Igniting Innovation with a Smarter Grid
Many articles discuss how new innovations are helping to create a smarter grid. But there hasn’t been as much focus on how a smarter grid can boost innovation. Chattanooga, Tenn., may again be showing...
View ArticleIt’s Independence Day. Are We Also Becoming Energy Independent?
The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting cover story last week about U.S. energy supplies. With technological advancements in hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking) opening new sources of oil,...
View ArticleBuilding a Workforce to Address Modern Power Delivery Challenges
The industry faces many hurdles in building a modern smart grid, ranging from technology to regulatory. People-related challenges are another hurdle, and I’m not referring to the often-discussed topic...
View ArticleIndia Power Outages Shine a Spotlight on Microgrids
Much of the reporting on India’s recent power outages focused on the number of people who lost power, which is a huge number. But one of the things I found most interesting is the number of people and...
View ArticleCreating a Cleaner Cloud
The recent New York Times series on the environmental impacts of data centers—which are critical infrastructure in our increasingly digital world—certainly sparked a great deal of discussion. Data...
View ArticleMaking the Holidays Merry . . . and Bright
With the holiday season in full swing, many people will take time off to celebrate with friends and families. However, critical infrastructure—including the electric power grid—will still be reporting...
View ArticleImproving Energy Efficiency Without Inconveniencing Consumers
This month, two big consumer trade shows—the Consumer Electronic Show and the Detroit Auto Show—both showcased new products aimed toward the same goal: increasing energy efficiency. Energy efficiency...
View ArticleBoosting Economic Productivity with an Energy-Efficient Smart Grid
Greentech Media reported this week on a new study that found energy efficiency is a more important economic driver than energy supply. The report, from American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy,...
View ArticleShaving Peak Residential Electricity Demand with Grid-Based Technology
Interesting fact, as reported by Katherine Tweed of Greentech Media: “when it comes to electricity hogs, the perpetrators are close to home and not at industrial sites and businesses.” Though a factory...
View ArticleThe Modern Microgrid: Three Major Benefits
As we’ve written previously on this blog, microgrids are not a new concept. They have existed in one form or another for decades. But microgrids today provide new capabilities that offer great promise,...
View ArticleThree Solutions for Integrating Renewable Energy to the Grid
With Earth Day 2013 this week, we saw renewed focus on what actions should be taken to protect the planet against the effects of climate change. Not surprisingly, increasing global use of clean energy...
View ArticleAnother Way for Power Grids to Beat the Heat? Think Asset Management
As the recent U.S. heat wave led to soaring electricity use—and in some places record-breaking peak demand—many businesses and consumers were asked to conserve power. Such conservation is necessary to...
View ArticleReady, Set, Charge: How Energy Storage Can Make Your Microgrid More Reliable
Energy storage technology has advanced significantly in recent years, with real-world use in a wide variety of applications such as renewables integration, reliability improvements, and peak shaving....
View ArticleHow to Build a Resilient Power System? Start with Resilient Products
In the year since Hurricane Sandy, the electric power industry has focused on the need to build a power system that can withstand natural disasters like hurricanes. Much of this discussion has focused...
View ArticleSnowy Roads? Self-Healing Power Systems Reduce the Impact on Power Restoration
Inclement weather frequently leads to slower travel times as road conditions deteriorate. These road conditions can slow down more than drivers, however. Poor road conditions can also slow power...
View ArticleDistribuTECH 2014 Highlights Essential Technologies for Modern Power Systems
At this year’s DistribuTECH event, energy storage took center stage as attendees talked about one of the biggest grid control challenges facing utilities today: distributed solar PV. Energy storage...
View ArticleTrying to Solve Power System Challenges? See New Solutions at the IEEE PES...
The power system faces major challenges today. Extreme weather is one issue, as many of parts of the U.S. have seen this winter. From frigid temperatures that caused spikes in peak demand, to...
View ArticleApril Showers . . . Bring Power Outages? Not Necessarily
You know the old adage, that April showers bring May flowers. But that’s not all spring weather brings. April showers can result in power outages when these showers are actually storms accompanied by...
View ArticleThe Foundation for Reliable Power? A Reliable Power Grid
Power outages in the U.S. have been on the rise for the past three decades, according to one recent article. The U.S. power grid today loses power 285 percent more often than it did in 1984, costing...
View ArticleCan Your Transformer Protective Device Clear the Most Common Type of Faults?
Protecting power transformers in distribution substations is a critical power system application. Power transformers are expensive assets with long lead times—and the need to remove a power transformer...
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