In a conference room in early 2017, a group of Transmission operators, supervisors, and executives at Ameren sat down in an effort to craft a strategic analytics roadmap that would tackle the new challenges associated with transmission operations. One of the first questions the group posed to itself was: “What is going to be different in 5 years?” After several furtive looks around the room, one Transmission Operations Supervisor said, “Most, if not all of...
Study shows growth from now to 2020 Aging infrastructure and increased demand for power has amplified the demand for transmission towers. In their latest report ,“The Global Market for Electricity Towers and Poles 2014 to 2020”, StatPlan Energy, specialists in the electricity sector,...
A recent study that takes an in-depth look at the environmental performance of wood and steel utility poles challenges current perceptions on the sustainability advantages of wood poles when compared with steel poles. The detailed study, titled “Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Southern...
Increasingly violent weather, probably caused by global warming, is increasingly taking down electricity distribution lines and poles and cyberattacks are increasingly taking out electricity, apparently just as trials for major terrorism of this sort. Little wonder that the price of grid...
Siemens proposes 10 mini-grids that will cover most of Puerto Rico and will be designed to enhance resiliency to withstand or recover quickly from future natural disasters.Design enhances reliance on renewables and exceeds the established renewables penetration goal by 15 percent.Today, Siemens...
In a strategic move to tackle the growing electricity demand and bolster energy security, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), under Secretary Chris Wright, has announced plans to focus on expanding baseload and dispatchable power generation. This shift in priorities, outlined on January 5, 2025,...
A coalition of large energy consumers and ratepayer advocates has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), urging the agency to prohibit transmission owners from independently planning "local" transmission projects exceeding 100 kilovolts (kV). The coalition argues...
The rapid shift toward renewable energy resources (RERs) has placed significant demands on traditional power systems. To address these challenges, modern energy infrastructure is evolving into smart grids, leveraging advanced technologies like Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) to enhance grid...
Louisiana, known for its robust oil and gas industry, is experiencing a significant shift as some of its largest industries express frustration over delays in the state’s renewable energy transition. These major players are pushing for accelerated development and implementation of renewable...
Direct current (DC) is the preferred technology for moving large amounts of power across long distances. DC results in overall higher efficiency and reliability than an equivalently-sized alternating current (AC) system moving the same amount of power. The Advantages of DC More efficient: Over long...
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...
