Upload
truongdien
View
214
Download
1
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N O F
YOUR POWER DELIVERY MEDIA SOURCE
10 DistribuTECH 2016 Wrap-up
18 The Utility’s Role in IoT
2016 OF THE YEAR
PP
L E
lectric
Utilitie
s
Haw
aiia
n E
lectric
Co.
Cente
rPoin
t Energ
y
Duke
Energ
y Ohio
PO
WE
R-G
RID
.CO
M
: M
AR
CH
2016
OF THE YEAR PROJECTS
1603pg_C1 1 3/3/16 4:00 PM
Real-time data for real-time decisions.
Sensus FlexNet® communication network is purpose-built for utilities,
designed for multiple applications and 3X faster than competitive
networks. Giving you near instant insights to address outages faster.
Manage voltage and power quality. Run demand response programs.
Control street and area lights. And more. All with just 5% of the
infrastructure required for mesh systems. So instead of installing
and maintaining more infrastructure, you can focus on making smarter
decisions in real time. Now that’s time well spent.
Nothing’s out of reach.
Learn how FlexNet is making infrastructure
smarter at sensus.com/goflexnet.
1603pg_C2 2 3/3/16 4:00 PM
®
San Diego Convention Center
SAVE DATE
DistribuTECH.com
#DTECH2017
energyInnovation
2017 January 31-February 2
OWNED & PRODUCED BY
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF DISTRIBUTECH
SUPPORTING PUBLICATIONS
Go to pgi.hotims.com for more information.
1603pg_1 1 3/3/16 3:54 PM
2 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
PowerGrid International® (ISSN 1547-6723).
PowerGrid International is published 12x times
per year, monthly by PennWell® Corporation,
1421 S. Sheridan, Tulsa, OK 74112. Periodi-
cals postage paid at Tulsa, OK 74112 and at
additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTION
PRICES: $85 per year (U.S.), $94 (Canada/
Mexico), $225 (international air mail). Back
issues of PowerGrid International® may be
purchased at a cost of $13 each in the U.S.
and $21 elsewhere. Copies of back issues
are also available on microfilm and microfiche
from University Microfilm, a Xerox Co., 300
N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Available
on the NEXIS™ Service, Mead Data Central
Inc., Box 933, Dayton, OH 45402; (937) 865-
6800. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
and other circulation information to PowerGrid
International®, P.O. Box 3264, Northbrook, IL
60065-3240. Return undeliverable Canadian
addresses to P.O. Box 122, Niagara Falls,
ON L2E 6S4. PowerGrid International is a
registered trademark. © PennWell Corpora-
tion 2016. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part without permission is pro-
hibited. Permission, however, is granted for
employees of corporations licensed under the
Annual Authorization Service offered by the
Copyright Clearance Center Inc. (CCC), 222
Rosewood Drive, Danvers, Mass. 01923, or
by calling CCC’s Customer Relations Depart-
ment at 978-750-8400 prior to copying. We
make portions of our subscriber list available
to carefully screened companies that offer
products and services that may be important
for your work. If you do not want to receive
those offers and/or information via direct
mail, please let us know by contacting us at
PowerGrid International®, P.O. Box 2280, Tulsa
OK 74101.
Printed in the USA. GST No. 126813153.
Publications Mail Agreement no. 40612608.
26
14 Don’t Derail Your ADMS With Bad Data Advanced distribution management systems, which include outage management and distribution management, are keys to automating utility processes and integrating systems. By Ross Shaich, Utility Integration Solutions LLC
18 The Utility’s Role in IoT Simply moving data around will not address the challenges before us or capitalize on new opportunities.By Tom Wolf, Itron
28 Real-time Data Analytics How can a utility build a 21st century grid while meeting and exceeding customer expectations? By Bill Kenworthy, Direct Energy
30 DER Inclusiveness The ability of distributed energy resourcesto impact grid reliability, outages, revenue and even business health can be positive or negative depending on how utilitiesintegrate them. By Bradley Williams, Oracle Utilities
34 Products
35 Calendar/Ad Index
36 Parting Thoughts
From the Editor 3
Notes 4
DistribuTECH 2016 10 Three days in Orlando brought forth tons of cutting-edge industry content and dealmaking opportunities to more
than 11,000 attendees. Here’s some of the highlights. By Rod Walton, Senior Editor
2016 Projects of the YearThe name of the game in electricity T&D is to
deliver. These winning projects did just that.
By Rod Walton, Senior Editor
MARCH 2016 VOLUME 21.03
22
1603pg_2 2 3/3/16 3:54 PM
FROM THE EDITOR
March 2016 | 3 www.power-grid.com
EDITOR IN CHIEF TERESA HANSEN
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, NORTH AMERICAN POWER GENERATION GROUP
Richard Baker
EDITOR IN CHIEF Teresa Hansen
918.831.9504 [email protected]
SENIOR EDITOR Rod Walton
918.831.9177 [email protected]
ONLINE/ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jeff Postelwait
918.831.9114 [email protected]
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR TransmissionHub Senior Analyst Corina Rivera-Linares
DESIGNER II Heather Skeith
918.831.9176 [email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT-AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING
June Griffin
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Jesse Fyler
918.832.9208 [email protected]
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR Angie O’Dea
918.831.9431 [email protected]
PENNWELL CORPORATION 1421 S. Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74112
PO Box 1260, Tulsa OK 74101 Phone 918.835.3161 Fax 918.831.9834
[email protected] www.pennwell.com
PENNWELL CORP. IN EUROPE PennWell International Limited
The Water Tower, Gunpowder Mill Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 1BN, United Kingdom
phone +44.1992.656600 fax +44.1992.656700
CHAIRMAN — Robert F. Biolchini
VICE CHAIRMAN — Frank T. Lauinger
PRESIDENT AND CHIEF
EXECUTIVE OFFICER — Mark C. Wilmoth
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE
DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGY — Jayne A. Gilsinger
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE AND
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER — Brian Conway
SUBSCRIBER SERVICE P.O. Box 3264, Northbrook, IL 60065
phone 847.763.9540 [email protected]
POWERGRID International is the official publication of
Having just returned from DistribuTECH 2016 in Orlando, I had a hard time
narrowing down a topic for my letter this month. As you’ll see when you read
Senior Editor Rod Walton’s DistribuTECH Wrap-up article beginning on page
10, the event covered a lot of noteworthy topics and technologies. The sophis-
tication of the booths, as well as the technologies on display, in the exhibit hall
were incredible. As the chairwoman of the Conference Advisory Committee and
a member of the DistribuTECH management team, I was thrilled to see not only
so many companies in the exhibit hall, but so many companies that invested a
lot to showcase their technologies and solutions to those who attended the event.
The exhibit hall was not the only area of the event that was buzzing; the con-
ference sessions also were top-notch this year and attracted big audiences. As the
wrap-up article title indicates, much of the content and conversation at this year’s
event centered on disruptive technologies and what strategies can be developed to
turn these disruptions into opportunities and increased revenue. I heard several
speakers say that utilities must adapt to survive. It was not unusual for the sessions
to be standing room only. This was especially true in the room that housed a brand
new track titled “Energy Storage, Microgrids and Emerging DER.”
Three of the five sessions with the highest attendance came from that track—a
track that didn’t even exist at DistribuTECH 2015. Attendees were interested in
utility-owned microgrids, microgrids and distributed energy resource integra-
tion, and energy storage and the grid. Peaked interest in these areas should be
no surprise to those of you who keep up with grid innovations and the changes
occurring in generation resources and customers’ expectations. In one of its
latest Energy Storage Tracker reports, Navigant Research, which has conducted
several research projects on energy storage, revealed that nearly 700 MW of
energy storage were announced in 2014 and 2015. In a similar report, Microgrid
Deployment Tracker (ninth edition), Navigant revealed that at the end of 2015,
some 1,437 global microgrid projects existed. They represent 13,400 MW of
operating, under development and proposed microgrid capacity.
DistribuTECH attendees’ interest in energy storage and microgrids certainly
supports what Navigant’s reports reveal: these topics and related technologies
will play a big role in the future of electricity supply and delivery.
I’m anxious to see how these topics trend in the future. In addition, I’m
anxious to work with the DistribuTECH Conference Advisory Committee to
determine what new topics should be added for 2017. Smart cities, perhaps?
Microgrids and Energy Storage: Trending Topics at DistribuTECH
1603pg_3 3 3/3/16 3:59 PM
4 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
NOTES
More than 20,000 utility executives,
managers and engineers reveal that a
growing mosaic of grid modernization
work is driving smarter networks, more
engaged customers and better integration
of distributed energy resources across
North America, according to a survey by
BRIDGE Energy Group.
The annual utility survey provides insight
into the grid modernization activities
and priorities of North American util-
ities. Utilities still rate reliability as a
primary objective, although its relative
importance has declined for the second
consecutive year, with only 66 percent of
respondents rating reliability as priority
No. 1 or 2. Forty-one percent of utilities
are focused on improving operations
through work and asset management,
and 34 percent consider customer
empowerment a priority. Other industry
questions addressed include:
• How many utilities are planning to deploy
a distribution management system (DMS)?
• How many utilities rate
improved grid flexibility
and efficiency as a top
objective?
• Who has smart meters
deployed within their
service territories?
• Are SCADA and smart
meters really playing a
noticeable role in outage
notifications?
BRIDGE ENERGY SURVEY SHOWS GRID MODERNIZATION GAINING TRACTION
services for AEP. “These applications
are also the foundation of managing
the grid of the future—a grid that will
be smarter, more resilient and able to
adapt to needs of a rapidly changing
distribution system incorporating dis-
tributed generation and storage devices
throughout the grid. Our customers
will benefit from the improved efficien-
cy of operation, more effective outage
restoration and improved customer
communications”
GE and AEP share a history in the
area of transmission and distribution
solutions, specifically software solu-
tions. In 2008, AEP formed an alliance
with GE to support its gridSMART ini-
tiatives around electric grid efficiency
and grid reliability improvements. Since
then, GE has continued to deliver soft-
ware solutions to AEP.
GE and American Electric Power
(AEP) recently launched their Integrated
Distribution Operating Platform (IDOP),
a software integration of GE’s asset man-
agement and asset control systems. The
IDOP is a joint program between GE and
AEP that integrates key business areas of
operations, maintenance and construc-
tion in a significant step toward smart
grid interoperability. The IDOP program
connects GE’s primary utility software
solution offerings—geospatial informa-
tion system (GIS), outage management
system (OMS) and advanced distribution
management system (ADMS)—to bring
enhanced stability, security and efficien-
cies to AEP’s operations.
Historically, the functionality deliv-
ered by IDOP was provided by multiple
vendors and required utility operators
to manage multiple applications from
multiple workstations. The IDOP plat-
form eliminates this complexity for AEP
by deploying three integrated software
products the utility can control from
a single work station. The new pro-
gram also can provide real-time network
information to standardize data pre-
sentation and visualization, simplified
alarm management, streamlined work-
flow and knowledge sharing.
Deployment of the three applications
throughout AEP will be completed in May
2016. IDOP is the first deployment of GE’s
PowerOn Advantage ADMS in the U.S.
“The IDOP applications are criti-
cal to distribution operations as they
impact the key areas of asset manage-
ment, distribution SCADA manage-
ment and outage restoration,” said Tom
Kirkpatrick, vice president customer
services, marketing and distribution
GE AND AEP DEBUT INTEGRATED DISTRIBUTION OPERATING PLATFORM
PHOTO COURTESY BIG STOCK
1603pg_4 4 3/3/16 3:59 PM
March 2016 | 5 www.power-grid.com
NOTES
Body copy
BRIDGE Energy Group executives
appeared in two presentations during
the 2016 DistribuTECH Conference
and Exposition Feb. 9-11 at the Orange
County Convention Center in Orlando.
The full Utility Industry Survey on
Grid Modernization with Outage &
Restoration Management Survey Results
Summary report can be requested by con-
tacting Research@BridgeEnergyGroup.
com or downloaded by visiting http://bit.
ly/1UOWdA1.
The survey also confirmed that mod-
ernizing the grid is having a positive effect
on customer service. Sixty-three percent
surveyed indicated that SCADA systems
and smart meters are now their primary
source of outage alerts on blue-sky days—
up from 42 percent in 2014. In addition,
57 percent of those surveyed indicated that
SCADA systems and smart meters are now
their primary source of outage alerts during
storms—up from 46 percent in 2014.
“Survey results emphasize that
utilities remain focused on grid reli-
ability and improving operations in the
face of a changing energy landscape,”
said Forrest Small, BRIDGE Energy
Group’s vice president of grid opti-
mization strategy. “Over the last two
years, BRIDGE has worked with util-
ities on grid modernization activities
in California, Massachusetts and New
York, and we find that these states
are driving real change that is gaining
momentum across the United States.”
Tripwire Inc., a global provider of advanced
threat, security and compliance solutions,
announced the results of a study on
the cybersecurity challenges faced by
organizations in the energy sector. The
study was conducted for Tripwire by
Dimensional Research in November
2015, and respondents included more
than 150 IT professionals in the energy,
utilities and oil and gas industries.
According to Tripwire’s study, 82 per-
cent of the respondents said a cyber-
attack on the operational technology
(OT) in their organization could cause
physical damage. When asked if their
organization has the ability to accurately
track all the threats targeting their OT
networks, however, 65 percent said “no.”
Additional findings from the study include:
• More than three out of four respon-
dents (76 percent) believe their orga-
nizations are targets for cyberattacks
that could cause physical damage.
• Seventy-eight percent of respondents
said their organizations are potential
targets for nation-state cyberattacks.
• One-hundred percent of energy exec-
utive respondents believe a kinetic
cyberattack on operational technology
would cause physical damage.
“The incredibly high percentages of
these responses underscore the need for
these industries to take material steps to
improve cyber security,” said Tim Erlin,
director of IT security and risk strategy
for Tripwire. “These threats are not going
away. They are getting worse.”
According to the Department of
Homeland Security, the energy sector
faces more cyberattacks than any other
industry, and attacks on industrial control
system networks are on the rise. If suc-
cessful, these energy sector cyberattacks
could have a dramatic physical impact.
In December 2015, BlackEnergy malware
was used in an attack against a power
plant in the Ukraine and left more than
700,000 customers without electricity.
“We’ve already seen the reality of these
responses in the Ukraine mere months
after this survey was completed. There can
be no doubt that there is a physical safety
risk from cyberattacks targeting the energy
industry today,” Erlin said.” While the sit-
uation may seem dire, in many cases there
are well understood best practices that can
be deployed to materially reduce the risk
of successful cyberattacks.”
Another report, released in September
2015 by cybersecurity ratings BitSight,
indicates that the energy industry only
ranks fair to middling when it comes to
cybersecurity efforts. The energy-utility
sector was ranked fourth among sectors,
slightly above health care and behind
finance, government and retail. Education
was categorized, far and away, as the most
vulnerable to cyberattack by BitSight.
BitSight researchers noted a dip in the
energy-utility sector, finding it most vul-
nerable to malevolent bugs such as Poodle
and Freak. The report indicated a growing
concern about the cybersecurity posture
of these companies even as more control
systems are being brought online.
A USA Today report earlier in 2015
indicated that the U.S. Department of
Energy was under constant siege in recent
years, with 1,131 attempted cyberattacks
from 2010-2014. The hackers were suc-
cessful about 14 percent of the time, or
in 159 of the attempts, according to the
article.
TRIPWIRE STUDY: ONLY 35 PERCENT OF ENERGY IT PROS TRACK THREATS
PHOTO COURTESY BIG STOCK
1603pg_5 5 3/3/16 3:59 PM
6 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
NOTES
Overall, the Obama administration
proposed a DOE budget of $32.5 billion,
a gain of $2.9 billion from the enacted
FY16 level of $29.6 billion.
In a fact sheet, DOE said that other high-
lights of the FY17 budget include:
• $6.1 billion for environmental manage-
ment to address the obligation to clean
up the nuclear legacy of the Cold War,
including $271 million to maintain crit-
ical progress toward returning the Waste
Isolation Pilot Plant to normal opera-
tions, with the goal of restarting limited
operations in 2016.
• $5.67 billion for Science to continue
to lead basic research in the physical
sciences and develop and operate cut-
ting-edge scientific user facilities while
strengthening the connection between
advances in fundamental science and
technology innovation.
• $2.89 billion, an increase of 40 percent,
for Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy to continue a diverse suite of
sustained investment in development
of renewable generation technologies,
sustainable transportation technologies
and manufacturing technologies; and in
efforts to enhance energy efficiency in
our homes, buildings and industries.
• $1.3 billion for 21st Century Clean
Transportation to expand investment
in transportation technologies of the
future, establish regional fueling infra-
structure to support the deployment
of low-carbon fuels and accelerate the
transition to a cleaner vehicle fleet.
• $994 million for Nuclear Energy to
support vital ongoing R&D in advanced
reactor technology as part of a low-car-
bon future.
• $600 million for DOE’s Fossil Energy
program to advance carbon capture and
storage and natural gas technologies, and
$257 million for the strategic petroleum
reserve to increase the system’s durability
and reliability and begin addressing the
backlog of deferred maintenance.
• $8.4 million for the Office of Technology
Transitions to help get technologies out of
national laboratories and to the market.
The Obama administration proposed
its Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) budget for
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
last month, which includes an increase
for DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery
and Energy Reliability compared with
the enacted FY16 budget.
That office contains programs for
smart grid technologies, transmission
and distribution reliability and resilien-
cy, distributed energy resources, energy
storage, cybersecurity efforts and other
research and development programs.
The FY17 request, which was sent to
Congress and is subject to changes through
the appropriations process, has $262.3 mil-
lion proposed for the Office of Electricity
Delivery and Energy Reliability, a 27.3 per-
cent increase from the $206 million in the
enacted FY16 budget, DOE said in a Feb. 9
statement. The office aids grid moderniza-
tion activities “to support a smart, resilient
electric grid for the 21st century and fund
critical emergency response and grid secu-
rity capabilities,” DOE said.
Transmission spending efforts are lit-
tered throughout the DOE FY17 budget
document, with some projects slated for
increased funding from the enacted FY16
budget and others proposed to receive
less funding compared with FY16.
For instance, the Clean Energy
Transmission and Reliability program
is proposed to receive $30.3 million
in FY17 compared with $39 million
enacted in FY16, while the Transformer
Resilience and Advanced Components
(TRAC) program is proposed to receive
$15 million in FY17, a $10 million jump
from the $5 million enacted in FY16.
The TRAC program is designed to mitigate
power system vulnerabilities to geomagnetic
disturbances and other challenges to fill
a gap identified in the 2015 Quadrennial
Technology Review (QTR) and build on
efforts identified in the 2015 Quadrennial
Energy Review (QER), DOE said.
The Clean Energy Transmission and
Reliability program is focused on “ensur-
ing the reliability and resiliency of the
U.S. electric grid through research and
development on measurement and con-
trol of the electricity system and risk
assessment to address challenges across
integrated energy systems,” according to
the FY17 budget document.
The request for that program “supports
competitive awards to academia, national
laboratories and industry, and leverages
resources of the DOE Office of Science
and the National Science Foundation
to advance scientific discovery,” while
reducing funding for cost-shared indus-
try demonstration projects and synchro-
phasor applications, DOE said.
The FY17 budget request supports
ongoing implementation of President
Barack Obama’s Climate Action Plan and
builds on the recommendations in the
QER and QTR to enhance energy infra-
structure, improve grid reliability and
address increased integration of renew-
able resources in the nation’s generation
portfolio, DOE said.
Elsewhere in the proposed DOE
budget for FY17, the Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy is slat-
ed to receive $2.89 billion, a 40.1 per-
cent increase from the $2.06 billion in
the enacted FY16 budget.
Energy storage in the FY17 request
was proposed to receive $44.5 million,
more than double the $20.5 million from
the enacted FY16 budget.
BY TOM TIERNAN- SENIOR ANALYST, TRANSMISSION HUB
DOE DRAFT REPORT RECOMMENDS SPENDING ON TRANSMISSION, GRID TECHNOLOGIES
1603pg_6 6 3/3/16 3:59 PM
March 2016 | 7 www.power-grid.com
NOTES
Body copysustained,” U.S. Solicitor General Donald
Verrilli said in legal filings.
Environmentalists were stunned by
the court’s action, which they stressed
did not reflect a decision on the relative
strength of the administration’s case.
“The Clean Power Plan has a firm
anchor in our nation’s clean air laws and
a strong scientific record, and we look
forward to presenting our case on the
merits in the courts,” said Vickie Patton,
a lawyer for Environmental Defense
Fund, which is a party to the case.
To convince the high court to tem-
porarily halt the plan, opponents had
to convince the justices that there was
a “fair prospect” the court might strike
down the rule. The court also had to
consider whether denying a stay would
cause irreparable harm to the states and
utility companies affected.
The unsigned, one-page order blocks
the rules from taking effect while the
legal fight plays out in the appeals court
and during any further appeal to the
Supreme Court, a process that easily
could extend into 2017.
The administration of President
Obama is vowing to press ahead with
efforts to curtail greenhouse gas emis-
sions after a divided Supreme Court put
his signature plan to address climate
change on hold until after legal chal-
lenges are resolved.
The surprising move by the court Feb.
9 is a blow to Obama and a victory for
the coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led
states and industry opponents, who call
the power plant regulations “an unprece-
dented power grab.”
By issuing the temporary freeze, a 5-4
majority of the justices (Editor’s note:
The Court voted a few days before the
death of Justice Antonin Scalia.) signaled
that opponents made strong arguments
against the rules. The high court’s four
liberal justices said they would have
denied the request for delay.
The administration’s plan aims to stave
off the worst predicted impacts of cli-
mate change by reducing carbon dioxide
emissions at existing power plants by
about one-third by 2030.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest
said the administration’s plan is based on
a strong legal and technical foundation,
and gives the states time to develop
cost-effective plans to reduce emissions.
He also said the administration will “take
aggressive steps to make forward prog-
ress to reduce carbon emissions.”
A federal appeals court in Washington
in January refused to put the plan on
hold. That lower court is not likely to
issue a ruling on the legality of the plan
until months after it hears oral argu-
ments beginning on June 2.
Any decision will likely be appealed to
the Supreme Court, meaning resolution
of the legal fight is not likely to happen
until after Obama leaves office.
Compliance with the new rules isn’t
required until 2022, but states must
submit their plans to the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) by September
or seek an extension.
Many states opposing the plan depend
on economic activity tied to such fossil
fuels as coal, oil and gas. They argued
that the plan oversteps federal authority
to restrict carbon emissions, and that
electricity providers would have to spend
billions of dollars to begin complying
with a rule that might end up being
overturned.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of
West Virginia, whose coal-dependent
state is helping lead the legal fight, hailed
the court’s decision.
“We are thrilled that the Supreme
Court realized the rule’s immediate
impact and froze its implementation,
protecting workers and saving countless
dollars as our fight against its legality
continues,” Morrisey said.
Implementation of the rules is con-
sidered essential to the United States
meeting emissions-reduction targets in a
global climate agreement signed in Paris
last month. The Obama administration
and environmental groups also say the
plan will spur new clean-energy jobs.
In opposing the request for delay, the
EPA argued that states had plenty of time
to comply with the requirements as the
rule is rolled out over the next six years.
“A stay that delays all of the rule’s
deadlines would postpone reductions
in greenhouse gas emissions and thus
contribute to the problem of global cli-
mate change even if the rule is ultimately
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION VOWS TO PRESS AHEAD ON CPP DESPITE COURT STAY
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
1603pg_7 7 3/3/16 3:59 PM
8 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
EYE ON THE WORLD
ABB has won an order from SP PowerGrid to supply four 66
kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substations for the city-state
of Singapore.
The project is part of SP PowerGrid’s continuous efforts to
strengthen the efficiency and reliability of its transmission and
distribution networks and to meet the growing demand for
power in Singapore’s industrial, commercial and residential sectors.
As part of the turnkey contract, ABB will design, engineer,
supply and install the GIS substations, which include control and
protection systems as well as ancillary equipment. The scope
also includes replacement of aging equipment at two existing
facilities to strengthen the national grid by increasing capacity
and enhancing power reliability. The contract is scheduled to be
completed in 2018.
The GIS technology will benefit SP PowerGrid by reducing
its substations’ footprint, as compared to that of conventional
air-insulated switchgear (AIS). This technology will also increase
the substations’ power capacity, allowing SP PowerGrid to cater
for future demand.
Singapore Power (SP) Group is one of the largest corporations
in Singapore and a leading energy utility group in the Asia Pacific
region. As an owner and operator, the group provides electricity
and gas transmission and distribution services in Singapore and
Australia, and district cooling in Singapore and China. Singapore
Power’s electricity grid is rated among the world’s best perform-
ing networks based on international benchmarks.
ABB to Supply 66-kV Switchgear Substations in Singapore
INTERNATIONAL
NOTES
Power management company Eaton and The AES Corp.,
through its unit, AES Energy Storage, signed an agreement under
which Eaton will offer AES’ Advancion energy storage platform
as the core of its grid-scale, integrated energy storage systems
to help manage grid stability and peak demand infrastructure.
The agreement is part of an AES initiative with select com-
panies to ensure the global availability of the Advancion energy
storage platform.
Eaton will supply the energy storage systems, provide support
and ensure long-term operation directly to utilities, industrial
and commercial customers, independent power producers and
power system operators across Europe, the Middle East and
Africa (EMEA).
The ambitious goals set by many countries, especially within
the European Union, and confirmed during the 2015 Paris
Climate Conference (COP21), call for an ever larger role for
renewables in the power supply mix, and European countries
are leading this change.
Energy storage has become a key factor in helping countries
manage both grid stability, as renewable energy sources con-
tinue to be integrated into the grid, as well as peak demand,
limiting the need to build dedicated peaking power plants and
minimizing carbon dioxide emissions. The energy storage market
is entering a new growth phase. Navigant Research projects that
more than 11 GW of energy storage capacity will be installed
annually by 2020 in 22 countries.
“Together, Eaton and AES will be able to greatly impact the
energy landscape in EMEA,” said Cyrille Brisson, vice president of
marketing for Eaton’s electrical business in EMEA. “By providing
market-leading, innovative energy storage systems to commercial,
industrial and utility customers, we will be able to mitigate the
investment needed for, and the charges and emissions resulting
from peak demand infrastructure. The widespread deployment
of systems enabling peak capacity, flexible generation and grid
services, coupled with the easy consumption of renewables, will
help a smarter grid meet environmental targets.”
“We see energy storage as key to a clean, unbreakable grid
equipped to deliver power from the most efficient and cost-ef-
fective sources,” said John Zahurancik, president of AES Energy
Storage. “Working with leading companies, like Eaton, provides
a path for the rapid adoption of energy storage in important
global markets.”
AES provides energy solutions through its portfolio of distri-
bution businesses and generation facilities. AES has integrated
energy storage into eight different power markets and AES’
energy storage solutions represent the world’s largest advanced
energy storage fleet, with 116 MW in operation and three
million megawatt-hours of delivered service. Advancion is also
now powering the largest fleet of advanced energy storage in
Europe, with the recent completion of two Advancion arrays in
the Netherlands and Northern Ireland.
Eaton, AES Unit Selling Energy Storage in Europe, Africa, Middle East
1603pg_8 8 3/3/16 3:59 PM
March 2016 | 9 www.power-grid.com
Body copyEnergy and telecom cabling firm Prysmian Group, won a
contract worth around $278 million for a high-voltage direct
current (HVDC) submarine interconnector that will link Denmark
and the Netherlands, by TenneT TSO B.V. and Energinet.dk SOV,
the operators of the Dutch and Danish power transmission grids,
respectively.
The COBRAcable (“COpenhagen BRussels Amsterdam”
cable) will provide benefit to the electricity grids of both coun-
tries involved, as it will make Dutch power capacity structurally
available to Denmark and vice versa, increasing security of
supply and enabling the further integration of renewable energy
into the electricity grids.
The COBRAcable interconnector will therefore contribute to
the realization of a sustainable international energy landscape,
a key aim of the European Union, which is to support the project
through the European Energy Program for Recovery.
The connection will be constructed using HVDC technology,
which minimizes transmission losses over the long distances
involved.
The contract awarded to Prysmian involves the turn-key sup-
ply and installation of an HVDC bipole—using single core cables
with extruded insulation technology—that will operate at a
voltage level of ±320 kV with a rating of about 700 MW, equiv-
alent to the annual electricity consumption of all households in
the cities of Rotterdam and Amsterdam combined.
It will run along a total route of around 200 miles, from
Eemshaven, The Netherlands, to Endrup, Denmark via the
German sector of the North Sea, and will include two onshore
lengths of 1,000 yards on the Dutch side and 15 miles on the
Danish side to link to the onshore converter stations, which are
to be provided by Siemens under separate contract.
All cables will be produced in Arco Felice (near Naples, Italy)
and Pikkala (near Helsinki, Finland), the Group’s centres of tech-
nological and manufacturing excellence for submarine cables.
Prysmian is currently building on about $11 million worth of
recent investments made in its Pikkala factory to increase its
manufacturing capacity of extruded HV submarine cables by
upgrading its existing production lines.
The marine cable laying activities, which will be performed by
the Group’s own cable-laying vessels, the Cable Enterprise and
the Giulio Verne, will also see the use of their newly acquired
barge.
Prysmian to Connect Netherlands, Denmark With Submarine Power Line
1603pg_9 9 3/3/16 3:59 PM
10 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
One of DistribuTECH’s 77 conference sessions earns the rapt attention of another full crowd.
BY ROD WALTON, SENIOR EDITOR
Orlando
Show Covers Strategies and Technologies for Adaptation and Survival
fantastic contacts and conversations,” said
Red Lion Controls product marketing
manager Colin Geis, whose company, like
many others, introduced new products at
the show. “The companies in the market
and at the show are established and will
be here for the long run, providing robust
solutions for next-generation applications.”
It all got off to a rousing start Tuesday
morning, Feb. 9, in the Valencia Ballroom
For three days, DistribuTECH
Conference and Exhibition 2016 elec-
trified the City Beautiful.
The massive power grid T&D
show in Orlando attracted more than
11,000 attendees from 78 countries.
They absorbed the intricate knowledge
of 435 speakers and authors fortify-
ing 77 conference sessions or visited
the booths of any of the record 504
exhibitors displaying on the approxi-
mately 144,000-square-foot exhibition
floor of the Orange County Convention
Center’s West Hall.
Numbers alone cannot define the
show, but the sheer volume of expertise,
networking opportunities and, yes, good
times seemed to make it a must-see for
those who came to central Florida.
“DistribuTECH was a great show with
PENNWELL PHOTO/CHARLES THOMAS
1603pg_10 10 3/3/16 3:59 PM
March 2016 | 11 www.power-grid.com
Michael Liebreich, founder and advisory board chairman for Bloomberg New Energy Finance, detailed global spending trends on renewable technologies during the keynote address kicking off DistribuTECH 2016.
Orlando
The former Broadway conductor fin-
ished his keynote with a musical tribute
about this technological revolution set to
the tune of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.”
The 14 conference tracks, which covered
vast informational ground from advanced
metering to substation integration and
automation, featured sessions from
Tuesday, Feb. 9, through Thursday, Feb.
11. The sessions in each track were heavily
attended by visitors from all over the globe.
During one Renewables Integration
session, “Utility Experiences with PV
(photovoltaic) Integration,” Pacific Gas
& Electric’s Masaru Natsu shared expe-
rienced insight on how his company is
dealing with intense rooftop solar pen-
etration in California. Natsu, PG&E’s
emerging technology engineer, noted that
PG&E has a new solar customer about
every 11 minutes, which equates to 4,200
new PV installations every month.
of the convention center. The keynote
featured local leaders in Mayor Buddy
Dyer and Linda Ferrone, board president
of the Orlando Utilities Commission,
who talked about their city’s commit-
ment to clean energy and progressive
upgrades of grid infrastructure. Itron
CEO Philip Mezey noted that the indus-
try is doing a pretty good job moderniz-
ing a grid that senses and communicates.
“Our real opportunity is to build on
that solid foundation,” Mezey said to
kick off the keynote.
Michael Liebreich, founder and advi-
sory board chairman for Bloomberg New
Energy Finance, detailed global spending
trends on renewable technologies. The
final speaker, NOVA Science Now host
and Yahoo Tech columnist David Pogue,
kept the keynote crowd laughing and
thinking at the same time with his rap-
id-fire rundown of how many “disruptive”
new companies are changing the way
consumers travel, read and even charge
their batteries. The generation which is in
college now is the first to never know life
without the Internet, he noted, and this
rising multitude of consumer options is
not going away.
“The only thing I can tell you for sure
is that it’s going to be a wild ride,” Pogue
said.
Rank Conference Track Sessions
1. Energy Storage, Microgrids
and Emerging DER
Utility-owned Microgrid Best
Practices
2. Energy Storage, Microgrids
and Emerging DER
Microgrid and DER Integration 3
C’s: Cost, Control and Community
3. Big Data and Analytics Analytics that Drive Utility Strate-
gy and Effective Operations
4. Energy Storage, Microgrids
and Emerging DER
Energy Storage on the T&D Grid
5. Distribution Automation Sensible Use of Sensors
*does not include attendance from seven Mega Sessions
DistribuTECH 2016’s Top Attended Sessions*
PENNWELL PHOTO/CHARLES THOMAS
1603pg_11 11 3/3/16 3:59 PM
12 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
DistribuTECH attendee looks at smart grid networks display in the exhibit hall at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center.
Orlando
“All of this new integration of renew-
ables has to integrate on an old system,”
he said. “The challenge: Is our grid
ready?”
DistribuTECH’s sessions sought to
help answer those questions and prepare
power grid professionals for the progres-
sive energy future. In another session,
“Managing Customer Expectations in
the Dark,” representatives from ComEd
and several municipal utilities detailed
how they got social media interactions
both wrong and right. Seattle City Light’s
Chief Information Officer Dirk Mahling
revealed the way his utility is using
proactive analytics and search efforts to
understand and engage customers online
even if they are not getting on the utility
website. “There’s a ton of conversations
where they talk about you and don’t
hashtag you…We wanted to identify
what people are saying about us when
they are not using our name.”
Others during that session admitted
mistakes they had made by being late
adopters to social media. For a long time,
Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative’s Lee
Ayers said, his utility was in denial of
how people had changed their ways of
communication. A 2014 ice storm and
lack of expected outage restoration times
really drove home the need to adapt.
“Worse than a bad decision is no
decision,” Ayers said. “Some information
is better than none even if you have to
adjust it.”
All work and no play could make
for a hard time, despite the vibrant
content. So DistribuTECH 2016 offered
plenty of fun. Companies such as ABB
Wireless and Schneider Electric played
host to dinners and breakfasts, respec-
tively, that updated projects, made new
announcements or simply made a few
PENNWELL PHOTO/CHARLES THOMAS
1603pg_12 12 3/3/16 3:59 PM
March 2016 | 13 www.power-grid.com
Orlando
National Grid’s Mona Chandra noted
that they are trying to make 21st century
adjustments to a 20th century grid. But
one thing they cannot do is give up.
“We’ve got 100 years investment in a
centralized grid,” Duke Energy’s Melisa
Johns said at the Mega Session. “We’re
not going to just throw that away.”
The exhibition hall was like a state fair
midway of industry attractions. Whether
it was GE Grid Solutions’ massive
enclave or Doble Engineering’s display
of its transformer monitoring screen, the
companies that showed off their wares
had plenty to show. An alphabet soup
of companies, from Advanced Control
Systems to Xtensible Solutions or Itron to
Zenner Performance, was there to supply
professional nourishment.
But all good things come to an end,
so by Thursday afternoon it was time
to give away a brand-new Chevrolet
Camaro and begin tearing down the
exhibits. It was time to say goodbye.
Until next year.
DistribuTECH 2017 will be Jan.
31-Feb. 2, 2017, in San Diego. The tag-
line for that event is “Harboring Energy
Innovation.”
The DistribuTECH 2016 “Gemstone”
sponsors included Itron, Oracle Utilities,
SUS, Honeywell Elster, Landis + Gyr,
Schneider Electric, Leidos Engineering,
OSI and Siemens. Body copy
new friends. The “Fun In The Sun” net-
working reception Wednesday, Feb. 10,
remade the Valencia Ballroom from a chair-
stuffed keynote hall into a wide open Party
Central with entertainers on stilts and a
band beckoning celebrants to the dance
floor.
Some events mixed good food and
choice information to consider. Schneider
Electric’s executive breakfast briefing, held
in the Lake Mizell Room of the Hilton
Orlando, detailed the company’s new
plans to install a microgrid at its Boston
One headquarters while also sharing the
latest details on microgrid innovation
from both Schneider and Duke Energy.
“There is unparalleled capital pouring
into the industry to support microgrids,”
Andy Bennett,
Schneider’s senior
vice president of
U.S. energy busi-
ness, said. “Some
see it unsettling
working with
microgrids. We don’t
have those apprehensions.”
The willingness to change is import-
ant, perhaps ultimately life-saving, to
the utility industry these days. Most of
the 77 sessions dealt with adaptation to
survive in some form or another. One of
the seven Mega Sessions on Wednesday
focused on “New Revenue Streams for
Electric Utilities.” The all-female panel
of executives from National Grid, Duke,
Kansas City Power & Light and PG&E
posed provocative challenges for utili-
ties that must deal with rising customer
expectations and choices on how to get
their electricity.
Many talked about how their utility
is embracing solar or wind or both
and certainly demand-response options.
The Fun in the Sun networking party brought DistribuTECH
attendees together with brightly costumed entertainers traversing
the ballroom floor on stilts.
PENNWELL PHOTO/CHARLES THOMAS
1603pg_13 13 3/3/16 3:59 PM
14 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
BY ROSS SHAICH, UTILITY INTEGRATION SOLUTIONS LLC
Don’t Derail Your ADMS Implementation With Bad Data
factors that weren’t important in the GIS
are important in the ADMS. If extra,
missing or incompletely defined con-
nections or mismatched phasing exist
in the ADMS, deenergization or looping
appears in feeders and customers may
not be properly restored in the ADMS.
These kinds of problems potentially go
unnoticed when isolated in a GIS.
Advanced distribution management
systems (ADMS), which include outage
management and distribution manage-
ment, are keys to automating utility
processes and integrating systems. These
are mission critical and the systems with
which they interface give results only as
good as the data that goes in.
While perfection is unattainable, it is
possible to be useful with values like 60
percent data quality, but the aim should
be much higher. In addition, the need to
review data never ends.
An ADMS is the center point of data
flowing between multiple systems
(Figure 1), including geographic infor-
mation systems (GIS), customer infor-
mation systems (CIS), SCADA, interac-
tive voice response (IVR) and advanced
metering infrastructure (AMI). The GIS
data, which is this article’s focus, is par-
ticularly critical because it inputs data
on which ADMS depends for its mis-
sion critical function. Inaccuracies in the
ADMS can propagate to the other inte-
grated systems, multiplying the impact
of poor data quality.
Some small amount of
inaccuracy is unavoidable,
but it must be minimal.
Ramifications of bad data
can include wrong out-
age predictions to over-
loads to even crew safe-
ty. Dispatchers who see
significant errors in the
system will likely block
the system from going
live until data improves.
If it is already live, they
will feel crew safety is
too important to use an
untrusted system and will
rely instead on what they trust (like paper
maps) and not the system.
An ADMS often has data requirements
stricter than the source GIS system it
came from because the data is used dif-
ferently. If inaccurate data doesn’t impact
GIS usage, issues likely will remain until
another system reveals them. For exam-
ple, certain topology and energization
DS0 DS1
Size of Dataset Small dataset containing at least one of every class Small representative data model of four to six substations with feeders
Verifies That • Each class builds successfully
• Correct attributes are mapped to them
• They build to appropriate sizes
• Naming conventions are properly applied
• Good topology
• Model data appears properly in tools
• Provides an initial feeling of overall model quality
Data Types Every data type, including electrical devices, conductors, annotation and landbase Every data type, including electrical devices, conductors, annotation and landbase
Fictional vs. Real Data • Small amounts of data can be fictionalized
• Objects can be placed where logically they don’t belong so that every object class is represented (i.e.: a device on a feeder that would not normally have that device; substation devices outside the substation; devices planned for the near future but do not exist in today’s model)
• Must be 100 percent real data
• Topological rules are followed
• Future devices are removed
• Actual feeder and substation data only
Table 1: Start With Small Data Samples Using DS0 and DS1
Figure 1: Data Flowing To/From the ADMS
1603pg_14 14 3/3/16 3:59 PM
March 2016 | 15 www.power-grid.com
VERIFY DATA FLOW STEPS
Each step in the model builds process
needs verification through an extract-trans-
form-load process. Issues can exist with
source data, GIS data extraction, format-
ting and processing the data for building
into the ADMS, as well as the actual build.
Figure 2 represents a model-build process
flow. Some ADMS flows may combine
some of these steps into one.
PERFORM DATA REVIEWS ACROSS
MULTIPLE STAGES
Data reviews done in multiple stag-
es enable users to notice more subtle
defects because the systemic, easy-to-
spot issues were resolved early. If too
many simple issues remain until the later
project phases, it is hard to focus on
finding the subtle ones, and there will be
too much to be fixed at crunch time. The
biggest risks here are:
1. Insufficient time to retest the fixes
2. Uncertain stability due to fixing complex issues too close to the go live date
3. Damaged user confidence
4. Fixable issues reaching production with work arounds
START WITH SMALL
REPRESENTATIVE DATASETS
Small but representative datasets
enable multiple quick iterations through
the “identify, fix, rebuild and test” cycle.
Some defects can be found only with a
Following is a short list of problems that
can be caused by bad or missing data in
an ADMS:
• Incorrect or lack of energization
• Incorrect reports and indices
• Outages not predicting correctly
• SCADA devices with wrong measure-ments or lack of control
• Sluggish performance
• Missing or incorrect device details
• Overloaded circuits
• Incorrect switching plans
• Proliferation of incorrect information out from the ADMS
• Crew members injuries
REVIEW AND CORRECT EARLY
Best practice is to correct data issues
as early as possible because considerable
effort and duration is needed. Some issues
are like an onion, in that removing one
layer reveals more. Rewards are reaped
in later project phases, especially during
testing, when data issues are resolved
early. Data model fixes made late in the
project often result in time-consuming
ramifications, like the need for extensive
rework to already created test cases or
training materials. When significant data
model fixes are implemented during
testing, testing progress may pause while
changes are made to large numbers of
test cases. Data changes can even result
in invalidating test results, requiring
re-execution of previously passed tests.
Another reason to review and fix the
data model early is to maintain the users’
positive opinion of the system.
Fixes should be made before function-
al testing or training occurs, otherwise,
a negative opinion can form early and
be hard to change. Users with negative
feelings about the new system can under-
mine user confidence in the system and
impact motivation, as well as morale.
Complete functional configuration is
not necessary to begin data reviews.
Following are some things that should be
checked early:
• Object naming conventions
• Device attribute mapping
• Each object class builds successfully
• Customer to device mapping
• Object symbolic representation, rotation, sizing
• Text and object scaling (proportionally good)
• Coded model processing/build rules work as expected
• Incremental model changes succeed in applying
• Connectivity
Team members must take time to
review data and identify necessary
changes. In addition to their impact on
data quality, these reviews build buy-
in. Technical team members can do
some reviewing, but the business users
know requirements a non-user can’t.
Because users might have responsibilities
to the live environment, too, their time
should be used wisely. A good strategy
for including users is to enable their
participation by providing team member
backups, have someone dedicated to
the project, or have a pool of multiple
users available who are able to share the
responsibilities.
If a dispatcher must prioritize between
his or her normal dispatching tasks vs. data
reviews, the higher priority always goes to
dispatching. If dispatcher participation isn’t
enabled, data reviews will progress slowly.
Figure 2: Model Build ETL Process Flow
1603pg_15 15 3/3/16 3:59 PM
16 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
to load a single search result, a definite
data quantity problem was revealed. It
took several weeks to fix the problem
because more than one fix attempt was
required. A lot of time was therefore used
just waiting for builds to finish. This was
only one of several data issues found in
the full model.
CODING FIXES AND WORKAROUNDS
Temporary workarounds for bad data,
while not ideal, are used “to get by” until
a permanent fix is made. Sometimes there
is insufficient time to make the permanent
fix before the go-live date. Other times,
the fix is complex, touches many aspects
and adds too much risk right before the
go-live date. There is the risk that even
if it’s believed the problem is solved, a
new showstopper problem results from
implementing the fix. Fixing one layer of
problems can reveal additional problems
in the next layer. If continual attention
was not given to the model from early
on, the consequence is increased pres-
sure to resolve all problems immediately,
compact the schedule, and bare the risk
of unresolved issues on the go-live date.
Fixing too much, too quickly, too radically
can impact stability, user confidence, per-
formance or go-live dates.
When deciding whether to fix or work
around, ask:
• Is the workaround reasonable?
• Would fixing require altering a go-live date?
• Is the sponsor’s go-live deadline flexible?
• What is the level of risk involved in the fix (include testing time available)?
• Can the permanent fix be made in a timely manner?
EXAMPLE OF CONNECTIVITY ISSUES
Source data issues at one utility caused
its ADMS model to have many connec-
tivity problems near circuit breakers.
large model, but it’s important to fix what
can be fixed in the small model first. As
issues are fixed, the model gets rebuilt
to verify not only the fix but also that
it 1) provided the desired effect, 2) did
not break something else, and 3) did not
expose additional issues. The larger the
model, the longer each full cycle (iden-
tify, fix, rebuild and test) will take due
to longer rebuild and review durations.
For this reason, it is best to start with
small but representative datasets some
call Data Set 0 (DS0) and Data Set 1
(DS1). This is a methodology developed
by Configured Energy Systems in the
early 1990s. DS0 is a model containing
at least one of every class of object. DS1
is a small, representative model of four
to six substation feeders (if modeling
substations, them too) used for testing.
It is important to remember that resolv-
ing a systemic problem for one object of
a particular class resolves all objects of
that class.
The company’s composition must be
considered when selecting data sets. As
utilities merge territories, they might
have multiple GIS systems. It is import-
ant to get data from each of those GIS
systems and operating companies.
Different GIS systems might have differ-
ent GIS vendors, extract differently, have
different object classes and have different
levels of data quality.
DATA QUALITY IN LATER STAGES
Once the system is configured, testing
reveals whether data fields in tools, such
as the display of current outages, are
correctly populating. This review best
begins with the small DS1 model. Unlike
the earlier DS0 object review, it is neces-
sary to wait until the system is reason-
ably configured to see how data appears
in the as configured tools. Defects can be
a matter of data requirements that were
not identified, data that isn’t mapped as
needed, the chosen data not fulfilling the
need as hoped, or a failure in the build
process causing inaccessible data.
After the DS0 review and some review
in DS1, it’s time to build the full model
in addition to DS1 and test it. A full
model reveals issues that a small model
cannot. Performance, data quantity, one
offs and de-energization or connection
problems now are noticeable. The full
model with full system configuration
and full integration is mandatory for a
valid performance test. Since DS0 and
DS1 iterations can be done quicker than
with a full model, DS1 iterations should
be made first, but don’t wait too long to
work with the full model. Several con-
nectivity or performance issues would
be undetected in DS1 but would show
up in a full model. Just like with DS0
and DS1, it takes multiple iterations of
lengthy full-model builds before testing
is complete.
EXAMPLE OF LARGE MODEL
PROBLEM
A problem was detected when one
utility’s background objects were being
duplicated multiple times. Since back-
ground objects do not affect connectivity,
it wasn’t impactful enough to be noticed
until the full model was built. Once
the utility began using the full model,
the quantity of background objects con-
sumed too much system memory, so the
maps could not be displayed. Prior to
the full model, the viewer tool loaded
slower than expected, but the data still
displayed. With the full model, failure
to load messages appeared. Ordinarily,
the amount of data loading would be
well within the limits, but because this
limit was hit immediately upon trying
1603pg_16 16 3/3/16 3:59 PM
March 2016 | 17 www.power-grid.com
appropriate data model type and size.
If you do this, you significantly increase
your likelihood of a successful ADMS
project implementation.
While best practice would have been to
cleanse the data in the source system, in
this case a difficult and complex update
process made that impractical if the utili-
ty was to make the planned go-live date.
Instead, a work-around was implement-
ed involving jumpers placed to bypass
problem areas. While the workaround
still took time to implement and delayed
the go-live, it was completed in a more
acceptable time and the delay to produc-
tion was minimized. Once it went live,
the utility planned the permanent fix and
implemented the fix at a later time on
their live system.
CONCLUSION
Perfect data is unattainable, but the
higher the data quality, the greater the
system’s value. It is important to aim
high, but as Voltaire might say; “Don’t let
the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
If you wait for perfect data, you will
never go live. Go live when the data is
sufficient to create business value, but
don’t stop working to improve. Data
quality improvement and maintenance
is a never-ending process. Begin data
reviews early, make wise use of limited
business user’s time, improve data where
necessary and justified, and choose the
Ross Shaich has more than 18 years’
experience in ADMS implementation and
support of large-scale enterprise projects.
He has served as subject matter expert, test
lead, functional lead, test designer and proj-
ect manager. He holds a master’s degree in
project management and is a certified PMP.
Reach him at [email protected]
GO TO WW.PGI.HOTIMS.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION
1603pg_17 17 3/3/16 3:59 PM
18 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
Energy and water utilities have been
connecting millions of networked
devices for decades. One could say that
the utility industry is a pioneer and
first mover in the Internet of Things
(IoT). This industry knows how to con-
nect devices and collect field and sensor
data reliably and securely with stan-
dards-based networks.
But, simply moving data around will
not address the challenges before us or
capitalize on new opportunities. Utilities
must do more than just collect reams of
data for billing and back office analysis.
They must be able to make decisions and
take action at every level of their distribu-
tion system; optimizing analytics where
it makes sense and enabling multiple
applications to run edge devices to solve
problems in new ways. Moving from just
connecting devices to leveraging their
processing power to analyze data and
take action at the edge of the network,
the utility industry can realize the IoT’s
potential and transform the smart grid
into the active grid.
CREATING THE ACTIVE GRID
The active grid introduces intelligent,
connected devices that not only measure
and communicate, but make decisions
and take action in real time. Four capa-
bilities make this possible: computing
power at the edge, adaptive communi-
cations, support for multiple commu-
nication and application protocols, and
locational awareness of devices.
No. 1: Computing Power at the Edge
According to Moore’s Law, computing
power doubles every 18 months while
the price drops by half. Thanks to com-
puting power’s greater affordability, util-
ities now can embed the computing
equivalent of a smart phone or desktop
Leveraging the Power of the Active Grid
BY TIM WOLF, ITRON
The Utility’s Role in IoT:
PHOTO COURTESY ITRON
1603pg_18 18 3/3/16 3:59 PM
March 2016 | 19 www.power-grid.com
significantly improve the return-on-in-
vestment for smart metering technology.
Diversion Detection in Real-Time
Electricity theft has a material financial
impact on utilities and their customers
throughout the world. While worldwide
electricity theft is estimated to be in
the range of 8 percent of revenues, in
some regions, non-technical loss result-
ing from diversion (theft) represents 20
to 30 percent of revenue. That’s a huge
number, but it also represents a signif-
icant opportunity to improve a utility’s
financial performance.
Even with current generation smart
metering technology, detecting energy
theft can be an inefficient and laborious
exercise of analyzing historical data from
disparate systems and drawing infer-
ences about where diversion might be
taking place. With the active grid’s dis-
tributed intelligence, diversion detection
can be based on real-time, continuous
and localized analysis of changes in elec-
tricity current flows and voltage levels
in the distribution network. This can
quickly distinguish legitimate metered
loads vs. those from theft.
The meter’s ability to communicate
directly with other meters at different
network levels, and knowing the exact
location of these meters on the distri-
bution system allows systems to iden-
tify when current did not go through a
meter and is drawn on a transformer’s
secondary. This ability greatly increases
the accuracy and timeliness of diver-
sion detection.
computer into smart meters and grid
devices at a price point competitive to
current single-use smart meter technol-
ogies. This enables advanced communi-
cations, high-resolution data processing
and analysis in the edge device—at sev-
eral hundred times the data resolution
compared with five-minute interval data.
No 2: Adaptive Communications Capabilities
Robust processing power in the endpoint
combined with advancements in soft-
ware-defined communications also are
helping solve critical connectivity and
communication performance challenges
that have long frustrated utilities deploy-
ing single-communications networks.
Communication modules now combine
radio frequency, powerline carrier and
Wi-Fi communications on the same chip
set. This enables dynamic and continuous
selection of the optimal communications
path and the most appropriate frequency
modulation based on network operating
conditions, data attributes and application
requirements. This new platform also
provides peer-to-peer and local broadcast
communications capabilities, allowing
grid edge devices to talk to each other
individually or communicate with select
groups of devices simultaneously to sup-
port new distributed analytics use cases.
No. 3: Multilingual Abilities
Robust processing power and mem-
ory also allow smart meters and grid
sensors to provide a unified software
and computing platform that simulta-
neously supports multiple communi-
cation and application protocols. Smart
meters or grid devices can “speak the
language” of not only smart metering,
but also, for example, distribution auto-
mation (DNP3 or IEC 61850), load con-
trol/demand response (OpenADR) and
home area network (SEP 1.X and 2.0,
Homeplug). This communication fluen-
cy enables localized communication and
coordinated action among diverse grid
devices to respond to changing condi-
tions at the edge of the network.
No. 4: Locational Awareness of Devices
Historically, the inability of smart meters
to know exactly where they are on the
distribution network has been the great-
est obstacle to leveraging smart meter
data and communication capabilities for
real-time grid operations. Now, for the
first time, smart meters are intuitively
and continuously aware of where they
are in relation to other grid assets (e.g.
feeders, circuits, phases, transformers,
distributed generation, other meters).
This awareness is enabled by continuous
monitoring and algorithmic interpreta-
tion of electrical characteristics relative to
various grid devices within the network.
This continuous self-awareness opens up
an entirely new approach to smart grid
applications that were simply beyond
reach before without a reliable, continu-
ally-updated connectivity model.
PUTTING THE ACTIVE GRID TO WORK
With these capabilities in place, utili-
ties can use this distributed intelligence
to solve specific business challenges that,
until now, were neither practical nor
affordable to solve. Core applications,
including real-time diversion detection,
detection of unsafe grid conditions, out-
age detection and analysis and transform
load management, have the potential to
According to Moore’s Law, computing power doubles every 18 months while the price
drops by half.
1603pg_19 19 3/3/16 3:59 PM
20 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
efforts. Like energy theft detection, the
current state of outage detection and anal-
ysis via the smart metering network is still
an inferential exercise based on how many
affected meters can successfully transmit
“last gasp” outage messages over the net-
work and how many of those messages
reach the utility. The filtering and analysis
continues from there. This process often
is still hampered by lack of an accurate
connectivity model that associates meters
and distribution system assets.
With the active grid, by combin-
ing locational awareness on the grid
with peer-to-peer communications at
the edge of the network, meters sys-
tematically and continuously evaluate
the status of nearby meters and devices
to quickly model and localize outage
events and report reliable and action-
able information back to the utility in
near real time. The utility receives accu-
rate and actionable information, includ-
ing the scale and location of the outage
and affected meters and transformers, in
a compressed timeframe.
Detection of Unsafe Grid Conditions
High impedance connections (HIC) or
“hot spots” on the low-voltage distribu-
tion system represent a safety risk, while
also causing customer voltage problems
and utility energy losses. A high imped-
ance connection is simply a poor electri-
cal connection that can be created when
splicing, tapping or connecting wires,
when foliage touches a line, or when a
cable or connection fails.
When current is drawn through the
high impedance connection, heating
occurs and voltage drop across the con-
nection occurs. As heating continues, the
connection is further degraded, causing
the HIC to worsen over time. Symptoms
begin as voltage problems and can ulti-
mately deteriorate to power outages or
fires or both.
Until now, there has been no practical
way to identify and resolve these issues
until they lead to significant voltage
problems, failure or fire.
The active grid’s distributed intelligence
changes the game in HIC detection and
provides a practical and cost-effective
solution for utilities to identify these loss-
es, voltage anomalies and potential safety
issues before they become a safety hazard
or a costly liability. This enables continu-
ous impedance monitoring at each meter
and notification of the presence and loca-
tion of impedance outside of programmed
thresholds or parameters.
In the event of a sudden change in
impedance, as caused by failing connec-
tions or cables, this solution can send
a priority message over the network to
utility personnel informing them of the
event and providing them with relevant
data and the location of the suspected
fault. Field services resources can then
be dispatched quickly and precisely to
correct the problem.
Outage Detection and Analysis
While current-generation smart meter-
ing technology has added a valuable data
stream to the outage management equa-
tion, it is not a panacea for improving
outage detection, analysis and restoration
PHOTO COURTESY ITRON
1603pg_20 20 3/3/16 3:59 PM
March 2016 | 21 www.power-grid.com
Nexus ® 1500+
Next Generation Power Quality Meter
1-800-718-1974www.electroind.com
Critical Substation MeteringPrecision Energy metering using Constant Calibration™
technology - meter self-calibrates every ten seconds
Advanced Power Quality analysis with
sampling rates up to 50 MHz per channel
Compliance with international standards IEC 61000-4-30
Class A and fully customizable EN 50160 reporting
Advanced utility protocols including Modbus, DNP 3.0,
IEC 61850, GOOSE, HTTP, FTP, SNTP, SMTP, IEEE 1588
Highly secure Port Control to
insure safe substation communication
PQDIF and COMTRADE Compliant
Designed for Grid Automation,
Power Quality, and Fault Analysis applications
cities and IoT markets is accelerating the
trend toward a more distributed model
and creation of the active grid. The result
will be both a stronger business case for
smart metering and new, highly-innova-
tive solutions to longstanding grid oper-
ations challenges. Utilities can and will
play an integral role in enabling IoT and
addressing the challenges facing the utility
industry and beyond.
Body copy
Transformer Load Management
Distribution transformer overloading is
an increasingly common problem caused
by growing loads and the emergence of
distributed generation on the customer
side of the meter, which can overload
transformers in the reverse direction.
Putting intelligence at the grid’s edge
allows the load on individual distribu-
tion transformers to be analyzed contin-
uously and managed locally in real time.
Distributed intelligence allows the load
on individual distribution transformers to
be analyzed continuously and managed
locally in real time. Meters communicate
with each other locally and continually
calculate the total load on the transform-
er. They know when the transformer
is approaching overload conditions and
whether the overload is coming from the
line side or customer side. When this
occurs, distributed analytics running on
the meters determines whether to shut off
controlled loads behind the transformer,
turn on or increase local distributed gen-
eration behind the transformer or take
other actions to reduce loading below
allowed levels.
LOOKING AHEAD
Globally, many utilities are in a position
to leverage these recent and significant
advancements in distributed intelligence
and analytics as they implement their
grid modernization strategies. The conver-
gence of smart grid with emerging smart
Author Tim Wolf is the director for marketing
at Itron, where he is responsible for marketing
and communications for Itron’s global electric-
ity and smart grid businesses. He is a regular
presenter at industry conferences and writer in
the industry trade press. He can be contacted
GO TO WW.PGI.HOTIMS.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION
1603pg_21 21 3/3/16 3:59 PM
22 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
Photo courtesy of PPL Electric Utilities.
BY ROD WALTON, SENIOR EDITOR
Projects of the Year
The name of the game in electricity
transmission and distribution, like any
industry, is to deliver, whatever the chal-
lenge. The annual Projects of the Year award
winners, as well as their runners-up, were
honored for their efforts to try new things in
delivering both information and power to
customers under any and all circumstances.
The editors of POWERGRID
International magazine, the official pub-
lication of the DistribuTECH Conference
& Exhibition held last month in Orlando,
and its parent company PennWell Corp.
recently announced four winners for the
annual electric utility Projects of the Year.
Editor in Chief Teresa Hansen revealed
those winners live Monday evening, Feb.
8, during the DistribuTECH Awards
Dinner at the Hyatt Regency Orlando.
The winners in four categories–Grid
Optimization, Renewable Grid Integration,
Demand Response/Energy Efficiency and
Customer Engagement—spanned from
Hawaii to the Atlantic Coast, from the hearty
Midwest U.S. to the heart of Texas. They
were joined by runners-up from Canada,
California, New York and New England.
CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT
PPL Electric Utilities won the 2016
Customer Engagement Project of the Year
award for its Universal Outage Alerts. This
project was built on a smaller previous
effort, but this time included all of its 1.1
million residential customers.
PPL’s assets and customers endure all
that a Pennsylvania winter and summer
can bring down. PPL’s Universal Outage
Alerts was built to let customers know
immediately that PPL is aware of a par-
ticular outage affecting them. Customers
know when the power was out even if
they are away from home.
Universal Outage Alerts filled a gap
in the company’s customer communica-
tions. PPL successfully launched alerts for
all residential customers in April 2015.
“Our proactive outage alerts have
received a strong positive response from
customers, and we appreciate this indus-
try recognition as well,” said Christopher
Cardenas, PPL’s customer services vice
president. “We continue to look for ways
to improve our service, keep customers
informed and make doing business with
PPL as convenient as possible.”
PPL’s Universal Outage Alerts also
works to significantly improve the accu-
racy of estimated restoration times.
When outages happen, customers want
to know that PPL Electric Utilities is
1603pg_22 22 3/3/16 4:00 PM
March 2016 | 23 www.power-grid.com
Gregg Knight, chief customer officer for CenterPoint Energy,
speaks after accepting that utility’s award for Grid Optimization
Project of the Year.
This photo shows CenterPoint Energy’s tabletop outage demonstration model. Photo courtesy of CenterPoint Energy.
Projects of the Year
GRID OPTIMIZATION
In April 2015, CenterPoint Energy
joined the U.S. Department of Energy and
vendor ABB to complete the Advanced
Metering and Intelligent Grid Initiative,
which dramatically improved the reliability
and efficiency of the Houston power grid.
The DistribuTECH awards ceremo-
ny honored CenterPoint with its Grid
Optimization Project of the Year last
month, but this mission actually started
five years earlier. CenterPoint then was
awarded a $200 million Smart Grid
Investments Grant to benefit custom-
ers and the environment through the
advanced metering system and intelli-
gent grid initiatives.
“CenterPoint Energy continues to lead
the nation in economically implement-
ing smart grid technology,” said Kenny
Mercado, senior vice president of elec-
tric operations for CenterPoint Energy.
“The future of delivering energy presents
opportunities and challenges on many
fronts, and CenterPoint Energy has con-
tinued to identify and implement sus-
tainable solutions while delivering safe,
reliable and environmentally responsible
energy to meet the needs of our custom-
ers today and in the future.”
The Intelligent Grid has at its heart an
advanced distribution management sys-
tem developed by ABB. The goal was to
improve service to the utility’s 2.3 million
metered customers.
Altogether, the initiatives involved a
lot of groundwork—installing 31 substa-
tions and 859 intelligent grid switching
devices on more than 200 distribution
circuits. This multi-faceted deployment
made it what ABB called one of world’s
largest advanced distribution manage-
ment systems (ADMS) in operation.
Since 2011, the ADMS has reportedly
helped the utility’s customers avoid more
aware of it, what caused it, how bad it is
and when it will be fixed. PPL’s goal was
to give that information to them quickly,
when they needed it the most, and it
Universal Outage Alerts does that.
Nuance was PPL’s principal partner on
the project.
RUNNER-UP: National Grid’s
WeatherBug was ranked a solid second
in the crowded Customer Engagement
category. The utility, which serves near-
ly 7 million customers in New York,
Massachusetts and Rhode Island, teamed
up with Earth Networks, operator of
a large weather monitoring network
and parent company of WeatherBug, to
develop the joint severe weather forecast
data modeling project.
The joint venture has been honored by
numerous organizations for its planning,
implementation and results. National
Grid installed 55 WeatherBug stations
at schools, public safety and community
buildings throughout its service territo-
ry. These data points help by providing
real-time alerts, forecasts and sharpen
response and outage restoration efforts.
“At National Grid we are focused on
leveraging technology and innovation
to create better outcomes for custom-
ers every day,” said Terry Sobolewski,
National Grid’s chief customer officer. “We
are excited about this joint project and the
potential jump in preparedness it will give
our customers during the Northeast’s very
tricky and unpredictable storm seasons.”
Overall, Maryland-based Earth
Networks has thousands of sensors oper-
ating at schools, parks and other sites
throughout the country.
Bashar Jarrah, distribution standards manager for PPL Electric
Utilities, accepts the award for Customer Engagement Project
of the Year during the DistribuTECH Awards Dinner on Feb. 8
in Orlando.
PENNWELL PHOTO/CHARLES THOMAS PENNWELL PHOTO/CHARLES THOMAS
1603pg_23 23 3/3/16 4:00 PM
24 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
Christopher Gillman, Duke Energy’s director of demand response
operations, speaks after Duke Energy Ohio won the Demand
Response/Energy Efficiency Project of the Year award for its HōM
Energy Manager.
Projects of the Year
HVAC control with suggested reset pro-
grams and customized energy savings
tips. When demand for electricity peaks,
a wireless signal can turn the compressor
of the air conditioner on and off.
“Consumers expect more from their
service providers and that includes their
utilities,” said Sasha Weintraub, Duke
Energy’s senior vice president of cus-
tomer solutions. “Today, our business is
about more than an obligation to keep
the lights on. It’s also about giving our
customers more control, convenience
and options for managing their energy
usage and spend, and that’s the value
our customers get with our HōM Energy
Manager program.”
than 100 million outage minutes.
CenterPoint Energy estimated that, as
a result of the Intelligent Grid, the utili-
ty’s power reliability improved by more
than 28 percent over the past year.
RUNNER-UP: The editors select-
ed BC Hydro’s unique Downtown
Vancouver Automated Open Loop as the
Grid Optimization runner up project.
This massively detailed project is only
getting started in downtown Vancouver,
which has 472 primary vault customers
with a total of 90,000 customers.
The aging downtown electrical distribu-
tion system is under redevelopment, con-
verting existing underground dual radial
circuits to an open loop system. The first
installed loop, which consists of 10 vista
switches with corresponding controlgear,
initiates a plan eventually involving 200-
plus automated, submersible, vista switch
and controlgear installations.
BC Hydro’s loop features gas-insulated
switchgear, feeder protection relays and a
high-speed directional comparison block-
ing (DCB) protection scheme using IEC
61850 GOOSE (Generic Object-Oriented
Substation Event) messages, according to
the utility’s nomination presentation.
Cheong Siew, BC Hydro’s manager, dis-
tribution automation and strategic plan-
ning in the transmission, distribution
and customer services’ asset investment
management business group, predicted
that the project will “forever improve”
electricity delivery to customers and safe-
ty to workers on the system.
“We have already begun to utilize the
building blocks of this project in other
parts of the underground system—when
manual livefront switchgear are at end-
of-life and when expanding to serve new
load—to add protection along the feeder
trunk and to provide fast tripping for arc
flash and blast hazards,” Siew said. “We
also hope that the collaboration we have
built with our partners S&C, SEL, Subnet
and Powertech will continue to provide
benefit to other utilities that have the
same safety and reliability objectives as BC
Hydro.”
DEMAND RESPONSE/
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The winner was Duke
Energy Ohio’s HōM Energy
Manager. The utility hailed
this as one of the indus-
try’s first integrated demand
response and energy effi-
ciency programs. Based on
two-way communication
between customers and the
utility, HōM Energy Manager
offers up two free Wi-Fi-connected smart
thermostats for each participating house-
hold, multiple tiers of interaction and
a mobile portal that could be accessed
from a smartphone, tablet or computer.
The goal is to provide relevant, person-
alized information to each customer, along
with tips on how to make smart, specific
decisions affecting heating and cooling
consumption and spending. Customers
can access personal home energy usage
data and trends relative to similar homes.
They also have at their fingertips remote
Teresa Hansen, POWERGRID International Editor in
Chief, left, gives the Renewable Grid Integration Project of the
Year Award to Dora Nakafuji, Hawaiian Electric Co.’s director of
renewable energy planning.
Photo courtesy of Duke Energy.
PENNWELL PHOTO/CHARLES THOMASPENNWELL PHOTO/CHARLES THOMAS
1603pg_24 24 3/3/16 4:00 PM
March 2016 | 25 www.power-grid.com
Projects of the Year
As a HōM Energy Manager user, cus-
tomers also can select a level of participa-
tion in an automated electricity conser-
vation program that can occur on up to
10 hot summer days, allowing Duke to
create a capacity resource for both peak
and base load reduction.
Duke Energy Ohio maintains an active
role in this two-way communication.
On selected days from May through
September, the utility automatically cycles
off and on the compressors of participat-
ing customers’ central air conditioners
and heat pumps, helping balance the
region’s electricity demand. These events
are known as “conservation periods.”
The utility’s primary vendor and imple-
menter on this project was Comverge.
RUNNER-UP: Pacific Gas & Electric’s
(PG&E’s) Supply-Side Pilot took sec-
ond place in the Demand Response/
Energy Efficiency category. Olivine, pilot
administrator for PG&E on this project,
noted that it encourages participation
of demand-response resources on the
California Independent System Operators
(CAISO) wholesale market. Those eligible
include individual customers or aggre-
gators within PG&E’s service territory.
Non-residential participation began April
2015, while residential started in August.
The intention is to test certain aspects
of integrating demand response with the
wholesale market. Those registered into
the wholesale market as a proxy demand
resource must include customers served
by a single load-serving entity that can
achieve a minimum load shed of 10kW
for at least four hours.
“Pacific Gas and Electric’s Supply-
Side Pilot (SSP) represents an innova-
tion in the evolving market for demand
response,” said Olivine CEO Beth Reid.
Olivine operates the utility pilot project
on behalf of PG&E. “The success of the
Photo courtesy of Hawaiian Electric Co.
1603pg_25 25 3/3/16 4:00 PM
26 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
Projects of the Year
goal progresses, its IPRs could play a
vital role to keeping the delivery system
reliable and safe.
RUNNER-UP: The editors selected
San Diego Gas & Electric’s Advanced
Distribution Management System as the
runner up in this category. This project,
working with primary partner Oracle
Utilities Network Management System,
integrates distributed energy resources
safely and reliably into the grid using
look-ahead power flow forecasts, feeder
load management and other tools.
“The adoption of solar by SDG&E
customers over the last few years has
been monumental in San Diego and,
until now, the impacts of these have been
unknown in real-time electric opera-
tions,” SDG&E’s Chris Hirsch, the ADMS
Phase III project manager, said. “This
project provided incredible visibility on
the impact of all of San Diego’s renew-
able generation on real-time distribu-
tion management and allows SDG&E to
manage the grid more efficiently.”
SDG&E had more than 60,000 rooftop-so-
lar customers as of last year. It also achieved a
new company record of 1,042 MW of utility
renewable generation in August.
2017 AWARDS
THE 2017 POWERGRID INTERNATIONAL
PROJECTS OF THE YEAR AWARDS WILL BE
ANNOUNCED LIVE ON TUESDAY, JAN. 31,
DURING DISTRIBUTECH’S KEYNOTE IN SAN
DIEGO. MORE INFORMATION ON THE AWARDS
AND INSTRUCTIONS ON NOMINATING A PROJ-
ECT FOR THE 2017 PROJECTS OF THE YEAR
AWARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE ON POWERGRID
INTERNATIONAL’S WEBSITE WWW.POWER-GRID.
COM BEGINNING IN JUNE 2016. THE DEADLINE
FOR NOMINATIONS IS SEPT. 1, 2016.
SSP demonstrates the ability for demand
side resources to act as supply and pro-
vide market-based grid services. This
outcome offers increased grid reliability
and tremendous added value to utilities
and their customers.”
Like the ISO markets, the pilot is oper-
ational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
By August 2015, the pilot already had
1,150 successful bids and more than 270
awarded hours dispatched.
RENEWABLE GRID INTEGRATION
Hawaiian Electric Co. took first place
with its massive rollout of in-line power
regulators (IPRs) to deal with the equally
fast-growing integration of rooftop solar in
that state. The rollout helps circuits deal
safely with all that solar PV coming online.
Primary partner Gridco Systems’
pole-mounted IPRs used advanced elec-
tronics, refined distribution controls and
progressive system analytics to regulate
voltage, manage voltage-ampere reactive
(VAR) controls and compensate for har-
monics on circuits high in PV penetration.
For example, since rooftop PV systems
provide little or no information to sys-
tem operators, maintaining the steady
60 Hz frequency needed for reliable
power delivery is increasingly difficult,
according to a story about the rollout on
Hawaiian Electric’s website. A circuit that
is saturated with PV also strains the grid
as it adds electricity when demand isn’t
there. This causes voltage on the affect-
ed circuits to be higher than intended,
sometimes sending power flowing back
through transformers to substations not
designed to support it.
“We work in concert with our plan-
ning groups within Hawaiian Electric to
investigate new technologies and prod-
ucts, such as the Gridco Systems In-line
Power Regulator, to better see and man-
age what’s happening on the grid,” said
Dr. Dora Nakafuji, director of renewable
energy planning for Hawaiian Electric, in
a statement.
In February 2015, crews installed
pole-mounted IPRs on an overhead line
identified by Gridco’s modeling team,
in collaboration with Hawaiian Electric
engineers, as having voltage issues due to
high rooftop PV penetration.
“With high-penetration PV on our
lines, we see high voltage or back-feed
conditions on some circuits,” Nakafuji
said. “The Gridco IPR allows us to see
what is actually happening right at the
pole that serves a cluster of customers.
At the same time, it allows us to regulate
voltage at that location as needed, based
on how much power the PV systems are
producing and power consumption by
customers at the time of day.”
The IPR bucks or boosts voltage at
a particular site, depending on what
is needed at the time. It also allows
the utility to continue integrating more
renewable generation onto the distribu-
tion circuits. This can be done without
costly re-conducting or trenching work
to upgrade line equipment.
Hawaiian hopes to achieve 100 per-
cent renewable energy by 2045. As this
Hawaiian Electric Co. took first place with its massive rollout of in-line power regulators (IPRs) to deal with the equally fast-growing
integration of rooftop solar in that state.
1603pg_26 26 3/3/16 4:00 PM
OWNED & PRODUCED BY:
SAVE THE DATE
PRESENTED BY: SUPPORTED BY: MEDIA SPONSOR:
December 13-15, 2016 | Orlando, Florida, USAOrange County Convention Center North / South Halls | REWW .com | #REWW
Go to pgi.hotims.com for more information.
1603pg_27 27 3/3/16 4:00 PM
28 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
It’s no secret that the U.S. electricity grid
is getting old. A recent survey conducted
by Utility Dive, found that more than one-
third of utility executives indicated that
aging infrastructure is the biggest challenge
facing the industry. That’s not surprising
given that the Electric Power Research
Institute (EPRI) estimates that modernizing
the U.S. electricity grid will cost upwards
of $476 billion over the next two decades.
While power infrastructure has slowly
deteriorated, customer expectations have
dramatically skyrocketed. Just as with
the telecommunications and banking
industries, technology has been the main
driver for customer expectations in the
energy industry. Nearly 80 percent of
U.S. customers now expect personalized
energy management insights and advice
directly from their energy company.
So, how can a utility build a 21st cen-
tury grid while meeting and exceeding
customer expectations?
Technology offers one simple and
straightforward solution. By harness-
ing the energy-saving insights provided
by real-time data analytics, utilities can
cost-effectively boost the U.S. electricity
grid’s efficiency, reliability and resilience
while simultaneously meeting height-
ened customer expectations.
But this they must first ask: What do
customers actually want from their ener-
gy provider?
Increasingly, customers across all sec-
tors—residential, commercial and indus-
trial—are looking for the same thing:
empowerment. A recent Accenture report
found that nearly two-thirds of energy
consumers want to gain greater control
over and insights into their own energy
use. And with an ever-increasing number
of connected energy devices, including
smart meters, smart thermostats, smart
phone applications and wireless, cir-
cuit-level sensors, more energy data than
ever before exists.
For residential and small busi-
ness customers, the Nest Learning
Thermostat has been one of the early,
popular and successful examples of
how real-time energy data analytics can
help customers use energy more effi-
ciently. Multiple independent studies
have shown that, on average, Nest has
helped residential customers save 10 to
12 percent on heating bills and about
BY BILL KENWORTHY, DIRECT ENERGY
Building a Smarter Grid and Meeting Customer Expectations Real-time Data Analytics
PHOTO COURTESY BIG STOCK
1603pg_28 28 3/3/16 4:00 PM
March 2016 | 29 www.power-grid.com
an interface problem. As more and more
things continue to integrate with sensors
and become connected, there will be a
struggle to determine the best central
application for managing information.
After all, who will want separate apps for
their refrigeration, HVAC, lighting and
other equipment?
The IoT is coming and is, in many
ways, already here. Today, the newest
HVAC equipment has sensors built-in.
Hundreds of thousands of pieces of
machinery still don’t have sensors, how-
ever. We’re essentially in IoT version 1.0
now, where it’s the “Internet on Things.”
In the future, machinery will be con-
structed with built-in sensors and we will
live in IoT version 2.0, where it will be
the “Internet in Things.”
Building a smarter electricity grid and
meeting customer expectations across
all sectors are major challenges facing
the industry today. With real-time data
analytics and the proliferation of data
technology, however, we can cost-effec-
tively help customers use energy more
efficiently and save more money—one
insight at a time. Body copy
energy waste? By using real-time data
analytics. Now more than ever, large
end-users have access to cutting-edge
technology that helps them better
understand their operations while pin-
pointing energy waste.
Take Panoramic Power for example.
The company, which now analyzes 5 bil-
lion data points per month and count-
ing, offers wireless electricity monitor-
ing for business end users. The wireless
sensors that
clip directly
onto circuit wires capture device level
data in real-time and process the data in
an analytics platform. On a basic level,
the technology, which is projected to
save 12 percent for businesses on energy
and operational insights, allows opera-
tors to see how they can become more
energy efficient, how their equipment is
functioning and how they can improve
their overall operations.
This type of energy-saving technology
is part of the oft-mentioned and grow-
ing Internet of Things (IoT), which is a
powerful concept that will fundamen-
tally change business models as vari-
ous applications mix data for specific
purposes. With that said, there are still
two challenges facing data technology
providers today.
First, there’s an awareness gap. People
don’t yet understand all of the technolo-
gy that is available to them. The second is
15 percent on cooling. Such energy
savings directly translate into meaning-
ful value for customers.
The Nest Learning Thermostat isn’t the
only way residential and small business
customers can save. Innovative behav-
ioral demand response programs—those
programs that alert customers with real-
time personalized feedback on ways
to save energy during times of peak
demand—have proven they can help
reduce peak load, ensuring greater grid
reliability and saving customers money
on their energy bill. In fact, one recent
report covered in Greentech Media,
found that behavioral demand response
helped customers reduce peak load
between an impressive 3 and 5 percent
this past summer.
Even more critical are commercial
and industrial (C&I) end users, which
according to the U.S. Energy Information
Administration (EIA) use most of the
world’s total energy. These end users
have even more options to save energy,
improve their operations and boost their
bottom line.
Traditionally, C&I users have had
opportunities to maximize their energy
spend through locking in low natural
gas and electricity rates, improving their
business or plant’s energy efficiency and,
in some cases, participating in regional
demand response programs.
Those certainly are important ways
to save money and energy. A U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) study
found, however, that C&I users still
have a lot of room for improvement. The
DOE reported that there are around 5.5
million commercial buildings in the U.S.
and, on average, each building is still
about 30 percent inefficient.
So, how can utilities help commer-
cial buildings systematically reduce
Bill Kenworthy is director of business
development for Direct Energy. Direct Energy
is a North American retailer of energy and
energy services.
For residential and small business customers, the Nest Learning Thermostat has been one
of the early, popular and successful examples of how real-time energy data analytics can help customers use energy more efficiently.
1603pg_29 29 3/3/16 4:00 PM
30 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
Utilities’ residential and business cus-
tomers alike are adopting distributed
energy resources (DER), especially roof-
top solar photovoltaic, at an historic
pace. Their ability to impact grid reli-
ability, outages, revenue and even overall
business health can be positive or nega-
tive, depending upon how utilities inte-
grate these DER and the large amounts of
data they continuously produce.
At the same time, the data produced
by these and other grid connected devic-
es—the Internet of Things (IoT)—is put-
ting new pressure on utilities. In combi-
nation, these challenges are causing util-
ities to transform their business models
to better manage evolving distribution
operations.
NEW APPROACHES TO
UTILITY PROCESSES
With so much distribution grid inno-
vation now being driven by consumers
and policy and regulatory changes, util-
ities must quickly understand how to
turn the grid edge into business oppor-
tunities, rather than a stumbling block.
They can do so by evolving their busi-
ness model, which can open up innova-
tive ways of gaining revenue, improving
asset performance and lowering operat-
ing cost, such as:
• Increasing customer choice to par-
ticipate in demand response (DR),
load shifting and the sale of excess
and stored DER generation into other
markets.
• Minimizing asset risk by identifying
and mitigating negative performance
DER Inclusiveness Turning Grid-Edge Challenges Into Opportunities
BY BRADLEY WILLIAMS, ORACLE UTILITIES
PHOTO COURTESY BIG STOCK
1603pg_30 30 3/3/16 4:00 PM
Bradley Williams is vice president of industry strategy, Oracle Utilities. Williams is responsible for Oracle’s smart grid strategy as well as utility
solutions for outage management, advance distribution management, mobile workforce management, work and asset management and OT analytics.
March 2016 | 31 www.power-grid.com
devices, but a more robust process is
needed for continued customer engage-
ment when a utility begins to deal with
DER at scale. In this instance, the con-
nect-and-energize process must allow
for process automation, with predefined
workflows to speed the associated work.
As DER levels increase, utilities need
automated DER asset registry processes
and systems that can scale to every utility
connected customer.
Operations and Control. Much like
sensor-based field devices and smart
meters, DER create high volumes of com-
plex data, often in real-time. Although
DER are decentralized, they are part of
the grid infrastructure. Extracting value
from that data—for DR, innovative pro-
grams, outage management, load shifting
and other benefits—begins when utilities
treat DER as assets and can expedite
their integration into the utility network
model, where they are visible. A DER-
specific asset registry is integral to this
process.
Service and Maintenance. In the cases
where DER is owned and maintained
by the utility—for example, where res-
idential rooftop solar is deployed and
operated by the utility on behalf of the
customer—service and maintenance is
fairly straightforward. For deregulated
utilities, such as distribution retailers in
Europe or utilities that have spun off sep-
arate businesses for the purposes of DER
installation, service and maintenance,
these on-premises, value-added services
represent a new, potential revenue chan-
nel. Utilities can monitor actual outputs
and compare them to forecasts to predict
maintenance needs.
For all utilities with DER integrated
into the grid model, this “service and
patterns via predictive modeling of
granular DERs and their connections
to the grid. The models leverage real-
time, location-based weather fore-
casts, as well as related sensor data
to provide clear DER visibility at the
edge of the grid.
• Alleviating utility grid, as well as sup-
ply-side, constraint via DR by leverag-
ing both utility and consumer assets
to dynamically shift output among
other generation sources. DR is a great
resource to help mitigate grid impacts
from the intermittency of renewable
DERs.
The systems required to deliver this
innovation must support new approach-
es to utility processes, such as automating
DER and other device connections. In
addition, utility and other sensor devices
must be able to communicate with these
resources. And, depending upon the
utility’s business model, third-party ser-
vice providers might also be part of the
processes. Complex programs, billing
and load shifting also must be recon-
ciled with customers to ensure revenue.
An entire connection-through-custom-
er-service process lifecycle for DER, DR
and other connected devices exists. It
is decidedly more complicated than the
traditional customer or asset lifecycle
process employed by utilities in the past.
DEFINING THE DER LIFECYCLE
MANAGEMENT PROCESS
The traditional distribution process
has its own defined lifecycle, and so does
DER management. Sometimes, when
dealing with grid-edge devices and tech-
nologies, it’s a matter of managing a dis-
tributed device on its own. When deal-
ing with a higher proliferation of DER
within a specific territory, the process
also involves bringing perhaps millions
of granular DER devices into the utili-
ty’s network model and understanding
how they impact the utility’s traditional
distribution model. Beyond initial pilot
projects, utilities must leverage automat-
ed information management processes to
capture and keep these models current.
The DER lifecycle management pro-
cess, much like many other utility pro-
cesses, begins and ends with the cus-
tomer.
Following are six distinct steps seen in
this process, beginning with connecting
the customer’s DER: • Connect and energize
• Operations and control
• Service and maintenance
• Risk analysis and planning
• Outage management
• Customer interaction
Connect and Energize. Regulated utili-
ties are obligated to serve their customers
as part of their regulatory mandate. Many
see the connection of customers’ rooftop
solar PV as an assumed extension of that
mandate. The “connect and energize”
step from a DER perspective means try-
ing to get valuable generation or storage
or both connected and into the grid
model as quickly as possible so that those
resources also are available to the utility,
which can use them for reliability and
revenue purposes.
Every utility has established a process
for dealing with new building or custom-
er connections, and this process is similar
from one utility to the next. When it
comes to connections for DER or other
smart devices, however, utilities have
taken many different initial approaches.
Some began as pilot projects, others have
been managed through GIS, and so on.
These approaches may have worked for
a few hundred or even a few thousand
1603pg_31 31 3/3/16 4:00 PM
32 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
maintenance” process also extends well
beyond the health of the DER asset itself.
By integrating DER into the network
model, utilities can not only automate
sensor maintenance and upgrades and
ensure real-time asset performance man-
agement (APM) health scores of DER
assets are reflected, but also account for
DER impact on distribution assets.
Risk Analysis and Planning. This is one
of the most important—and potentially
most lucrative—areas of DER lifecycle
management. It involves the utility hav-
ing the ability to make dynamic grid
adjustments to ward off unstable con-
ditions and improve resource planning.
Currently, in many cases, no grid adjust-
ments are being made to account for
DER risk factors because of a lack of vis-
ibility or control over customer-owned
DER assets. Further, DER data might not
be incorporated into the network model,
and DER growth might not be factored
into future planning, leading to increased
customer costs to provide duplicate util-
ity capacity.
Under this DER lifecycle management
model, the utility would gain visibility to
all distributed generation on existing cir-
cuits; identify and model patterns of DER
growth; and potentially defer the need
for additional generation and traditional
grid capacity by incentivizing customers
in specific areas to update DER so the
utility has additional, customer-supplied
generation in places where it is need-
ed. As utilities move to real-time, this
becomes a transactive energy market
model.
Outage Management. Traditionally, DER
are poorly leveraged for outage use. DER
is tripped out in an outage event to keep
the crews working on the outage safe.
DER, therefore, will not be available on
the line being restored during the outage
restoration process. When tripped off,
DER can extend the duration of an out-
age because additional switching steps
are required to pick up the load when
circuits are re-energized.
Optimally, within this DER lifecycle
management model, the utility would
know if a DER is appropriately sized
and equipped for islanding operations
and be able to model each resource’s
capabilities for outage management. This
would allow the utility to aggregate load
and restore power faster to areas after a
service disruption. In addition, it would
accurately model and account for DER in
cold load pickup.
DR can be used to temporarily free up
capacity during the switching steps, then
once restoration is complete the DER
will re-energize and the DR event can be
completed with minimal impact to the
customer.
Customer Interaction. This is where
DER lifecycle management begins and
ends. The customer is central from the
beginning of the DER integration pro-
cess, and integral to program uptake and
additional revenue opportunities. New
utility revenue opportunities will require
regulatory and policy changes, and those
are beginning to take place. For example,
the New York REV (Reforming the Energy
Vision) initiative is working to transform
the utility into a value-based business
model, which includes the ability to sup-
port customers’ choices and provide them
with access to third-party service provid-
ers that those customers value. In juris-
dictions where end-use customers and
metering have been separated from the
grid operators (e.g., parts of Europe), this
vision is much more difficult, creating an
obligation to serve customers and connect
to DER without the information to effec-
tively plan and operate.
As the integration and evolution of the
DER-inclusive model continues, utilities
need the ability to create rate structures
for any level of program complexity,
enable more accurate segmentation of
their customers, integrate third-party
vendors where applicable and dynami-
cally communicate to the DER on their
grid network.
A DER INCLUSIVE FUTURE
Every utility must deal with grow-
ing grid-edge technologies in some way,
moving forward. Many already are deal-
ing with it, more quickly than they
ever anticipated. While regulatory policy
changes are moving forward in many
jurisdictions to assist in DER integration,
utilities also are exploring the technol-
ogy changes necessary to their systems
to manage the additional complexities
brought about by DER integration. A
new approach to lifecycle management
is an important first step.
Demand response can be used to temporarily free up capacity during the switching steps, then once restoration is
complete the DER will re-energize and the demand response event can be completed
with minimal impact to the customer.
1603pg_32 32 3/3/16 4:00 PM
Go to pgi.hotims.com for more information.
CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION
19-21 JULY 2016SANDTON CONVENTION CENTRE, JOHANNESBURG,
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Owned & Produced by: Host Utility:
KEY POWER HUB FOR PAN AFRICAN STAKEHOLDERS
CREATING POWER
FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
Join high-level decision-makers from government and the private sector at POWER-GEN & DistribuTECH Africa 2016
conference & exhibition. Supporting sustainability in the pan-African power sector, the event aims to serve as the continent’s premier knowledge sharing and networking hub for the power generation and distribution sectors across sub-Saharan Africa.
Hear from over 100 expert international speakers as they discuss the latest technical developments, benchmark case studies and important issues such as: Project Funding; Asset Management; Infrastructure Development; Integration of Renewables; Procurement Best Practice; Financing Models and Deal Structuring.
Running alongside the conference, the exhibition floor will showcase cutting-edge products and technologies by over 80 leading local and international companies including Eskom, Ansaldo Energia, Rosatom, Seimens, Steinmuller Africa and Turkish Renewable Pavilion.
To register or for further information, visit www.powergenafrica.com
Supporting Association:
1603pg_33 33 3/3/16 4:00 PM
PRODUCTS
34 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
Integrated Software Platform for BYOD Programs
Comverge Inc., a provider of cloud-based demand
response and energy efficiency solutions for electric
utilities, and Pro1, one of the largest heating and cooling
controls manufacturers in North America, announced
Comverge’s integration with Pro1’s new
T701i Wi-Fi thermostat. Comverge’s
IntelliCONNECT software platform will
enable utilities looking to deploy bring
your own device (BYOD) programs to
use the T701i Wi-Fi thermostat as a
demand response resource. The T701i Wi-Fi thermostat
is installed by Pro1’s extensive national channel of reseller
partners. Comverge and Pro1 offer the same capabilities
with IntelliCONNECT and the T855i Wi-Fi thermostat.
IntelliCONNECT is fully integrated with the Comverge
IntelliSOURCE customer engagement portal to give
the residential energy consumer a full set of tools, such
as a web and mobile engagement portal, customized
insights and tips engine as well as personalized ther-
mostat optimization, to conveniently reduce household
energy consumption.
Comverge Inc.
GO TO WWW.PGI.HOTIMS.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION
Compact Energy and Power Quality Meters for Feeders
A highly accurate and reliable power and energy meter,
Schneider Electric’s PowerLogic ION7400 utility feeder
meter offers flexibility and usability. The meter combines
accurate three-phase energy and power
measurements with data logging, power
quality analysis, alarming and I/O capabili-
ties not typically available in such a compact
meter. It provides a high degree of visibil-
ity to data and assets that allows for cost
savings, rapid response time and better
decisions. Facility managers can improve
operations and profitability of their facilities with this
easy-to-install, easy-to-operate meter. Software integra-
tion provides user-friendly, remote access to energy data,
power quality disturbances, forecasting and more from
customizable Web pages.
Schneider Electric
GO TO WWW.PGI.HOTIMS.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION
GIS Data Quality Software Solution
RAMTeCH Software Solutions Inc.,
a global spatial enterprise solutions
company, introduces its gReady data
quality analytics software solution to
help uncover, prioritize and correct
operational data quality errors in geo-
graphic information systems (GIS) by embedding routine
checks directly into daily business workflows and between
operational systems. gReady performs comprehensive
GIS network data quality validations and compiles in-
depth visual reports that identify specific data conditions
by feature class and error type. Generating configurable
and easy-to-understand scorecards and action plans,
gReady prioritizes data errors by importance, allowing a
business to more effectively and proactively deliver clean
data to downstream systems where it has the biggest
impact. In addition, with gReady’s routine checks embed-
ded directly into workflows, users receive ongoing intel-
ligence about which data quality measures will drive the
greatest operational improvement.
RAMTeCH Software Solutions Inc.
GO TO WWW.PGI.HOTIMS.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION
Rugged Crimson-enabled E3 I/O Modules
Red Lion Controls, the global communication, moni-
toring and control company for industrial automation
and networking, introduced its new rugged E3 I/O™
module platform, a set of 17 high-density I/O modules
with hardened metal enclosures and powerful commu-
nication options. This platform marks Red Lion’s first
rugged I/O modules configurable using Crimson® 3.0
software. Designed to withstand the critical
demands of localized and distributed I/O
applications, Red Lion’s Crimson-enabled
E3 I/O modules feature robust networking
capabilities with redundant Ethernet ports
and built-in serial communication. With one
RS-485 terminal block and dual Ethernet
ports that include user-selectable Ethernet modes for ring,
pass through and two network, the E3 I/O modules can
eliminate the need for additional switching devices.
Red Lion Controls
GO TO WWW.PGI.HOTIMS.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION
1603pg_34 34 3/3/16 4:00 PM
CALENDAR
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, NORTH AMERICAN POWER GENERATION GROUP
Richard Baker
PRODUCTION MANAGER Daniel Greene
918.831.9401 [email protected]
ADVERTISING TRAFFIC MANAGER Glenda Van Duyne
918.831.9473 [email protected]
1421 S. Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74112 P.O. Box 1260 : Tulsa, OK 74101 918.835.3161, fax 918.831.9834
www.pennwell.com
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Tom Leibrandt
AK, AL, AR, CO, CT, DE, District of Columbia, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD,
TN, TX, VT, VA, WV, WI, Canada, International
918.831.9184 fax 918.831.9834 [email protected]
REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Joanna Shatwell
AZ, CA, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY
918. 831.9884 fax 918.831.9834 [email protected]
CHINA & HONG KONG SALES MANAGER Adonis Mak
ACT International Unit B, 13/F, Por Yen Building
478 Castle Peak Road, Cheung Sha Wan Kowloon, Hong Kong
+86.138.252.678.23 fax +852.2.838.2766 [email protected]
ISRAEL SALES MANAGER Daniel Aronovic
Margola Ltd. 1/1 Rashi Street, Raanana 43214 Israel
phone/fax +972.9.899 5813 [email protected]
SENIOR DISTRIBUTECH EXHIBIT & SPONSORSHIP SALES MANAGER
Sandy Norris 918.831.9115 fax 918.831.9834
For assistance with marketing strategy or ad creation, please contact PennWell Marketing Solutions
VICE PRESIDENT Paul Andrews
240.595.2352 [email protected]
REPRINTS Rhonda Brown
219.878.6094 fax 219.561.2023 [email protected]
DistribuTECH 2017: The industry’s most comprehensive conference on automation, grid optimization, T&D engineering and customer engagement. Jan. 31-Feb. 2,
2017, San Diego. 918.832.9265 www.distributech.com
March 2016 | 35 www.power-grid.com
ADVERTISER. ............................. PG#
DISTRIBUTECH 2017 ....................... 1
DISTRIBUTECH/POWERGEN AFRICA .........................................................33
ELECTRO INDUSTRIES/GAUGETECH .........................................................21
LEIDOS ENGINEERING ............... C3
MEGGER INC. ................................ 17
POWER ENGINEERS .................... C4
RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD INDIA 2016 .......................27
SENSUS USA ................................. C2
21 24
International Battery Seminar & Exhibitwww.internationalbatteryseminar.comFort Lauderdale, Florida
29 31
Energy Thought Summitwww.ets16.comAustin, Texas
2 5
IEEE and PES Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exhibitionwww.ieeet-d.orgDallas
22 24
ACEEE Energy Efficiency Finance Forumwww.aceee.org/conferences/2016/eeffNewport, Rhode Island
3 8
International Conference of Doble Clientswww.doble.com/event/international-conference-of-doble-clientsBoston
12 13
Oracle Industry Connectwww.oracle.com/oracleindustryconnectOrlando
20 22
Advanced Energy Conferencewww.aertc.org/conference2016New York City
26 29
CS Week Conference 40www.csweek.org/web/conferencePhoenix
MA
RC
HA
PR
IL
MA
Y
1603pg_35 35 3/3/16 4:00 PM
36 | March 2016www.power-grid.com
PARTING THOUGHTS
TALK TRENDS
TWEETS
“Customer-owned generation is just one innovation that will likely affect all aspects of power and utility operations, especially generation, transmission and distribution,” — Deloitte, “Top Regulatory Trends for 2016 in Energy”
“The most salient long-term trend in installed U.S. PV prices for
residential-scale installations is their steady decline over the 14
years from 2000 to 2013. Annual average prices paid (in real
dollars per watt) declined nearly threefold over that period.” — Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, other partners, “Characteristics of Low-Priced Solar Photovoltaics in the U.S.”
“Emerging market countries can reap immediate benefits from smart grid
infrastructure investment. Many… suffer from rampant non-technical losses…
that cost in aggregate $63.1 billion each year in lost or unbilled revenue.”
— Northeast Group, “Emerging Markets Smart Grid: Outlook 2016”
Report predicts #EVs to make up 25 percent+ of global auto market by 2025, up from 3 percent today —@CEMSecretariat
Global energy efficiency investment will = $5.8 trillion by 2030
—@Onzohq
“Engineering is changing to meet the demands of
our rapidly evolving world." Trishia, senior consultant
at Leidos Engineers, during Engineers Week. http://
ow.ly/YCq4B — @LeidosEngineers
“Put customers front and
center. Stop calling
them ratepayers. Treat
them like you care.” — Suzanne Shelton, president and CEO of
Shelton Group, during the Electric Light & Power
Executive Conference
“It’s a delicate balance from being on the offense to
being offensive.” — Tucson Electric Power CEO David Hutchens at
Electric Light & Power Executive Conference
“There's still more than one million people without any access to energy (and) another billion without reliable
access. Those of us who have it are using it in ways that aren't
sustainable.” — Mark Feasel, vice president, smart grid for
Schneider Electric, at company’s Executive Breakfast
briefing during DistribuTECH week
“It’s very disruptive but, you know what, you can't put this genie back in the
bottle.” — Yahoo Tech founder David Pogue, keynote speaker
at DistribuTECH, talking about the rapid pace of the
technological revolution.
1603pg_36 36 3/3/16 4:00 PM
Tap into forward thinking.
Take on the connected world.
leidos.com/power-grid
Activate Tomorrow, Today.
Raymond Okeke
Project Engineer
Alexa Tereszczenko
Project Assistant
Jim Calder, Senior Manager,
Power Delivery Services
Leidos Engineering is helping utilities to become
the energy systems of the future. Our cross-cutting
expertise in grid engineering, system protection,
������������������������������������� �����������
cybersecurity transforms your utility with data-driven
intelligence so you can take on whatís next.
Go to pgi.hotims.com for more information.
1603pg_C3 3 3/3/16 4:00 PM
Go to pgi.hotims.com for more information.
1603pg_C4 4 3/3/16 4:00 PM