Transmission

Distributed Generation Alternatives Take Spotlight at NARUC

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The daunting cost of getting new transmission lines built is spurring the search for alternatives that not only cost less but can make the electricity system more resilient in the face of natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy.

Proponents of distributed generation, like rooftop solar panels, have been promoting many of these options as clean energy. But Doug Hurley, senior associate with Synapse Energy Economics, told the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) in Baltimore this week that cost alone will drive the power industry toward “non-transmission alternatives” (NTAs). Keep reading →

 /  Published November 21, 2012 at 10:30 AM

Sandy Fallout: Utility Exec Resigns, NY Governor Demands Answers, Lawsuit Filed

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Long Island Power Authority, which at one point had 1.1 million customers without power in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, said Wednesday it is close to restoring power to the last 8,000 homes and businesses that can receive power – more than two weeks after the hurricane ravaged the East Coast leaving more than 8 million customers in 21 states in the dark.

But there remain some 38,000 customers in the areas of Long Island that flooded whose homes and businesses need to be checked and/or repaired before they can have their service restored. Consolidated Edison and New Jersey Central Power and Light also have thousands of customers in a similar predicament, according to CNBC. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 16, 2012 at 2:30 PM

It’s All Connected – Regional Transmission Planning in the Southeast

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More than two weeks have passed since Hurricane Sandy brought the Eastern Seaboard to a standstill. Although life is slowly returning to normal, Sandy joins a long series of painful reminders of how dependent 21st century America is on reliable electricity: it powers nearly every facet of our lives. The potential silver lining in the wake of Sandy’s devastation is the influx of interest in our outdated and inadequate transmission grid, highlighting long ignored issues from the benefits of buried transmission lines to the importance of an integrated, redundant, resilient grid – built to withstand even Sandy’s fury.

A robust and modern electric grid is also essential for taking advantage of America’s unmatched renewable energy resources. Wind and sunlight cannot be delivered to customers from their best sources – mostly remote areas and offshore – using railcars and pipelines like coal, oil, and gas; they need transmission lines. In the Southeast, where wind and solar are relatively scarce, transmission lines are critical for bringing cheap and abundant renewable resources from other regions. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which provides power to nearly all of Tennessee and other Southeastern areas, is now importing wind power from eight wind farms in the Midwest. Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company, last year made one of the largest wind purchases ever from producers in Oklahoma. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 13, 2012 at 3:00 PM

Discovery Showcase: ABB Claims Breakthrough in DC Transmission

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Quick Take: Not only can old dogs learn new tricks. They can invent them. Usually our Discovery Showcase pieces highlight breakthroughs from small startups or government research labs. This time, however, we’re putting the spotlight on new technology from ABB, the 129-year-old industrial giant headquartered in Switzerland. The firm claims to have invented a circuit breaker for high voltage direct current (HVDC). If so, then HVDC just became a much more viable alternative for the long-distance transfer of large amounts of power. – By Jesse Berst

ABB’s super fast high voltage direct current (HVDC) circuit breaker will, the company says, open the doors to more efficient and reliable electrical supply systems and the efficient integration of renewable energy. It combines extremely fast mechanics and power electronics that will be able to interrupt power flows “equal to the output of a large power station within five milliseconds – 30 times faster than the blink of a human eye.” Keep reading →

 /  Published November 8, 2012 at 2:45 PM

Preparing the Power Grid for the Next Sandy

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Hurricane Sandy left over eight million people along the East Coast without power. More than a week later, nearly two million are still in the dark. With a warming planet, it’s likely there will be more Sandy-strength storms in the years to come. At a press conference last week, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the city needs to “not only rebuild, but rebuild stronger and smarter.”
So how should the nation prepare? Weather isn’t the only reason to update the grid. Power outages cost the nation between $80 billion and $180 billion each year, according to research by Massoud Amin, a senior member of Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers. And they’re getting worse. The number of major outages has doubled in the last 10 years.

 /  Published November 7, 2012 at 10:15 AM

After Sandy, Utilities Face Biggest Restoration Challenge

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To all of the superlatives attached to Superstorm Sandy, add power outages.

Ten million customers in 21 states lost power in the wake of the storm, by far the most in the history of the U.S. utility industry, and well in excess of the 7 million whose electricity got knocked out in Hurricane Irene in 2011, the storm with the second-biggest impact. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 6, 2012 at 10:30 AM

See this comprehensive list of official NOAA Nat’l Weather Service Twitter feeds: http://bit.ly/TqarKt via @NSSL @usNWSgov

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See this comprehensive list of official NOAA Nat’l Weather Service Twitter feeds: http://bit.ly/TqarKt  via @NSSL @usNWSgov @NOAA

 /  Published October 29, 2012 at 12:00 PM

Big Steps from FERC and IEC Toward Renewables Integration

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At a glance, it may not look like FERC’s Order 1000 has much to do with renewables. It looks more like it’s all about transmission. And it is to a point. The order, which FERC begins enforcing this week, is a wide-ranging and complex set of guidelines for planning, building and figuring out who pays for new transmission lines.

But as a Bloomberg editorial makes clear, the order addresses more than streamlining project approvals, cost allocations and other ways to speed up much needed upgrades for our creaking transmission system. In addition to helping meet increased demand and ensuring system reliability, new transmission lines are critical if far-flung energy resources like wind and solar are to be brought onto the grid. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 12, 2012 at 2:30 PM

Opportunity and Challenge: Coordinating Smart Grid Innovation with Legacy Systems

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For 100 years, Americans have lived with what amounts to a corner store for electricity, but the smart grid means someone, somewhere, will start building Walmarts.

And the Sam Waltons of the power grid won’t wait for a regulatory invitation to start.
Steve Corneli, Senior Vice President, Policy and Strategy of NRG, challenged the experts gathered at GridWeek 2012 in Washington, DC last week to think of the smart grid as an interstate highway that will enable entire new forms of commerce. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 8, 2012 at 8:30 AM

IBM and ESB Make Important Progress on EV Smart Charging

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IBM and ESB pioneering a smart charging IT system for electric vehicles in Ireland with Peter O’Neill, IBM country general manager Ireland; ESB chief executive Pat O’Doherty; and Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD, launching details of the project.

For years (literally) I have been griping and whining that vendors and utilities are spending too much time on electric vehicle hardware and not enough on smart charging. Smart charging, after all, is what can unlock the benefits of EVs for consumers and utilities alike. Smart charging is essential if we want to use EVs to take advantage of late night wind energy, for example. And if we want to avoid excessive peaks and other potential EV problems. Keep reading →

 /  Published October 1, 2012 at 2:30 PM
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