T&D

  • What Is DERMS and How Can It Help Utilities?

    A distributed energy resource management system, or DERMS, is a software platform used to manage a group of distributed energy resource (DER) assets—such as rooftop photovoltaic solar panels, behind-the-meter batteries, or a fleet of electric vehicles—to deliver vital grid services and balance demand with supply to help utilities achieve mission-critical outcomes. As a guest on […]

  • Minutes Matter in the Energy Imbalance Market

    An energy imbalance market (EIM) is a voluntary market that provides a sub-hourly economic dispatch of participating resources for balancing supply and demand every five minutes. One such market is the Western

  • Rural Electric Cooperatives Get Big Money to Improve Infrastructure

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it will provide loans and loan guarantees to rural electric cooperatives and utilities to build or improve infrastructure in 21 states. The funding was announced on June 22 and amounts to more than $1.6 billion, including nearly $386 million for investments in smart grid technology, which uses digital […]

  • The Importance of a Resilient Power System

    It’s hurricane season in the U.S., which runs from June 1 through the end of November, and there have already been three named storms. The most recent was Tropical Storm Christobal, which was the earliest third-named Atlantic storm on record when it formed on June 2. It made landfall in the U.S. along the northern […]

  • Siemens HVDC power bridge will connect Crete with mainland Greece

    • Attica-Crete interconnection will ensure a more secure power supply and increase integration of renewable energy • HVDC project will reduce half a million tons of CO2 emissions in first year of operation • Total order volume for Siemens-led consortium €370 million A consortium led by Siemens Gas and Power (Siemens Energy) has been awarded […]

  • Radix Develops Artificial Intelligence Tool to Improve Control Room Management and Operations for ISA CTEEP

    June 9, 2020—Houston, Texas – Radix Engineering and Software today announced that ISA CTEEP, one of the main private electric power transmission concessionaires in Brazil, will rely on an Artificial Intelligence (AI) toolset created by Radix to improve its services. The objective is to improve decision-making and implement best practices that provide a comprehensive and […]

  • NERC: Summer 2020 Reliability Rife With Unknowns

    Despite COVID-19’s impact on power demand, disrupted pre-season generation preparation, and an expected highly active hurricane and wildfire season, industry appears well-positioned to meet peak demand this summer under anticipated weather in nearly all parts of the North American bulk power system (BPS).  Other than in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), anticipated reserve […]

  • Smart Neighborhood Wins Smart Grid Award

    Alabama Power’s Smart Neighborhood integrates a microgrid into a community filled with high-performance homes containing energy-efficient systems and connected appliances. The innovative initiative, which

  • COVID-19 Makes for an Interesting Summer Peak Season

    It’s peak season for the U.S. power industry. While actual dates may vary from one utility to another, generally the summer peak period spans from Memorial Day (May 25 this year) to Labor Day (Sept. 7)

  • How Our Current Power Grid Is Failing Us

    As coal prices fluctuate and regulations increase, utilities are phasing out dirty coal sources. With renewable energy like solar and wind set to become the fastest-growing sources of electricity generation in

  • Sumitomo Electric secures >€500M “Corridor A-Nord” High-Voltage DC Underground Cable Project in Germany which sets new innovative benchmarks in the HVDC Industry

    Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., with the support of its technology partner, Südkabel GmbH, to deliver the highest voltage 525-kV XLPE(*1) Insulated High-Voltage DC (HVDC) underground cable system for German Corridor Project to supply renewable power generated in the North Sea of Germany to the central and southern part of the country. Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. […]

  • GE’s synchronous condensers help Terna provide reliable electricity for Italy

    GE Steam Power receives new order for two synchronous condensers and flywheel units for the Brindisi Terna substation in southern Italy Will supply a combined 500 MVAr reactive power and 3500 MWs inertia to help stabilize Italy’s grid and support the integration of more renewable energy Powered by GE’s portfolio of renewable steam power offerings, […]

  • Electric Vehicle Fleets and Load Demand: Are You Ready for the Surge?

    Electric vehicle adoption is expected to continue growing, especially in delivery and service company fleets. That means load demand could surge, particularly around charging depots, and utilities must plan

  • NERC Moves to Defer Reliability Standards, Provide COVID-19 Flexibility

    The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to delay the implementation of seven reliability standards that relate to cybersecurity, training, disturbance monitoring and reporting, generator relay loadability, and coordination of protection systems for performance during faults. In an April 6 filing to FERC, NERC noted the rules […]

  • PJM Ramps Up Preparations as COVID-19 Hotspots Emerge in Its Footprint

    PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest regional transmission organization (RTO), is intensifying its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, preparing campuses for worker sequestration and closely coordinating with generators and transmission owners across its system as they grapple with workforce and supply impacts. Although most of PJM’s employees—with the exception of system operators and other essential personnel—are […]

  • NERC: Power Industry ‘Well-Prepared’ for COVID-19, Aggressively Confronting Pandemic Threats

    Industry responses to a Level 2 alert on contingency planning issued by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) early last month suggest the “vast majority” of registered participants in the North American bulk power system are well prepared for the COVID-19 crisis.  NERC, the interconnected bulk power system’s Electric Reliability Organization (ERO), has underscored […]

  • Electricity Demand Decreases Due to Coronavirus Lockdowns

    A study published by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) shows peak demand and energy use decreased as much as 21% in some areas as a result of actions taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The report—COVID-19 Bulk System Impacts: Demand Impacts and Operational and Control Center Practices—was released on March 27. It reviews […]

  • Are Traditional Power Companies Being Disintermediated?

    How will the electric grid change as the world transitions to a power system with more renewable energy resources? Some experts foresee a shift from today’s grid-type architecture to a system of systems—from the current centralized design to a distributed energy scheme. While it’s hard to know exactly what the future holds, it’s commonly believed […]

  • Report: Global Transformer Market Will Exceed $90 Billion by 2026

    A recent study from Global Market Insights, a global market research and management consulting company, shows the value of the global transformer market will exceed $90 billion by 2026. The company has a market report dedicated to the global transformers market. Ankit Gupta, a research manager at Global Market Insights, recently answered some questions from POWER […]

  • Public Safety Power Shutoffs: How Utilities Could Partner

    Catastrophic wildfires have devastated California in recent years. This article seeks to outline a plan wherein neighboring utilities can send energy to support a utility that has shut down critical paths during wildfire mitigation efforts. On the morning of Nov. 8, 2018, the Camp Fire erupted 90 miles north of Sacramento, California (Figure 1). This fire […]

  • FERC Approves New Cybersecurity, Transmission Reliability Standards

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Jan. 23 approved two new reliability standards related to transmission system planning performance and cybersecurity. However, it also proposed to retire 74 reliability standard requirements, which it deemed duplicative or unnecessarily burdensome. Among the spate of actions it took on Thursday, FERC also green-lighted retaining the North American […]

  • Russelectric, a Siemens Business, Offers Customized Switchgear Simulators

    Ideal for training personnel on automatic and manual operation of Russelectric switchgear Hingham, MA – Russelectric, A Siemens Business, a leading manufacturer of power control systems and automatic transfer switches, announces the availability of Switchgear Simulators designed to train personnel on automatic and manual operation of Russelectric switchgear. Customized to mimic the operation of the […]

  • Why the 2010s Were a Definitive Decade for Power

    Every one of the 13 decades that POWER magazine has been in print has been definitive for electric generation technology, policy, and business in some significant way, but few have been as transformative as the 2010s. The decade opened just as the global economy began to crawl toward recovery from a historically unprecedented downturn that […]

  • The Significance of FERC’s Recent PJM MOPR Order Explained

    A divided Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a long-awaited order on Dec. 19 in which it directed PJM Interconnection to dramatically expand its Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR) to nearly all state-subsidized capacity resources. The order will have a significant impact on PJM’s capacity market. While it was no surprise that the decision immediately […]

  • NERC: Long-Term Reliability Uncertain Amid Rapid Changes to Bulk Power System

    Significant and rapid changes that are reshaping North America’s power sector will likely leave Texas and Ontario, Canada, with supply shortfalls over the next decade, and energy deficiencies could also occur during off-peak conditions in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) area and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) region, the North American Electric Reliability […]

  • How the DOE Plans to Modernize the Grid in the Near Term

    Twenty-three projects chosen by the Department of Energy (DOE) in response to its 2019 Grid Modernization Lab Call provide a broad look at the critical issues that are roiling the nation’s power sector, as well as the tools and technologies that it has determined will best bolster the grid of the future in the near […]

  • Top 5 Energy Storage Trends of 2019

    Energy storage has been the hot topic in solar and e-mobility over the last couple years, and it’s only getting hotter. Last year, energy storage installations in the U.S. totaled 311 MW and 777 MWh, up from next to nothing six years prior, and this is just the beginning. Wood Mackenzie and Energy Storage Association […]

  • EV-Based Virtual Power Plants Shift Peak Load and Save Money

    A recent study found that electric vehicle (EV) batteries used as a utility virtual power plant (VPP) could shift the entire residential peak load to nighttime hours with only 10% EV market saturation. The research was conducted by Jackson Associates, an Orlando, Florida-based firm that does energy forecasting, data development, and energy-related analysis. The study […]

  • AEIC Announces Five Winners of 2019 AEIC Achievement Award

    Birmingham, AL — The Association of Edison Illuminating Companies has announced five recipients of the prestigious AEIC Achievement Award for 2019. The AEIC Achievement Awards are presented annually to individuals or groups of individuals from AEIC member companies or committees who have clearly provided significant contributions to advancing the operations of the electric energy industry. […]