Currently, utilities, facing many pressures, are expected to change more rapidly than in previous years. Societal pressures to reduce emissions and increase the use of renewables while supporting electric vehicles drive in one direction. The newfound focus of international cyber attackers on the electric grid as a key element of the critical infrastructure drive in another direction.
Together, the aforementioned societal pressures yield a veritable flood of utility grid modernization efforts that embrace internet...
Unclogging the arteries of North America’s power grid BY DAVE BRYANT, CTC Global Corporation Without access to affordable and reliable electricity, no society in today’s world can possibly flourish. Canada and the U.S. rely heavily on electricity to pump water to grow crops, manufacture...
Distributed energy resources are poised for “explosive growth” across the United States over the next five years. U.S. utilities “need to change, and are slowly changing,” how they plan, operate and maintain their distribution grids to adapt. That’s how Ben Kellison, grid edge director at...
When it comes to renewable energy job creation, the Trump administration would do well to take a fresh look at clean energy rather than focusing only on fossil fuels. The solar power sector employed twice as many workers in 2016 than power generation from coal, gas and oil combined, according to a...
NEURAL GRID TAKES SMART GRID INTO THE CLOUD The Neural Grid represents more than Smart Grid v2.0—much more. Today, the smart grid implies the legacy mechanical power transmission and distribution (T&D) networks enhanced by pockets of automation, connectivity, and centralized IT systems. The...
Distributed energy resources (DERs) can benefit the power system and individual homes and businesses. DERs can increase the resiliency and reliability of the power grid, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the overall power cost, and provide power at the point of use. Several types of DERs can...
Brief Background: In the early 1900’s Aluminum Conductor Steel Reinforced (ACSR) conductor was developed to replace copper wires, due to the war effort when copper was needed for munitions. In the 1970’s growing demand for electricity inspired the development of higher capacity...
This project won EEI Transmission Project of the Year – 2016 Description: 240 circuit miles, 345 kV line, double bundleProject: Replace 1,440 miles of ACSR conductor with ACCC Objectives Improve reliability (reduced sag and corrosion) Increased capacity to serve growth (2X...
A recently published report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlights the significant cybersecurity risks facing the nation’s power grid. One of the key findings in this report is that “the grid is becoming more vulnerable to cyberattacks - particularly those involving...
If you thought growth in renewable electricity generation was a big deal – and it is – you haven’t seen anything yet. Full-scale transformation to a cleaner, smarter and more flexible grid will be driven by a suite of innovations – referred to as Distributed Energy Resources – that...
The idea of a cyberattack on the power grid may invoke images of flickering lights and a race against the clock to block an intrusion – but, often the most serious threats aren’t that obvious or dramatic.Cyber threats that target critical infrastructure facilities like the power grid...
