications
also includes energy audits, for example, With more than 50 years of experience
finding air escaping from HVAC ducts in the industry, the StressCrete Group
or identifying inefficient heating and is North America's oldest and most
cooling transfer. In the data center, the reliable manufacturer of spun concrete
HeatSeeker will pinpoint overheating poles. Concrete poles are ideal for
servers, UPS, cooling systems and PDU utility and transmission distribution
before their imminent failure, giving the lines, offering the following benefits:
IT technician needed time to react.
� Lifetime Warranty
Key to the success of the HeatSeeker
160 is that it is fully radiometric, meaning � Zero Maintenance
it will capture temperature measurements � Easy Installation through
over the entire image. Four cursors can Direct Embedment
be selected to identify the hottest and � Quick Lead Times
coldest temperatures in real time.
To precisely locate problem areas and � Three manufacturing facilities
give the user a better frame of reference, across North America
images may be graphically displayed � Engineered to specifications
in adjustable blends of the actual � Available in all heights up to 110 feet
photographic image and the thermal
� Environmentally Friendly
image from 100% thermal to 100% visual.
Sequence image recording up to every To request more information
hour or by alarm settings. Picture-in- please phone toll free:
picture technology displays a small area West & Midwest US:
of the image in IR surrounded by the 1-800-837-1024
larger image in photographic mode. In
South & Southeast US:
addition, images can be marked by voice
1-800-435-6563
and text annotations.
Up to 2,000 images can be stored on Northeast US & Canada:
the removable 2GB micro SD memory 1-800-268-7809
card. The ThermalVision 160 software or visit
provides the optimal platform for robust www.StressCreteGroup.com
analysis, automatic report generation,
e-mail sharing and printing.
The HeatSeeker 160 is built tough for
demanding work environments. It is IP54
rated to resist water and dust, and will
withstand drops up to 6.5-ft (2 m). An LED
light is built-in for image capture in poorly
lit environments. It comes with a field-
replaceable, rechargeable Li-ion battery
capable of up to 5 hours of continuous
operation.
IDEAL Industries Inc. Northport, Alabama • Jefferson, Ohio • Atchison, Kansas • Burlington, Ontario
www.idealindustries.com

www.tdworld.com | March 2011 73

 Products&Services

Three-Phase Relay Testing Solution Designing and Managing

With its compact design and low weight of
Fiber-Optic Networks
12.9 kg (28.4 lb), the CMC 353 provides the perfect Intergraph introduces a new software
combination of portability and power. It is the product for the design and management
ideal test set for three-phase protection testing of fiber-optic networks. G/Technology
and the commissioning of SCADA systems. Fiber Optic Works 1.0 streamlines the
The powerful current outputs (3 x 32 A / 430 VA) management of fiber-optic infrastructure
optimally support 5 A relay testing. for utilities, municipalities, agencies
The portable design makes this test and communications companies who
set an excellent choice for commissioning are implementing a public or private
and maintenance tasks, particularly in industry, fiber network. Fiber Optic Works is a
distributed generation, and medium- and low-voltage applications. The CMC complete, enterprise-scalable design and
353 meets a wide variety of challenges in protection engineering — from testing asset management system that allows
electromechanical relays to the latest users to efficiently manage the circuit
IEC 61850 IEDs. complexity of a geospatially dispersed
Omicron | www.omicron.at fiber optic communications network
infrastructure in one integrated system.
G/Technology Fiber Optic Works
combines the geospatial mapping and
spatial analysis capabilities of GIS with
the design and engineering capabilities
of computer-aided design and the
database and reporting capabilities of
an enterprise asset management system.
These combined capabilities provide a
complete and easy-to-use solution for
fiber network designers and operators.
As the newest addition to the G/
Technology product family, Fiber Optic
Works meets the need for an enterprise
data environment designed specifically
for fiber-optic networks and reflecting
best practice and design standards.
Fiber Optic Works can “location-enable”
workflows across an organization to
improve efficiency, boost productivity
and transform customer service
processes.
The Fiber Optic Works suite is open
and based on the Oracle database
technology platform, making it easy
to incorporate geospatial data into
other corporate information systems.
Intergraph is the only major GIS
system provider that stores all data in
native Oracle Locator/Oracle Spatial
data format. This assures unmatched
enterprise scalability, data integrity, ease
of administration and integration with
critical business systems.
Intergraph | www.intergraph.com

Line Monitoring System

GridSense announces the commercial
launch of its latest T&D line monitoring
system, the LineIQ. The LineIQ system
provides time-critical information on the
performance and condition of overhead
power lines up to 138 kV, enabling utilities
to quickly respond to failing equipment,
over-loading and faltering power
reliability.
At the heart of the system is an
advanced sensor that is self-powered,
autonomous and maintenance-free.
Some of the critical data captured by the
sensor includes: load profile, line status
and condition, voltage measurement,
fault waveform and direction, ambient
and conductor temperature, and time-
stamped event recordings.
GridSense | www.gridsense.com

74 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com

 SOFTWARE

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www.tdworld.com | March 2011 75

 SOFTWARE

76 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com


Dashiell Corporation
12301 Kurland Drive, Suite 400
Houston, Texas 77034
713-558-6600
Dean Strickland -
VP, Sales
Dashiell Corporation- Dashiell is a unique Engineering,
Construction, and Testing company that specializes in
“turnkey” medium and high voltage electrical systems.
Our capabilities include engineering, design, purch-
asing, project management, construction, testing, and
start-up. Since 1970, we have successfully completed
over 300 high voltage projects (69 kV – 500 kV) for
Industrials, Petrochemicals, Independent Power Producers,
and Utilities.
help wanted
easTern anD WesTern regiOnal
managers neeDeD
Sherman and Reilly, the leader in power
line stringing and installation equipment
and tools is growing. For over 85 years,
we’ve provided the Power Industry
the most durable, safe and effective
equipment available and we have the
track record to prove it. We are looking for
bright, energetic and principled people to
help take our field sales organization to
the next level. If you have a proven track
record, 10+ years in the Power Industry,
have demonstrated capability to develop
productive relationships with reps, utilities
and contractors, and frankly like heavy
equipment and what it does, we want to
hear from you. Your location isn’t critical,
but we need presence in the Northwest,
the Northeast and the Southeast. Please
send a letter of introduction and a resume
to opportunities@sherman-reilly.com
products & services
help wanted
OverheaD TransmissiOn esTimaTOr
Hawkeye, LLC is an electrical contractor
that performs transmission and distribution
work for utilities in the New England area.
We are looking for experienced professionals
to join our team. Hawkeye has immediate
opportunities for Overhead Transmission
Estimators at our Portsmouth, NH and
Hauppauge, NY offices.
Responsibilities include:
• Performing all aspects of cost estimate
and bid preparation
• Attending pre-bid meetings and site
visits
• Preparation and maintenance of detailed
project schedules
• Analyzing job cost and budget reports
• Preparation of look-ahead documents
and accurate project forecasting
• Presenting estimate and reporting to
senior management
Candidate should have the following
experience and abilities:
• A minimum of 3 years experience
estimating Overhead Transmission
• A knowledge of distribution estimating
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Microsoft
Project and/or Primavera
• Must possess excellent written and
verbal skills
• Must possess excellent interpersonal and
organizational skills
Hawkeye, LLC offers a competitive salary,
paid vacations and holidays, excellent
health insurance, life insurance, and 401k.
Please send resumes to:
HR@Hawkeyellc.com
www.tdworld.com | March 2011 77

Fencing installation Foreman
TransGard Systems is recruiting a
foreman to lead crew installing animal
deterrent fencing at electric substations.
Construction background and experience
working at substation sites required.
Part-time, seasonal work; travel required.
Send resume and salary requirements to
jobs@transgardfence.com.
Recruit • Retain • Explore
JOBzone
The Industry’s #1 Job Zone
Finally, a job site created
exclusively for the
transmission and distribution
industry.
http://jobzone.tdworld.com
78 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com
help wanted
recruiting
transmission & Distribution specialist – Need Help?
leaD/senior (salt lake city, ut) Need A Job?
Responsibilities: Develop, implement & Contact Lisa –
maintain processes & procedures. Must
Call or send confidential resume to
know NERC CIPS standards, maintain
NERC CIPS related data, document
LISA LINEAL:
LINEALRecruiting
Services
MORE THAN 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE!
process flows & be able to provide
training. Manage security controls and
password protocols.
TOLL FREE 877-386-1091
Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree in lisalineal@lineal.com
Electrical Engineering, Computer Science www.lineal.com
or a related field; or the equivalent Electromechanical • Electronic
combination of education and experience; Electrical Service & Systems Specialists
minimum of five years experience in
Se Habla Español
industrial process control systems. Pref-
erred experience with SCADA systems,
CISCO networking hardware. All offers
of employment are contingent upon the For more information about
successful completion of a background classified advertising,
check, physical, and drug screening. please contact:
SuSan Schaefer
For a complete job description and
requirements PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT WWW.PACIFICORP.COM – p: 484 478 0154
Job Search # 101021
f: 913 967 6417
susan.schaefer@penton.com
 Advertiser Page # Website

Aevenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 www.aevenia.com
Alcan Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 www.cable.alcan.com
Midwestern, Mid-Atlantic,
Alcatel-Lucent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 www.alcatel-lucent.com
New England, Eastern Canada:
American Hotline LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 www.americanhotline.com
Stephen M. Lach
*Arbormetrics Solutions Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64E www.arbormetricssolutions.com 13723 Carolina Lane
Asplundh Tree Expert Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC www.asplundh.com Orland Park, IL 60462
BBC Fasteners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Phone: 708-460-5925 Fax: 913-514-9017
Black & Veatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 www.bv.com E-mail: steve.lach@penton.com
Burndy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 www.burndy.com
Burns & McDonnell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBC www.burnsmcd.com Southeastern, Mid-Atlantic,
Cantega Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 www.cantega.com New England:
CG Power Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 www.cgpowersolutions.com Douglas J. Fix
Doble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 www.doble.com 590 Hickory Flat Road
Alpharetta, GA 30004
Dow Wire & Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 www.dowinside.com
Phone: 770-740-2078 Fax: 770-740-1889
Fah Teeng Industrial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 www.fahteeng.com.tw
E-mail: dfix@bellsouth.net
Fecon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 www.fecon.com
Fluke Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 www.fluke.com Southwest:
Fluke Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 www.fluke.com Gary Lindenberger
FWT Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 www.fwtinc.com 7007 Winding Walk Drive, Suite 100
GarrettCom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 www.garrettcom.com Houston, TX 77095
GE Digital Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 www.gedigitalenergy.com Phone: 281-855-0470 Fax: 281-855-4219
General Physics Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 www.gpworldwide.com E-mail: gl@lindenassoc.com
Gita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 www.gita.org
West/Western Canada:
Hastings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 www.hfgphighvoltage.com
Ron Sweeney
*Hubbell Power Systems Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64k www.hubbellpowersystems.com
303 Johnston Drive
Hubbell Power Systems Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 www.hubbellpowersystems.com San Rafael, CA 94903
Hughes Brothers Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 www.hughesbros.com Phone: 415-499-9095 Fax: 415-499-9096
*Huskie Tools Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1a www.huskietools.com E-mail: wnjsr@comcast.net
Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 www.hyundai-elec.com
IEEE/ ESMO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32a/b www.esmoconference2011.com Craig Zehntner
IEEE/Smart Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 www.mc.manuscriptcentral.com 15981 Yarnell Street, Suite 230
ISA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 www.isatest.com Los Angeles, CA 91342
Krenz & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38-39 www.krenzvent.com Phone: 818-403-6379 Fax: 818-403-6436
LumaSense Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 www.lunasenseinc.com E-mail: wnjla@aol.com
MacLean Power Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 www.apex@macleanpower.com
Western/Eastern Europe:
Maysteel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 www.trinetics.maysteel.com
Richard Woolley
McWane Poles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 www.mcwanepoles.com P.O. Box 250
Merrick & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 www.merrick.com Banbury, OXON, OX16 5YJ UK
NLMCC/NECA-IBEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 www.thequalityconnection.org Phone: 44-1295-278-407
Nordic Fiberglass Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 www.nordicfiberglass.com Fax: 44-1295-278-408
Omicron Electronics Corp. USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 www.omicronusa.com E-mail: richardwoolley@btclick.com
*Osmose Utilities Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64o www.osmoseutilities.com
Phenix Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 www.phenixtech.com Japan:
Power Engineers Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 www.powereng.com Yoshinori Ikeda
PowerSense A/S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 www.sensethepower.com Akutagawa Bldg., 7-7,
Nihonbashi Kabutocho,
Quanta Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 www.quantaservices.com
Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0026, Japan
*Rainbow Technology Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70a www.rainbowtech.net Phone: 81-3-3661-6138
*Rainbow Technology Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70b www.rainbowtech.net Fax: 81-3-3661-6139
RTDS Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 www.rtds.com E-mail: pbi2010@gol.com
S&C Electric Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC www.sandc.com
Safe Engineering Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 www.sestech.com Korea:
Schweitzer Engineering Labs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 www.selinc.com Y.B. Jeon
Sensorlink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 www.sensorlink.com Storm Associates Inc.
*Sherman & Reilly Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64b www.sherman-reilly.com 4F. Deok Woo Building
*Siemens AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1B www.siemens.com 292-7, Sung-san dong, Ma-po ku,
Seoul, Korea
StressCrete Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 www.stresscretegroup.com
Phone: 82-2-755-3774
TDW Vegetation Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 www.tdworld.com
Fax: 82-2-755-3776
TIA 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 www.tia2011.org E-mail:stormybj@kornet.net
Time Mfg. Co./Versalift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 www.versalift.com
URMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42-43 www.utilityrisk.com Classified Sales:
*Utilicon Solutions Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64m www.utiliconltd.com Susan Schaefer
*Utilicon Solutions Ltd./AETCO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64i www.99aetco.com 870 Wyndom Terrace
Vaisala OY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 www.vaisala.com Secane, PA 19018
Phone: 484-478-0154
Fax: 913-514-6417
*Denotes ads appearing in only certain geographic areas.
E-mail: susan.schaefer@penton.com
Transmission & Distribution World (ISSN 1087-0849) is published once monthly by Penton Media Inc., 9800 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, Kansas
66212-2216 U.S. Periodicals postage paid at Shawnee Mission, Kansas, and additional mailing offices. Canadian Post Publications Mail Agreement No.
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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Transmission & Distribution World, P.O. Box 2100, Skokie, Illinois 60076-7800 U.S.

www.tdworld.com | March 2011 79

 StraightTalk
Put the Smart in Customers
By Ellen krohne, Yellow Energy Consulting
I
have a case of demand-side déjà vu. For those of us who
have been in the utility industry for many years, the current
focus on energy efficiency and demand reduction is remi-
niscent of the early 1980s. Time-of-use rates and energy-use
advisors were common in many utility companies as energy
prices soared. A major problem with the acceptance of these
rates was that residential customers only had data after they
received the bill. Too late to matter.
Fast-forward to 2011. Thankfully, the tools that will aid con-
sumers to manage usage have appeared on the scene. There is
a lot of data available with smart meters and smart grid imple-
mentations, but how does our industry turn that data into an
essential element for success — demand response?
The challenge is to turn that data into knowledge for con-
sumers and have that equate to demand and usage reductions.
According to the Edison Foundation, it is estimated there will
be 60 million smart meters installed in the United States by
2019. Smart grid funding from U.S. Department of Energy
grants is pouring millions more into the development and
implementation of the myriad of devices and systems that will
build out the utility electric systems with sophisticated tech-
nologies. Most industry experts agree that, done properly,
these systems should save utilities money in operations while
leading to improved reliability.
Our customers would gain significant value from our in-
vestments in smart grid if they participate by reducing energy
use and embrace load shifting. I’ve read dozens of articles that
encourage utilities to change their relationship with their rate-
payers. But what should we do to engage consumers in this
future? I propose utilities implementing smart grid must
change their relationship with consumers.
No longer ratepayers, customers will chose to partner with
the utility when it suits their needs. This new paradigm will
not come easy to most utilities. In fact, I see a few leading-
edge exceptions, including Com Ed with its customer-centric
program and San Diego Gas & Electric with its customer com-
munications programs.
As change management experts will stress, before behav-
ior changes can occur, understanding must occur. Many con-
sumers simply don’t understand the terms we use in the world
of electricity, they don’t understand complex rates and they
certainly don’t understand all the utility acronyms.
We have plenty of evidence that our industry has not in-
vested sufficient time or resources to educate the “ratepayers.”
And we will find even fewer in our industry that set out to actu-
80 March 2011 | www.tdworld.com
ally listen to customers to find out what their energy interests
and concerns might be.
Recent criticisms on smart meter billing from customers
in Texas and California show that we need to do more work
in connecting with customers in our energy dealings. And
despite many state regulatory commissions requiring energy-
efficiency programs of utilities for 30 years, few consumers
take advantage of these programs, even though utilities pro-
mote them as required. Before consumers’ behaviors change,
they will have to understand “What’s in it for me?”
Two straightforward customer gains would be to save mon-
ey on their electric bill and to help the environment because a
person is motivated to “do the right thing.” Only after under-
standing their benefit will they want to know how and when to
make changes in their consumption habits.
To move communication forward with customers, it comes
down to having a well-designed smart grid customer experi-
ence strategy that requires three key elements:
Education. We need to move customers from “I’m not ready”
to “Yes, I will.” Then answer their “What’s in it for me?” ques-
tions on demand-response and energy-efficiency programs.
Enrollment. Customers need to understand the reasons,
whether societal or economic, to change behaviors. They need
to know the what, when and how details before they change.
Partnership. Ongoing support is required to successfully
manage energy use tailored to individual customer needs.
Proactive and two-way communications of pricing and new
programs is critical.
Today, the bulk of consumers are in the education phase.
Providing them the education to move to enrollment, rather
than blanketing all customers with enrollment data, which is
costly and ineffective, will allow more customers to move into
the “Yes, I will” segment in a cost-effective manner and on to a
partnership with the utility.
The process of moving consumers through these phases is
the essence of an overall long-term consumer smart grid com-
munications program and it will take time. Let’s not déjà vu
now that we are 30 years smarter and have the tools through
smart grid implementations to develop partnerships with cus-
tomers. Let’s not repeat the 1980s and end up with few custom-
ers effectively using smart grid programs.
Ellen Krohne (ek@yellowenergyconsulting.com) is managing
principal at Yellow Energy Consulting. She previously served as
a customer service executive at a Midwest utility.
TECHNOLOGIES, STRATEGIES AND BIG IDEAS THAT ARE RESHAPING OUR WORLD
Game Changers Webinar Lineup
April 20 Smart Metering/AMI
May 25 Distribution Optimization
(Volt/VAR Control)
June 23 Asset Optimization
(Monitoring and Diagnostics)
July 27 Workforce and Engineering
Design Optimization (GIS)
Aug. 24 Smart Grid Telecom
Sept. 21 Software Giants and the
Home Area Network
Oct. 19 Distributed Energy Resources
Nov. 16-17 Symposium in Atlanta
Engineering, Architecture, Construction, Environmental and Consulting Solutions
GAME CHANGERS
Co-sponsored by Burns & McDonnell and GE
Burns & McDonnell and GE, in partnership with Transmission & Distribution
World, are hosting a series of webinars in 2011 exploring innovative
technologies and ideas that will truly change how power is delivered and
used. This nine-part series continues throughout 2011, concluding with a
live event Nov. 16-17, 2011 in Atlanta.
Join Burns & McDonnell, GE and their clients on April 20 for an online
discussion exploring how smart metering and advanced metering
infrastructure are changing the game for utilities throughout America.
GAME CHANGERS: innovation brought to life
www.burnsmcd.com/td
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March 2011 A Supplement to Transmission & Distribution World Magazine
 Connected
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sources, new interconnections are crucial. Quanta Services applies its unparalleled electric power infrastructure expertise
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 www.tdworld.com
Trends in Renewables
I
s it possible to have too much fun? I doubt it. Not too
long ago, I was web surfing, trying to track down some
information on photovoltaics (PV). The search engine
came up with something shiny, which of course caught my
attention, and PV was forgotten. It was a piece from one
of those self-help gurus. You guessed it: Gene has no adult
supervision when web surfing.
Well, Mr. Guru was waxing on about “You can’t have fun
at your work.” He went further to say that it is especially true
if you want to be successful. Personally, I rank that sort of
thinking at the top of my balderdash list.
It Has Been a Blast
To be honest, putting this supplement together has been
more than fun, it’s been downright stimulating. Actually,
overstimulated would better to describe my condition as I
discovered solar and wind facilities that are becoming hu-
mongous in size. And they are becoming extremely com-
plex as well. How about an offshore wind farm that stretches
more than 350 miles and will generate 6 GW of electricity?
Yet 6 GW is exactly what is planned for off the Atlantic Coast
of the United States.
And what about a solar farm the size of the country of
Wales but located in the Sahara Desert that will power all of
Europe? I’ll have to see to believe.
Overstimulated by SNL
I called my friend Dr. Abraham Ellis at the Sandia Na-
tional Laboratories (SNL) solar research facilities to dis-
cuss this trend toward bigness and complexity. Abe and
I go back to college where we were New Mexico State
Aggies. Abe made some calls, I signed some forms, and
soon I was walking SNL’s grounds, checking out the field
tests and talking with research scientists (actually listening
very intently). This pushed me into stimulus overload, but
what fun!
Did you know that PV solar panels feed direct current
directly into a centralized inverter? That much I knew. But
I hadn’t considered that the impedance of each of the cir-
cuits directly impacts the amount of electricity generated.
Because no two PV panels are identical (even from the same
manufacturer and factory), the impedance mismatch must
be addressed. I also learned that solar panel impedances
drift with age. Now, consider a solar farm with hundreds
of thousands of panels spread over thousands of acres. If
someone could improve the impedance control at or near
the panels, they could increase the output of the solar farm.
Well, SNL is working with manufacturers to improve this
technology and test the results.
SNL has a test facility that simulates PV-generated power
— and it can do it 24/7 — so it is independent of when the
actual sun is shining. Without going into a lot of detail, cur-
rent and voltage waveforms produced by PVs are totally dif-
ferent than power supplied by, say, a battery. SNL can mimic
the output of a PV panel and simulate any parameters need-
ed for the test circuit. This has placed SNL at the forefront
of solar technology testing. Today, SNL is in great demand
by manufacturers of hardware being used in solar farms.
EPRI and DOE Provide More Inspiration
The Electrical Power Research Institute and the Depart-
ment of Energy sponsor a joint renewable energy confer-
ence every two years. It moves around the globe, and as luck
would have it, it took place in my hometown of Albuquer-
que, New Mexico, in 2010.
My friends Nadav Enbar and Don Kintner from EPRI
invited me to attend the conference, a nonstop five-day
affair with workshops, tours and presentations focused on
wind, solar and energy storage. They even went into govern-
ment regulations, but I skipped that session as there was too
much technology to track. The event was international as
well, with speakers from 15 countries on six continents.
Technology-specific discussions were very pointed. Con-
sider that wind farms are designed to have roughly 15 MW
to 20 MW on each feeder in the collector system. This has
worked well when wind farm ratings were 100 MW to 200
MW in total output. But what issues will designers face on a
1,000-MW wind farm? How do they limit currents and short
circuits to manageable levels while maintaining control over
the collector station?
The same concerns are popping up in the large PV-
powered solar farms. Many utility-scale solar facilities were
created taking designs from commercial PV installations of
around 50 kW. Now developers are expanding these com-
mercial designs to accommodate 50-MW PV solar farms.
The bigger PV solar farms seem to be working adequately,
but one hears disturbing instances of growing pains related
to electronic power conversion and control. And all of this
before we scale up into PV facilities with ratings of 500 MW
or more.
Wind and solar technologies are still developing, and we
have a front-row seat. Would I bet against us figuring out
how to build mega utility-scale renewable facilities? No way.
But let’s place renewables where they make sense. Let’s
make sure we can provide robust controls and connections
to the grid. And let’s be sure we have the capacity to handle
the coming generation by adding the right mix of energy-
storage and customer load-control solutions. If we fail to
properly plan, design, construct and connect our utility-
scale green generating facilities, today’s overstimulation will
turn into tomorrow’s nightmares. And I wouldn’t like that
one little bit.
Gene Wolf, Technical Writer
Transmission & Distribution World l March 2011 3

Green Energy on
I
n today’s fast-paced world where technology is ad-
vancing at fantastic speeds, the trend is bigger, bet-
ter, faster and more complex, whether talking about
smart grid technology or renewables. No sooner
than the latest generation of technology is installed,
it is out of date. The latest widget is not only bigger — or in
some cases smaller — it is full of new features that suddenly
one cannot live without.
Remember when wind turbines were 50 ft (15 m) tall
with rotor blades 130 ft (40 m) in diameter, generating
50 kW? That wasn’t so long ago. Today, the typical wind
turbine rating runs between 1 MW and 3 MW, with 5 MW
becoming more commonplace and 10 MW under test.
4 Photo by Gene Wolf.
March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World
www.tdworld.com
Fairly representative of today’s technology is the V80-2.0
MW wind turbine from Danish manufacturer Vestas Wind
Systems. The V80 is one of the workhorses of the industry.
It stands over 410 ft (125 m), depending on the tower select-
ed. Its nacelle, the generating equipment housing, weighs
about 74 tons (67 metric tons), the blade assembly is roughly
40 tons (36 metric tons), and the tower is another 173 tons
(157 metric tons), depending on the configuration, bringing
the total weight close to 290 tons (263 metric tons).
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) re-
ports that the typical transport of a turbine this size takes
about eight semi loads: one nacelle, one hub, three blades
and three tower sections. For a 150-MW project, the trans-
 www.tdworld.com
a Gigawatt Scale
As facility size increases, the cost to produce
electricity from renewables is dropping dramatically.
By Gene Wolf, Technical Writer
portation requirements can be as much as 689 truckloads,
140 rail cars and eight ships to the United States.
Megawatts, Mega Turbines
In 2009, Belgian developer WindVision began construc-
tion of the Estinnes wind farm in Belgium. This wind farm
will have installed in it 11 of the world’s largest wind tur-
bines — the Enercon E-126 7-MW wind turbines.
The E-126 was originally nameplated for 6 MW but
improvements have allowed Enercon to increase the rat-
ing to 7 MW. The E-126’s hub height is approximately
440 ft (134 m), and the rotor diameter is about 415 ft
(127 m).
Since January 2010, five of these huge turbines have been
operational. Video of two of these turbines, erected in Em-
den, Germany, can be seen in operation on YouTube.
Is There a Limit?
The paint is hardly dry on the E-126 and there is a new
challenger for world’s largest wind turbine on the scene. In
early 2010, the Norwegian company Sway AS announced it
was partnering with the Norwegian state utility Enova and
Clipper Marine of the U.K. to bring to life an offshore wind
turbine rated at 10 MW. This wind turbine will have a rotor
diameter of 475 ft (145 m) and a hub height of 525 ft (160 m).
It will be located in Oeygarden, Norway, and is scheduled
Transmission & Distribution World l March 2011 5
 www.tdworld.com

for completion in 2013.

Mainstream Conventional Optimized HTS
One of the forces driving geared direct drive direct drive
(AMSC)
this trend to larger wind tur-
bines is economics, of course.
The 10-MW
AWEA has compiled data SeaTitan can
Generator 5 MW 4.5 MW 10 MW be scaled to
showing the cost of electricity 13 m to15 m 13 m 10 m as large as 20 MW
Gearbox
generated by wind turbines Hub
with HTS

12 m
5m

6m
has dropped by more than Blade
80% since the early 1980s. At Nacelle
that time, electricity cost be- Tower
tween $0.30/kWh and $0.40/
kWh. Today, it is costing be-
tween $0.03/kWh and $0.05/ Mass of nacelle
+hub mTop~310t to 439t mTop~500t
kWh, similar to fossil fuels. +blades
extrapolated for 10 MW mTop~750t to 850t mTop~800t to 900t mTop<500t
AWEA accredits this reduc-
tion to larger wind farms and
The evolution of turbine technology with AMSC’s SeaTitan comparison. Courtesy of AMSC.
improved technology.
Cost is only part of the equation. As AWEA experts stat- the turbine while improving reliability, the manufacturer be-
ed, there also is the advancement of technology. From the comes really popular. Since technology is progressing at an
pure physics of the situation, the total amount of energy the exponential rate, it is reasonable to expect improvements are
turbine can remove from the wind is directly proportional to close at hand. Direct-drive wind turbines hold the promise
the sweep of the turbine’s blades (total area). In other words, of answering these problems.
the longer the blades, the greater the power generated by the The Global Wind Energy Council reports that direct-
turbine. drive systems have been around for several years. Enercon
To increase the length of the blades, the hub needs to be has been a pioneer in direct-drive technology for years. The
higher, and it gets heavier because of the increased genera- direct-drive technology simplifies the nacelle by doing away
tor rating. As the tower gets taller, the wind speeds increase. with the gearbox, which reduces weight. As a result, they are
Mathematically, the energy generated from the wind is pro- lighter, cheaper and more reliable (the gearbox causes most
portional to the cube of the wind speed the turbine encoun- of the maintenance problems). Much of the weight reduc-
ters. If the wind speed can be doubled, more than eight times tion comes from the elimination of the gears and the use of
the energy can be extracted. That is the incentive for turbine permanent magnets instead of electromagnets that require
manufacturers to push the technology envelope to allow for starter brushes, coils and power from the grid every time
longer blades and higher hub heights. they are started.
Recently, Siemens and GE Energy announced designs
Increase the Rating, Not the Size using direct-drive technology. Siemens has developed the
If a manufacturer can increase the rating of the turbine SWT-3.0-101 DD 3-MW turbine. The company recently an-
without increasing the size, the manufacturer becomes nounced that Minnesota Power has decided to modify its
popular. If it can increase the rating and reduce the size of original Bison 1 Wind Power Plant turbine order to include
15 of the Siemens SWT-3.0-101
direct-drive machines. According
120 m
(394 ft) to Siemens, the SWT-3.0-101 DD
100 m
3-MW nacelle weighs 12 tons (11
(328 ft) metric tons), about 25% less than
85 m
(279 ft) its 2.3-MW turbine’s nacelle.
66 m GE Energy also has developed
(216 ft) a direct-drive wind turbine for
50 m
(164 ft)
offshore installations. The com-
pany plans to supply its 4.0-110
4-MW direct-drive wind turbine
18 m
(60 ft) for the first freshwater offshore
wind farm in the United States.
GE is partnering with the non-
0.10 MW 0.75 MW 1.50 MW 2.50 MW 3.50 MW 5.00 MW profit Lake Erie Energy Develop-
Current state of the art ment Corp. for a 20-MW wind
project in Ohio’s Lake Erie shore-
Wind turbine size increases with age. Courtesy of the Department of Energy. line.

Transmission & Distribution World l March 2011 7


Siemens SWT-3-0-101 mounting blade assembly on
nacelle close to the Danish town of Brande.
Courtesy of Siemens.
Chinese manufacturers also see the advantage of direct-
drive wind turbines. Consequently, it was not surprising
when Chinese conglomerate Xiangtan Electric Manufactur-
ing Corp. Ltd. (XEMC) purchased the Dutch company Dar-
wind. Darwind has been developing designs for a 5-MW di-
rect-drive wind turbine. The new company XEMC Darwind
announced it will have two prototypes of the DD115 5-MW
offshore wind turbine beginning trial testing, with one
unit installed in China and one in Europe.
Superconducting Technology
Meets Wind Technology
Another interesting technology twist is from Ameri-
can Superconductor Corp. (AMSC) in the form of a 10-
MW class high-temperature superconducting (HTS)
wind turbine. AMSC is developing the turbine by com-
bining the wind turbine engineering experience of its
Windtec division with its leadership in the superconduc-
tor arena.
“The 10-MW turbine is called the SeaTitan,” said
Martin Fischer, general manager for AMSC Windtec. “It
is a direct-drive wind turbine that will use AMSC’s Am-
perium HTS for the rotors rather than copper. AMSC has
developed a 36.5-MW HTS motor for the U.S. Navy that
is being tested on a ship. Converting that technology to
generation is not a problem.”
AMSC estimates the generator system will weigh
8 March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World
www.tdworld.com
in at roughly 138 tons (125 metric tons), which is about
192 tons (174 metric tons) less than a conventional generat-
ing system of the same rating.
With all this interest in larger wind turbines, it is only
natural that wind farms are growing larger, too. Huge wind
turbines require huge wind farms around them. On average,
about 50 acres (20 hectares) per megawatt is a good model.
Turbine spacing is dependent on the nature of the terrain, the
wind rose (a graphic tool used by meteorologists to describe
wind conditions for a particular location) and the manufac-
turer’s recommendations.
Wind farm turbines are typically placed in rows per-
pendicular to the prevailing wind direction. A typical rule
of thumb for separation within a row is two to four rotor
diameters and 10 rotor diameters between rows to avoid
wind turbulence.
It gets more complicated when factoring in the variable-
direction winds. The Global Wind Energy Council recom-
mends the use of wind farm design tools (WFDT) for de-
tailed wind farm layout. WFDT computational optimization
may result in substantial gains in energy production over
manually derived layouts.
Records Are Made to Be Broken
The world’s first commercial wind farm was built in the
United States by U.S. Windpower on a few acres on Crotched
Mountain in southern New Hampshire in December 1980. It
had 20 30-kW wind turbines. Compare that with the world’s
largest wind farm (currently) located in Roscoe, Texas. The
Roscoe Wind Farm covers more than 100,000 acres (40,469
hectares) with 627 turbines to produce 781.5 MW of elec-
tricity. It was built at a cost in excess of $1 billion. Interest-
ingly, the previous world’s largest wind farm, Horse Hollow,
also in the United States, held the record for less than two
years (covering 47,000 acres [19,020 hectares] of land with
421 turbines to produce 735 MW of electricity).
RePower 3%
Siemens 6%
Others 21%
Suzlon 6%
Gamesa
7%
Dongfang
7% Vestas 13%
Goldwind 7%
Enercon 9% GE Wind 13%
Sinovel 9%
Global wind turbine market share for 2009.
Courtesy of the Department of Energy.
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 www.tdworld.com

PV offers a direct
55
conversion of sunlight to
Photovoltaic electricity but varies as
44 CSP the sun’s energy varies
Wind
and is gone when the sun
Megawatts (thousands)

Geothermal
33 Biomass is down. The first utility-
scale solar PV power
plant went on-line in 1982
22
in Hesperia, California.
ARCO Solar developed a
11 1-MW solar farm consist-
ing of 108 PV dual-axis
0
tracker panels.
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Since then, PV proj-
ects have grown to utility-
Renewable electricity generating capacity (excluding hydropower) in the United States has scale proportions. First
grown at a compounded annual average rate of 14%. Courtesy of the Department of Energy.
Solar will develop the
One thing is for sure, Roscoe will not hold the title long. Desert Sunlight solar project. It will be a 550-MW PV so-
There are many new wind projects on the drawing boards. lar project covering about 4,500 acres (1,821 hectares). The
The proposed Caithness Shepherds Flats in Oregon will project will consist of a 250-MW solar farm near Desert
generate 845 MW from 338 turbines at an estimated cost of Center, California, and the 300-MW Stateline solar project
$1.3 billion. located in northeastern San Bernardino, California. Pacific
Gas & Electric Co. has signed a contract for 300 MW of the
Solar Options output. Southern California Edison will buy the remaining
Solar has followed the same technology trend as wind. 250 MW.
It started off slowly but has been gaining market share as CSP technology uses the sun’s energy to heat a fluid to a
the technology becomes more efficient and the cost per watt very high temperature. The fluid is then circulated through
drops. Basically, there are two types of solar technologies: pipes to transfer the heat to water to produce steam. At that
concentrating solar power (CSP), also referred to as thermal point, electricity can be generated. For utility-scale solar
solar, and photovoltaic (PV). generation, the most common CSP technologies are the

The Sandia National Labs 200-ft solar power tower is surrounded by 220 sun-tracking heliostats. Photo by Gene Wolf.

10 March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World

 www.tdworld.com

Existing T&D Companies Are Into Green

The electric utility industry talks about wind farms like they are power plants. Actually, they resemble distributed
generation and low-voltage distribution more than they do power plants. Of course, there is a heck of a lot of dis-
tributed generation in one of these facilities. It is more akin to distributed generation on steroids.
Take 2,000 acres (809 hectares) of real estate and sprinkle a few hundred wind turbines all over it. Those
hundreds of turbines are individual generators. They are connected together into circuits of 20 MW to 25 MW. Put
enough of these circuits in the collector system and that produces hundreds of megawatts. A facility of 600 MW
has a lot of 25-MW circuits, which the industry usually tends to overlook.
There is a tremendous infrastructure required to turn these individual generators into a wind farm. It is a sig-
nificant part of the project costs. It also can be the critical path in many projects. Typically, it consists of civil and
electrical works.
The civil works include a road system, site drainage, foundations for turbines, transformers and buildings.
The electrical works include overhead and underground cable networks forming the medium-voltage (typically
34.5-kV) collector system to the rows of wind turbines. Underground power cables require thermal backfill systems
to dissipate heat and protect the cable.
There also are padmounted transformers and switchgear at the wind turbine associated with the collector
system, which can be found either inside or outside the turbine. Turbines and collector systems require grounding
systems, control cable and conduit systems along with communications between the control center and turbine.
The collector systems meet at the collector substation, which connects the wind farm’s output to the utility. It
contains the collector switchgear, large power transformers, power circuit breakers, instrument transformers, dis-
connect switches and all the other typical equipment found in a substation.
Back in the early days, the components came from the “small” guys, sources that would not have been consid-
ered mainstream suppliers. Some of them would have given “shade-tree” mechanics a bad name, but as with all
processes, the test of time weeds out those with dubious pedigrees.
The table below is not meant to be a comprehensive listing of manufacturers making the components neces-
sary to tie the turbines to the system. It is provided to give a sense of where the industry is today, with major manu-
facturers providing quality components and materials.

System Description Manufacturer

Collector system Underground system cable Hendrix Wire & Cable, The Okonite Co., Nexans
Overhead conductor The Okonite Co., Southwire
Marine system cable ABB, AEI Cables
Poles and structures Wood Hughes Brothers, Laminated Wood Systems Inc.
Concrete Valmont
Steel Dis-Tran Steel, LLC
Aluminum Lindsey Mfg Co.
Bushings Underground system Elastimold, Hubbell Power Systems
Cable Control The Okonite Co., Allwire Inc
Grounding Southwire, The Okonite Co.
Transformer Padmount low-voltage step-up GE, Hyundai Heavy Industry Inc., ABB, Thomas & Betts
Switchgear Padmount S&C, Hubbell Power Systems, G&W Electric
Medium power ABB, S&C, Siemens
Conduit Plastic Carlon
Aluminum Hubbell Power Systems
Fiberglass Underground Devices Inc.
Connection substation and mechanical Station steel Dis-Tran Steel, LLC, Valmont, Thomas & Betts Steel Structures
Air-break switches Southern States, Siemens, USCO
Connectors Anderson, Burndy, SEFCOR
Insulators Ohio Brass, Tyco, MacLean
Conductor The Okonite Co., Southwire, Williams Metals
Electrical Reactive compensation S&C, American Superconductor
Circuit breakers ABB, Siemens, Alstom, HVB-AE
Power transformers GE, ABB, Siemens, Waukesha
Instrument transformers Trench Electric, ABB
Switchgear Powell, Hubbell Power Systems, Siemens, ABB

Transmission & Distribution World l March 2011 11


The DESERTEC Foundation estimates that over 90% of the world’s population could be supplied with clean power from the
world’s deserts using technologies that are available today. The Sahara project is the first step in proving that concept.
Courtesy of the DESERTEC Foundation.
parabolic trough and power tower designs, but there also
are solar dish designs and Fresnel reflectors. Thermal so-
lar offers the ability to provide electricity after the sun goes
down, which is very attractive to utilities using renewables
for generation.
The largest active solar energy facility in the world is the
Solar Energy Generating Systems plant located at Kramer
Junction, California. It started life as the world’s first large-
scale CSP facility, with 30 MW of capacity in 1986.
Today, it is made up of nine solar plants. Solar Energy
Generating Systems has an installed capacity of 354 MW us-
ing 936,384 parabolic mirrors, reaching operating tempera-
tures of over 750°F (399°C). It covers more than 1,600 acres
(647 hectares).
How long the Kramer Junction facility will remain the
largest solar farm is anyone’s guess. The Los Angeles Times
reports that BrightSource Energy Inc. started construction
on the Ivanpah solar project on Oct. 28, 2010, in the Ivanpah
Valley in Southern California. The CSP facility will have a
capacity of 392 MW using three 459-ft (140-m) solar towers.
The U.S. Department of Energy has guaranteed a loan worth
nearly $1.4 billion for the project.
According to Bloomberg, the joint developers (Solar
Millennium, LLC and Chevron Energy Solutions) received
12 March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World
www.tdworld.com
approval from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar for their
$6 billion Blythe solar project. The Blythe project will have
a capacity of 1000 MW and cover 7,025 acres (2,843 hect-
ares). Southern California Edison will purchase all of the
output from the project and will build a 230-kV transmission
line to connect the Blythe project to its system.
What’s Next?
The New York Times reports that there are nine solar plants
in permitting currently. If approved, they will cover 41,229
acres (16,685 hectares) of Bureau of Land Management land
and have the capacity to generate 4580 MW of electricity. As
if those statistics are not mind-boggling enough, there is the
$550 billion DESERTEC solar power project to consider. It
will be located in the Sahara Desert and is purported to be
the size of Wales. Wind-wise, the story is the same — big
facilities.
Google plans to invest in the Atlantic Wind Connection
project, a $5 billion 6-GW, 350-mile (563-km)-long offshore
wind farm planned to be located along the U.S. Atlantic Sea-
board. The energy harvest is getting serious, but how can
the industry intellectualize a wind farm 350 miles long or
a solar farm the size of a country? Has the industry’s reach
exceeded its grasp? Only time will tell.

The Big Sky Country of Montana is home to the 135-MW, 8,300-acre Judith Gap wind farm. Photo by Gene Wolf.
Integrating Renewables
The variabilities of wind and solar provide
a challenge for grid companies.
By Gene Wolf, Technical Writer
N
ot all that long ago renewable energy was
thought of as an alternative technology.
That is no longer the case. Renewables have
gone mainstream in every sense of the word.
Globally, nearly 80 GW of renewable power
capacity was added in 2009 (the last year for which figures
were available). Wind generation accounted for about 38 GW
of that total. According to a recent report by GTM Research,
utility photovoltaic (PV) contracts exceeded 5 GW in 2010.
GTM also reported that the utility PV market for 2010 was
about $1 billion in the United States and is expected to reach
$8 billion by 2015.
A couple of things are happening to make this gigawatt
phenomenon become a reality. Firstly, technology has im-
proved all aspects of renewable energy — from generation
efficiency (larger turbines) to increased capacity factors
(improved forecasting).
Secondly, mega projects improve the economies of scale
by reducing the installed costs. Developers have long real-
ized larger projects reduce costs and speed up the timeline.
This makes sense, as 10 100-MW projects require 10 sets
of system studies, 10 collections of permits, 10 clusters of
public meetings and 10 series of other assorted paperwork,
14 March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World
www.tdworld.com
but one 1-GW project reduces those numbers significantly.
Additionally, many government regulators worldwide
have set ambitious goals for their utilities of 20% renewable
power generation by 2020, with some having upped the ante
to 30% or more.
The Key Word is Big
Yesterday’s wind farms were considered big if they pro-
duced 20 MW, and solar farms were huge at 5 kW. Today a
wind farm has to be above 600 MW to get much attention,
and solar farms above 50 MW are becoming commonplace.
Tomorrow’s wind farms will have capacities of several giga-
watts.
A proposed solar farm in the Sahara Desert will cover
thousands of square miles. It is projected to be able to gen-
erate enough power to supply the needs of the European
Union (EU).
The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC)
published a special report in 2009 titled “Accommodat-
ing High Levels of Variable Generation.” According to the
report, more than 145 GW of variable generation is pro-
jected to be added to the North American grid in the next
10 years.
 www.tdworld.com

NERC believes if only half of that variable genera-

tion comes into service, it will be a 350% increase over Acconia WP 2.1% Nordex 0.3%
what was connected to the grid in 2008, and that is RePower 3.3% Others 0.6%
going to be the industry’s challenge. Gamesa
6.0%
GE Wind 40.3%
Not Just a North American Occurrence Clipper
6.1%
The European Commission Joint Research Center’s
“Renewable Energy Snapshots 2010” report confirms Suzlon
the trend is worldwide. It reports that variable energy 7.1%

sources supplied 62% of all the new generation capacity

installed in the 27 member states of the EU (EU27) for
2009. It also reports that renewables provided 19.9% of
the electricity consumed in Europe in 2009.
The World Wind Energy Association reports wind
generation in Asia accounted for the largest share of
new wind generation installations, with 40.4%, in
2009. The association expects that when the global
wind capacity figures are available, they will show in-
U.S. wind turbine market share for 2009.
stalled capacity will have exceeded 200 GW by the end Courtesy of the Department of Energy.
of 2010.
Unfortunately, variable generation is not controllable;
it is unpredictable and can be erratic. Unlike conventional
generation, the fuel source (wind and sunlight) is capricious.
It is characterized by steep up and down ramps as opposed
to the traditional gradually controlled ramps of conventional
generation resources.
The grid, however, needs a steady and reliable supply of
electricity. It has to be able to respond to predictable changes
in demand over the day. It also needs to be able to respond to
the random minute-to-minute fluctuations so characteristic
of the electric system.
This was not a problem when wind and solar farms were
much smaller than the load. Now, large penetrations of vari-
able and intermittent renewable resources have been added
to the system. The large swings so typical of variable gen-
eration can significantly impact the system.
Mitsubishi
8.2%
Siemens 11.7%
Vestas 15%
Deal With It
Integrating today’s high levels of renewables into the
power grid requires significant changes in the way utili-
ties think about the grid and the standards used to oper-
ate it. One bit of pending legislation is the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission’s proposed new rule for intra-hour
scheduling. If adopted, transmission providers will have to
allow customers the ability to schedule transmission ser-
vices at 15-minute intervals instead of the present hourly
schedules. This would restructure open access transmis-
sion tariffs and large generator interconnection agreements,
making for more efficient integration of variable generation
resources.
Regulation is not the only change needed. Utilities have
to be consistent on power-quality issues (voltage and fre-
quency levels and harmonics) for all forms of generation.

Transmission & Distribution World l March 2011 15

 www.tdworld.com

either sitting dormant when the load is up

or being rejected when there is too much
wind or solar and the load is down.

Local, Bulk, Dynamic Storage

It takes big equipment to assemble large wind turbines. Photo by Gene Wolf.
Fortunately, there are several mature
energy storage technologies (multi-mega-
watt capacity) commercially available
to be applied to the grid. The traditional
lead-acid battery technology is being up-
dated to offer increased capabilities.
Detroit Edison announced a solar proj-
ect using Xtreme Power’s battery tech-
nology improvements. The Tres Amigas
project also selected Xtreme Power as its
energy storage provider for its venture to
move renewable generated electricity be-
tween the Eastern, Western and Electric
Reliability Council of Texas grids.
NGK Insulators has teamed up its so-
dium-sulfur batteries with S&C Electric
Co.’s IntelliTEAM technology to provide
power that is intelligent and interactive on
American Electric Power’s feeders.

Fortunately, the application of smart grid technologies

has had utilities thinking outside the box for many years.
It also has provided the means (tools and techniques) to
mitigate the impact of the unique behavior characteristics of
renewable generation. Renewable resources not only require
a smart grid, but the grid has to be interactive as well.

Smart, Interactive and Flexible

A system such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s
(DOE’s) pilot program VERDE (Visualizing Energy
Resource Dynamically on Earth) is a good example of this
type of approach. VERDE is an interesting concept. It is a
software application that uses Google Earth and integrates
synchrophasors for real-time power grid monitoring.
Technicians install equipment inside the nacelle.
VERDE also incorporates real-time weather data over- Courtesy of Suzlon.
lays to create predictive transmission
grid modeling, which includes situational
awareness by data analysis and other geo-
graphical information. The DOE says it has
the potential to monitor the grid at a nation-
al level, but can be drilled down to the local
level in the event of a problem.
In addition to enhanced monitoring and
forecasting, large-scale storage is one of
the most controversial issues facing renew-
ables. Under the best circumstances, wind
and solar are only available 30% and 20%
of the time (capacity factor), respectively,
and that is in the best of locations.
Without large-scale storage, utilities
have a large amount of capacity that is Siemens SWT-3 nacelle being loaded on a flatbed. Courtesy of Siemens.

16 March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World

www.prysmian.com

cost-effectiveness
sustainability

reliability

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ABB and Saft Group collab-

orated to combine a lithium-ion 250
battery and voltage source con-
verter to produce a static VAR 203.500
200
compensator (SVC) device that

Megawatts (thousands)

Prediction
provides voltage control, active 159.213
power flow control and dynamic 150
energy storage. 120.903
Power electronics are being 93.930
100
used to address the problems as- 74.122
sociated with renewables in the 59.024
areas of voltage sag, frequency 47.693
50 39.295
31.181
excursions and reactive power 24.322
control (VAR consumption).
0
Beacon Power is offering 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
kinetic energy storage technol-
ogy. It is building a 20-MW Total capacity of wind generation worldwide. Courtesy of the World Wind Energy Association.
flywheel energy storage system
as part of a DOE-funded project
on the New York Independent 50

System Operator grid. 45 44.000

The system uses Beacon’s

Prediction
40 38.312
Smart Energy 25 flywheel. The
Megawatts (thousands)

35
Beacon flywheel is state of the
art. It stores energy in the form 30
26.972
of inertia by a spinning disk 25
on a metal shaft levitated with 20
19.808
magnetics, using an electro- 15.111
15
magnetic bearing in a vacuum 11.331
chamber. 10 8.114 8.386
6.282 6.859
5
Wire in the Air 0
Experts have gone on record 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
saying storage is not needed
once the renewable generation Total capacity of wind generation installed each year globally.
facilities cover the landscape Courtesy of the World Wind Energy Association.
and sufficient transmission fa-
cilities connect them to the grid. Their argument is the wind It seems like an unrealistically optimistic approach con-
is blowing and the sun is shining somewhere at any given sidering the state of most transmission systems today, but
time. with a judicious application of advanced technology, there
“Many of the low-hanging fruit in wind has been taken could be some merits to it.
advantage of,” said Jack Hand, president of POWER Engi- Consider high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) trans-
neers. “In 2006 to 2008, we had a substantial growth in the mission technology. The Electric Power Research Institute
wind farm business. In 2009, it pretty much died. In 2010 hosted its annual HVDC conference in late 2010. EPRI
and 2011, we’re seeing some increased interest but it’s still brought together some of the world’s foremost HVDC ex-
very limited for several reasons. Many of the builders are perts to discuss the latest developments in the technology
developers and funding is difficult, and many are waiting on and how it is being applied.
backbone transmission lines to get approved or permitted, ABB, Alstom Grid and Siemens reported about grow-
funded and built. ing interest in combining HVDC transmission technology
“I see wind as fairly stable but not very strong in the next with renewable energy projects. Offshore projects have been
few years,” Hand continued. “But after some of the mega using HVDC for collector systems with marine cables for
western transmission projects start getting built, then maybe quite some time.
in 2012 we should see another big boom in wind.” Onshore, interests have been growing, as developers re-
Generation needs will be met if transmission resources alize HVDC offers solutions to some of the problems with
are available to move the electricity around. They argue that which they are dealing. HVDC is more efficient for moving
the renewables will back themselves up. large blocks of power at great distances. It also offers better

18 March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World

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power control and has fewer

line losses than alternating-
current technology.
Advancements in voltage
source converter technology
make onshore projects very
cost effective. HVDC gives
them the power to bypass
grid congestion and deliver
power where it is needed.

HVDC Transmission
Technology
Wayne Galli, vice presi-
dent, transmission and tech-
nical services for Clean Line
Energy Partners, made a
presentation on four HVDC
transmission projects pro- Wind turbines become part of the landscape in rural areas. Photo by Gene Wolf.
posed by his company. Galli
reported the projects will move wind-generated electricity transmission line to the southeastern United States.
from the Great Plains to the load centers on the East Coast If projects such as this are successful, then the utili-
and West Coast. ties on the other end are going to be the recipients of large
The Plains & Eastern Clean Line is the largest of the proj- amounts of variable power. They are going to require some
ects. It will be constructed in two phases. Each phase will be very sophisticated generator and load modeling combined
rated 3.5 GW with an 800-mile (1,288-km) ±500/600 bipole with statistical and probabilistic forecasting tools to be able

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20 March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World

 N E C A / I B E W C O N T R A C T O R S • T H E Q U A L I T Y C O N N E C T I O N

Doing it right the first time is what we do best.

R ight the first time, every time is standard operating procedure for a NECA/IBEW outside line
contractor. NECA/IBEW contractors know the safety requirements like the back of their hands,
for tasks ranging from high voltage work to low-energy applications. They know the specifics, too:
How to coordinate drawings, how to work with engineers, and how to coordinate with utilities.
Working to a higher standard of professionalism and productivity is part of their package.
NECA/IBEW line contractors employ the best trained electrical line workers in the country.
Whether the job involves transmission or distribution systems, construction, power quality, line
clearance or maintenance, NECA/IBEW line contractors can save you money on every job by
delivering excellence.

Contact your local NECA line chapter or IBEW local union for more information.

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to handle the fluctuations inherent with variable generation Combining Smart Grid and Renewables
resources. The Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Proj-
Of course, installing different types of variable genera- ect addresses many of these issues with smart grid enhance-
tion over a large geographical area provides a more diverse ments. The demonstration project is intended to cover five
mix of that generation, but the application of advanced smart states — Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyo-
grid technologies accommodates the intermittency of these ming — with about 60,000 metered customers and more
resources. than 112 MW of load. It will combine advanced analytical
Technologies such as demand-response programs and tools, software and smart grid devices from 3TIER Inc.,
synchrophasor monitoring make the grid more flexible, AREVA USA, IBM, Netezza Corp., QualityLogic Inc. and
transmission reinforcements make it more robust, and en- Drummond Group Inc.
hanced forecasting makes it more reliable. One very interesting feature of this project is the use of
wind and solar forecasting tools
provided by 3TIER, which will
monitor individual wind and solar
farms and the region as a whole
with hour-, day- and week-ahead
Opportunities forecasts. The forecasting tools
will predict how the weather af-
fects the power generation of the
renewable facilities to optimally
integrate the energy into the grid
and dispatch other assets when
production decreases.
Real-time management of
Solutions the output from a wind farm can
provide a utility with supply-side
control, including increasing or
decreasing output from other sys-
tem generation as needed or de-
creasing wind generation output
by curtailing the wind generator.

Results There are advantages and dis-

advantages to all generation tech-
nologies. Fossil fuels and nuclear
energy are reliable and produce
huge quantities of electricity, but
fossil fuels produce greenhouse
With over 60 years of experience in the energy gases and nuclear energy has
sector, CG Power Systems is an established waste disposal issues. Wind and
manufacturer of three-phase distribution and
solar energy are pollution free and
use free fuel, but they are inter-
Switchgear Transformers power transformers, and a strong competitor in
mittent and require large amounts
the market of substations, integrated solutions,
of land.
automation systems and services. At CG Power There are always tradeoffs,
Systems we continually focus on providing and diversity is the only approach
smart solutions to our customers’ challenges. that reduces pollution while im-
Automation Systems
proving reliability. A wide variety
of renewable generation resources
combined with the advanced tech-
nologies available from the smart
CG Power Systems Belgium NV
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B-2800 Mechelen, Belgium ties to stretch the electric utility
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22 March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World

 www.tdworld.com

At the end of 2010, Canada’s 80-MW Sarnia solar farm was the largest photovoltaic installation in the world. It has
1.3 million photovoltaic panels covering about 240 acres. Courtesy of Black & Veatch.

Utilities Embrace
Distributed Solar
Photovoltaics and thermal solar are powering solar
projects — from deserts to rooftops — that are
rivaling fossil-fuel generation.
By Gene Wolf, Technical Writer

I
f one trait characterizes the relationship between the
solar portion of the renewable energy market and the
electric industry, it is change. The change is in tech-
nologies, in rules and regulations, in philosophies
and in the roles developers, utilities and regulators
play in the process.
Utilities have recognized the potential in developing and
owning solar facilities. Developers have seen the benefits of
partnering with utilities rather than just considering them
customers. Governing authorities acknowledge the pay-
back in working with both utilities and developers to make
renewable energy goals achievable.
Not long ago, solar evoked images of using Rube Gold-
berg devices to heat water in someone’s garage. That has
changed, too. Now utilities are coming to grips with sophis-
ticated solar technologies and their applications on the grid.
Two basic solar technologies are used to make electricity,
photovoltaics (PV) and solar thermal. Interestingly, PV has
taken the lead in the global cumulative megawatt capacity.
It has proven quick and easy for distributive generation ap-
plications. Solar thermal (troughs, towers and Stirling en-
gines) — more commonly called concentrating solar power
(CSP) — has also gained ground with recent approvals for
large solar-power farms.

24 March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World

 Petra Solar avoids permitting and siting while enabling utilities to profitably finance solar through direct ownership.

Petra Solar has pioneered new technology that efficiently generates power through solar modules on utility and
streetlight poles or other assets. Petra Solar’s SunWave™ photovoltaic (PV) systems not only feed distributed clean
energy into the electric grid, they are comprehensive utility grade solutions that offer smart grid communication,
connectivity and control, increase grid efficiency, and lower the cost of utility grids.

t Outage detection
t Volt-VAR optimization
t Reactive power compensation
t Voltage support

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 www.tdworld.com

feed DC to a centralized in-

verter. The inverter converts the
DC to AC that is synchronized
with the power grid. The arrays
consist of solar panels wired in
series to form a string, then the
strings are combined in parallel
at a combiner box before input-
ting to the inverter.
“There are electrical collec-
tor systems for large PV solar
farms that are similar to wind
farm collector systems,” said
Kurt Westermann, Black &
Veatch Energy. “We are seeing
more requests from intercon-
necting utilities for utility-scale
PV plant owners to provide reac-
tive power support. There have
also been some growing pains
Solar technology on display at the SNL solar research facility. Photo by Gene Wolf. for some inverter manufacturers
as they scale up their production
Solar Technologies and inverter power capacity.”
CSP relies on solar collectors (mirrors and lens) to pro- Even the shape of a PV site can have an impact on the
duce high-temperature heat, which is transferred to a ther- design of a facility. “Geometrically, if the site is irregular in
mal fluid such as oil or molten salt. The heated fluid can be shape due to the available land or areas that can’t be built on,
stored and used as a heat source to make steam long after the then the result can be a more complex design because of the
sun sets, so CSP can have the advantage of built-in energy number of unique 1-MW block designs that are needed to
storage. The steam powers a conventional steam turbine to optimize the land usefulness,” said Westermann.
generate electricity.
PV converts sunlight directly into electricity (DC) using PV Sees Strong Growth
semiconductor materials fabricated in the form of wafers, The PV Power Plants 2010 Industry Guide, published
also known as solar cells. The cells are connected electrical- by Renewables Insight, reported that 2008 was the year
ly to each other and mounted in a support structure, called a PV power plants took a giant step forward, globally, into
PV module or panel. the realm of utility-scale projects, with an annual output of
PV panels are connected together to form arrays that 2.9 GW. Reuters published an article stating that in 2009 the
installation of PV globally increased 44% by adding more
Ningbo Solar than 6 GW of new capacity. The industry ended 2009 with
Electric 2.1% Sanyo 2.1%
more than 20 GW of total solar capacity.
Solarfun 2.1%
Trina Solar 3.3% According to SolarBuzz, a research and consulting com-
Kyocera 3.3% pany, the demand for PV globally grew 196%, to 10.6 GW,
JA Solar in the first nine months of 2010.
4.2% The Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) released
Yungli Green a report in November 2010 on utility-scale solar projects in
Energy 4.3%
the United States. SEIA listed 603 MW (170 MW of which
Q-Cells was PV) of utility-scale projects in operation. SEIA further
4.5%
listed 608 MW (137 MW of which was PV) under con-
Sharp 4.9% struction. An additional 23,619 MW (13,350 MW of which
Suntech Power was PV) was listed as under development. That is a total of
5.7% 24,829 MW of utility-scale solar projects.
This is not surprising considering that roughly 75% of the
FirstSolar 6.2% world’s population lives in what is referred to as the Sunbelt,
Others 57.3% the region of the world between 35 degrees north and south
of the Equator). According to a report from the European
Global solar photovoltaic production for 2009. Photovoltaic Industry Association (EPIA), energy demand
Courtesy of the Department of Energy. in this area is expected to grow 150% by 2020.

26 March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World

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Renewable Portfolio Provisions for Solar and Distributed Generation
16 states and the District of Columbia use set-asides, 3 use multipliers to encourage these technologies
Note:
M Michigan, Texas and Washington use RPS multipliers only
M Arizona, District of Columbia, Delaware, Nevada and Oregon have RPS set-asides
and multipliers
M California, Rhode Island, Utah and West Virginia have solar targets outside an RPS
Courtesy of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Timing is Everything
Additions to installed capacity for PV have steadily risen
by an average of 60% every year for the past 10 years. The
trend reflects solid growth and investment in solar technolo-
gies. The price of PV technology has been progressively
dropping at a time when fossil fuels are rising. The EPIA
reported that solar is competitive with diesel today and will
be competitive with gas by 2020 and coal by 2030.
Dr. Sammy Germany, renewable energy market director
at Henkels & McCoy, said, “There are two improvements
that are coming together, cost and efficiency. Installed costs
for solar panel projects have been dropping in recent years.
Developers are seeing prices ranging from $3.50 to $4 per
watt for utility-scale applications. Residential applications
have improved, too, with pricing ranging from $5.50 to
$6.50 per watt.”
Efficiencies also are improving as solar cell manufactur-
ers experiment with new materials. In February 2010, Kyo-
cera announced record-setting 17.0% laboratory efficiency
for its solar cell. A few months later, in June 2010, SunPower
announced it had set the world record for solar cell efficiency
at 24.2% within a controlled laboratory setting. That record
lasted until September 2010, when Sharp announced it had a
new solar cell with a laboratory testing efficiency of 42.1%.
“The solar market is maturing. It has a long way to go to
catch up with wind, but it is moving in that direction,” said
Germany.
28 March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World
www.tdworld.com
Solar/DG set-aside in RPS
Solar/DG in other renewable program
RPS credit multiplier for solar/DG
Multiplier and set-aside in an RPS
Multiplier and set-aside in renewable goal
Government Incentives
Government policy and regulations have had a tremen-
dous impact on the growth of renewable energy. More than
100 countries have enacted some form of policy targeting
goals for renewable energy.
“The global financial crisis caused a decline in PV panel
prices,” stated Shayle Kann, GTM Research’s managing
director of solar research. “This, coupled with govern-
ment incentive plans, provided the stimulus needed to push
solar projects forward. The utility PV market in the U.S. was
about $1 billion in 2010. Over the next five years, the market
potential will approach an estimated $8 billion.”
Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) have flourished
at the state level in the United States. The Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) reports there are 29 states
plus the District of Columbia that have enacted binding RPS
targets. The target is a specific percentage of electricity
generated using renewable energy. Of the 30, only 16 have
provisions for solar and distributed generation.
Cash is Good
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
included a Treasury grant program. The Treasury’s 1603
program, also known as the cash grant, gives cash back in
lieu of an investment tax credit to renewable energy devel-
opers. The investment tax credit is good, but there is nothing
like cold cash as an incentive. The grant allows 30% of the
 www.tdworld.com
Renewable Portfolio Provisions Standards (RPS) and Goals
29 states and the District of Columbia have RPS; 7 states and 3 power authorities have goals
Courtesy of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
property that is part of a qualified facility (fuel cell, solar or
small wind) to be claimed for cash. This grant has been very
successful in stimulating this segment of the renewable mar-
ketplace; however, it was only authorized through 2010.
Late in December 2010, the lame-duck Congress extend-
ed the grant, but it was only extended through 2011, so it will
have to be dealt with again in 2011. Does this remind anyone
of the yearly tax credit extensions that so negatively impact-
ed the wind industry in the early 2000s? There were several
times Congress dropped the ball and let the tax credit lapse.
Feed-in Tariffs Are a Huge Incentive
Feed-in tariffs (FITs) are designed to encourage devel-
opers, businesses and homeowners to deploy renewable
energy. The U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL) estimated that more than 40 countries, mostly in
Europe, have used FITs to promote renewable energy de-
velopment. FITs also are known as electricity feed laws, ad-
vanced renewable tariffs, renewable tariffs and renewable
energy payments.
Whatever they are called, they have made many countries
in the European Union powerhouses for solar. Germany, not
exactly the first place that comes to mind for sun-drenched
landscapes, leads the world in solar capacity. According to
NREL’s study, FITs are responsible for 75% of the solar de-
ployment (PV) and 45% of wind power around the world.
The introduction of FITs in the United States, simi-
RPS
Acelerated or stregthened RPS
Voluntary state or utility standaards or goals
Strengthened voluntary standard
Pilot or study
lar to those in Europe, has been hampered by the Federal
Power Act, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act and
the fact that jurisdiction over electric power is divided be-
tween the FERC and the states, but times are changing, and
the United States is seeing the results with all the recent
FIT announcements.
Developers, Owners and Operators
Another key factor in the solar trend is the changing roles
utilities are playing.
“The utilities know their systems better than anyone
else,” said John Olander, associate vice president, Burns &
McDonnell. “They understand the process (studies, permit-
ting, regulations) and the impacts to the system. Developers
are more risk tolerant, and they often act quicker.
“Building the facility in a year or less is normal for a
developer, and speed is the biggest challenge,” Olander
added. “The most successful fast-track projects will require
a combination of the utility’s understanding and the devel-
oper’s risk-taking ability to produce quick action on partial
information.”
What has encouraged utilities to take the lead in renew-
able projects? Subtle changes to the tax codes now allow
utilities to get tax credits for solar investments. Changes
made by state regulators allow utilities back into the gen-
eration business as long as it is solar. Massachusetts’ Green
Communities Act is a good example. It allows Massachu-
Transmission & Distribution World l March 2011 29
 www.tdworld.com

desert, which can take many

years to permit and build.
Tulare Public Service Electric
and Gas Co. (PSE&G) of
Ivanpah Solar New Jersey has been inno-
San Bernadino County
Beacon Solar Energy Project
vative, too (T&D World, De-
Kern County cember 2010). New Jersey is
a very congested state and
Kern land is at a premium, so find-
Calico Solar Project
San Bernardino County
ing space to install 40 MW
of solar generation was a
problem. PSE&G was able to
Abengoa Mojave Solar 1 Project solve the problem by identi-
Rice Solar Energy Project
San Bernardino County
San Bernardino Riverside County fying roughly 200,000 utility
poles in its service territory
Ventura Los Angeles that would be ideal for PV
Palen Solar Power Project panel attachment.
Riverside County
San Diego Gas & Elec-
Riverside tric (SDG&E) received ap-
Orange proval from the California
Genesis Solar Energy Project
Riverside County
Public Utilities Commission
Blythe Solar Power Project (CPUC) for its 100-MW local
Riverside County
solar energy initiative. The
program calls for SDG&E to
Imperial
San Diego install 28 MW of PV on its
0 5 10 20 30 40 Imperial Valley Solar Project
Miles Imperial County
property and buy the remain-
ing 72 MW from IPPs, which
Courtesy of the California Energy Commission.
will also be PV. In addition
Approved Large Solar Projects in California Totaling 4,142.5 MW to PV, SDG&E is planning
on 900 MW of solar genera-
Name Technology Rating Date Approved Owner
tion using Stirling engines
Abengoa Mojave Solar 1 Project Solar trough 250 MW Sept. 8, 2010 Mojave Solar, LLC
located in the desert east of
Beacon Solar Energy Project Solar trough 250 MW Aug. 25, 2010 Beacon Solar, LLC
San Diego.
Blythe Solar Power Project Solar trough 1,000 MW Sept. 15, 2010 Solar Millennium, LLC
Calico Solar Project Stirling engine 663.5 MW Oct. 28, 2010 Calico Solar, LLC The Winds of Change
Genesis Solar Energy Project Solar trough 250 MW Sept. 29, 2010 Genesis Solar, LLC
Today, solar power meets
Imperial Valley Solar Project Stirling engine 709 MW Sept. 29, 2010 a very small fraction of the
Imperial Valley Solar, LLC
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System Solar tower 370 MW Sept. 22, 2010 BrightSource Energy Inc. world’s electricity needs,
Palen Solar Power Project Solar trough 500 MW Dec. 15, 2010 Solar Millennium, LLC about 1% in the United States.
Rice Solar Energy Project Central tower 150 MW Dec. 15, 2010 SolarReserve, LLC
That is changing. Many ex-
perts predict the figure will
setts utilities to own up to 50 MW of solar generation. rise to at least 25% by 2050. Solar projects have grown from
Protection is another key issue. States have mandated small kilowatt-size systems to megawatt-size systems. That
high renewable targets for their utilities. Many times, a util- is changing, too. There are many gigawatt-size projects in
ity signs a contract with an independent power producer the planning and design stages.
(IPP) for hundreds of megawatts of renewable generation Also changing are government roles. The Chinese gov-
only to find later the IPP cannot meet the contract. As a ernment has established a renewable energy fee for all
result, several utilities have found it better to take charge electricity users to pay the difference between electricity
themselves. produced by fossil-fuel and renewable technologies to its
Southern California Edison (SCE) is a good example. utilities. In the United States, the 1000-MW Blythe Solar
SCE plans to install a total 500 MW on roughly 250 ware- Power Project will be built on federal-supplied land. The
house roofs within its service territory (T&D World, June CPUC authorized PG&E, SDG&E and SCE to own and op-
2009). SCE has installed solar panels on three warehouse erate solar PV facilities. And in Canada, Ontario’s FIT has
rooftops for a combined capacity of 4 MW. SCE was able to led to a surge of PV solar projects.
permit the first installation in two months and built it in two When it comes to solar power, it appears change is the
months. Compare that to large solar farms in California’s constant.

30 March 2011 l Transmission & Distribution World

 www.tdworld.com

As our choices for structural materials expand, our knowledge must expand with
it. Transmission and distribution utility engineers are increasingly looking at the total
owning costs of their towers and poles as they respond to reductions in their O&M
budgets.
Manufactured structures provide more consistent strengths, whether it is tensile
or cantilever, but they come with issues of their own. One utility is designing a line
with three structural materials that is dependent on whether the structure is a
straight, angle or deadend. Roadway crossings and guyed structures to prevent
cascading failures also require adherence to different specifications. And utilities are
now going to monopoles, where they historically would have gone with a tower. Of
course, foundations and conductor arms are also a big part of structure design, so
this topic will be addressed as well in a special supplement.

Look for Transmission & Distribution World’s special supplement

on STRUCTURES coming in October.

Index of Advertisers
Advertiser/ Website Page

TM
Advanced Energy ........................................................................... 27
www.tdworld.com www.advanced-energy.com/renewables
CG Power Solutions ........................................................................ 32
David Miller, Publisher David.Miller@penton.com cgpowersolutions.com
Rick Bush, Editorial Director rbush@tdworld.com
CG Power Systems ......................................................................... 22
Vito Longo, Technology Editor vlongo@tdworld.com
www.belgium@cgglobal.com
Emily Saarela, Senior Managing Editor esaarela@tdworld.com
Gerry George, International Editor gerry.george.tdw@talk21.com HDR Inc............................................................................................ 9
Gene Wolf, Technical Writer GW_Engr@msn.com www.hdrinc.com
Cathy Swirbul, Contributing Writer cathy@chscommunications.com Henkels & McCoy ............................................................................. 6
Susan Lakin, Art Director slakin@tdworld.com www.henkels.com
Julie Gilpin, Ad Production Manager Julie.Gilpin@penton.com NLMCC/NECA-IBEW ........................................................................ 21
Joan Roof, Audience Marketing Manager Joan.Roof@penton.com www.thequalityconnection.org
Steve Lach, Midwestern, Mid-Atlantic,New England, Eastern Canada Petra Solar ..................................................................................... 25
Steve.Lach@penton.com www.petrasolar.com
Doug Fix, Southeastern, Mid-Atlantic, New England dfix@bellsouth.net
PowerSense A/S............................................................................. 20
Gary Lindenberger, Southwest gl@lindenassoc.com
www.sensethepower.com
Ron Sweeney, West/Western Canada wnjsr@comcast.net
Craig Zehntner, West/Western Canada wnjla@aol.com Prysmian Cables & Systems ........................................................... 17
www.prysmian.com
Richard Woolley, Western/Eastern Europe richardwoolley@btclick.com
Yoshinori Ikeda, Japan pbi2010@gol.com Quanta Services............................................................................... 2
Y.B. Jeon, Korea stormybj@kornet.net www.quantaservices.com
Siemens Energy Inc. ....................................................................... 23
Copyright 2011 Penton Media Inc. All rights reserved.
www.usa.siemens.com
Thomas & Betts Corp./Meyer Steel Structure................................... 13
www.tnb.com
Valmont/Newmark.......................................................................... 19
www.valmont-newmark.com

Transmission & Distribution World l March 2011 31

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