T&D
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Legal & Regulatory
Former FERC Commissioner Says ‘Market Design Problem’ Was a Leading Cause of February 2021 Texas Power Crisis
In February 2021, a severe cold weather event, known as Winter Storm Uri, caused numerous power outages, derates, or failures to start at electric generating plants scattered across Texas and the south-central U.S. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages the power supply for about 90% of the load in Texas, ordered a […]
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T&D
Improving Power Networks: How Smarter Grids and a New Generation of Electricity Can Prevent Blackouts
Power networks today face two major challenges: aging infrastructure and complex intermittent power flows caused by the worldwide transition from fossil-based fuels to zero-carbon resources. With some of the
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Commentary
Microgrids Can Save America’s Carbon-Zero Commitments and Electrified Future
On Friday, November 5, Congress passed a landmark infrastructure bill that apportions $65 billion to rebuilding our aging electric grid. Although we should applaud this long overdue measure, we need to be realistic about its impact. $65 billion is not nearly enough to modernize the U.S. electric grid, nor is it enough to protect against weather-related outages and cyberattacks. We continue […]
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T&D
Innovative Device Brings Fault-Testing to the Edge of the Grid, Improving Power System Reliability
S&C Electric Co., an employee-owned company with global headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, rolled out an innovative solution designed to mitigate nuisance outages for power customers located on the grid edge. The new VacuFuse II Self-Resetting Interrupter has the ability to test if a fault is temporary, and if so, it automatically restores power, eliminating the […]
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Press Releases
Duquesne Light Company Unveils New Substation in Oakland
Will play an important role in enhancing service reliability and resiliency in the community PITTSBURGH — Last month, Duquesne Light Company (DLC) officially unveiled its latest substation as the company continues investing in critical infrastructure to improve service reliability and resiliency. Located in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, the Riazzi Substation — named after retired DLC President […]
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Environmental
20 ‘Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters’ Hit U.S. in 2021
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), which calls itself “the Nation’s Scorekeeper in terms of addressing severe weather and climate events,” reported that there were 20 “weather/climate disaster events” with losses exceeding $1 billion each that affected the U.S. in 2021. These events included one drought event, two […]
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Commentary
How FERC Can Have a Positive Impact on Grid Reliability
As the regulator for much of our nation’s wholesale electric and natural gas markets, actions by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) directly impact the U.S. economy. The agency’s response to
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History
2021: A Dark Year for Electricity Security, Reliability
While 2021 kicked off short on optimism given chaos from the COVID-19 pandemic, the year was characterized by an extraordinary series of critical energy crises. Power blackouts, brownouts, interconnection mismatches, severe fuel shortages, and near-misses affected nearly every region in the world. Here’s a brief look back at some of the events that characterized 2021. […]
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Press Releases
Hitachi Energy wins major contract for the first-of-its-kind sub-sea power transmission network in the MENA region advancing a sustainable energy future for Abu Dhabi
HVDC Light® will connect low-carbon power from the mainland grid to ADNOC’s production operations as a strategic project to enable a sustainable, flexible and secure power supply. Zurich | 22 December, 2021 – Hitachi Energy today announced it has won a major order from Samsung C&T Corporation, one of the world’s largest engineering and construction […]
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Press Releases
GE Digital Will Acquire Opus One Solutions to Advance the Energy Transition
Combined technology portfolio to enable broad, rapid adoption of renewables and Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) at all points on the grid Creates interoperable portfolio that will help utilities forecast, manage, optimize, and trade renewables coming onto the electric grid Merges a century of continuous GE innovation with a talented team of Opus One engineers and […]
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T&D
GE Digital Announces UK ‘Smart Substation’ Project
GE Digital has announced a partnership with UK Power Networks (UKPN) for the launch of a smart substation project designed to support renewable energy power generation across the United Kingdom. The agreement announced Dec. 9 involves the installation of powerful computers in a series of substations. The project, known as Constellation, will leverage advances in […]
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Connected Plant
Build for Today, Design for Tomorrow: Five Things to Look for in an Intelligent Remote Monitoring Solution
Today’s electric power grids are evolving at an alarming pace. Distributed energy resources are quickly taking the place of central power stations, making grid operators’ jobs of managing power flows in
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Press Releases
Micatu Completes New Offices, Launches Construction on One of the Nation’s Largest Optical Sensing Manufacturing Facilities for Grid Applications
Total expansion adds 40,000 square feet of space for additional staff, training, manufacturing, a clean room, and outdoor grid distribution testing lab CORNING, NEW YORK, (November 19, 2021) – Micatu Incorporated, a leader in cutting-edge optical sensing technology, finalized Phase I of its expansion with the completion of a new office and training space in upstate New York. The […]
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T&D
FPL and SDG&E Win Awards for Outstanding Reliability
PA Consulting recognized Florida Power & Light (FPL) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) as co-recipients of the global consultancy’s National Reliability Award. The prestigious award is presented to “the utility that showcases a focus on customer service, technology deployment, operational successes, and data and analytics.” It’s only the second time in the award’s […]
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Nuclear
Coal Plant Site Unveiled for 500-MW Natrium Advanced Nuclear Pilot
A site at PacifiCorp’s retiring 600-MW coal and gas–fired Naughton Power Plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming, will house the Natrium demonstration, a pioneering commercial-scale 500-MW project that will pair a 345-MW sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system. Project stakeholders on Nov. 16 unveiled the site for the federally backed demonstration, which will validate […]
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Press Releases
DTEK Grids and depsys set an example of how grid operators should successfully modernize
Globally the energy transition is addressed through policy frameworks that target energy-related CO2 emissions reductions and power grid digitalization and automation, achieving a more efficient use of our resources. That is, as long as that electrification is based on clean, renewable energies. Renewable energies both help us to solve a planetary problem and introduce new […]
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Press Releases
Bentley Systems Enters into Agreement to Acquire Power Line Systems, Global Leader in Software for Power Transmission Engineering
To Anchor New Acceleration Initiative for Grid Integration! EXTON, Pa. – November 16, 2021 – Bentley Systems, Incorporated (Nasdaq: BSY), the infrastructure engineering software company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Power Line Systems—a leader in software for the design of overhead electric power transmission lines and their structures—from […]
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Press Releases
MISO members re-elect three to the Board of Directors
CARMEL, Ind. (Nov. 8, 2021) — Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) members have re-elected three directors to serve three-year terms on the organization’s board beginning January 1, 2022. Director Phyllis Currie and Director Mark Johnson both joined the MISO Board in 2016 and were re-elected in 2019. Director Nancy Lange was first elected to the […]
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Press Releases
Locweld celebrates 75 years of being a leader in North America
Montreal, QC, November 4th, 2021 — For 75 years, LOCWELD has specialized in the design, detailing, fabrication & galvanizing of steel lattice transmission towers and poles. The company is considered a leader in the North American market and is an industry reference worldwide. Celebrating 75 years: With over 100 000 towers fabricated to date, Locweld […]
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Press Releases
LineVision Partners with Northern Ireland Power Utility to Install its Advanced Sensors on 33kV Overhead Lines
Project will utilize real-time and forecasted dynamic line ratings to help unlock capacity for increased renewable energy integration November 4, 2021, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK – Massachusetts-based LineVision, Inc. has partnered with a large power utility in Northern Ireland to install its patented non-contact sensors to monitor 33kV overhead power lines in the region. The […]
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T&D
How to Get Up to 40% More Capacity from Existing Power Grid Transmission Lines
Experts claim power grid infrastructure needs to be upgraded to accommodate the vast amount of renewable energy expected to be added to the system in coming decades. That could require billions of dollars in investments, millions of hours of planning and permitting work, and years of construction in the field. Another option that could help […]
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News
Quick-Mounted Lightweight Tower for Emergency Work on Power Lines
We have all experienced power outages; accidents, alas, do happen. The length of time it takes to restore the power supply always comes to the fore, because in addition to the millions of dollars in potential losses for the industry, a prolonged outage can have social consequences, especially if homes, schools, hospitals, and other vital […]
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Solar
How Different Power Grid Operators Are Approaching Renewable-Storage Hybrid Participation
Pairing renewable resources with energy storage systems makes a lot of sense. However, grid operators are still developing frameworks for handling these hybrid projects but they may need to be treated
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IIOT
Cooperation Needed to Drive Energy Transition
The decarbonization of our global economies is a must to arrest climate change and create a sustainable future for everyone. Yet, the transition off fossil fuels to a more sustainable economic foundation will be rocky. Recent events underscore both the need and the challenge. This year, Europe experienced its warmest summer in history, with almost twice as […]