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THE POWER INDUSTRYS
VISION STATEMENT
Strategies to move the electricity sector into the future

Page 28
THE 2015 ASSET

MANAGEMENT PLAN
Taking a predictive, proactive

approach to maintenance
Page 38
In Todays High Tech World

Reliable Power Quality Is Not
the Question...
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consequences are power outages or cutbacks that
result in scrambled data, production line stoppages
or even a possible fire risk.
The most dependable and proven upgrades of
outdated power systems have been through the use
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 VOL. 28 NO. 1
DIGITAL EDITION
contents
THE POWER INDUSTRYS

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VISION STATEMENT
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PRIORITY TO ASSET MANAGEMENT
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2015 ASSET MANAGEMENT PLAN
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LIGHTNING DISCOVERIES &

TECHNOLOGIES
Smart Metering
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Overhead T&D
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HOW TO SAVE AGING ASSETS
56
PROTECTIVE RELAY FRUSTRATIONS
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INTEGRATED ENERGY FORECASTING
Lineman Safety
72
Power Transformers
Fall protection
becomes mandatory
Aluminum or copper:
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transformers
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Applying limited resources to critical infrastructure
Solving misoperation with line parameter

measurements
Improving T&D planning operations
Underground T&D
68
Taking a predictive, proactive approach

to maintenance
How this phenomenon affects electric utilities
Vegetation management
on transmission lines
Underground cable
problems
Time to focus on planning contingencies and

balancing risk
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The Bulletin Board
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Aging infrastructure
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will increase between
now and 2020.
ENERGY
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POWER INDUSTRY MOVES FORWARD
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 VOL. 28 NO. 1
Compared to other industries, the power sector has been

called conservative and slow-paced when adapting new
technologies. However, power sector participants are changing their attitude toward new technologies such as the
Smart Grid, which, consequently, is causing market growth
as well as an increase in revenues.
PUBLISHER/PRESIDENT
Randolph W. Hurst
E-Mail: randy@electricityforum.com
COMMUNICATIONS
According to a recent Navigant Research report, worldwide
revenues for Smart Grid communications networking
hardware will reach $3.2 billion annually by 2020, before
leveling off in subsequent years. Richelle Elberg, a senior
analyst from Navigant Research, pointed out in a press
release that, only five years ago, electric utilities were consumed with enabling grid communications.
Now, these same power sector participants are focusing on technology that can enable a truly integrated
system that links older systems currently in place with new technology from different vendors.
NATIONAL SALES MANAGER

Tammy Williams
E-Mail: tammy@electricityforum.com
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Phill Feltham
E-Mail: phill@electricityforum.com
SMART GRID AS A SERVICE

In a second report from Navigant, revenue from SGaaS (Smart Grid as a Service) solutions will grow
from $1.7 billion in 2014 to $11.2 billion in 2023. SGaaS solutions have the possibility to increase the
number of Smart Grid initiatives in the power industry.
For the most part, large utilities with deep pockets are currently the innovators in developing
Smart Grid initiatives (electric utilities on tight budgets simply cannot afford to fund such initiatives).
However, SGaaS solutions give utilities on a limited budget the ability to spread project costs over
a period of several years. This opportunity for utilities is expected to increase growth in the SGaaS
market over the next decade. The increase in revenue is expected to attract information technology
(IT) professionals to electric utilities with limited budgets as well as provide managed services to help
in developing Smart Grid initiatives.
LABORATORIES
Electric utilities as well as other industry participants are not only changing their attitude toward Smart
Grid technologies, but some have opened up their own laboratories for research and development
purposes. Southern California Edison opened a lab in 2009, which, consequently, has led to an increase
in electric vehicles as well as solar and wind power in the Golden State. Additionally, the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory opened its $135 million Energy Systems Integration Facility in 2013,
and the New York Power Authority will be opening a lab to conduct its own research.
THE BOTTOM LiNE
The increase in the number of industry standards, investments, and regulation makes the power grid of
the future a solid reality. Navigant Research reports that Smart Grid spending will increase from $44.1
billion in 2014 to $70.2 billion in 2023. New legislation from both the U.S. and the Canadian governments,
aging infrastructure, and extreme weather are pushing utilities to spend more on implementing Smart
Grid technologies. Solutions such as Smart Grid as a service are providing opportunities to utilities on
a tight budget the opportunity to develop their own Smart Grid initiatives. As new opportunities arise,
and obstacles are conquered, industry growth will only increase at a faster pace.
Phill Feltham,
Editor-in-Chief
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2015 PowerTest Conference
71
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American Connectors, Inc.
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Baron USA, LLC
31
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Canadian Copper & Brass Development Association
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Candura Instruments
25
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Glen Raven Technical Fabrics, LLC
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High Voltage, Inc.
19
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International Fluid Power Society
18
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IPPSA
63
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LaPrairie Inc.
21
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Linemans Testing Laboratories (LTL)
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Megger
26, 27
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Morgan Schaffer
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OMICRON electronics Corp. USA
11
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P&R Technologies
17
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Pioneer Transformers
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Power Grid Resilience
81
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Westex
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SMART GRID
CHANNEL
THE WATCHDOG OF
ELECTRICAL ASSETS
Integrated
security operations
centers (ISOC)
for electric utilities
BY RALPH KING,
Electric Power Research Institute
ecurity operations centers (SOCs) are
common in corporate information
technology (IT), physical security,
and industrial control environments. Many organizations have one or more of these individual SOCs respon
sible for defined physical regions or business functions. SOC
capabilities range from providing basic environment or equipment
status indicators to operating complex information gathering, analysis,
alerting, and coordinating event responses.
However, as the quantity and types of information and cyber-physical
systems continue to grow, the complexity of the individual systems and their
interactions and interdependencies makes human-to-human coordination

of the disparate elements nearly impossible.
A critical challenge for many electric sector participants is the wide gap in
historical approaches to managing each internal business units system. For
example, it is normal for the information technology (IT) department to
have major systems off line for a few hours each week to apply patches or
system upgrades, but this common IT practice is inappropriate for man
agement of an electric grid.
Each approach is not wrong, but rather different based on the purpose of
how systems are managed and used. Nothing in the discussion of separate
versus integrated SOCs changes that underlying fundamental premise. The
focus of an integrated security operations center (ISOC) is supporting the
security and reliability of the infrastructure common to IT, operations technology (OT), and physical security. Furthermore, ISOCs are meant to fa
cilitate the flow of interrelated information so each business unit can im
prove management of its own functions.
An integrated security operations center aggregates the many isolated
security monitoring and response functions into a unified framework, in
creasing threat intelligence and improving incident response. This issues
Figure 1: Example high-level ISOC architecture
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be engaged to reach consensus on the business drivers, potential

challenges, and the high-level phases of the effort. This is a critical
first step because once that is completed, the stakeholders will need
to provide technical and budgetary support throughout the planning,
implementation, and operational phases of the integrated security operations
center. The ISOC Planning in 6 Steps sidebar outlines six primary steps
required for planning an integrated security operations center.
ISOC PLANNING IN 6 STEPS
Smart Grid Channel focuses on

the process of planning an integrated
security operations center. The benefits of an
ISOC over separate isolated SOCs are outl
ined in the ISOC Benefits sidebar. Figure 1
shows a potential architecture for an integrated security operations center. The ISOC integrates the sec
urity monitoring of multiple domains within a utility, inclu
ding corporate IT systems, power delivery systems, generation
systems, and physical security.
ISOC BENEFITS
1/ Real-time intelligence
2/ Improved vulnerability and threat analysis across
organizational domains
3/ Efficient forensics and root cause analysis
4/ Unified (corporate IT and OT) security incident management
5/ Centralized configuration and patch management
6/ Optimization of security resources
7/ Building workforce trust relationships across business functions
Many reasons exist why utilities should implement an ISOC; however, the
process can present some technological hurdles (refer to Implementation
Challenges sidebar).
IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES
1/ Organizational barriers between corporate IT and OT

security groups
2/ Availability requirements of real-time systems limiting
the fidelity and frequency of event log updates
3/ Lack of security technology available for field systems
4/ Connectivity issues with legacy OT devices
5/ Lack of skilled staff to support an ISOC
6/ Budget constraints
Migrating from technology or business unit security operations centers
to an enterprise ISOC can be a multi-year phased process that requires
significant planning and investment. Several internal stakeholders must
1/ Executive engagement
2/ Business unit engagement
3/ Requirements selection for ISOC domains
4/ Logging requirements selection
5/ ISOC architecture design
6/ Implementation planning
STEP 1
EXECUTIVE ENGAGEMENT
An ISOC consolidates the security monitoring and incident management
of systems from multiple business units within a utility, such as corporate
IT, operations business units (OT), and facilities. For this to be successful,
clear guidance from senior management to the heads of various business
units is usually required. Additionally, financial commitments for capital
investments, staff requirements, and operating costs may require approval
from senior management.
Thus, a clear business case for building an integrated security operations
center must be developed. In particular, the benefits of the following drivers
need to be clearly stated and quantified (if possible) for senior management:
(1) Unified approach to incident management across business units;
(2) improved threat intelligence, and (3) operations and maintenance cost
analysis for separate versus integrated SOC, including the potential reduc
tion of redundant security resources and services.
STEP 2
BUSINESS UNIT ENGAGEMENT

After senior management has provided support and a clear directive for consolidating incident management, an ISOC champion will need to be iden
tified to engage with the individual business units and OT domains. The
ISOC Champion Selection in 4 Steps sidebar outlines several steps involved
in this process.
Due to the fundamentally different approaches to IT and OT systems,
a lack of trust between the corporate or central security group and the OT
staff is understandable. Depending on how the utility is structured, these
groups may not have a long history of interaction. Moreover, the level of
cybersecurity expertise within utilities business units can vary significantly
from one business unit to another. Depending on a particular organizations
starting point, it may require a significant amount of time to build trust
ISOC CHAMPION SELECTION IN 4 STEPS
1/ Build trust with business units

2/ Facilitate change management activities within and
between business units
3/ Explain benefits of an ISOC to business units
4/ Educate business units OT staff on operational impact of ISOC
with the staff of the business units. Bridging that relationship

gap is a critical predecessor to success of an integrated security
operations center.
STEP 3
SELECTING REQUIREMENTS FOR DOMAINS

Considerable amounts of literature are available to provide guidance for sys
tems that are part of the corporate IT domain. Additionally, many tools to
support incident management for corporate systems as well as companies
that provide managed security services are also available.
Developing ISOC requirements for the business units can be very chal
lenging due to the many types of systems, devices, and vendors in power
delivery systems, generation facilities, and IT systems. It will be critical for a
utility to prioritize the systems that are included in each phase of implement
ing an integrated security operations center. For example, a utility may choose
to create narrow requirements for the ISOCs first implementation phase
and focus only on North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)
Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) requirements. The NERC CIP regulation establishes rules that, once implemented, help protect North Amer
icas electric utilities against physical and cyberattacks.
In many utilities, physical security is under the management of the Fa
cilities Department. However, separate management of physical security can
make it difficult to correlate physical events with cyber events in real time.
An example of this would be the real-time correlation of a physical breach
of a substation with the detection of a rogue device on the substation LAN
(local area network) or a communications failure with a substation device.
In addition to the utilitys internal systems, several external sources of
information should be included in the ISOC design and requirements. These
sources of information provide the utility with awareness of current threats
and vulnerabilities that might affect the various risk profiles. Several security
OSHA 1910.269
information and event management

(SIEM) vendors provide services that
incorporate threat and vulnerability information into a security operations center.
STEP 4
EVENT LOGGING REQUIREMENTS

The event log transport and storage requirements will be
highly dependent on which electric sector domains are in
cluded in the ISOC, as well as on applicable regulations. For ex
ample, including a large advanced metering infrastructure (AMI)
deployment in an ISOC could have a tremendous impact on the stor
age requirements because of the number of meters involved.
Utilities will need to work closely with their SIEM vendor to determine
the storage requirements. Regulations such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
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STEP 5
DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT

The architecture and management of an ISOC will be determined based
on the requirements that have been defined, the enterprises current mon
itoring and response capabilities, and the resources available to devote to
ISOC development. There is not a single design that works best for all
utilities, but there are trade-offs associated with each design option.
One key design consideration is the use of third-party security service
providers for managing the integrated security operations center. Managed
security service providers (MSSPs) provide monitoring and management of
intrusion detection systems and firewalls as a service. Additionally, MSSPs may
support other security functions, such as patch management and security audits.
Photo credit (substations): Colin Brough
(SOX), also known as the Pub

lic Company Accounting Reform and In
vestor Protection Act, and NERC CIP will
affect the overall retention period for event logs as well
as the process for destroying logs that are no longer needed.
The U.S. federal governments SOX regulation requires corporate
executives (that is, the chief executive and chief financial officers) of public
companies to prove financial reports are accurate and require public com
panies to ensure that financial reporting has adequate internal controls.
By outsourcing the aforementioned services,

a company may reduce its own security staff and fo
cus on its core business. Many utilities currently rely on
MSSPs to provide analysis and support for their corporate security
operations centers. Larger utilities may choose to internalize all of the
ISOC functions and not use a managed security service provider. Still
other utilities may implement a hybrid approach where external services
are used to support monitoring outside of normal business hours, or
where threat analysis may be completed by other parties.
Utilities can take advantage of many possible ways to design an ISOC that
meets their set of requirements. Most likely, two primary approaches will be
used: a fully centralized architecture or multi-center distributed architecture.
A fully integrated architecture provides monitoring for all utility business
units: corporate systems, operations units, and physical security. This ap
proach would likely be used by large utilities with significant resources to
apply to cybersecurity. A multi-center distributed architecture relies on a hier
archical integrated security operations center. In this architecture, each bus
iness unit is responsible for managing alarms in real-time and only critical
alarms are brought to the attention of ISOC staff. In either case, all event logs
and alarms would be sent to the integrated security operations center.
STEP 6
IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING
The last planning step is to identify and prioritize the order in which systems are incorporated in the integrated security operations center. Once
the initial requirements have been developed, current capabilities identified, and a gap analysis performed, an implementation plan can be devel
oped. The decision to implement an ISOC with internal resources versus
external, or a hybrid of the two, will determine the key steps to be taken.
In many cases, hiring an experienced consultant and system integrator
to advise the organization on implementation options and industry best
practices will improve the chances of a successful implementation.
One key consideration is to avoid creating a

highly functional ISOC instantaneously.
A phased implementation allows utility teams to absorb
work and process demands gradually, which, consequently, im
proves team skill sets as well. The How to Implement ISOC into Operations
suggests an ordered approach to developing ISOC capabilities.
LAST LOOK
2
3
4
5
6
HOW TO IMPLEMENT
ISOC INTO OPERATIONS
Develop ISOC policies and procedures
Once the systems for inclusion in the ISOC have been
identified, policies and procedures must be developed
for the integrated security operations center.
Hire initial ISOC staff
An experienced ISOC engineer or manager can assist
with architecture development, external versus internal
resource decisions, tool selection, and policy and
procedure development. The ability to adequately staff
an ISOC may drive external resourcing decisions.
Practice ISOC procedures under current capabilities
The initial staff working in the ISOC can begin trial
operations to determine the effectiveness of current
capabilities and processes.
Select external partners and develop service level
agreements (SLAs)
If parts of the enterprise currently use a managed
security service provider, existing SLAs can be reviewed
for effectiveness and used, as appropriate, for future
external partner SLAs.
Select and deploy SIEM and analysis tools
The event integration and management tools are
critical elements of ISOC operation. Exercising the
tools as early as possible in the process will allow staff,
management, and event data providerssuch as
network managersto refine roles, responsibilities,
and procedures.
This issues Smart Grid Channel provided a brief overview

of the process for planning an integrated security oper
ations center, including stakeholder engagement, requirements development, and implementation planning.
The centralized approach for incident management described in this report provides utilities with greater situational awareness of security events and threat intel
ligence across their entire enterprise. However, building
an ISOC requires significant technical resources, staff,
and time. Additionally, utilities should consider the sig
nificant organizational barriers that must be overcome
for the deployment to be successful. ET
Related Articles
Integrated Energy Forecasting
SMART
GRID
Building an ISOC
requires significant
technical resources,
staff, and time
Integrate new event sources into the ISOC

Depending on the existing state of the organizations
event management and operations, existing event
data sources and information from MSSPs should be
individually phased in. This phased process will allow
the ISOC team to adjust to the new workload, each
new source, or new event management process.
ELECTRICAL SUBSTATIONS
CHANNEL
SUBSTATION MAINTENANCE
Improving best practices for greater success
BY BUDO MILOVIC, DV-Power
urrently, substation maintenanceregular or emergencyoper

ations and best practices must fit the utilitys goal of accomplishing
more with less, in order to maximize assets and minimize outages.
A caveat to this weighty goal is to accomplish more with less with a reduced
workforce and under tight budgets. Field workers face this reality daily.
Therefore, to overcome such challenges, maintenance crews have to be prop
erly equipped and trained for these everyday demanding tasks.
In this issues Substation Channel, Electricity Today Magazine and DVPower aim to equip utility maintenance personnel with seven important facts
that can help maximize testing efficiency for substation maintenance tasks.
CHOOSE CRITERIA-BASED
TESTING PROCEDURES
Improvised tests and testing on the fly
may save time and money, but results may not
be accurate, thus introducing potential reli
ability issues and unexpected events. One of
the most important elements to consider about
time and efforts spent for testing is potential
consequences for any unexpected event. Reli
ability-centered and performance-based maintenance are some of the methodologies cur
rently used by utility maintenance crews. The
goal is to have records of equipment condi
Select testing
tions and to understand associated risks and
procedure based on
consequences to determine an optimum main
clear criteria
tenance strategy.
Every substation downtime could be expressed in terms of dollars and
safety issues. As such, corresponding status of each element needs to be
classified by readiness and maintenance requirements. Past records, as well
as ability to examine trends for selected parameters, are becoming critical
elements to select when, what, and how apparatus should be maintained on
a regular, advanced, or exceptional basis.
Several basic test methods, such as dissolved gas analysis (DGA) for
transformer condition assessment, or contact resistance for circuit breakers
provide a basic status data. Furthermore, online monitoring provides con

tinuous feed of data containing important information on operational act
ivity of substation equipment. Finally, risk assessment of the substation, its
criticality, and potential for economic, environmental, social, and public
impacts are used to decide which maintenance program to apply.
Some utilities use a maintenance strategy based upon equipment con
dition criteria. Then, a failure mode effect analysis dictates the maintenance
concept that combines condition measurement with small maintenance
activities. The frequency of the concept applied depends on the type of
equipment (SF6, oil, metal enclosed, mechanical, or hydraulic drive) and
voltage level, but varies within a time span of several years. Overhaul or
revision of maintenance tasks are not fixed, but dependent on the results
of the measured condition such as contact resistance or oil analysis, which
is then compared to a typical data set to create corresponding expert
rules and support decisions used in various applications (for example, as
set management systems such as Maximo or, for tracking preventive main
tenance tools such as MaintenWorks).
For substations and associated apparatus requiring special test proce
dures, more advanced testing can provide insight into the condition of each
component, starting from the premise that the weakest link in the chain
defines the overall performance of the equipment.
II
Select testing tools fit
for the task
SELECT TESTING TOOLS FIT

FOR THE TASK
No single magic test tool exists that can
detect all apparatus problems and provide the
equipment owner information on the expected
life of the tested unit. Maintenance crews can
improve their chances to identify problems
using a larger toolbox that contain versatile
instruments. Sheer number of manufacturers,
numerous options, and different price ranges
are contributing to difficulties in selecting the
right tools for the job.
There is a significant difference between
rugged field instruments and high precision
laboratory instruments. Nowadays, field in
struments with increased accuracy are available. Decisions about required

accuracy should fit the application, taking into consideration that increased accuracy may require longer testing times or more expensive tools.
Utilities need to determine the length of time that maintenance crews spend
in the field completing condition assessments that usually consist of several
test procedures. For example, does a utility worker need to know if humidity
of the paper in a transformer is 3.2 or 3.5 percent? Is this precision required,
or is a simple wet vs. dry enough to warrant a corrective action? On the
other hand, when testing a transformer with 33 tap positions, maintenance
personnel can shorten each test on automatic procedures by one minute,
which saves timeespecially if these tests are repeated for each phase.
One test method requiring higher instrument output is a transformer
winding direct current resistance test. This procedure may take hours to
obtain a required accuracy, as the total test time con
sists of charging plus stabilization time. The higher the
voltage is, the faster the charging time.
On the other hand, stabilization may take hours.
Saturation of the magnetic core significantly improves
the stabilization time. A high current output from the
instrument is required to saturate the core. Combining
higher voltage and higher current outputs traditionally increases weight of the instrument. Power can be
increased by using modern instruments with a very
modest weight increase.
Instruments fit for substation apparatus testing
should provide enough power, or voltage, or accuracy,
to perform tests as quickly as possible. Service personnel safety and convenience are of utmost impor
tance. Climbing up and down a transformer, even with
all the safety gear in place, is a risk hazard. Selecting
the tool that would require one setup for several test
procedures is not only a convenience, but also a safety
improvement. Taking into consideration relative long
changeover times when replacing testing tools, the
right choice is becoming even more critical.
an advantage, one box and one set of test leads makes work more convenient.
Manufacturers with a large installed base and established contacts may
have easier access to a particular market. Still, fast changing technologies
and newcomers with attractive pricing are some of the factors that make the
utility test instrument marketplace more competitive.
Before selection criteria are fully established, keep up-to-date with the
industry. Do the homework: (1) prioritize selection criteria, (2) investigate
multiple resources, and (3) follow the expert advice, not just the preferred
or establishedsales resources.
Initial selection criteria should be revisited at the later stage of a pur
chasing process ensuring the latest industry trends learned or identified are
considered as well. Accuracy, simplicity, robustness, size, warranty, and price
are some of the criteria.
WORLDS
making life visibly safer
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REVISIT SELECTION CRITERIA

WHEN BUYING NEW TEST
EQUIPMENT
Multiple vendors, diverse products, and a multitude of
features make selection decisions challenging. There
fore, preparation to purchase becomes even more critical to prevent selection based on the best sales strat
egy rather than features to fit current and future main
tenance needs.
Many combined instruments on the market pro
vide two or three test procedures in a single box. Oth
ers provide several test procedures using the same
test lead connection. If the utilitys test teams have to
perform several measurements in different substations,
combined tools are disadvantageous.
This procedure would require duplication of test
instruments, where simple single-task units may be
shared. On the other side, failure of one test module
makes the whole battery of tests impossible, where as
GET
CERTIFIED
AND IMPROVE YOUR

FLEET PERFORMANCE
Fleet managers want fluid power certified
mechanics, engineers, and technicians
working on every one of their trucks because
improved productivity, safety and efficiency
are the bottom line.
Some of the current trends may become important. For example, more powerful instruments require
lighter cables easier to work with in the field. Multitask test equipment versus simpler and smaller units may
become an important selection factor, taking into account internal resources capability and focus.
Generally, a selection criteria list should be established separately for each type of test equipment.
IV
SELECT SMART TEST EQUIPMENT

One important selection criteria is to ensure purchased test
equipment is based on Smart multiprocessor-based technol
ogy. Multitasking, but simplicity of use, remains the industry trend. Smart
test equipment should collect and store comprehensive records from mul
tiple tests with the capability to compare and analyze different test scenarios
and procedures. Clear error code interpretations and access to help instruc
tions are expected.
When working in the field, out of reach for additional help, smart test
equipment with operating instructions and comprehensive error detections are a necessity. A well-designed quick guide placed on the instrument
itself is an effective way of ensuring that the basic testing information is
always and easily available. Safety warnings, connection schematics, and the basic operating instruc
tions are typical examples.
Smart instruments are capable of recognizing
incorrect or faulty connections. For example, open
circuits or polarity reverse conditions are automat
ically alarmed. Smart instruments indicate other
important conditions affecting operations or ac
curacy, for example, a transformer discharge indi
cation for DC current tests on a power transformer
or duty cycle durations.
The accompanied computer software for smart
instruments provides additional testing information
and graph options to simplify the results analysis
and understanding. Sometimes, a problem that
could be easily missed among the numerical results
becomes immediately apparent in the graphical result
presentation and comparative analysis.
Another effective analysis method is an auto
matic pass/fail criterion for tests with clearly de
fined limit conditions. Comparison between different
phases in case of three-phase tests, or between different tests on the same test object, need to be sim
ple and easily available.
In order to utilize the additional features that com
puter software provides, fully user-friendly, intuitive, and supported with comprehensive help options,
built-in tips, and tutorials should be provided upon purchase. Moreover, a demo mode is expected,
enabling the operator to explore the options provided by the software safely.
Smart
instruments
are capable of
recognizing
incorrect
or faulty
connections.
FL
ER
D POW
UI
INTERNATIONAL
SO
CIETY
CERTIFICATIONS INCLUDE
Mobile Hydraulic Mechanic
Mobile Hydraulic Technician
Connector & Conductor
For more information visit
www.ifps.org or call 1-800-308-6005
SELECT DURABLE TEST EQUIPMENT

Probably one of the most frequent factors affecting operational
readiness in the field is the durability of test equipment. Substation
maintenance is about service calls under different weather conditions, in
remote areas and transportation that involve dropping, banging, or rough
handling of test equipment. Consequently, mobility, housing construction,
material used including shock absorbers, and packing for the test equipment
become the important selection criteria.
Resistance to vibrations is an often-underrated feature of test equipment,
since the roads leading to test locations are often rough, and the equipment
frequently needs to withstand several hours of being shaken or bounced
in the back of a van or a pickup truck. If the instrument is packed in a
waterproof plastic case, the device provides additional protection against
mechanical impacts and elements. Additionally, the instrument accessories and cables need to be durable,
since these fittings often bear the greatest mechanical tensions during the test.
Testing can be performed in temperature extremes and the equipment should be capable of with
standing both hot and cold conditions. Proper ventilation and cooling of the equipment is necessary
in order to extend its lifetime and to avoid overheating problems. In case overheating does occur, the
instrument should alarm and shut down the test automatically in order to avoid any permanent damage.
Smart test
equipment
may be seen
as challenging
to use due to
its perceived
complexity
VI
ENSURE PERSONNEL IS
WELL TRAINED
Smart test equipment, usually with
microprocessor and various software routines,
may be seen as challenging to use due to its perceived complexity. The best test equipment in
the field, even if considered as a black box in
terms of operating principles, is easy to operate, with clear and simple connecting and operating instructions.
Test technicians are faced with many tasks
during their daily routine. Using one partic
ular test instrument may come once a month or even less frequently. Once
trained, this knowledge has to be retained for a long period of time. Com
plex procedures are easy to forget or mix up. Continuous education and
knowledge refreshments are essential. The process of learning is not finished
after the first training session. The possibility to receive follow-up training
either onsite, virtually via e-mail exchange or webinar, or a simple telephone
contact should be the norm.
Providing timely reports on test data with indication of possible test pro
cedure errors or deficiencies, explaining correct test procedures, parameters
selection, and data evaluation are necessary for continuous education and
experience gain. Such supports from both internally and from test instru
ment manufacturers should be regular and comprehensive.
Modern test instruments are operated via a built-in interface or external
laptop/controller link. In addition to simple operations and supporting tools,
such computerized interface requires some level of familiarity with infor
mation technologies. Specifically in cases of unexpected problems and
troubleshooting, a technician is expected to have some IT proficiency to
ensure productivity
and self-sufficiency in the field.
For
example,3:03
a tech
3868_HVI_Electricity_Today_Ad.pdf
1
1/22/15
PM
Commission Testing Electrical Apparatus & Cables?

HVI For all your high voltage test equipment needs
Heres what you need to get it done . . .

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2 AC Hipots
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nician should be able to find a backup file of the test results in case of a
computer crash.
While training and proper education are of utmost importance, clear
instructions readily available with the instruments plus application notes
helping with specific routines should essentially be a part of any true smart
test equipment purchase.
VII
CONSIDER WARRANTY
& TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Manufacturers of equipment
with reputable maintenance records usually
provide extended warranties. The manufacturers
bottom line is affected each time equipment
is returned under the warranty. As such, war
ranty conditions and, specifically, warranty
lengths are clear indications of test equipment
readiness and quality. Availability of a manu
facturers technical support must be timely, comprehensive, and substantiated in terms of tests
functional specifics and test result interpretations.
On-time technical support services remain an important part of field
testing successes. Test and measurement equipment complexity continues
to increase. Multiple application modes and routines reside within a single
unit. In addition to all preparation work, unexpected events in the field may
need urgent support. Software issues and recovery of lost data after several
hours of testing are typical examples where reliable manufacturer support

makes a difference in such unexpected events.
The last step in substation testing is to create reports including test results
analysis and interpretation. Technical and process expertise for such sup
ports is becoming critical. A solid manufacturer keeps knowledge databases
and expertise in-house with an ability to assist in those final testing steps to
determine the condition of assets. As the result, quite often, direct assistance
during operation proceduresvia telephone assistance or desktop con
trolled softwareis expected and necessary. ET
Budo Milovic is an application engineer at DV-Power, a global manufacturer
of substation test equipment. Mr. Milovic is an electrical engineer with strong
background in power electronics. His experience includes dynamic contact
resistance measurements and best test equipment manufacturing practices.
VISIT: www.DV-Power.com
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POWER
TRANSFORMERS
Aluminum or copper: the truth about cast-resin transformers
On-time technical
support services remain
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SMART METERING
CHANNEL
DEMAND RESPONSE COMMUNICATIONS
Weighing choices from AMI to

Zigbee to Wi-Fi and cellular
BY HOWARD NG, Comverge
The demand response industry is currently experiencing some of its greatest
success currently in the marketplace. However, similar to all technologies
that stand the test of time, demand response started somewhere different
from where the technology is now. The communication protocols avail
able for demand response participants and their respective utilities, in par
ticular, have evolved significantly.
ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE
When advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) was introduced in the late
2000s, it was believed to be superior to the paging system. Utilities built
demand response benefits into their Smart Grid business case base in hopes
of quickening the metering process and working within a unified network.
What utilities began to discover was that while AMI is a valuable asset for
monitoring demand response performance via meter data, it was not the
best mechanism for the dispatch of control events. Message latency in the
downlink direction was a particular area of deficiency. Minimizing the dis
patch latency is important in adding value to a demand response system.
Stable election protocols (SEPs) used in AMI do not support the rich set
of functionalities afforded to other channels. Remote device telemetry data
(such as temperate setpoint and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
system runtime) and remote programming of thermostats are not sup
ported. Without this flexibility, utilities miss the opportunity to engage with
the customer in a more compelling way to highlight convenience and en

ergy savings.
Note that AMI is necessary to deploy dynamic pricing programs (a form
of demand response), which depend upon interval meter data to separate
energy usage in different price periods. Additionally, AMI supports other
functions such as remote disconnect and outage management that have
tremendous value to the utility.
As AMI systems were deployed and ZigBee standard development com
pleted in 2009, some utilities have looked for two-way demand response
system alternatives outside of advanced metering infrastructure.
ZIGBEE
A Zigbee gateway is a device that connects two networks. Similar to the
AMI system, a gateway uses the customers broadband network as the com
munication backbone and it creates a ZigBee home area network (HAN)
inside the customers premise for device control. The solution speed and
latency is more effective than an AMI network. Demand response events
can be initiated across thousands of devices within minutes, offering the
utility the ability to dispatch demand response events at a moments notice.
Overall, a Zigbee gateway is a useful demand response resource that can
be deployed quickly. Furthermore, this gateway offers utilities additional
flexibility with the potential to participate in day-of markets and even in
ancillary service markets such as spinning reserves.
WI-FI TECHNOLOGIES
On the consumer front, Wi-Fi is widely recognized and the U.S. is currently
approaching the 100 million mark for broadband subscribers. Wi-Fi offers
utilities plenty of opportunities to run successful energy management in
itiatives that are more appealing to a growing population of customers that
want to easily engage with their energy.
Currently, energy customers can only be successfully engaged by utilities
if offered more timely information from utilities. Mobile device usage and
direct thermostat/customer interaction are ideal methods of engagement. Customers

can use Wi-Fi thermostats to view real-time information about their heating and cooling
settings, receive analytics-tailored tips, and event notifications. Thermostats are programmed on a mobile device using an app. Solutions for future customer engage
ment and dynamic pricing programs must provide consumers with real-time
event notifications, easy response capabilities, as well as the ability to notice re
sults quickly.
Wi-Fi is a very cost-effective solution requiring little infrastructure and no
maintenance costs from having to deploy advanced metering infrastructure,
but it still has its challenges. The major concerns about using Wi-Fi pertain to
relying on a customers network. Utilities prefer full control over the network
they use for demand response, and are uncomfortable with the fact that cus
tomers can turn off their Wi-Fi broadband network or change their Wi-Fi
Service Set Identifier. However, most of these challenges can be overcome
through effective customer education.
CELLULAR
For a pure plug and play option, utilities can also rely on cellular technology.
Cellular works optimally in urban environments, but can incur a higher equipment
cost. Additionally, the complications of using extended data sessions can limit the
transfer of data and contribute to latency issues. Cellular technology will probably
gain popularity in the future, when investment costs decrease.
LAST LOOK
In the end, every system has its strengths and weaknesses. No one
system is the universally ideal solution for all utility demand response programs. What system is chosen depends on what func
tions and feature sets a utility is searching for and if they want to
interact with customers. Utilities may need to mix and match the
various options. In my opinion, Wi-Fis ability to improve com
munications between utilities and their customers, provide near
real-time feedback, and integrate with energy efficiency make it the
most well rounded option. ET
Related Articles
SMART
GRID
Geo-Targeting with Data Analytics
Cellular technology continues

to evolve, and utilities need
to work with their carriers and
DR partners to plan for the
technology evolution
OVERHEAD T&D
CHANNEL
VEGETATION
MANAGEMENT
ON
TRANSMISSION
LINES
Using LiDAR technologies to enhance operations
BY PHILIP CHARLTON, Utility Arborist Association
n March 2014, utility vegetation managers from throughout North

America gathered in Fort Worth, Texas to share their experiences with
the use of LiDAR (light detection and ranging) remote sensing tech
nologies in the management of vegetation growing in and around their
utility infrastructures. The managers that participated had over 700 years
of combined experience in the electric utility industry. Collectively, the par
ticipating managers, from 31 electric utilities, manage vegetation on over
1,000,000 miles of distribution lines and transmission corridors that provide
electricity to over 53,000,000 customers. This issues Overhead T&D Channel
summarizes the collected findings from the discussions.
Increasingly, electric utilities are using LiDAR technologies. An alert re
leased by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)
in 2012 acted as the catalyst for the expanded use of LiDAR technologies,
requiring transmission asset managers to verify facility ratings on trans
mission lines of, or more than, 200 kilovolts. This alert created an opportunity
for many utility vegetation managers who were able to include vegetation
categories in the data acquisition process.
>BENEFITS<
Utilities with experience using LiDAR found it to be an effective tool. The

volume and accuracy of the data resulting from the survey cannot be ob
tained from other inventory methodologies.
The data obtained permitted improved assessment of clearances in areas
such as canyon crossings where ground and aerial patrols provided less
definitive results. Use of LiDAR technologies provided exact identification
and location of existing high risks on or near right-of-way (ROW) trees. The
ability to pinpoint high risks at a quick pace increased efficiencies in the field.
At the meeting in Fort Worth, vegetation managers using the LiDAR tech
nology were confident in their compliance with NERCs FAC-003-2 standard:
Transmission Vegetation Managementat least in most circumstances. It is
acknowledged that the LiDAR data provides only a point-in-time snapshot.
The technology does not fully satisfy FAC inspection requirements.
Utilities still need to continue ground and aerial patrols to stay compliant
with FAC regulations. Moreover, qualified personnel must still complete
verification to obtain precise information such as the type or condition of
the vegetation.
Some vegetation managers sharing their experiences in Fort Worth
found, however, that LiDAR data provided a means to conduct a quality
assurance review on ground inspections. Subsequently, these vegetation
managers used the review to improve procedures, thus leading to clearer
results from aerial patrols.
Additionally, vegetation managers experienced other benefits such as the
ability to limit work to very specific sites where needed, and added precision
and valuable data to work specification. Moreover, vegetation managers re
ported that LiDAR sensing provided improved definition and reclamation
(that is, a clearer picture) of the ROW edge as well as the ability to share data
with other entities (for example, municipal utilities and parks).
Future devices might allow crews to use digitized work plans and use re
ceived data within predictive models.
>CHALLENGES<
The primary challenge to implementing LiDAR inventories is the cost, which is

often seven to eight times the cost of ground patrol. Costs vary considerably
from utility to utility but for order of magnitude comparisons, the cost of
LiDAR was approximated at $800 to $900 per mile, compared to $100 to
$150 per mile, for ground patrols.
The cost of flying the line with a helicopter, however, is relatively uniform
across the system while the cost of ground patrols is highly variable. Having
a criterion-referenced approach that defines the targeted corridor and the
intended use of collected LiDAR data is a critical first step.
For example, in remote areas and difficult-to-reach terrain, the cost of
LiDAR is easily justified. Regardless, data acquisition and interpretation is
expensive so the opportunity to cost-share with engineering is critical to
justifying the investment. Vegetation managers with experience in multicycle inventories report LiDAR costs decline with subsequent flights.
Once the decision for data acquisition is made, the greatest challenge
becomes dealing with false positives. Several vegetation managers reported
this to be a substantial issue with significant costs associated with their in

vestigation. Similar to the cost of data acquisition, the number of false pos
itives decline in subsequent flights.
Another significant challenge comes with the increased volume and
accuracy of data. For instance, improved accounting of off-ROW hazard
trees can be a positive unless the resources (for example, budget, crews,
hardware/software, and supervision) are not available to remedy the newly

identified problem. The need to reallocate maintenance funds to take corrective action can be devastating to the sustainability of the existing routine
program. On the other hand, not mitigating known hazards creates reg
ulatory and liability exposure.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
LiDAR technologies are becoming a more popular tool used by

utility vegetation managers. The richness of the data makes
LiDAR technologies difficult to compare with usual data acqui
sition, such as ground and aerial patrols, because the volume
and accuracy is significantly higher in quality. Cost of collecting
data on vegetation is minimized when it is obtained as a byproduct of facility inspections.
On the initial flight, vegetation managers are likely to exper
ience an excessive number of false positives that must be in
vestigated. This issue seems to resolve itself with experience and
in subsequent surveys. Most anticipate periodic re-inventory of
their facilities but not annual flights.
Once acquired, vegetation managers will be certain their
vegetation isor is notcompliant with NERCs FAC-003-2
standard. Vegetation managers, similar to others, can find that
they have more issues than anticipated and will face the challenge
of finding the resources to address these problems. Additionally,
vegetation managers will realize that they have an excellent tool for
dealing with resistant property owners and data that can be shared
in a cooperative manner with local municipalities and other entities.
While LiDAR technologies provide a great amount of data with

a variety of uses, the vegetation data has a very limited lifespan.
Vegetation managers will still need to perform ground and aerial
patrols to stay compliant with regulations. Advancements such
asimproved technologies and the use of drones may soon make
LiDAR an even more frequently-used tool for both transmission
and distribution vegetation mangement.
For now, the primary application for LiDAR technologies
will be on transmission lines. Vegetation managers can find cor
responding benefits to using LiDAR on the primary distrib
ution system but the cost is currently considered by most to
be prohibitive except in limited circumstances. ET
The Use of LiDAR in Distribution and
Transmission Vegetation Management
a white paper
Introduction
On March 5 and 6, 2014, 45 utility vegetation managers from throughout North America gathered in Fort
Worth, Texas to share their experience with the use of LiDAR in the management of vegetation growing in
and around their utility infrastructure. The managers that participated had over 700 years of combined
experience in the electric utility industry. They represented 31 companies and together manage the vegetation
on over 1,000,000 miles of distribution lines and transmission corridors that provide electricity to over
53,000,000 customers.
The framework for extensive discussions was laid by Mr. Samuel Harvey-Lavoie (Hydro Quebec) and Mr.
Steve Narolski (BPA) who shared their respective experiences with the implementation of a LiDAR inventory
on transmission lines. This white paper is the result of the subsequent discussions among the participants.
Application of LiDAR to Utility Vegetation Management
LiDAR is a remote sensing technology used increasingly by electric utilities. Much of the impetus behind the
expanded use of LiDAR was a 2012 NERC Alert requiring transmission asset managers to verify facilities
ratings on transmission lines of 200 kV or more. This created an opportunity for many utility vegetation
managers who were able to include vegetation categories in the data acquisition process.
Benefits
Those with experience using LiDAR found it to be an effective tool. The volume and accuracy of the data
resulting from the survey cannot be obtained from other inventory methodologies. The data obtained
permitted better assessment of clearances in areas such as canyon crossings where ground and aerial patrols
provided less definitive results. LiDAR provided exact identification and location of high risk off-ROW trees
increasing efficiencies in the field. Those that used the technology were 100% confident in their compliance
with FAC003, at least in the year in which the lines were flown.
It is acknowledged that the LiDAR data provides only a point-in-time snapshot. It does not fully satisfy the
FAC inspection requirements. Ground and aerial patrols will need to continue. Verification still needs to be
done with qualified personnel to obtain precise information such as the type or condition of the vegetation.
Some users found, however, that the LiDAR data provided a means to conduct QA on ground inspections
and they used that review to improve procedures leading to better results from the patrols.
DOWNLOAD NOW
Users identified other benefits experienced as being the ability to limit work to very specific sites where it is
needed; added precision and valuable data to work specification; better definition and reclamation of the
ROW edge; the ability to share data with other entities (e.g., municipal utilities, parks, etc.) and improved
communications with landowners. They anticipate future use will include digitized work plans for their crews
and the use of the data within predictive models.
READ THE WHITEPAPER

This issues Overhead T&D Channel is based
on the Utility Arborist Associations white
paper, The Use of LiDAR in Distribution and
Transmission Vegetation ManagementA
White Paper. Download a free copy of this
paper now.
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FEATURE | STATE OF INDUSTRY
THE POWER A
INDUSTRYS
VISION
STATEMENT
BY CANADIAN ELECTRICITY ASSOCIATION
Strategies to move
the electricity sector
into the future
s electric utilities consider options for the future of electricity, they

need to remember the journey that created the current power sys
tem. When the electricity industry started in the late 19th century,
it was made up of a number of independent operations, city by city; what
electric utilities might now call microgrids. It became apparent early on that
both cost and reliability could be improved when these municipal systems
were linked through major investments in larger generating stations and
transmission lines.
The price of electricity tended to drop with economies of scale. Reliability
improved with transmission that enabled large movement of electricity from
one place to another. Together, these factors drove the development of the
industry as we know it.
In the mid-20th century, consideration of environmental impacts began
to grow in importance. By the 21st century, environmental sustainability
of the electricity system evolved to a social imperative, which gave rise to
the growth of new renewable technologies such as solar, wind, biomass and
tidal. These new renewables complement the long-established renewable
hydroelectricity Canada has been relying on for over a hundred years.
Currently, the electricity industry has a commitment to limit its carbon
footprint and operate in an environmentally responsible way. More than
three-quarters of Canadas electricity generation comes from non-emitting
sources, largely from hydro, which is still the most efficient renewable tech
nology. Across the country, more non-hydro renewables are being added to
the power grid and the industry continues to find new ways to reduce the
environmental impact of natural gas and coal. Additionally, the industry is
working throughout the country to create a culture of energy conservation.
Collectively, the aforementioned milestones and goals are important mo
ments in the evolution of Canadas electricity system, helping electric util
ities understand their history in preparation for choices about their future.
Given the changing dynamics utilities currently face, the power industry has
developed a vision for a bright future for electricity.
The electricity industry has a much

slower capital stock turnover than most
other industries. Hydroelectric plants
can operate for more than a century.
FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS
Any vision must accept and build on three fundamental characteristics of
the electricity industry that combine to determine its evolution and the
constraints under which it operates (refer to the following points).
1
2
3
Current electricity infrastructure is replaced only very slowly

The power grids principal actors are interdependent
across borders
The power grid manages and delivers a public benefit
The electricity industry has a much slower capital stock turnover than most
other industries. Coal plants operate for more than 50 years and nuclear
plants for more than 40 years. Hydroelectric plants can operate for more than
a century. Electricity assets are also slow to turn over because, dissimilar to
consumer goods, innovations tend to occur at a slower pace than in many
other industries, and truly disruptive innovationsrefinements and changes
that redefine the entire industryoccur only rarely.
The slow pace of turnover in electricity has a clear implication: utilities
might conclude that plenty of time is available to decide on the desired power
system; however, 2050 is an electric heartbeat away. Once infrastructure is
in place, there are significant economic costs to cutting short its very long
useful life. In other words, what utilities decide to build today will form the
foundation of tomorrows power system. New infrastructure will be in oper
ation for decades, so utilities must choose wisely.
Energy resources are interdependent to a significant extent, especially in
terms of the electricity grid and international energy prices. In 2003, cas
cading blackouts originating in Ohio led to more than 508 generating units
at 265 power plants across Canada and the United States being shut down
through the outage. Moreover, when Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast
in 2012, engineers, and experts were immediately deployed to help restore
power and clean up.
The electricity system is a public commodity. Although electric utilities
naturally look to advance their own interests, the industry is also a steward
of the public trust. Therefore, its effective functioning leads to significant
benefits for society. When the electricity system functions well, it has a metarole in supporting the stability and growth of other industries and other
parts of the economy. Electricity, in developing economies, has driven, or
at least been strongly correlated with, human development, and it is equally

critical for the sustainability of developed economies. However, as well,
market failures in electricity often translate into wider crises.
VISION STATEMENT
Electric utilities need to follow a vision statement
that outlines strategies and recommendations
that can help secure a reliable and sustainable
future for tomorrows power grid. Vision 2050,
a call-to-action report recently published by the
Canadian Electricity Association (CEA), can act
as that vision statement for the power industry.
CEAs new report is tailored specifically for
Canadian regulators and utilities. However, the
strategies and recommendations published in
Vision 2050 can provide U.S. regulators and utilities
an opportunity to gain ideas to implement
their own strategy as well as work with Canadian
utilities to turn the power grid into a truly interconnected systemon both sides of the border.
This feature in Electricity Today Magazine draws
insight from Vision 2050 that can benefit both
U.S. and Canadian utilitiescomplete with
recommendations.
ELECTRICITY MIX SCENARIO FOR 2050

Electricity mix scenarios are tools for combining demand and supply inputs into possible pictures of the future. Vision 2050 speculates about the National
Energy Boards most likely scenario for the mix of power generation in the future. The National Energy Board (Canada) is an independent federal regulatory
tribunal established in 1959. The Vision 2050 report notes some largely incremental changes in the electricity mix, which is already relatively clean and low
carbon. Furthermore, Vision 2050 identifies the underlying factors affecting these incremental changes by using a base-case scenario.
VISION 2050 VARIABLES
FUTURE SIZE OF THE SYSTEM
The size of electricity supply and demand could be altered by variables such as growth rates for population, gross domestic profit (GDP),
electrification of vehicles, and electricity exports, as well as the effectiveness of energy efficiency and a reduced demand for management
programs.
Photo credit (city shore): BC Hydro
FUTURE-CHANGING VARIABLES
It is important to note that scenarios cannot predict with certainty what will shape the path to a low carbon future. Furthermore, these scenarios can potentially
omit important intervening factors that can dramatically change the longer-term picture. These variables may dramatically affect the future of electricity if
they change significantly over time (refer to Vision 2050 Variables sidebar).
FUTURE COMPOSITION OF THE SYSTEM
Decisions made about the evolution of nuclear, fossil fuel, and renewable generation could significantly alter the total composition of
the electricity mix. Canadas ability to incorporate the economic, environmental, social, and cultural interests of Aboriginal Peoples and
communities in the development of renewable and non-renewable energy resources will also affect the outcome.
CHANGES IN MANAGEMENT
How the system will be managed and designed in the future by utilities and customers will be impacted by the effectiveness of energy
efficiency and demand management efforts, adoption of new technologies such as electric vehicles and grid modernization, advancement
of consumer management of energy, and the ability of the sector to overcome human resource shortages.
ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL LEVERS
Between now and 2050, investors might add economic and financial levers that might bear on the system. The ability of governments
and regulators to implement and support economic and financial instruments that balance costs, benefits, alternatives, timelines, and
beneficiaries will affect the transition to a low-carbon energy mix.
Despite uncertainty in the many variables that ing and disposal income; and virtually all stakeholders are consumers.
will affect the future of the electricity system, Power is a significant business input cost and is a large factor in business
the Vision 2050 report sheds light on the urgent investment decisions. The blending of energy and environmental policy has
need for action in both policy development and significantly complicated the political dynamics, requiring solutions that
infrastructure investment in Canada.
address both factors.
For a start, electricity infrastructure must be
The net result is a broad coalition of interests that is predisposed to with
maintained and renewed just to sustain the hold social license and to resist significant price increases, including those
reliability currently in place. This goal will that result from capital investment. In times of fiscal constraint and difficult
require substantial new capital investment at unprecedented levels.
political choices, governments have tended to limit their direct investment
Electric utilities and regulators must be ser
The Economic Impact of
ious about these issues today, understanding
that less-than-reliable electricity would create
Investing in Electricity
2012 to 2030
its own costs through economic losses and
Infrastructure
opportunity costs, to say nothing of the po
Source: Shedding Light on the
tential costs of brownouts and blackouts.
$15
Economic Impact of Investing
Additionally, the practical reality is that
billion
in Electricity Infrastructure,
citizens in an advanced economy expect nothConference Board of Canada, 2011.
Total
ing less than reliable electricity across a wide
array of applications.
Req
ui
Furthermore, long lead times for planning
2000s
for refurbishment and new construction sug
1970s/1980s
gest that we do not have the luxury of many
$
1990s
years of assessment before making decisions.
Transmission
$10.8
Investments
Building large facilities can take up to a decade
billion
$10.5
billion
billion
to complete. Moreover, looking ahead, the
$9.2
power industry knows that most current
billion
electricity assets will have reached the end of
useful life by 2050.
Public policy concerning electricity is po- The Canadian electricity system is in need of massive infrastructure renewal. The Conference
litically charged. Other than taxation, it is Board of Canada estimates that by 2030, close to $350 billion in new investment will be required
probably the largest area in which public just to maintain existing electricity capacity, with most of Canadas non-hydro assets needing
policy impacts directly on consumer spend- renewal or replacement by 2050.
THE CASE FOR

ACTION NOW
re
dg
u ti on
r ib
es
st
tm
e nts
Di
BaronUSA.indd www.electricity-today.com
1
FREE Subscription:
e ne rati on in
350
2015-01-29
7:38|AM
JANUARY/FEBRUARY
2015
31
and have tried to manage the rate of price increase, with a resultant shortfall in renewal of infrastructure, particularly by public utilities.
The lead times for planning and construction preclude quick responses to a crisis in supply. Sensible choices will only come when regulators are able to
depoliticize the discussion, but reducing political risk and shoring up social license will take time and disciplined effort.
PRUDENT ELECTRICITY INVESTMENTS
As electric utilities consider scenarios for future electricity investments that will ensure a safe, secure, and reliable electricity system for future generations,
electricity investment decisions should be guided by a set of key principles.
2
RELIABILITY
EQUITY
3
4
INTEGRATION
GROWTH
Reliability is an intangible commodity that is often taken for granted

in day-to-day life, but it forms part
of any cost-benefit analysis around
infrastructure renewal.
As electricity prices increase, governments will need to protect lower-income citizens and ratepayers
from energy poverty through
social policies and support.
Careful attention must be paid

to how incremental and
intermittent forms of generation will be integrated into the
overall electricity mix.
A forward-looking approach to
electricity may generate additional revenues through the sale
of electricity exports.
Energy efficiency is an issue in transportation as much as in electricity. While

electrification of transportation will
have some infrastructure-switching
costs, it will also generate a more efficient mode of transportation, resulting
in savings to customers over time.
For the economy as a whole, resilient infrastructure can generate

confidence and stimulate other
forms of growth and innovation in
the economy.
INNOVATION
Innovative new technologies and
applications may deliver significant
environmental, social, and economic benefits.
EFFICIENCY
SAVINGS
Grid modernization will provide further

opportunities for energy efficiency, and
households may enjoy returns on efficiency investments through reduced
electricity consumption and customization of use (for example, consumption
during non-peak periods).
TRANSPORTATION
BENEFITS
RESILIENCE BOOSTS
CONFIDENCE
VISION 2050 RECOMMENDATIONS
VISION 2050
The Canadian Electricity Associations Vision 2050 report proposes practical and proactive strategies and actions aimed at advancing three objectives:
renewing the electricity system; delivering maximum value; and, contributing to a low carbon economy. Vision 2050 centers on four key recommendations
that are likely to produce the greatest transformations. These recommendations are intended for the federal and provincial governments, regulators,
electricity companies, and others who support the vision.
Federal Government
Maintain national research,
development, and deployment
(RD&D) funding via Sustainable
Development Technology
Canada (SDTC)
Revise policies, laws and
regulations to facilitate twoway electricity flows, microgeneration, emerging forms
of generation, and flexible
demand response
Accelerate innovation and customer management of energy

Electricity regulations were developed in a different era. Increasing consumer
management of energy and grid modernization are blurring traditional distinctions
between utilities, the grid, and the customer. By 2050, if not much earlier, there is
potential to be operating an electricity system in which electric vehicles, energy efficiency,
integrated renewables, and energy storage are all in a constant state of dynamic, demandsupply interaction, tailored to the preferences of households and individual customers.
Vision 2050 recommends accelerating this transformative innovation and customization.
Provincial Governments
Regulators and
System Operators
Utilities
Support knowledge sharing,

collaboration, and customerfunded innovations related
to energy efficiency, low-carbon
electricity, energy storage, and
electric vehicles
Support integration of pilots in

electricity customization
Assess cost-benefits of grid

modernization programs; start
with pilots
Revise policies, laws and

regulations to facilitate twoway electron flows, microgeneration, emerging forms
of generation, and flexible
demand response
Provide oversight and criteria

for evaluation of customer
benefits from innovative
investments
Advise governments
on regulatory changes needed
to facilitate two-way electron
flows, micro-generation,
emerging forms of generation,
and flexible demand response
Introduce customized costsaving options for customers

through reduced electricity use
Form industry consortia
focused on innovation that
can pool customer funding
from across jurisdictions and
enable collaboration
Facilitate two-way electron
flows, micro-generation,
emerging forms of generation,
and flexible demand response
VISION 2050 RECOMMENDATIONS
Federal Government
Implement financial instruments for carbon reduction

Electricity investments will unavoidably entail significant costs to ratepayers and taxpayers
in the coming decades. Importantly, regulators must coordinate economic policies
effectively to ensure that costs are considered in the proper context and weighed against
the benefits of the investments, in light of the alternatives and over the long-term.
A carbon price that is implemented across the economy holds potential for very
significant carbon reductions at lower cost than alternatives. Vision 2050 recommends
implementing financial instruments that support carbon reduction at multiple levels: for
households, for the electricity sector, for electricity in conjunction with transportation, and
for the economy as a whole.
Regulators and
System Operators
Utilities
Phase out operating subsidies
Phase out operating subsidies
Continue providing R&D and

early-adopter capital subsidies
Continue providing R&D

and early-adopter capital
subsidies
Support technical issues arising

from implementation of
carbon policies
For generators, develop

corporate plans for ongoing
carbon reductions in fleets
Provide loan guarantees for

beneficial interprovincial
projects
Federal Government
Developor maintain
loading order policies for
new transmission to give
priority to low carbon
generation resources
Enable electric vehicles (EVs)

Electric vehicles may grow to very high levels of market penetration, with
corresponding environmental benefits and opportunities for electricity providers, or
they may fall far short of their full potential. Vision 2050 recommends proactive steps
to accelerate the electrification of the transportation sector through policy support
and collaboration, coalition building, and implementation of enabling infrastructure.
Regulators and
System Operators
Utilities
Develop enabling policies and

regulations (for example, for
recharge points)
Develop enabling policies and

regulations (for example, for
recharge points)
Advise governments
on technical requirements for
electric vehicles
Early adoption of electric

vehicles in public sector fleet
Early adoption of electric

vehicles in public sector fleet
Advise governments
on technical requirements and
commercial models for electric
vehicles
Federal Governments
(Canada & U.S.)
Provincial/State Governments Regulators and

System Operators
Utilities (Canada & U.S.)
Form a cross-border agreement

on RD&D collaboration areas
Advise federal government

on key areas for RD&D
collaboration
Advise provinces on technical

obstacles and enablers for
expanded collaboration
Advise provinces and states

on key areas for RD&D
collaboration across the border
Collaborate on new
transmission lines
Support new transmission lines

for export
Expand clean electricity for

export
Collaborate on new
transmission lines
Implement customer friendly

information technology (IT)
systems to measure the
electricity that is being taken
from the grid
Expand collaboration across borders

The electricity grid is already very much a shared resource between Canada and the
United States, yet additional opportunities for integration and collaboration abound.
Vision 2050 recommends optimizing electricity assets from a more integrated
approach and expanding scope for electricity storage and export of low-carbon
electricity from Canada to the United States and vice versa.
Long lead times in planning and building out

infrastructure require decisions now to
ensure that we continue to have a
reliable and sustainable
system in 2050.
While it may seem like we

have years to decide on the
system we want, 2050 is an
electric heartbeat away.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
Far-reaching, Vision 2050 represents a new, more ambitious

role for electricity. The vision statement for electric utilities
calls for a new level of leadership, as well as supporting
actions from governments, regulators, and utilities. Public
understanding and support will be essential. This under
standing will evolve with time and through conversations
with citizens and stakeholders.
Vision 2050 is also an opportunity. This vision statement responds to growing customer expectations for a more re
sponsive and innovative electricity system. It is a chance to
strengthen environmental outcomes and generate additional revenues in the process. This vision is an opportunity to
continue delivering the three pillars of a strong electricity sys
tem: reliability, affordability, and sustainability.
Lastly, Vision 2050 represents a real choice to pursue a pro
active and coordinated approach to shaping our electricity fu
ture over a passive and fragmented approach. As with so many
choices, it will not be available forever. It is time to decide. ET
VISION
2050
THE FUTURE
OF CANADAS
ELECTRICITY
SYSTEM
READ THE REPORT

This feature is based on the Canadian
Electricity Associations report, Vision 2050:
The Future of Canadas Electricity System.
Download a free copy of this report now.
DOWNLOAD NOW
The decisions that regulators and utilities

make today, and over the next five to 10 years,
will have a huge impact on what our system will
look like in 2050.
T
N
E
M
E
G
A
N
A
M
T
E
S
S
A
O
T
Y
PRIORIT
Time to focus on planning continge
ncies and balancing risk
BY DON ANGELL AND MARK RIVERS, Doble Engineering Company
y definition for electric utilities, asset management refers to an estab

lished system used to monitor and maintain valuable commodities
such as transformers and power lines. Utilities use asset management
to cost effectively deploy, operate, maintain, upgrade, and dispose of critical
assets as well as plan for contingencies, and address risk in a balanced and
demonstrable manner. However, utilities cannot achieve success by chance.
Asset management begins with a utilitys assets. Utilities must ensure that
the appropriate assets selected for any chosen operation are cared for ef
ficiently and effectively. Additionally, utilities must ensure owned assets
provide value by addressing stakeholder and environmental needs. Lastly,
utilities must understand the risks to owning and operating assets such as
transformers and circuit breakers.
Utilities can receive guidance and best practices of many different aspects
of asset management by consulting two widely used industry standards. First
standard, PAS55: Optimal Management of Physical Assets, developed over
a decade ago in the United Kingdom by the British Standards Association,
provides direction on physical asset management. Second, the International
Organization for Standardizations ISO 55000 series of Asset Management
standards apply to all types of assets and by all types of organizations.
Electric utilities can receive certification to one or both standards by
demonstrating a common understanding within the organization of the
role of the assets, decision-making criteria in lifecycle management, and
identification of risk.
Utilities must provide certifying organizations with evidence that a common
understanding exists corporately. Evidence is obtained through employee
interviews and supporting documentation. Certifying organizations can ask
utility employees a number of pertinent questions.
Do you have calibration certificates for a test set?
Can you show the training records for a staff?
Have you recorded and mitigated risks such as storm impact?
Do you know what best practice is?
events.doble.com/boston
Do you have calibration
certificates
for a test set?
DONT
MISS
Can you show the training records for a staff?
The Doble Asset Management and
Have you recorded and mitigated risks such as storm impact?

Maintenance (AMM) Committee is a forum
Do you know what best practice is?
to discuss practical application of Asset

Management from asset need identification through
to asset disposal. The AMM Committee is one of nine
Doble Client Committees that will meet during the
International Conference of Doble Clients (members
only). The AMM Committee Meeting is on Thursday,
March 26th with technical presentations taking place
on Friday, March 27th. Topics will include approaches
to asset management, field force automation, and data
management initiatives.
MANAGING AGING ASSETS

ISO 55000 & ASSET LIFE CYCLE
DECISION-MAKING
The International Organization for Standardizations newly published ISO
55000 Standard on Asset Management provides an excellent framework
within which to manage assets proactively and to create organizational val
ue. Cases show that up to 30 percent of the total cost of ownership can be
avoided with more effective decision-making about asset life cycles.
Effective asset management decision-making requires a clear understand
ing of the objectives, a consistent and disciplined process, ability to iden
tify relevant facts, and correctly evaluating options and alternatives for their
benefits, cost, risk, and asset life cycle impact. A systematic approach is re
quired to introduce these asset management decision issues, which is why
the industry is developing innovative approaches to aging physical asset
decision-making in the face of risk and data uncertainty and how to quantify
intangibles and optimize life-cycle value. These initiatives are designed to
help organizations develop the following abilities.
Photocredit (tower): Jeffrey G. Katz, Wikimedia Commons
HOW GOOD ASSET MANAGEMENT HELPS UTILITIES

Adopt a comprehensive life-cycle view of assets
Understand key benefits of ISO 55000 as a guide for effective asset
management
Understand how to use risk, criticality, asset health and other
information to target the right problems, and how to achieve success
even if no hard data is available
Understand how to evaluate and optimize the timing of different
intervention types, such as inspections, maintenance, modifications, or
renewals
Recognize the role of different decision-support tools, ranging from
simple rule-based systems to advanced modelling methods
Understand how to build and present the business case to justify an
optimal strategy in terms of cost, risk, performance, sustainability, and
asset life cycle value
Recognize the organizational changes necessary for effective asset
management
DONT MISS
A special tutorial on ISO 55000, presented

by Tony McGrail of Doble Engineering
Company and Peter Jay and Tom
McDermott of the Woodhouse Partnership Ltd.,
will cover asset management concepts, practices, and
benefits. The tutorial incorporates the presenters
experiences working with major global electric
generation, transmission, and distribution utilities.
The ISO 55000 tutorial will take place at the
International Conference of Doble Clients on Thursday,
March 26th.
With the right approach, aging asset problems can be targeted, charact
erized, solutions identified and evaluated, including the quantified justifi
cation for what to spend and when
PHYSICAL SECURITY THREATS

& STANDARDS
ADDRESSING VANDALISM,
BURGLARY, & TERRORISM
Utilities have long been protecting their electrical generation, transmission,
distribution, and control facilities from those with malicious intent. Tra
ditionally, the focus of critical infrastructure protection (CIP) has been on
protecting these facilities from cyber-based attacks. However, recent and in
creasing numbers of physical attacks on electrical facilities has utilities taking
a closer look at different methods on how to protect against these types of
attacks and to minimize the subsequent damage and system impacts from
them. These threats include vandalism, burglary, and terrorism.
Existing CIP standards did not specifically require organizations take
steps to prevent physical attacks and to have a plan in place to minimize
the impacts of these attacks on both the substation and the power system.
However, that has changed with the development of North American Electric
Reliability Corporation (NERC) Standard CIP-014-1: Physical Security.
Designed to address threats and vulnerabilities to physical security, the stan
dard requires owners and operators of electrical transmission stations and
substations to take a series of steps, including:
(1) The performance of a risk assessment to identify critical facilities
(2) The evaluation of potential threats and vulnerabilities to those locations
(3) The development and implementation of a security plan
Utilities have long bee

protecting their assetsn
those with malicious from
intent
BACKGROUND
NERC Standard CIP-014-1 was prepared as a result of a Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) order released in March 2014 that requires
NERC to develop a physical security reliability standard to identify and pro
tect facilities, that if rendered inoperable or damaged, could result in
widespread instability, uncontrolled separation, or cascading within an
interconnection.
The standard, issued by NERC at the end of November 2014, is directed
primarily at the owners and operators of transmission substations. The stan
dard applies to all substations that are rated at or above 500 kilovolts, as well as
any transmission facility operating between 200 and 499 kV at a single station
where it is connected at 200 kV or higher to three or more stations.
DONT MISS
Dobles Asset and Maintenance Management

Committee will host a tutorial discussing the
importance of the NERC CIP-014-1 physical security
standard, and discuss how utilities can achieve
compliance. The tutorial will concentrate on the
threat to the physical assets in the substation.
Representatives from NERC, electrical utilities, and
other industry organizations will provide basic
knowledge on the new standard as well as NERCs
expectations with respect to compliance. The tutorial
will take place at the International Conference of Doble
Clients on Sunday, March 22nd. ET
2015
ASSET MANAGEMENT
PLAN
Taking a predictive,
proactive approach
to maintenance
BY RODGER SMITH, Oracle Utilities
elivering highly reliable, low-cost service that customers value and

regulators demand is becoming ever more difficult as each year pas
ses. The challenges to doing so are not confined to just one service
type. Electric, gas and water utilities each face their own daunting issues.
Electric utilities have to capitalize and deliver on Smart Grid investment
well beyond time-of-use pricing. Gas providers are held to ever-higher levels
of accountability due to concerns over safety. Moreover, water utilities con
front crumbling infrastructure and the need to make crucial network repairor-replace decisions in the midst of ongoing drought and supply scarcity.
With operating costs skyrocketing, all utilities, no matter what their ser
vice type, are being forced to reduce expenses while also finding new ways to de
crease their environmental impact and deliver more customer-centric service.
USING ASSETS TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES
More than ever, electric utilities are turning towards assets, and their related
work, to address these complex, enterprise-level challenges. When carried
out correctly through the adoption of standards and industry best practices,
asset management unlocks new ways to deliver strategic value to the organ
ization. Electric utilities that cannot maximize the value of their assets are
left with compromised investment decisions, reactive and costly work, and
less reliable performance.
In fact, in todays utility operations, the first step to increasing operational
efficiency often starts with improving asset management processes and cre
ASSET MANAGEMENT:
Characteristics for Electric Utilities

Electric utilities prioritize their asset management plan by considering the important information from the following
four categories: asset criticality, health, performance, and investment. Importantly, utilities must remember that these
four categories work together in the overall scheme of optimal asset management.
Asset Criticality: The criticality of an asset is related to its business risk. Not only does an assets probability of
failure (as determined by a number of factors including asset age, condition, failure history, among others) have
to be taken into account, but also the consequences of that failure. These consequences include cost to replace,
environmental cost, social cost, cost of damage to related assets, and loss of business.
Asset Health: Aging assets increase the risk of costly emergency repairs or replacements. Therefore,
regulators, in particular, are placing more emphasis on detailed information in rate cases on asset health
and condition. Collecting the data is only part of the asset health equation. Being able to analyze and
derive actionable information from this data is imperative.
Asset Performance: Data analysis is also an important factor in maximizing asset performance.
Analytics can incorporate seemingly unrelated, disparate data streams to identify highly action
able ways not only to optimize asset performance, but also to increase worker productivity and
improve safety. Asset data can also be linked to performance metrics that are aligned with a
utilitys priorities.
Asset Investment: Utilities are being charged with investing in new assets to replace
aging infrastructure, all the while doing more with less in terms of an operations and
maintenance (O&M) budget. This challenge becomes an intricate balancing act
of asset optimization involving both risk reduction and the cost or performance
benefits of new assets.
ating opportunities to maximize the effectiveness of operations and main
tenance spending. In effect, this is an important step-change, moving the
utility to a more predictive and proactive approach to maintenance, rather
than the historic, run-to-failure operation of its assets.
Asset management and maintenance has always been a balancing act be
tween efficiency (to minimize cost of providing the equipment) and effec
tiveness (the availability of the equipment to perform). Therefore, the es
sence of most utility maintenance strategies is to balance the availability of
assets against the costs of providing that availability.
Because electric utilities have many assets and components to consider,
software is the best solution with which to do this effectively. However, within
the massive scope of assets and components a utility has to maintain, there is
no single best-practice strategy. Each particular asset strategy will depend on
the characteristics of the asset, the value of the asset to production, the risk,
and impact of failure, the maturity of the organization and the maturity of
the technology available.
Many electric utilities still use a heavily manual asset inspection and data
capture process upon which to build their asset management strategy. Real
-time, automated asset optimization can occur only when the process in
efficiencies and error associated with a manual process can be eliminated.
An automated approach to this process more effectively scores asset con
dition by taking into account assessment weighting, confidence factors and
asset class statistics.
As well, a strong utility work and asset management program can store
and normalize the asset condition capture on an ongoing basis, so that it
can be recalled as needed, and allows a utility to have a system to generate
a score for each assessment, not just a lot of raw data. This system provides
the utility with a more accurate view of asset health in real time, as well as
the ability to use that information for more predictive analytics to achieve its
process improvement and business goals.
REPAIR OR REPLACE?
Determining whether to replace or repair an asset requires an understanding
of its condition and importance to the organization. That understanding is
best gained by aggregating all asset data, including work history and con
dition rating, into a single system, balancing the importance of one factor
versus another, and updating any condition changes as they occur. Armed
with this data in real time, the utility has a more reliable view of asset health
and can make more meaningful investment and work decisions on how to
best balance compliance, reliability, safety and risk.
Many utilities face the grim reality of having to do more work with the
same or fewer resources and tighter budgets. Often, the outcome is that both
the quality and quantity of work is reduced due to a traditional orientation
toward tasks, rooted in historic, run-to-failure asset operation. The answer
to this quandary is to increase the amount of proactive work done, thereby
eliminating future tasks and preventing small maintenance problems from
growing into larger, costlier ones. However, how do you move from reactive
to proactive work?
The first step to creating more proactive work is improving and auto
mating planning and scheduling so manual process error is eliminated, job
preparation is more efficient, and goals for the workweek align accurately
with labor availability. The second step is to optimize the use of mobile re
sources by dispatching and routing in real-time. This step accelerates job
completion by matching the right resources to the right job at the right time
while also reducing emissions and operational cost.
The two aforementioned steps, which can take place independently or in
combination, reduce backlog and enable utilities to engage in more proactive
work that eliminates future cost, tasks, and risk.
USING STANDARDS & BEST PRACTICES
Best practices are not just a dream. In fact, industry standards such as Inter
national Standards Organization (ISO) 55000 and its predecessor Publicly
Available Specification (PAS) 55 are also excellent guidelines for building
a program of best practices. Alternatively, a utility can instead choose
to design its own best practices program based on its specific operating
environment or market situation. Finally, it can also look at best practices
in play at other utilities in similar operating environments and adopt or
adapt those within their own business operations and practices.
ASSET MANAGEMENT: Standards for Electric Utilities

Industry standards, such as International Standards Organization (ISO) 55000 series and its predecessor Publicly Available
Specification (PAS) 55, are excellent guidelines to improve business performance. The aforementioned standards provide a
roadmap for a utility to gain measurable process efficiency, actionable insight from data, and increased workforce productivity.
Using them as a guideline helps electric utilities to work toward or adhere to best practices for work and asset management.
STANDARD
PURPOSE
Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 55 Gives guidance of best practices in

Part 1: Specification for The
physical asset management
Optimised Management Of Physical
Infrastructure Assets
Part 2 Guidelines For The
Application Of PAS 55-1
ORGANIZATION
British Standards Institution
ISO 55000: Asset management.

Overview, principles and terminology
Provides an overview of asset

International Standards Organization
management, including its principles
and terminology, and the expected
benefits from adopting asset
management

Management systems. Requirements
Specifies requirements for an asset

management system within the
context of the organization

Management systems. Guidelines for
the application of ISO 55001
Provides guidance for the application

of an asset management system, in
accordance with the requirements of
ISO 55001
In building best practices, it is also important to be able to access all internal

knowledge available. As highly experienced employees retire from the workforce,
electric utilities must build a repository of organizational knowledge based
upon the expertise of these highly valuable individuals.
In order to build this repository, electric utilities need a knowledge transfer
mechanism, such as job templates. By automating the capture of details such
as labor estimates, equipment used, safety information, maintenance history,
job process and notes, the templates become a formal repository of knowledge
on what worksand what doesntfor any task that needs to be undertaken.
In all of these cases, however, every path requires performance to be ob
jectively measured and continually improved upon with the goal of max
imizing each assets value to the organization in terms of lowest risk and
lowest operating cost, as well as to its customers and to regulators.
GAIN INSIGHT FROM ANALYTICS
As mentioned earlier, insightful data is a cornerstone in any asset management
strategy. In the past, this business insight has been based on intuition and subjective or
observed assessment. While making educated guesses is still a factor in asset management,
in an increasingly digital utility environment, electric utilities are now able to gain far more
actionable insight from objectiveand, by its very nature, more accuratedata analysis.
In fact, when automated as a core business process, analysis has demonstrated significant
capacity to affect margin, allowing lower operational costs while increasing revenue.
Using algorithm-based and predictive analytics, utilities can capture information from
numerous and seemingly disparate data
ASSET MANAGEMENT:
Best Practices for Electric Utilities
1. Improve asset integrity by reducing process and infrastructure weaknesses
2. Identify capital-planning priorities through real-time asset condition monitoring
3. Drive down maintenance costs by increasing proactive work levels
4. Boost productivity via resource planning, scheduling, and real-time work management
ASSET MANAGEMENT:
Knowledge Transfer for Electric Utilities
The high rate at which seasoned, experienced employees are retiring from the electric
utility workforce has been well recognized. While many electric utilities have implemented
cross-generational mentorships in order to pass on the more tacit (that is, expertise more
difficult to transfer) or inferred knowledge (that is, expertise passed on through visual
illustration), an effective asset management strategy can also capture important skills
explicit to certain job tasks. Using automated job templates, for example, can allow electric
utilities to collect essential knowledge about specific tasks associated with their assets.
As these templates capture details such as labor estimates, equipment used, safety
information, maintenance history, and job process, utilities can build these categories into
a storehouse of organizational knowledge. Field crews can then turn to this storehouse
for historic information on any task related to the utilitys assets. As highly experienced
employees age out of the workforce, it is imperative utilities build a repository of
organizational knowledge based upon the expertise of these highly valuable individuals.
As best practices are implemented, job templates also ensure knowledge is captured
at an organizationalnot an individuallevel, thereby reducing risks associated with too
much expertise held by too few people. As process improvements are realized over time,
job templates are updated providing the utility with an automated means for continual
work improvement.
sets, consolidate it, and then run it through multiple analytical models.
These models can identify for correction anomalies or causal linkages that
typically are not evident but often lead to increased risk. The output is
actionable work lists that correct or prevent cost, reliability, or safety issues.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
Finally, because work is never perfect, an established cycle of continual improvement needs to be a core competency of any asset
management efforts. Using performance dashboards and vis
ualization tools that can present hard data in meaningful ways,
work should be measured against key performance indicators to
identify barriers to operational efficiency and service excellence.
By using analysis to improve work process on a continuous bas
is, utilities are reassured that activities are being performed as
optimally as possible with the goal of maximizing the value of the
asset portfolio. ET
Rodger Smith is senior vice president and general manager of Oracle Utilities.
FEATURE | OVERHEAD T&D
LIGHTNING DISCOVERIES
& TECHNOLOGIES
How this phenomenon affects
electric utilities
BY JIM SIEBERT, FOX 26 Chief Meteorologist
dvances in technology are helping scientists understand lightning

in ways that were not possible a few years ago. Beforehand, meteor
ologists primarily studied lightning, focusing most of their efforts
on explaining why and how this phenomenon occurs. However, geologists
and other earth scientists have joined in the study of unraveling lightning
mysteries. A new understanding of why lightning strikes locations is starting
to emerge.
The key to this understanding is the ability to measure distinctive attributes.
When combined with geological knowledge, recent meteorological instru
mentation advances are improving the ability to detect and measure light
ning, explaining mysteries, dispelling old myths, and affecting multiple in
dustries. The developments are quite literallyshocking.
The electrical transmission industry has always been concerned about
power leakage and lightning. A recent study of ground resistivity over Hous
ton, Texas shows power disruption might be based on geology, and locations that suffer leakages are possibly prone to lightning strikes.
Quite possibly, geology is not only the key to identifying power trans
mission problems, but influences lightning strike locations as well. Lightning
is a weather phenomenon, but it appears lightning electrical currents are a
conduit between charged particles entering the atmosphere from the sun
and currents from under the ground.
Researchers and electric utilities have the capability to map geomagnetic
hot zones, which can help locate ideal locations to run power transmission
lines. Moreover, by pinpointing areas where leakage is happening or more
likely to occur, utilities can take measures to improve the insulation of these
lines. In addition to leakage protection, earth scientists can identify what
areas of a transmission line are more prone to lightning strikes and that
knowledge could save electric utilities a lot of money.
WHERE DO CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES OCCUR?
In the past, researchers classified lightning strikes as random, simply due
to a lack of knowledge. Researchers have improved their understanding
thanks to the inclusion of geology. First, lightning does strike the same place
twice, and in fact, strike locations tend to cluster over time. This happens
consistently enough to allow the data to be stacked to improve the signal
and create more meaning from the data. Lightning strikes have identifiable
patterns, which is valuable information because it occurs everywhere, and
databases are available from both public and private sources.
A study of the oil fields of southeast Texas indicates lightning strike lo
cations appear to be driven more by what is occurring along the ground
and subsurface than by topography, by metal or tall objects, or by vegetation
including taller objects such as oak and elm trees. Figure 1 shows lightning
clusters and lightning attribute clusters over salt domes in Louisiana.
Figure 1: The 15-year lightning strike density map on the left illustrates lightning clusters. The map on the right is created
with attributes of the lightning strike recordings, and highlights the location of three major salt domes in the same area,
illustrating how lightning strikes are controlled by geology.
More lightning strikes occur on the tops of some mountains, and less on
the tops of others. A friend, who has a cabin in the Hill Country of Texas,
described how his family enjoys watching lightning storms from the top
of their mountain down in the valley, and how very few lightning strikes
occur above the limestone outcrop their house is built on. Figure 2 provides
a visual illustration of a time-lapse of thunderstorms over a wind farm where
multiple cloud-to-ground discharges are controlled more by geology as they
bypass the high profile turbines to strike the ground.
Figure 2: A time-lapse of thunderstorms over a wind farm

where multiple cloud-to-ground discharges are controlled
more by geology as they bypass the high profile turbines
to strike the ground.
Logically, drill pipes, which are 18,000-foot lightning rods, should attract
lightning strikes. However, a recent study shows that no more lightning
strikes occur in the most densely drilled oil field in western North Dakota
than 50 miles to the east and 50 miles to the west, where no oil and gas in
frastructure exists.
The study concluded electrical currents in the rock matrix, or structural
layers of subsurface rocks, have much more impact than a drill pipe that
is only a few inches in diameter. In fact, the fingers of lightning strikes are
more inclined to hit a power line, but not the main lightning bolt. The main
shaft is more inclined to follow the geology and hit the ground, as is shown
in Figure 3. This new understanding may alter how transmission lines are
constructed and insulated.
Figure 3: One of thousands of images available which

show the main lightning bolt hitting the ground, and
lightning fingers either being attracted to or hitting
transmission lines.
Figure 4a: Red circles show lightning

clusters tied to radio towers. Yellow
circles highlight areas with anomalies
that have no discernable
surface infrastructure.
Figure 4b: Close-up upper right

anomaly within a red circle where it
appears a radio transmission tower is
causing the anomaly.
Lightning strikes some radio transmission towers more than others. Fig re 4a to 4c, taken from a recent study in Michigan, shows three radio trans
u
mission towers have had an anomalous number of lightning strikes hitting
them, while other areas with lightning clusters have no visible infrastructure
creating the lightning density clusters. Figure 4 shows unique characteristics
separating transmission towers and geologic clusters. Additionally, Figure
4 illustrates how scientists have measured and accounted for infrastructure
changes in their studies.
In fact, other recent studies have shown lightning often travels 250 kilo
meters (155 miles) cloud-to-cloud before going to ground. What grounded
object, if any, attracts lightning to strike that certain location? Is it because
of a 50-foot tall oak or elm tree? Most likely, lightning strikes the ground at
a certain location because of the soils where oak and elm trees tend to grow,
or because a fault exists in the subsurface near the tree that is disrupting the
flow of shallow earth (terralevis) currents.
Figure 4c: Close-up of upper left

yellow-circled area where there is
no visible infrastructure creating
the anomaly.
HOW ARE LIGHTNING STRIKE LOCATIONS AND ATTRIBUTES

MEASURED?
In the early 1980s, new measurement technologies enabled accurate iden
tification of lightning strike locations. The early technology was closely re
lated to measuring static on an AM radio. Whenever a thunderstorm moves
into an area, static charges can be heard as cracks over the radio with each
lightning strike. Advances in computer technology and the sensitivity of the
equipment has led to defining nearly all cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning
strikes and related lightning physical characteristics across the continental
U.S. starting in 1989.
Roughly, 330 six-foot-tall sensors now record lightning strikes and
their attributes. They are similar to radio antennas, only with sophisticated
weather sensors. These sensors have been upgraded with new technologies
at least twice over the past decade. The result was the creation of the National
Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), a private database owned by Vaisala,
Inc., a Finish company.
Bolt of lightning hits the

ground rather than power
lines in flat farmland in
the Great Plains
The sensitivity of the measuring instruments used to detect and record

every lightning bolt has greatly increased over the past decade and that has
opened the door for lightning to become a new geophysical data type.
Meteorologists created the NLDN and the insurance industry funded the
initial projects to identify fraudulent insurance claims, but this also lead to
an unintended isolation of the technology. Nobody was looking at the larger
picture of how lightning fit within the earths electrical system and how it
might relate to other geosciences, which, consequently, lead to the natural
resource industries not recognizing the relationship between lightning
strike locations and geology.
Richard Orville, PhD, a professor at Texas A&M University, who founded
the NLDN, told me that in the early 1980s, when the first lightning meas
urements were taken, up to 60 percent of the reports of houses burned down
by lightning were fraudulent or misrepresented. The NLDN has 16 years of
consistent lightning data in the continental United States.
A satellite-based network, called the GLD-360 (Global Lightning Data
base), has four years of data worldwide, with less horizontal resolution, and
without all of the lightning attributes found in the National Lightning
Detection Network. The satellite data includes the peak current or electricity
of a strike, but not the rise time, which is the speed in microseconds of the
time to go from background electrical noise to the peak current.
Attributes measured by the NLDN include polarity, rise-time, peak cur
rent, the peak-to-zero, or the microseconds from the peak current down
to below background electrical noise. By far, most lightning strikes have
negative polarity that means negative electrons are discharged toward the
earth and tend to originate from the lower end of a cloud. Positive polarity is
a positive electric discharge that originates from the higher part of the storm
and tends to arrive from cloud toward ground. Positive discharges tend to
occur at the later stages of a storm and have a much higher peak current.
Additionally, positive strikes tend to have the loudest thunder. When
a storm is off in the distance, an individual may hear rumble, rumble,
rumbleand then boom. Chances are the boom came from a positive strike
and these types of strikes tend to give researchers more insight into the
relationship between atmospheric electricity and earth currents.
With all of the advances in our ability to record and store detailed
information about lightning strikes, scientists have learned that, in a way,
each bolt has an individual signature, similar to how each snowflake is
The earths
electrical
system is a
large capacitor
unique. Significant differences exist between each strike from the level of
electricity to the duration of a strike; the comparison of theseand other
differences is making new research possible. Researchers have identified
that geology and fault lines are more prone to being struck by lightning with
particular attributes. Consequently, scientists can use this lightning data to
identify sweet spots for natural resources.
In January 2013, the U.S. government granted a methodology patent (US
8344721 B2) to Dynamic Measurement, LLC, to use lightning data for na
tural resource exploration including oil, natural gas, and other resources.
HOW DO LIGHTNING STRIKE LOCATION CLUSTERS RELATE
TO GEOLOGY?
Geophysicists have known, since the 1950s, about telluric currents or deep
earth currents, caused by differences in heat, pressure, and rock structure.
Lightning strikes, often occurring on the other side of the globe, are influ
encing the electrical currents.
The earths electrical system is a large capacitor. Solar radiation comes into
the atmosphere as charged particles, and this charges the ionosphere, which
is located in the upper atmosphere. It turns out the ionosphere is acting as
part of that capacitor.
The Mohorovii discontinuity side (boundary between the Earths crust
and the mantle) of the capacitor is kept in balance by lightning strikes, and
the bright light displays of the Aurora Borealis (the Northern Lights), and the
Figure 5: A lightning attribute, rate of rise-time, on the left shows shallow stratigraphy, which is interpreted as point bar
sand channels on the right hand slide
Aurora Australis (the Southern Lights). The collision between electrically

charged particles from the sun and the earths atmosphere causes both
auroras to display a brilliant light show above the north and south poles.
The poles have more activity because the particles travel through more
atmosphere due to the angle with the sun.
Telluric currents are earth currents moving through the rock matrix, or
structural layers of subsurface rocks. Terralevis currents are the shallow
extensions of telluric currents.
Magnetotellurics is the science developed in Russia and France in the
1950s that measures natural variations of magnetic and electrical fields at
the surface of the earth.
Geophysicists use Magnetotellurics as an exploration tool to investigate
depth ranges between 1,000 and 30,000 feet depths for groundwater mon
itoring and other resources including hydrocarbon, geothermal, and mining
exploration.
Compared to Magnetotellurics, researchers have only collected lightning
data and strike characteristics for a few years. Working with earth scientists,
geophysicists recognized rather quickly that the lineaments between these
clusters are related to faults or planes where geologic layers have been broken
by tectonic and gravitational forces. Tectonic refers to the conditions within
the earth that causes movements of the crust and continental plates.
Lightning tends to strike some fault lines more often than other lines.
Faults are fractures where rocks slip past each other and fault blocks are
areas that have numerous faults. Additionally, some fault blocks seem to
have more lightning strikes than other blocks.
Research shows that earth currents, which flow in clay layers and are
disrupted by faults and resistive hydrocarbon or salt deposits, are stronger
in certain areas than others. Meteorologists name the areas with stronger
terralevis currents geomagnetic hot zones. Fault gouge, a rock formed by
tectonic forces, are largely comprised of conductive clays.
When the fault comes close to the earths surface, it becomes a conductor for
lightning. Dart leaders (tips of lightning located closest to the earths surface)
extend downward from below a thunderstorm searching for a connection.
Research shows that dart leaders have a strong attraction to fault lines.
Disruptions in terralevis currents build up energy in the ground and
start moving positive charges upward (also known as streaks or upward
leaders), as a response to the discharge of negative charges coming from
the clouds. Once the positive (upward current) and negative (downward
current) charges meet, lightning strikes occur.
Additionally, mineralization can increase the number of lightning strikes

per square kilometer. Mineralization often occurs due to the cooling of
hydrothermal fluids injected from deep in the earth along fault lines. In
addition, stratigraphy (a branch of geology that studies rock layers) can af
fect lightning attributes.
Figure 5 is a lightning analysis from north-central Texas, where shallow
point bar sand channels, also known as sandbars that highlight the river
bank, are interpreted along the confluence of two existing river channels,
also known as a conflux where a tributary joins a larger river. These point
bar channels are not geomagnetic hot zones in this particular geologic
environment, and the example is included to show how geology can affect
these geomagnetic hot zones. Collectively, these analyses were completed
using lightning data alone.
The point is, geology does not change over thousands of years, and cer
tainly not over the 16 years the NLDN has been collecting lightning data.
Meteorology changes every time a storm forms. Since the storms are sweep
ing across the same geology and the same terralevis currents, the patterns
are similar and consistent enough that millions of lightning strikes can be
added together to create a picture of subsurface geology. This same process
occurs in deserts, where only 0.1 to 0.5 lightning strikes occur per square
kilometer, per year.
Stacking 16 years of lightning data results in a database with 1.6 to eight
lightning strikes per square kilometer, which is sufficient to map these patterns.
Additionally, measurement equipment can map strikes and geomagnetic
hot zones offshore, out to about 300-foot water depths, which is where the
shelf break typically starts to occur.
WHO BENEFITS KNOWING HOW DISRUPTIONS IN TERRALEVIS
CURRENTS AFFECT ELECTRICAL TRANSMISSION LINES?
The logical extension to these insights is these geomagnetic hot zones are
related to power leakage on electrical transmission lines. Figure 6 is another
example showing how the main lightning bolt hits the ground. Notice how
the lightnings fingers hit the power lines or towers. In an ideal world, tech
nology that can create a CAT-scan of the earth underneath a proposed or
existing power transmission line to search for areas of probable leakage
would work wonders.
A new patent is pending for calculations created from the electrical meas
urements in the NLDN database that create resistivity volumes of the subsurface. The first of these resistivity volumes has been compared to a three-
Figure 7: Seven vertical cross-sections from a CAT-scan of the earth created from NLDN lightning data
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
Figure 6: A time lapse of a thunderstorm in west Texas

and several cloud-to-ground strikes
dimensional (3-D) seismic survey in Louisiana, and the results are a phe
nomenal match. According to Park Seismic, a seismic survey is a geophysical
survey that measures the earths (geo-) properties by using physical (-physics)
values such as electric, magnetic, and thermal theories.
A movie of resistivity slices is similar to a CAT-scan of the earth. Figure 7
shows seven slices across the area in Louisiana. Red areas are high resistance,
and blue areas are high conductivity. The horizontal and vertical axes are
approximately the same.
Electric utilities can expect the recent discoveries about strike ten
dencies to have a large impact on the power industry because re
searchers have identified that towers, substations and other assets
are more susceptible to lightning strikes and power leakage if lo
cated over a geomagnetic hot zone.
Scientists are just beginning to understand the magnitude of
impacts from these zones. Most of the currently identified faults
and fault blocks using the lightning data technique were previously
unknown. None of these discoveries was considered during the
construction of the identified towers and substations, which ex
plains why some these assets are constantly under repair due to
electrical issues.
To be sure, most of us will never look at lightning the same way
again. It was not that long ago when strike locations were con
sidered random or just the tallest object, but now we have more
knowledge. The recent influx of new lightning data is just the
beginning of developing this new data type, and according to the
experts, we are just scratching the surface with this technology. The
future may not only be bright, it may be quite literally illuminating
similar to a flash of lighting across the sky. ET
STATE OF INDUSTRY ARTICLES
Hurricane Sandy: Two Years Later
Power Industrys Vision Statement
E
V
A
S
T
S
E
O
S
T
S
A
G
HOW
N
I
AG
Applying limited resources

to critical infrastructure
BY MASSOUD AMIN, IEEE Smart Grid, University of Minnesota
he Smart Grids contributions to improving electric utilities means of

monitoring the condition of assets, providing enhanced situational
awareness, and faster actionable intelligence have transformed the
power industrys concept of asset management from a largely passive, timebased approach to a more proactive, condition-based assessment.
Condition-based asset management offers a big leap in accuracy, improved
and, therefore, greater power grid reliability, as it is a sounder method for as
set maintain/repair/replace strategies and related investments. Unfortunately,
this new approach remains wholly inadequate to meet the challenge.
As the Smart Grid has evolved, so has the need for a much more robust
and wide-ranging view of the critical nature of our power infrastructure and
how to best manage it. Currently, condition-based asset management is
simply one aspect of a more holistic quality management approach that
weighs the relative risks and economics of asset maintenance, repair, and
replacement to advance end-to-end power grid reliability, resilience, sec
urity, and modernization.
This holistic approach will require new, strategic alliances between the public and private sectors in which carrots are used more often than sticks. More
over, it will require utilities to transform their cultures and organizations
and, possibly, adopt new business models to monetize new services and
achieve savings.
A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT
Why should we turn to this more ambitious approach? Simply put, the
electric power sector is uniquely foundational to every sector of our economy
and quality of life. Virtually every crucial economic and social func
tion in modern society depends on the secure, re
liable delivery of electric energy, thus
the urgent need for best
practices in the operation of power and energy infrastructures. With a largely

aging power infrastructure in the United Statesparticularly underground
city networksand limited resources to address the issue, we need a rational,
evidence-based foundation for its operational integrity and security.
Trends such as urbanization, the power grids interdependencies with
other infrastructures (for example, water, gas, telecommunications) the
extreme weather events that come with global climate change and the
advent of terrorism all bring added urgency to our collective challenge.
The approach outlined in this feature is based on the familiar trio of tech
nology, policy, and standards, but it also embraces a completely new outlook
by all stakeholders towards our power infrastructure. Therefore, this feature
closely reflects a report that an IEEE Joint Task Force provided to the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) in the summer of 2014 on high priority
issues for the White Houses Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) to guide
U.S. energy policy.
A GROWING NEED
In the U.S., the average system age is 40 to 60 years old. Fully 25 percent
of our power assets are of an age in which condition is a concern. Power
infrastructure build-outs in the U.S. largely ended in the 1980s. Moreover,
according to the recently published book, Aging Power Delivery Infrastructures, the current focus is on the maintenance and modernization of existing
infrastructure, and maintenance needs alone are expected to
double over the next two decades.
A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study has estimated the eco

nomic losses of unreliable electricity in the U.S. to be approximately $80
billion per year, but other estimates place it as high as $130 billion per year,
not including power quality events. A report by the Electric Power Research
Institute (EPRI) and the U.S. Department of Energy has estimated the cost of
electricity outages at $125 to $188 billion per year with weather accounting
for about $18 to $33 billion of that amount.
These weather-related costs fluctuate significantly and are greatest in the
years of major storms, when they induce economic losses in the range of $40
to $75 billion, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Obviously, massive investments are needed to address aging power
infrastructure, reliability and hardening improvements, Smart Grid-related
technologies, the interdependency of electricity- and natural gas-related
assets and cyber and physical security. As an electric system ages, operating
costs increase and reliability decreases. Utilities possess limited resources for
wholesale replacement of infrastructure, thus the emphasis on managing
assets in a holistic manner.

Every utility will need to develop sound strategies for controlling the
symptoms of aging within the utilitys overall business plan, while maintaining
accepted levels of performance. A holistic asset management approach is at
tractive in that it provides predictability, both in terms of meeting acceptable
reliability indices and cost constraints.
A utilitys capital and operations and maintenance (O&M) budgets must
address the triad of system capability and reliability, aging infrastructure and
grid hardening for vulnerable elements. Thus, an approach that properly
assesses risk in each of these three major areas and directs capital and O&M
investments within the framework of a utilitys business plan is both efficient
and effective.
Of course, the interdependencies within a utility organization require co
ordination. Consequently, a holistic asset management approach is bound
to have implications for cultural transformations within and between a
utilitys historically siloed departments, as well as for the power grid itself.
PRACTICAL
STEPS
Photo credit (stairs and door): Sigurd Decroos
PRACTICAL STEPS
Achieving hardening and resiliency on the ground should be based on a
particular utilitys customers needs, its legacy systems, location, and tech
nology roadmap. Given the disparities between individual utilities, it is dif
ficult to generalize, but a few universal concepts are worth discussion.
Never forget that resiliency and customers needs also cover the timely
notification, through customers preferred channels, of estimated time to
restoration, which increases customer satisfaction.
Risk assessment of existing assets provides a data-based identification of
weaknesses and a means of prioritizing maintenance, repair and replacement.
Component and system failures are difficult to predict. However, it is possible
to identify the components that, as a result of their location, configuration and
electrical characteristics, pose the greatest risk for large-scale outages. Un
derstanding these vulnerabilities can guide power grid investments.
Because the risk landscape is dynamic, risk assessment must be a per
ennial task. Additionally, adaptation strategies will shift as a utility invests
in new technologies and operational practices change. Current and future
investments in advanced metering infrastructure and distribution auto
mation signal the beginning of a multi-decade, multi-billion-dollar effort
to achieve an intelligent, secure, resilient, and self-healing system. The risk
landscape will change as the power grid evolves.
Fortunately, risk assessment methods are well established, and they can
be tailored to specific circumstances. Three figures offer insights related to
this task. Figure 1, from the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST), provides a conceptual model for enterprise risk management.
Figure 2 is based on an adaptation of Dr. Steve Lees work at EPRI on
probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) as a part of the EPRI Grid Operations
and Planning Task Forces Power Delivery Reliability Initiative, and my
published works entitled, Fast Look-ahead Simulation, Modelling and Vali
dation, January 2001 to May 2003.
NIST: Enterprise-Wide Risk Management
Multi-tiered Risk Management Approach

Implemented by the Risk Executive Function
Enterprise Architecture and SDLC Focus
Flexible and Agile Implementation
STRATEGIC RISK
FOCUS
TIER 1
Organization
(Governance)
(Governance)
Figure 1
TIER 2
Mission / Business Process

(Information
InformationFlows)
Flows)
(Information and Information
TIER 3
TACTICAL RISK
FOCUS
Information System
(Environment of Operation)
(Environment
Operation)
Enterprise risk management (conceptual model)
Source: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Source: Dr. Ron Ross, NIST

Copyright 2014 No part of this presenta6on may be reproduced in any
form without prior authoriza6on.
Approach
Vulnerability mapping
Scenario analysis
The green movement
Resilience requirement for

new suppliers
Middle East embargo

New projects require
improved delivery
Figure 2
Non-renewable energy
abundance
Supplier and product
distribu6on will provide
snapshot of product
porGolio health
This illustration provides a target-and-crosshairs model for vulnerability mapping to prioritize risk factors across four
2014 No part of this presenta6on may be reproduced in any
sectors, including operational, hazard, financial and strategicCopyright
vulnerabilities
Example of In Depth Analysis:

of In Depth SA
nalysis:
Example
Cri0cal Con0ngency
itua0ons
Cri0cal Con0ngency Situa0ons
Critical Root Causes in the Proba/Voltage Impact State space (Region Cause: all,
Affected Region: all)
Critical Root Causes in the Proba/Voltage Impact State space (Region Cause: all,
Affected Region: all)
Most significant
root Most
causesignificant
root cause
1500.0575
1000.0575
Impact (kV)
Impact (kV)
Figure 3
1500.0575
500.057498
1000.0575
500.057498
0.0574983
0.000001
0.00001
0.0574983
0.000001
0.0001
0.001
0.01
Logarithmic Probability (direct)

0.00001
0.0001
0.001
0.1
0.01
0.1
Logarithmic
Probability
(direct)
Illustration of how probability and voltage factors can be combined
to
determine
high-priority
It is taken from
Copyright
2014
No part of this
presenta6on may investments;
be reproduced in any
the authors work on adopting the methods discussed in Professor
Yossi
Sheffis
book, The Resilient Enterprise, for a holistic
form without
prior
authoriza6on.
risk assessment/asset management tool for utility decision-makers
Copyright 2014 No part of this presenta6on may be reproduced in any
ELECTRIC-GAS
INTERDEPENDENCIES
A holistic view of assets must include the increasing interdependency of

electric power and natural gas. As more power plants shift to natural gasdriven generation and play a role in balancing the variability of renewable
energy and demand-side programs, natural gas plants and their fuel supplies
will become a critical asset to monitor for condition and performance.
The issue goes beyond existing facilities to supply capacity. In some areas
of the U.S., particularly in winter, unsubscribed capacity on gas pipelines is
becoming rare. Thus, new gas pipeline capacity, as well as existing pipeline
conditions, has become tied to power reliability.
CONDITION MONITORING
Condition-based monitoring of assets is preferable to a reactive, fix-onfail approach, which can be dangerous and costly to end users, and it will
remain a pillar of a holistic asset management approach for the near future.
Integrating condition and operational data, in fact, can yield insights into
real-time system operations in terms of asset use as well as the strategic re
placement of failing assets.
Keep it simple. A proliferation of unneeded sensors can overload the user
with too much data and create unmanageable complexities. The strategic
deployment of basic sensors plus existing intelligent electronic devices, or
IEDs (for example, protective relays), may provide sufficient information
for condition-based maintenance as well as aiding situational awareness,
in turn leading to reduced outage propagation and improved responses to
disturbances. Condition-based monitoring raises questions (refer to Con
dition Monitoring Questions sidebar); a holistic asset management approach
can lead to answers.
CONDITION MONITORING QUESTIONS
How will the utility obtain spare components, if a

device fails?
What is the data-based justification for a planned

replacement?
How can a utility improve its purchase specifications

and achieve greener operations?
What are effective approaches to education and

training for a workforce that rarely encounters the
assets in question?
CYBER- & PHYSICAL SECURITY

In a holistic approach, the security of assets is fundamental. Asset condition
is of little consequence if the component or system in question has been
manipulated or rendered inoperable through a physical- or cyber-attack.
Yet the sheer size, complexity and evolving threat landscape for power in
frastructure presents daunting challenges.
Transmission and distribution system assets sprawl largely out in the
open, unless they disappear under city streets. The increasing sophistication
and proliferation of sensors and actuators (combined in IEDs) and related
data networks and reliance on public communication networks and Internet
protocol (IP) means that cyber-attack vectors have proliferated, too.
The physical security of field assets appears straightforward, but evolving
cyber-physical interdependencies such as information and communication
technologies (ICT) need to be addressed. The dropping cost of physical surveillance tools such as video cameras and motion detectors will offer op
portunities to bolster physical security solutions (also known as physec).
Cyber threats are dynamic, evolve quickly, and can exploit utility staff
inexperience and lack of training. In fact, instilling a security-minded
culture among utility staff can be the greatest challenge. Cyber connectivity
has increased the complexity of the control system and the facilities under
control. Thus, significant challenges must be overcome before extensive
deployment and implementation of Smart Grid technologies, which may
introduce new vulnerabilities. The overall strategy relies on security meas
ures being baked in to devices and systems and the application of a layered,
defense in depth approach.
WHAT ASSETS TO PROTECT

Fuel supply and generation assets: A successful attack (that is, one that
produces widespread or long-term interruption of power) on generation
assets is likely to have a local or regional rather than a national impact,
because of these assets redundant nature.
Transmission and distribution assets: Transmission lines (especially those
linking areas of the power grid), key substations and switchyards, control
centers and distribution feeders to major urban areas need protection. Assessing the response time for recovery, particularly for long lead-time equip
ment, should be explored.
Controls and communications assets: Widespread, coordinated denial
of control and communication systems could cause significant disruption,
particularly in SCADA systems, communications between control systems,
monitoring systems, and business networks.
Many factors impede the protection of assets, including the inability to
share information between federal, state, and local authorities on threats,
vulnerabilities, and protection strategies. Federal statutes such as the Free
dom of Information Act (FOIA) impede such information sharing. The
challenge is to define sensitive information and access requirements to fa
cilitate security without allowing public access.
Other impediments include cost, widely dispersed assets, owners and op
erators, training and empowering security personnel, the use of commercial
off-the-shelf (COTS) controls and communications, siting constraints, and
long lead times on replacement equipment.
Many Federal
statutes impede
information sharing
between levels of
government
INDENTIFYING NECESSARY STANDARDS

The IEEE Standards Association has developed and approved standards
pertaining to the assessment of aging infrastructure as well as power grid
security.
Nuclear Facilities
IEEE Standard 1205: Guide for Assessing, Monitoring, and Mitigating Aging
Effects on Electrical Equipment Used in Nuclear Power Generating Stations
and Other Nuclear Facilities provides guidelines for assessing, monitoring,
and mitigating the effects of aging on electrical equipment used in nuclear
power-related facilities. This guide includes insights on aging mechanisms,
environmental and condition monitoring.
Electrical Substations
The IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) Substation Committee on Ag
ing Infrastructure and Resiliency has developed a number of pertinent
standards, including the 2014 edition of IEEE 1402: Guide for Electric Power
Substation Physical and Electronic Security. The existing 1402-2000 standard
establishes minimum requirements and practices for power substations
physical security during construction, operation and maintenance, as well
as methods and designs to mitigate intrusions.
The new P1402 scope is broader and addresses a number of threats, in
cluding unauthorized access to substation facilities, theft of material, and
vandalism. Additionally, the new P1402 scope establishes requirements for
different levels of substation physical security.
Intelligent Electronic Devices
IEEE 1686: Standard for Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs) Cybersecurity
Capabilities defines the functions and features to be provided in substation
IEDs to accommodate critical infrastructure protection programs by addressing
IED access, operation, configuration, firmware revision, and data retrieval.
Other Substation Standards
In related work, IEEE working groups are developing standard 1646: Re
quirement and Application of the Substation Cybersecurity. The scope for
this new specification includes technical requirements for substation cy
bersecurity and the standard presents sound engineering practices for cy
bersecurity of automation, protection, and control systems.
Additionally, IEEE has developed a working group to address standard
1711: Trial-Use Standard for a Cryptographic Protocol for Cybersecurity
of Substation Serial Links to define a cryptographic protocol to provide
integrity and optional confidentiality for cybersecurity of substation serial

links. One IEEE working group is addressing issues within the published
current edition of 1711, while the other address an alternate approach to a
serial encryption protocol developed under the Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory (PNNL) called the Secure SCADA Communications Protocol
(SSCP).
profile to support interoperability in the deployment of Internet Protocol

security (IPsec) to secure utility communications.
Power System Communications

IEEE working groups are currently revising the 2012 edition of IEEE 1815:
Standard for Electric Power Systems Communications-Distributed Network
Protocol (DNP3). This revision is important because DNP3 Secure Auth
entication was significantly improved from the version listed in the IEEE
1815-2010 specification. The version included in Clause 7 of IEEE 1815-2010
is identified as SAv2 (Secure Authentication v2), and the version included in
Clause 7 of IEEE 1815-2012 is identified as SAv5 (Secure Authentication
v5). The two versions are not compatible and must be aligned.
An assigned working group is making advancements in the IEEE project
called P2030.102.1: Standard for Interoperability of Internet Protocol Security
(IPsec) Utilized within Utility Control Systems. This new standard creates a
Every utility has a unique customer base, business model and legacy sys
tem and its own interests at stake in providing reliable, affordable power
while promoting resiliency in the face of myriad vulnerabilities. Asset man
agement can be accomplished with incremental steps. Urgent needs might
take a year. Tactical shifts might require two to three years. Strategic goals
may take three or more years.
Collectively, however, we must recognize that every utilitys efforts contribute
to the quality of life, economic stability and, thus, the security of our nation. For
that reason, the IEEE Joint Task Force on priority issues in the White Houses
Quadrennial Energy Review made recommendations on what role the federal
government might play in support of state and local efforts to aid power and
integrated utilities in increasing reliability, resilience, and security.
THE UTILITY
CHALLENGE
In the U.S., the average system age is

40 to 60 years old. At the moment, 25
percent of Americas power assets are of
an age in which condition is a concern.
MACRO-RECOMMENDATIONS
Increased federal research and development for emerging technologies
to improve the reliability, efficiency, and management of the power grid
includes new types of generation and energy storage. Documenting best
practices on the deployment and integration of new technologies would
be welcome.
Overlapping and inconsistent roles and authorities of federal agencies can
hinder development of productive, public-private working relationships, thus
a new model for these relationships is required for infrastructure security.
For instance, a stockpiling authority, be it private or governmental, could
obtain long lead-time equipment based on the power industrys inventory of
critical equipment, which must include the number and location of available
spares and the level of interchangeability between sites and companies.
Clearly, further standardization of equipment will reduce lead times and
increase the interchangeability of critical equipment.
A perennial entry in power industry recommendations to the federal gov
ernment is to provide alternatives for utilities that wish to avoid wireless
telecom networks and the public Internet to decrease power grid vul
nerabilities by, for instance, enabling utilities to obtain private spectrum at
a reasonable cost.
Improving the sharing of intelligence and threat information and analysis

to develop proactive protection strategies might include the development of
threat coordination centers at local, regional, and national levels.
Perhaps all these measures could be facilitated by more transparent, par
ticipatory, and collaborative discussion among federal and state agencies,
transmission and distribution asset owners, regional transmission operators,
and independent system operators and their members to improve stake
holders understanding of mutual interactions, impacts, and benefits. ET
Massoud Amin is a senior member of IEEE, chairman of the IEEE Smart Grid,
a fellow of ASME, and professor ofElectrical and Computer Engineering at the
University of Minnesota.
Related Articles
STATE OF
INDUSTRY
The 2015 Asset Management Plan
FEATURE | PROTECTION & CONTROL
PROTECTIVE RELAY
FRUSTRATIONS
Solving misoperation
with line parameter
measurements
BY WILL KNAPEK, OMICRON USA
etween 80 to 90 percent of all power system faults

involve ground. Many protective relaying schemes
depend on ground distance protection to ac
curately sense and locate ground faults on multi-ter
minal sub-transmission and transmission lines. In addition to the need of dependable ground fault detec
tion, protective relaying must provide adequate select
ivity to avoid overtripping for faults outside of its zone
of protection and other undesired consequences such
as undertripping or unintended automatic reclosing
initiation.
The problem escalates due to recent major power
system disturbances in North America, such as the
Northeast blackout of 2003. Correct application and
settings of protective devices, particularly distance re
lays, have become subject of heavy scrutiny as of late.
Validation of accurate distance relay settings is now a
major topic of discussion by electric utilities as well as
professional technical committees such as the IEEE
Power Systems Relaying Committee. It becomes appar
ent very quickly that the accuracy of line parameter
values may affect many people.
Although ground distance relay design, character
istics, and implementations vary, some of the typical
parameters required to set a ground distance relay in
clude a number of characteristics (refer to Relay De
sign Characteristics sidebar).
Line parameter calculations

are prone to error, particularly
in the zero-sequence
impedance value of the line
RELAY DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS
Zone impedance reach and characteristic angle
Blinder positions, resistive reaches and angles
Directional supervision limiting angle
Polarizing current (3I0, I2)
Supervising element (3I0)
Z0/Z1 (zero-sequence compensation)
Z0M/Z1 (zero-sequence mutual coupling compensation)
Relay manufacturers have different methods of calculating zero-sequence
compensation, also known as the k factor, but generally it is defined as the
ratio between the zero-sequence impedance Z0 and the positive-sequence
impedance Z1 of a given transmission line. The k factor is used to correct
the ground impedance calculation so that the ground fault loop calculation
can be simplified and treated similarly to the phase-to-phase fault loop
calculations performed in the protective device. Therefore, if the k factor is
not accurate, fault reach (distance) will be calculated incorrectly.
CAUSES OF IMPEDANCE ERROR
Transmission line impedances (used for k factor) are often calculated by
line constants programs. Due to the large number of variables required, line
parameter calculations are prone to error, particularly in the zero-sequence
impedance value of the line. For example, utilities often assume fixed soil
resistivity values measured in ohms (10m, 100m) applied across their
system models, even in cases where the transmission line may span over
types of soils different from those assumed in the line constants program.
Due to the uncertainties related to soil resistivity and actual transmission
tower grounding, the calculation of zero impedance (Z0) of a given line is
more susceptible to error than its positive-sequence impedance (Z1). The
calculation of Z1 is independent of the ground path impedance, which
increases the risk miscalculation in impedances. For parallel transmission
lines, the accurate calculation of zero-sequence mutual impedance Z0M is
also prone to incorrect calculations.
Such errors in the estimation and calculation of line parameters will ei
ther affect accuracy of settings used in transmission line protective devices,
particularly in distance and overcurrent relays, causing them to under- or
overreach, resulting in a misoperation. In order words, relay sensitivity to
detect ground faults will be affected.
Additionally, Z0 and Z1 are used as inputs by many digital relays to calcu
late the location from the line terminal to the fault. Accurate fault location
data is needed by utility crews to promptly locate and remove foreign objects
from the primary system, and repair damaged lines as quickly as possible.
Moreover, short circuit and coordination studies also depend on accurate
modeling data to enable the protection engineer to set relays correctly.
MANUAL MEASUREMENTS
The alternative to line parameter calculation is taking actual measurements
on a given transmission line to accurately determine its impedances and k
factor. Measuring the line impedance using the proper techniques, equipment, and safety precautions provides the opportunity to eliminate un
certainties such as incorrect calculations or intrusion from foreign objects.
In the past, line parameter measurement was considered prohibitive and
costly, since it required large high-power equipment to overcome nominal
frequency interferences, since off-nominal frequency injection was not
possible. With modern digital technology and ingenious design, companies
have overcome these challenges with new technologies. ET
Will Knapek is the Engineering Services Manager for OMICRON electronics
Corp, USA. He holds a BS from East Carolina University and an AS from
Western Kentucky University both in industrial technology.
FEATURE | SMART GRID
INTEGRATED
ENERGY
FORECASTING
Improving T&D
planning and operations
unning the most complicated manmade object in the world, utilities

are keeping the lights on for 5.3 billion people globally. In such an
engineering savvy industry, energy forecasting is a crucial, but often
underestimated element.
Throughout North Americas electric power system, all segments, from
generation, transmission to distribution and retail, need forecasts for planning and operations. Across the utility industry, virtually all kinds of bus
iness entities, such as regulatory commissions, trading firms, financial in
stitutions, factories and commercial companies, require energy forecasts.
Typical business needs of energy forecasting include economic dispatch,
unit commitment, integrated resource planning, renewable integration, rev
enue management, and so forth.
This feature in Electricity Today Magazine offers a brief review of energy
forecasting practices of the past century. Subsequently, I will discuss five
challenges that exist in modern transmission and distribution planning and
operations. Finally, I will discuss how electric utilities can overcome these
challenges through an integrated energy forecasting approach.
because people turned on the lights in the evening, and turned them off at
night and during the day. An individual could easily forecast the peak load
by multiplying the number of bulbs with the power used in each one. Electric
utilities are still currently using this ancient method when calculating the
load of streetlights.
The power system invented by Edison was based on direct current,
generating and delivering electricity at the same voltage. This process
required heavy conductors to carry the relatively high current, leading to
significant transmission losses. For economic reasons, the transmission dis
tance was limited to about one mile. As a result, distributed generation was
the primary form of power supply with Edisons DC systems. If no other
technological advancement in power delivery systems or electricity end use
occurred, utilities would not need to use advanced forecasting.
TWO | Maturity of load profiles
FIVE STAGES IN 120 YEARS

ONE | Counting the light bulbs
No practical electrical lighting systems existed when Thomas Edison patented

the light bulb. While other inventors at the time were focusing on light bulb
improvement and their manufacturing process, Thomas Edison went much
further along the way. To promote the sales of his light bulbs, he developed a
suite of inventions to enable people to make practical use of them.
When Manhattans Pearl Street Station, the first central power plant in
the United States, was operational in 1892, the very first and only electricity
end use was lightingabout 3000 lamps from 59 customers. Edison only
needed two forecasts at that time, a forecast of light bulb sales for revenue
management purpose, and a forecast of electricity demand for power
systems planning. The load profile was as simple as a rectangular function:
Three major changes transformed the demand pattern from a simple rec
tangular shape to diverse profiles driven by weather and calendar variables.
Firstly, the inventions of alternating current power systems enabled utilities
to generate a large bulk of power at a relatively low unit cost far away from
the city center, move the power via high-voltage transmission systems, and
then distribute the power at utilization voltage to the end users.
Gradually, some business owners of the power companies realized the
economy of scale. Business owners started merging small utilities into big
ones, thus opening the door to diverse customer bases, and offering tiered
rates to encourage electricity usage during off-peak hours. Meanwhile,
manufacturers started to engineer electric appliances, such as air condition
ing systems, for daily use. As market penetration for air conditioning systems
grew, the electricity demand became increasingly dependent on weather.
In the 1940s, researchers found temperature a significant driving factor
of load. Since no computers existed at that time, engineers developed charts
and look-up tables to forecast load for power system operations. The similar
day method, which generates load forecasts based on historical days with
a similar temperature profile and day type, is still currently used in the op
erations room of many utilities today.
Photo credit (upward line with arrow): Sigurd Decroos
BY TAO HONG, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Typical load and temperature profiles in summer (up) and winter (down)
SUMMER
LOAD (MW)
240
220
95
90
200
85
180
160
80
140
75
120
70
100
80
19Jul2004:01:00:
T (F)
65
20Jul2004:01:00:
21Jul2004:01:00:
22Jul2004:01:00: 23Jul2004:01:00:
DATETIME
LOAD (MW)
24Jul2004:01:00:
25Jul2004:01:00:
26Jul2004:01:00:
T (F)
WINTER
LOAD (MW)
220
T (F)
70
200
60
180
50
160
40
140
30
120
20
100
12Jan2004:01:00:
13Jan2004:01:00:
14Jan2004:01:00:
15Jan2004:01:00: 16Jan2004:01:00:
DATETIME
LOAD (MW)
THREE | Spatial load forecasting for T&D planning
As more people started using electricity-powered inventions, the role of

electric systems quickly changed from a promotional vehicle for light bulbs
to a revenue source of electricity sales. Consequently, the economic aspect
came to T&D planning, which requires the utilities to place the properly sized
equipment and lines to the right location at the right time. When electric
utilities were keen to understand where, when and how much the load would
grow, spatial load forecasting was born to answer these questions. The basic
idea is to first slice the entire service territory into hundreds or thousands of
small areas, and then forecast the load for each small area.
A simple method is to perform the forecast separately for each small area
by applying a linear or polynomial trend to the load history. This approach
17Jan2004:01:00:
18Jan2004:01:00:
19Jan2004:01:00:
T (F)
is easy to implement and does not require much computational resources

to execute. However, this simple method does not consider the interactions
among the small areas and the urban planning principles. For instance, a
new large factory would bring additional workforce to the region, which
could lead to load growth in residential housing and small commercial
buildings nearby. The sole reliance on historical load of each small area often
leads to unreasonable forecasts in the long term.
Another approach is to simulate the changes in land use based on rules
of urban growth. This method often produces useful forecasts. However, it
is not easy to set up due to complicated data requirements, such as the land
use history over the past few decades. Additionally, the execution requires
significant computational resources and the users with efficient geographic
information system (GIS) skills and urban planning background.
Most research efforts and investigations in spatial load forecasting oc
curred in the 1980s and 1990s. Some research was devoted to pursuing
an ideal approach that combined the simplicity of the trending method
with the rigor of the simulation method, so that an average planner could
easily use it to produce useful forecasts. I documented the first successful
development of such an approach in my masters thesis in 2008 with a case
study at Madison Gas and Electric Company.
20-year ahead spatial load forecasts (left 2007, right 2027)
FOUR | Load and price forecasting in energy markets
Passages of the U.S. Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978 and
the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT92) initiated the deregulation of the
electric power industry, which eventually created various energy markets.
Prior to deregulation, vertically integrated utilities did not have a strong
desire to enhance forecasting accuracy for a number of reasons. First, utilities
were generating enough capacity to serve the required loads. Second, fuel
costs did not vary much as long as forecasting accuracy was in a reasonable
range. Lastly, ratepayers would absorb fuel costs in anyway to maintain the
financial health of the utility. Energy markets fundamentally changed the
industrys mindset about forecasting and accuracy.
In a deregulated environment, supply and demand determines the price.
Due to its societal necessity, limited substitute options and storage limitation,
electricity happens to have the most volatile wholesale price among all
commodities in the world. While the average wholesale price is around $30
to $60 per megawatt-hour (MWh), a price spike can easily reach thousands
of dollars per MWh. During the price spike period, a one-percent error may
lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars lost in a few hours for a mediumsized utility. Therefore, the market participants have the monetary incentive
to sharpen the load and price forecasts, especially the short-term forecasts
with the horizon less than two weeks.
Most research in short-term load forecasting (STLF) literature focuses on
techniques: such as statistics and artificial intelligence. Since load is highly
driven by weather and human activities, most of these techniques rely on
weather and calendar variables as inputs. From late 1990s to early 2000s,
artificial neural network-based models were very popular.
The most recent advancements of STLF are more on statistical models.
For instance, Rob Hyndman and Shu Fan from Monash University in Mel
bourne, Australia developed some semi-parametric additive models, which
are currently in use by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).
I developed a regression-based approach in my PhD dissertation, which
was then commercialized by the SAS Institute, a business analytics software
company, as the engine of SAS Energy Forecasting.
Load is a strong predictor for electricity price, but utilities must also con
sider other factors that affect price, such as generator outages, transmission
congestion, and behavior of other market participants. Data-driven mo

dels based on statistical and artificial intelligence techniques are often not
enough to capture all salient features of the price curve, especially during
spikes. In practice, utilities often use simulations based on physical models
of existing market conditions to generate price forecasts. A load forecast is
an important input of such a market simulation.
FIVE | Wind & solar power forecasting for the

sustainable future
The U.S. energy crisis in the 1970s demonstrated the worlds strong depen
dency on non-renewable energy resources. In the 2000s, many public cam
paigns on global warming and climate change further raised the public in
terest of developing sustainable energy systems. Many countries started to
invest billions of dollars in wind and solar power generation and integration
technologies. The intermittent and non-dispatchable characteristics of these
renewable resources introduced significant challenges to power system
operations. As a result, the research on renewable generation forecasting had
its golden yearsespecially wind power forecasting.
Researchers and practitioners have developed two types of models in wind
power forecasting: numerical weather prediction (NWP) models and datadriven models. Numerical weather prediction uses mathematical models of
the atmosphere and oceans to predict the weather based on current weather
conditions. Subsequently, forecasters have to translate wind forecasts into
wind power forecasts. Modern numerical weather prediction heavily relies
on supercomputing power to conduct simulations. The data-driven models
utilize statistical and artificial intelligence techniques to predict future wind
power generation based on historical wind and wind power information.
These data-driven models can generate wind forecasts, or take the wind
forecast from NWP models as an input. Currently, the best practice is to take
the hybrid approach by feeding NWP wind forecasts into data-driven models.
The development of solar power forecasting techniques is not as mature
as the methods used in wind power forecasting. As the number of solar
rooftops and farms installed and connected to the grid increases, so does
the amount of research on solar power forecasting. Since solar generation
is highly driven by cloud cover, both numerical weather prediction models
and data-driven models will be applicable. Hybrid models will most likely be
the preference used by solar power forecasters.
OVERCOMING NEW CHALLENGES
Deployments of Smart Grid technologies date back to the early 2000s. In

December 2007, the U.S. federal government approved Title XIII of the
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which started the massive
deployments of Smart Grid technologies. In the Smart Grid era, utilities are
facing five new challenges that pressure advancement of energy forecasting.
photovoltaic (PV) panels, micro wind turbines, and plug-in electric vehicles
to the power grid. Customers are playing with programmable devices to con
trol the appliances for maximizing the benefit of time-of-use rates. As electric
loads become more diverse and active, challenges increase for traditional
operations and planning practices. Utilities have to identify a new way to
forecast strange loads.
I.
IV.
II.
V.
Higher public expectation

Traditional utility business stops at meters. Customers do not have
many options to choose their electricity providers. When outages oc
cur, it is usually the customers calling the utility rather than the other way
around. Currently, many industries are spoiling their customers as much as
possible. For instance, retailers are mailing and emailing their customized
promotions. Airline companies are offering customers full control from
making reservations, selecting seats, all the way to printing out the boarding
pass. Credit card companies are sending alarm messages when detecting
abnormal transactions. Meanwhile, these spoiled customers happen to be
end users of electricity. Higher level of service equates to higher expectations
from consumers. Advanced forecasting is a necessary step towards un
derstanding customer behavior, offering the right rate plan to the right cus
tomers, and helping utilities predict and react to occurring outages.
Less financial backup
A primary role of regulation in the past was to maintain the
financial health of the utility, so utilities did not face many chal
lenges on receiving government approvals for rate increases. Since a major
objective of deregulation was to reduce rates, it becomes more difficult for a
utility to defend a rate case. As a key component of the rate case, long-term
load forecasting is more important to the financial bottom line of a utility
than in the past.
III.
More diverse and active resources and loads

Technologies are advancing at a very fast pace. Increasingly,
consumers, utilities, and companies are connecting rooftop
Older infrastructure and workforce

One side effect of deregulation is that the operating principle
of the utility industry changes from build and grow to wait
and hold. Utilities over the past two decades have been quite conservative
with spending on both system expansion and equipment upgrade. As a
result, the current average age of substation transformers has already
exceeded their designed life expectancy. The growth rate of electricity
demand is much faster than transmission capacity. While North Americas
electricity infrastructure increases in age and approaches its maximum
load capacity, the industry is facing a workforce crisis: 40 percent of the
workforce will retire by the end of the decade. Energy forecasting is one of
the important skills that the industry is losing at a large rate over the next
few years.
Bigger data
With massive deployment of smart meters and other modern
sensing technologies, the utility industry is flooded with big data
(an influx of information that is difficult to process using traditional data
processing applications). Additionally, this influx of data is changing many
analytical tasks utilities used to perform. For instance, utilities used to install
a few hundred interval meters for load research studies from which they can
infer the usage patterns of a large number of their customers. Nowadays,
smart meters can provide the utility with the exact energy usage for every
household. Given rich information such as this, utilities have a great po
tential to develop more accurate and defensible load forecasts, which would
lead to a more effective rate structure and more effective demand response
programs.
INTEGRATED
ENERGY
FORECASTING
cluding powerful servers and advanced software solutions. When statisti

cians, data miners, meteorologists, business liaisons, information tech
nology (IT) analysts, and software developers work together, they will learn
from, enlighten each other, and spark novel ideas to tackle the emerging
challenges of energy forecasting for modern T&D planning and operations.
On the other hand, the traditional siloed academic programs need a new
education model. Although these programs have produced well-educated
engineers, economists, and statistical analysts, utilities are still having a
hard time filling those forecasting analyst positions with candidates fully
equipped with preferred skills. I believe that connecting multiple disciplines
through real-world case studies is the most effective way to produce the
workforce that can take over the challenges of operating this close-to-thelimit grid from their predecessors.
Photo credit (graph): Sergio Roberto Bichara
Forecasting problems in the

utility industry share a similar
best practice: combining
data-driven models with physical
principle-based simulations.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
Energy forecasting has been a fundamental business problem since

the inception of the utility industry. It is still fundamental to many new
challenges in the Smart Grid era. Although most subjects in energy fore
casting have been developed from silos, they are merging in todays dynamic
environment.
Rooftop PV panels change the load shapes from the power grid. Tradi
tional methodologies for spatial, short-term, and long-term load forecasting
are evolving into a hierarchical model due to high penetration of smart
meters. The volatile renewable generation of wind and solar farms affects
price significantly. These price signals at the same time affect loads through
various demand response programs. A need has emerged for both industry
and academia to raise all forecasting problems to a higher level; in other
words, integrated energy forecasting.
Instead of using the traditional method of siloing forecasting functions, a
current best practice is to take an interdisciplinary approach by integrating
diverse skill sets into an analytics center of excellence. Such a center would
maximize the benefits of corporate information technology resources in
In the Smart Grid era, many decision-making processes rely on data

rather than experience alone. The role of forecasting is becoming
increasingly important in T&D planning and operations. After 120
years of evolution, various forecasting problems in the utility in
dustry are merging into integrated energy forecasting. Both the
utilities and academic programs have to break the silos in order to
take this interdisciplinary approach to grid modernization. ET
Dr. Tao Hong is Director of BigDEAL (Big Data Energy Analytics Laboratory)
at UNCCharlotte, Founding Chair of IEEE Working Group on Energy Fore
casting, and author of the blog Energy Forecasting (blog.drhongtao.com).
Related Articles
SMART
GRID
Integrated security operations centers (ISOC) for electric utilities
March 8 10, 2015 at the Fairmont Banff Springs

IPPSA's Twenty First Annual Conference
This years event will feature a host of business-case panels and keynote speakers addressing their
experiences with policy, regulatory and commercial deals. In as many circumstances as possible,
well get parties on both sides explaining how issues evolved from their perspectives.
What did they hope to achieve? What were their lessons learned?
Register today by visiting www.ippsa.com
UNDERGROUND T&D
CHANNEL
UNDERGROUND
CABLE PROBLEMS
BY HENNING OETJEN, Megger
How to
prevent failure
with partial
discharge testing
Partial discharge (PD) measurements are increasingly used as a reliable and

non-destructive diagnostic method to detect weak spots in the insulation of
underground cables. Routinely, partial discharge measurements are util
ized in laboratories for testing cable reels prior to commissioning and in the
field to verify installation quality.
NEED FOR ALTERNATIVE TEST WAVE SHAPES

Typically, many factory-testing standards require that workers use a 50/60
hertz (Hz) high-voltage power supply when performing laboratory tests.
However, the same 50/60 Hz has proven to be very impractical when it comes
to field-testing, due to high-energy generation requirements.
The most important factor to consider when choosing an alternative test
frequency is that the partial discharge characteristics at the new frequency
must be similar to that at 50/60 hertz. Otherwise, the results cannot be
reliably interpreted, which is especially true when measuring partial dis
charge inception voltage (PDIV), the voltage at which partial discharge first
occurs.
Partial discharge inception voltage is one of the most important par
ameters used to characterize partial discharge. If the PDIV measurement at
the new frequency is higher than at 50/60 Hz, it may create false negatives,
making problems appear non-critical when they could in fact be critical at
the operating voltage.
COMMONLY USED TEST WAVE SHAPES

Many research papers have addressed the comparability of partial
discharge characteristics at various test frequencies and wave shapes. This
issues Underground T&D Channel provides a quick overview of the most
commonly used test wave shapes.
1.
0.1 Hz SINUSOIDAL
The very low frequency (VLF) sinusoidal wave shape was introduced for
partial discharge testing in the 90s. In a scholarly paper, entitled Applied
Voltage Frequency Dependence of Partial Discharges in Electrical Trees,
researchers found that PD is frequency dependent and diminishes at low
frequencies. Therefore, it will be challenging to measure partial discharge at
low frequencies such as 0.1 hertz.
A Megger research paper entitled, Influence of the Test Voltage Wave
Shape on the PD Characteristics of Typical Defects in Medium-Voltage Cable
Accessories showed a greater-than-300-percent difference when interfacial
discharge was measured at 50 Hz compared to 0.1 hertz. Additionally, the
authors of the paper conducted extensive literature research on previous
publications comparing PDIV measurements at 50 and 0.1 hertz. Seven
different papers reported a difference between the two values that ranged
from 10 to 250 percent.
This huge discrepancy is due to the characteristics of interfacial discharge.

Most interfacial discharges in cable systems occur at the terminations and in
splices and are very dependent on the voltage gradient. A change in voltage
gradient could make the discharge 500 times smaller at 0.1 Hz compared to
50 hertz, which is a critical factor to consider when making measurements
with a VLF sinusoidal test voltage.
2.
DAMPED ALTERNATING CURRENT
Over the past 10 years, the damped alternating current (DAC) method has
been established as a very effective method for partial discharge testing.
This method is one of the voltage shapes listed for PD testing in IEEE 400.3:
Guide for Partial Discharge Testing of Shielded Power Cable Systems in a
Field Environment.
Electric utilities have collected numerous examples of successful field test
data that showed a very strong correlation between 50/60 Hz and DAC results.
This correlation prompted a broad comparative study of commercially
available medium-voltage cable diagnostic systems by Centro Elettrotecnico
Sperimentale Italiano Giacinto Motta (CESI), an Italian company that pro
vides testing and certification services, energy consultancy, engineering
and technology consulting for the power sector globally.
Table 1 shows the different voltage shapes compared in the study. Testing
was performed on five cables and three parameters; the partial discharge
inception voltages, location of partial discharge spots and PD pulse amp
litudes were selected as the comparison criteria. Figure 1 shows an excerpt
of the results. Overall, the damped alternating current method proved very
similar and the most comparable to 50-Hz testing while 0.1 Hz sinusoidal
showed the largest deviation.
Table 1: Test voltage shapes used in a study by engineering firm, CESI
SYSTEM SOURCE
A
Sinusoidal voltage at power frequency
Sinusoidal voltage at very low frequency (0.1 Hz)
Oscillating wave within power frequency and

low damping (DAC)
Oscillating wave with fixed frequency and high

damping
3.
0.1 Hz COSINE RECTANGULAR
The first very low frequency systems used a cosine rectangular (CR) wave,
which proved very effective, and is still widely used currently because the
time interval of its polarity change replicates that of a 50/60 Hz wave. Figure
2 shows the characteristic shape of the 0.1 Hz CR wave compared to the
damped alternating current and the 0.1 Hz sine wave.
In 2003, German author and scientist Daniel Pepper performed in-depth
research to evaluate merits of using a triangle voltage shape and a very low
frequency cosine rectangular voltage shape as voltage sources for partial
discharge testing on solid dielectric power cables. Both wave shapes per
formed well for this purpose; however, the cosine rectangular showed high
er PD discharge levels, especially for sliding discharges.
TEST WAVE GENERATION

VLF Cosine Rectangular Voltage
The very low frequency cosine rectangular voltage is generated by a circuit
as shown in Figure 3. One of the most significant advantages of the CR
technology is its capability to store and recover 90 percent of the energy
within the charged cable via the choke. The stored energy is used to charge
the cable in the opposite polarity during the next half cycle, within the
same millisecond interval of the 50/60 Hz operating frequency. This allows
substantially higher test loads to be driven with fairly small input power
compared to sinusoidal VLF systems. Very low frequency cosine rectangular
systems with up to 25 F (farad) and 20 to 80 kVRMS (kilovolt-root-meansquare) are commercially available.
Damped AC Voltage
The circuit used for generating a damped alternating current voltage is fun
damentally identical to the one used for generating a VLF cosine rectangular
voltage. The only difference is how switch S operates. In the VLF cosine
rectangular system, the switch reverses its position to allow polarity rever
sal. In the DAC system, this switch closes after allowing the cable to be
charged to the test voltage, creating a damped resonance (fixed) circuit.
The resonance frequency of the circuit is a function of the inductivity of the
choke, the capacitance of the auxiliary capacitor and the capacitance of the
cable to be tested.
Figure 1:
Percentage difference between PDIV measured at 50 Hz

and with each test system
300%
250%
200%
System A
150%
System B
System C
100%
System D
Comparison of
PDIV at 50 Hz and
with each test
system. Overall,
the DAC method
(green) proved to
be most similar and
comparable to 50/60
Hz testing while 0.1
Hz sinusoidal (red)
showed the largest
deviation.
50%
0%
Cable 1
Cable 2
Cable 3
Cable 4
Cable 5
Figure 2:
Comparison of DAC,
0.1 Hz sine wave
and 0.1 Hz CR wave.
The time taken for
polarity reversal
in the VLF cosine
rectangular closely
matches that of the
DAC, but the peak
voltage is maintained
for five seconds
until the next cycle
in the VLF cosine
rectangular system.
DAC
0.1 Hz sine wave
0.1 Hz CR
ADVANTAGES
The two main advantages of very low frequency cosine rectangular tech
nology are: (1) its energy efficiency due to its resonance design, and (2) the
polarity reversal time interval on the VLF cosine rectangular very closely
matches the one at 50/60 hertz, which mimics the electrical stress on the
insulation under operating conditions. This close matching time makes
the technology an excellent candidate as a power supply in offline partial
discharge testing.
Additionally, the same two characteristics make VLF cosine rectangular
technology a very effective tool for withstand testing (with or without
partial discharge monitoring), enabling the testing of very long cables or
simultaneous testing of three phases at 0.1 hertz. In contrast, damped
alternating current technology is not ideal for withstand testing because
it requires a substantial number of test cycles to generate an equivalent
amount of electrical stress for the same duration. This shorter exposure time
to the electrical stress at power frequency is exactly what makes DAC perfect
for truly non-destructive partial discharge diagnosis.
APPLICATIONS
Given the advantages of the VLF cosine rectangular wave shape, its per
formance as a voltage source for offline partial discharge testing was eval
Figure 3:
Block diagram
of a VLF CR unit
LEGEND
U+ and U-: DC HV power
supply
C: Auxiliary capacitor
S: Thyristor controlled
switch
L: Choke
W: Toggle switch with a
zero position
uated. In this study, partial discharge inception voltage and partial discharge
levels were measured at the operating voltage (U0) on service-aged crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) and paper-insulated lead covered (PILC) mixed
cables using both VLF cosine rectangular and DAC methods. The damped
alternating current method was chosen for comparison instead of 50/60 Hz
because DAC results have already been established by numerous studies as
being highly correlated with 50/60 Hz results. Table 2 summarizes the test
parameters for each of the three tests.
Figure 4 shows the on-site test set up for partial discharge measurements.
As discussed previously, both the DAC and VLF cosine rectangular test
voltages can be generated with the same circuit by controlling switching
behavior. The measurements were performed with conventional coupling
and without any hardware or software noise filtering.
In summary, both methods produced very similar partial discharge in
ception voltage and maximum partial discharge (PDmax) values (refer to
Tables 3, 4, and 5) with acceptable statistical fluctuations. Both methods
were able to identify the same weak spots in all three cables.
PDmax values were generally slightly higher with VLF cosine rectangular.
The VLF cosine rectangular waveform consists of a millisecond polarity re
versal, followed by a five-second plateau of the peak voltage before the next
cycle. This plateau phase most likely causes an accumulation of charges at the
layered interfaces of the cable, resulting in higher PDmax values. Furthermore,
this phenomenon might explain why the VLF cosine rectangular allows
weak spots on longer cables to be more easily located.
Table 2: Summary of test parameters
PARAMETER
TEST 1
TEST 2
TEST 3
Cable
Insulation Type
XLPE
PILC/XPLE
PILC/XLPE
System Voltage
22 kVRMS
11 kVRMS
11 kVRMS
Cable Length
1,563 ft
(469 m)
2,206 ft
(662 m)
5,430 ft
(1,629 m)
InstallationYear
1985
1960
1965/2004
Cable Age at Time

of Test
26 years
51 years
46 years
Figure 4:
HV Power Supply
(DAC & VLF CR)
PD Coupler
GND
PD Measurement
Unit
Partial discharge
test set up
HV
U Sync
PD Signal
Remote Control via PC

Table 3: Comparison of PDIV and PDmax for DAC and VLF CR (Test 1)
TEST
XLPE Cable
1,563 feet
(469 meters)
PHASE
L1
L2
L3
Test Voltage
DAC
VLF CR
DAC
VLF CR
DAC
VLF CR
PDIV (kVRMS)
13.2
12.0
10.8
14.0
12.0
12.0
PDmax (pC) @ U0
300
620
310
125
490
TEST
Mixed cable
2,206 feet
(662 meters)
PHASE
L1
L2
L3
Test Voltage
DAC
VLF CR
DAC
VLF CR
DAC
VLF CR
PDIV (kVRMS)
4.2
6.0
4.2
3.0
4.2
3.0
PDmax (pC) @ U0
2,350
1,100
600
1,400
2,650
9,300
TEST
Mixed cable
5,430 feet
(1,629 meters)
PHASE
L1
Test Voltage
DAC
VLF CR
L2
DAC
VLF CR
L3
DAC
VLF CR
PDIV (kVRMS)
2.4
6.0
2.4
<3.0
2.4
<3.0
PDmax (pC) @ U0
9,500
7,400
6,545
5,500
14,980
50,000
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
Partial discharge measurements using very low frequency cosine

rectangular test waves were benchmarked against the well-estab
lished damped alternating current method. The results showed
that PDIV, PDmax, and the location of weak spots obtained by the
VLF cosine rectangular method were highly comparable to the
DAC method. This proves that the VLF cosine rectangular wave
shape is a comparable and convenient voltage source for partial
discharge testing in the field. The similarity in the design of the

VLF cosine rectangular and DAC voltage generation circuit means
that it is possible for VLF cosine rectangular units to also generate
a DAC voltage. The integration of both technologies offers users the
flexibility of a single unit that can perform withstand testing, partial
discharge monitored withstand testing, and non-destructive PD di
agnostics with damped alternating current. ET
Henning Oetjen is member of IEEE and an active member of F03D Very Low Frequency Testing in the Field IEEE 400.2 and Subcommittee F Field Testing.
He is the joint holder of US Patent 6,683,459 B2 for sectionalizing power cables in distribution loops.
LINEMAN SAFETY
CHANNEL
FALL PROTECTION
BECOMES MANDATORY
New regulation removes optional to increase worker safety
BY CRAIG FIRL, Capital Safety
he U.S. Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA) published updated
rules and regulations in April 2014 that im
pact fall protection for the electrical utility industry.
These new regulations, which replace rules dating
back to the 1970s, have been in development since
2005 and will replace guidelines that were
both out-of-date and inconsistent. OSHA estimates
the new rules will prevent an additional 118 work
place injuries and 20 fatalities each year.
Workers who operate or maintain electric power
generation equipment, or transmission or distri
bution lines will be affected by the new regulations.
Additionally, these new regulations will affect con
struction workers who erect new power lines or
equipment, as well as those who alternate, convert,

or improve existing lines and equipment.
FALL PROTECTION REGULATIONS

Two new/revised rules for electric utilities
ONE
Qualified employees must use fall protection

when climbing or changing locations
The previous rules stated that qualified employees
were not required to wear or use fall protection
equipment when climbing or changing locations.
Now, all qualified employees must use fall pro
tection when climbing or changing locations on
poles, towers, or similar structures. Qualified em
ployees can avoid this rule if the employer can demonstrate that climbing or changing locations with
REQUIRED TOOL CHECKLIST

Employees in elevated locations more than four feet above the ground must now use
some type of fall protection. Additionally, aerial lift fall protection, such as fall arrest
or restraint systems with a full-body harness, is required. For most applications, the
new rules require one of the following types of fall protection.
Fall Arrest: A personal fall arrest system stops an employee during a fall
Restraint: A restraint system prevents the user from falling any distance
Work Positioning: A work positioning system allows an employee to be supported
on an elevated vertical surface and work with both hands free
Other Fall Protection Tools: Other fall protection structures (for example, guardrails)
that meet OSHA General Industry or Construction Industry standards can also prevent
employees from falling
Photo credit (utility bucket): Capital Safety
While working in a
bucket or a basket,
OSHA requires that
workers wear fall
protection equipment
with the lanyard or
self-retracting device
connected to an anchor
point on the boom or
bucket/basket because
mechanical failures can
occur, causing workers
to fall. Passing vehicles
also pose a risk if they
strike the truck, which
may launch a worker
out of the bucket.
fall protection equipment is infeasible or creates a greater hazard than

climbing or changing location without it. Importantly, if the employer elects
not to use fall protection equipment, the employer is solely responsible to
show OSHA why fall protection is infeasible or hazardous.
TWO
Arc flash-compliant fall arrest equipment is required for at-height

workers exposed to flames or hazards
Personal fall arrest equipment must be capable of passing a drop test after
exposure to an electric arc, if the workers using fall arrest equipment are
exposed to flames or electric arc hazards. The OSHA electric arc/heat energy
level of over 40, less than five, calories per centimeters squared (40+/-5 cal/
cm2) is the same as ASTM Internationals F887 arc flash requirement: Stan
dard Specifications for Personal Climbing Equipment.
Therefore, if the at-height worker is exposed to flame or arc flash hazards,
the use of arc flash fall arrest equipment (harnesses, lanyards, and self-re
tracting lanyards) is required to meet the new OSHA regulation.
OSHAs new fall protection regulation comes into effect in April 2015.
This issues Lineman Safety Channel prepares electric utilities and qualified
personnel with information on fall protection equipment specifically out
lined in the OSHA regulation.
For starters, utilities must know that owning the appropriate products
and tools is not sufficient and that practical knowledge on correct and
reliable use is just as important.
DID YOU KNOW

Important notes for fall protection
States with their own safety and health programs
must have standards that are at least as effective as
Federal standards
Employers must provide rescue equipment to
ensure the prompt and safe rescue of employees
from enclosed spaces
A PERSONAL FALL ARREST SYSTEM
A personal fall arrest system is comprised of three main components: an

anchorage connector, body wear (full-body harness), and a connecting
device (a shock-absorbing lanyard or self-retracting lifeline). Regulations
require a full-body harness for a fall arrest system and allow use of body
belts only with restraint and work positioning systems.
ANCHORAGE CONNECTORS
Typically, users call the anchorage the tie-off point. The anchorage often
consists of an I-beam, rebar, scaffolding, or lifeline. The anchorage connector
(for example, a cross-arm strap, beam anchor, D-bolt, hook anchor, among
others) is used to join the connecting device to the anchorage and should
always be positioned to avoid a swing fall. All anchorages must be capable
of supporting 5,000 pounds of force per worker and must be high enough
for a worker to avoid contact with a lower level during a fall.
BODY WEAR
As previously mentioned, the only form of body wear that is acceptable for
fall arrest is the full-body harness. Employers must select harnesses carefully
based on the work environment and the work at hand.
CONNECTING DEVICE
The critical link that joins the body wear to the anchorage/anchorage con
nector, and which actually bears the greatest force during a fall, is the con
necting device. This device can be a shock-absorbing lanyard, fall limiter,
self-retracting lifeline, or rope grab.
Utility managers must calculate the potential fall distance to determine
the appropriate type of connecting device. Furthermore, utility managers
must factor in their employees working environment and the work at hand
when making a decision.
FALL RESTRAINT SYSTEMS
An effective work restraint system provides an extremely high level of safety.

These systems give employees the necessary latitude to complete their work,
but limits movement past a certain point where a fall could occur. Generally,
fall restraint systems are suitable if an employee needs to work at the edge
of a hazard.
When fitting a fall restraint system, ensure that no free fall potential
exists. Utility managers should routinely check the system to ensure the
A Personal Fall Arrest

System is comprised of
an anchorage, full-body
harness and a connecting
device, such as a shockabsorbing lanyard or
self-retracting lifeline.
Full-body harnesses are
required for a fall arrest
system. Body belts are
only allowed to be used
with restraint and work
positioning systems.
WORK POSITIONING
If a worker is required to perform a task at height and he or she needs to work

hands free, then the safest form of fall prevention is a work positioning system.
A work positioning system uses equipment to restrict movement and
hold or suspend the worker in place to carry out a task, thereby creating a safe
working zone. Care should be taken when setting up the system to ensure
that the safe working zone is effective, as once in place the workers level of
awareness will decrease.
An effective work position system is comprised of 1) an anchor point, 2)
a connecting device that supports the worker, and 3) a body support device
(harness or work positioning belt).
If an employee is fully reliant upon a work positioning system for his
or her primary support, some applications then require a secondary con
nection as a backup.
Work positioning systems must be rigged so workers can free fall no more
than two feet, and anchorages must be capable of supporting at least twice the
potential impact load of an employees fall or 3,000 pounds, whichever is greater.
Wood pole fall restriction devices meeting the ASTM F887 standard
are deemed to meet the anchorage strength requirement when used in
accordance with manufacturers instructions.
OTHER FALL PROTECTION SYSTEMS
Other fall protection systems, such as platforms, safety nets and guardrails,
do not require special equipment or active participation from the worker
and can be installed around the perimeter of a work area to catch an em
ployee. These types of systems can also serve as excellent work platforms.
SCHEDULING A TRAINING SESSION
Regular safety training for utility managers and workers is always important,
but day-to-day demands and a never-ending string of deadlines can make it
challenging to squeeze training sessions into the schedule. This change in OSHA
regulations is the perfect opportunity for electric utilities to offer appropriate
staff a refresher course on equipment usage and fall protection practices.
Many world-leading designers and manufacturers of height safety and fall
protection equipment, such as Capital Safety, offer training courses to anyone
who works at height or in confined spaces. Both standard and customized
fall protection courses are available at training centers worldwide. Training
not only helps keep workers safe, but also helps employers comply with
OSHA, and other safety regulations within the power industry.
FALL PREVENTION TRAINING

Any basic fall prevention training will teach you to:
Understand the definitions of fall prevention, fall restraint,
and fall arrest
Understand the requirements of fall protection
Recognize the hazards associated with fall protection
Know where to seek help and advice for fall protection
Know how to inspect and wear personal fall arrest system
equipment (PFAS)
Know the requirements for anchorage points and how to tie
off to them
Additionally, basic training programs address many other important details
about each tool and piece of fall prevention equipment. For example, workers
must inspect body harnesses before use (experts must review these devices
annually). Furthermore, users should never modify or paint body harnesses,
unless material is approved for this purpose. Lastly, electric utilities should
remove harnesses from service immediately if exposed to an impact.
Similarly, connectors should never be tied back to themselves, unless
specifically designed for this use. They should always be worn with the
impact absorber/shock pack at the D-ring, and should have the appropriate
clip for the intended anchorage points. For example, workers must never use
large climbing/rebar/ladder hooks with beamers.
LAST LOOK
Once qualified climber exemptions for fall protection use change

in April, all employees working at height must receive the tools
and training required to meet these new OSHA requirements.
It is on both employees and their employers to know how these
changes will affect their work and worksites, and to receive the
necessary training required. ET
GLOBAL LEADER
IN FALL PROTECTION
Photo credit (utility lattice): Capital Safety
attached worker could not maneuver into a situation where he or she could
free fall. Additionally, utility managers should ensure a workers safety in all
situations where system misuse might occur (for example, workers might
use other available lanyards that are too long).
Restraint system anchor points should be positioned where a user can
access the anchor without being exposed to a fall hazard.
Capital Safety
3833 SALA Way
Red Wing, MN
55066-5005
Tel: 651.388.8282
Fax: 651.388.5065
Standard/Regulation Information
OSHA Electric Power Generation, Transmission and

Distribution; Electrical Protective Equipment
Fall Protection Requirements
On April 11, 2014, OSHA published new, updated rules and regulations for electrical power generation,
transmission and distribution. These new rules cover both construction (Subpart V) and general industry
(1910.269).
The overall effective date of 1910.269 and Subpart V is July 10, 2014. The compliance deadline for most of the
specific fall protection rules and regulations is April 1, 2015.
OSHA estimates that the new rules will prevent at least an additional 118 workplace injuries and 20 fatalities
annually. The previous rules were out-of-date and inconsistent, dating back to the 1970s. Efforts have been
underway since 2005 to update these regulations.
Who is affected?
Under 1910.269 (General Industry), those affected include workers who operate or maintain electric power
generation, transmission or distribution lines or equipment.
Under Subpart V (Construction Industry), those affected include workers who perform construction work on
electric power transmission or distribution lines or equipment (construction includes the erection of new lines
and equipment and alteration or conversion or improvement of existing lines and equipment).
OSHA 1910.269 and Subpart V (1926.954)
There are two main fall protection related rules that are new or revised.
Qualified employee - must use fall protection when climbing or changing location on poles, towers or similar
structures, unless the employer can demonstrate that climbing or changing location with fall protection is
infeasible or creates a greater hazard than climbing or changing location without it. The changes for qualified
employees are effective April 1, 2015.
READ MORE ON OSHAS

REQUIREMENTS
Read more on OSHAs fall
protection requirements in this
free white paper.
Note: It will be the employers responsibility to show OSHA why fall protection cannot be used if the employer
elects to not use fall protection. Previous rules stated that fall protection equipment was not required to be used by
qualified employees who are climbing or changing locations.
Arc flash Personal fall arrest equipment must be capable of passing a drop test after exposure to an electric
arc if the workers using fall arrest equipment are exposed to flames or electric arc hazards. The OSHA electric
arc / heat energy level of 40+/- 5 cal/cm2, is the same as the ASTM F887 arc flash requirement. Therefore if
the at height worker is exposed to flame or arc flash hazards, the use of arc flash fall arrest equipment is
required. Arc flash compliant fall arrest equipment (harnesses, lanyards and self retracting lanyards, ASTM
F887 reference) will meet the new OSHA regulation.
www.capitalsafety.com
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POWER TRANSFORMERS
CHANNEL
THE
TRUTH
ABOUT CAST-RESIN TRANSFORMERS
BY SCOTT MAY, VIJAI NARAYANAN, ANDREW LAWLESS, Siemens
uch has been written about the use of aluminum versus copper
for transformer conductors within the electrical industry. Alum
inum conductors have been used successfully in the electrical
industry for more than 100 years; unfortunately, misconceptions about
their applications still exist.
In Europe, aluminum has been used as the standard material for castresin transformer windings for many decades. However, following the res
idential branch circuit misapplications in the 1960s and 1970s in the U.S.,
the stigma against aluminum has negatively affected the acceptance of aluminum conductors for cast-resin transformers in the United States.
Currently, three main areas exist for which prevalent misunderstandings
remain about the application of aluminum in transformers: electrical prop
erties, thermal properties, and mechanical properties. Meanwhile, in the
rest of the world, aluminum windings with cast-resin transformers have
been used for a wide range of applications including wind turbines, power
utilities, industrial facilities and, in demanding environments encountered
in offshore oil platforms, refineries and foundries.
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
MYTH ONE: Aluminum conductors have higher losses
compared to copper
In practice, transformers are designed to achieve specific losses, regardless
of the type of conductor material, by adjusting the cross section of the con
ductor. In other words, transformers manufactured with either copper or
aluminum windings can be designed to meet the same specifications and
standards such as the U.S. Department of Energys transformer efficiency
guidelines. However, because aluminum has only 62 percent of the con
ductivity of copper, technicians frequently assume that transformers with
aluminum conductors will have higher losses. Increasing the cross section of
aluminum conductors by about 65 percent not only achieves losses similar
to copper, but also improves the thermal and mechanical performance of
aluminum.
The high-voltage windings of cast-resin transformers are molded using
epoxy resin under vacuum conditions at a high temperature. This procedure
prevents undesirable gas inclusions. The quality of the molding process
combined with the electrical advantages of the foil winding plays a decisive
role in preventing partial discharge while providing high-power frequency
and impulse voltage withstand. In a conventional round-wire winding, the
inter-turn voltages can add up to twice the interlayer voltage, while in a
foil winding, the number never exceeds the plain voltage per turn because
each layer consists of only one winding turn.
Additionally, the low-voltage strip winding is manufactured with alum
inum. The width of the aluminum strip is equal to the electrical length of the
coil. This considerably reduces axial short-circuit forces in the transformer.
The conductor strip and the epoxy pre-impregnated low-voltage insulation
material are bonded together by heating and thus form a compact unit
with sufficient strength to reliably withstand radial forces.
An issue with any conductor material is the method of connection be
tween the conductor and the terminal, especially in the case of dissimilar
metals. In this instance, the terminal connection should not be a concern
because both copper and aluminum conductors normally have tin- or silverplated terminations to prevent oxide formations and compatibility issues
with dissimilar metals.
In other words, transformer terminations, whether manufactured with
copper or aluminum windings, have nearly identical connections. Addi
tionally, the normal practice is to use spring-loaded hardware to ensure
the joint remains secure. For additional precaution, Noalox Anti-Oxidant
compound is usually added to prevent corrosion from affecting current flow
at the terminal connections.
Photo credit (aluminum): Hannah Chapman
Debunking the myths surrounding aluminum usage
Misunderstandings about
the use of aluminum
in transformers
exist in 3
areas
...in
electrical,
thermal, and
mechanical properties
Aluminum
has a greater heat
capacity than copper
THERMAL PROPERTIES
MYTH TWO: Aluminum and copper have the same coefficient
of expansion
Aluminum was used for household wiring in the 1960s and 1970s in the
U.S. because of the rapid price increase and scarcity of copper. However,
at the time, few manufacturers understood how to design connectors for
aluminum conductors properly. Even though the aluminum wire was
properly sized for the application, the techniques for connecting aluminum
wiring were incorrectly assumed the same as copper and installers had little
experience to understand otherwise.
In the documented cases of property damage, the cause was eventually
identified as the difference in the coefficient of the thermal expansion between
the aluminum and the connector material that resulted in loose connections
that caused overheating, short circuits, and electrical arcs. However, before the
electrical industry could agree upon a permanent solution, aluminum wiring
was already being withdrawn from residential applications.
This unfortunate misapplication of aluminum wiring was restricted to
the residential industry and has no bearing on transformer performance.
In the transformer industry, the standard use of conductor plating with
appropriate hardware such as spring, conical, or split washers to preserve
the necessary pressure and elasticity, maintains an effective current path
under all circumstances. The use of this connection hardware makes alum
inum-to-copper connections just as effective as copper-to-copper options.
Many of these methods were developed from practices in the utility
industry that has taken advantage of aluminum as the material of choice
for transmission lines for decades.
The topic of thermal conductivity is closely related to electrical con
ductivity. Similar to its electrical conductivity, the per-unit thermal con
ductivity of aluminum is less than that of copper. This temperature requires
transformer designers to increase the cross-sectional area of the aluminum
conductor compared to copper to achieve similar performance. This
adjustment allows the heat generated at the hot-spot of an aluminum
conductor to be dissipated through the insulation at a similar rate as a

copper conductor.
Another important factor to consider is the heat capacity. Aluminum
has a greater heat capacity than copper. This fact means that aluminum
windings can handle overload currents more effectively, thus extending
the insulation life of the windings. Lastly, aluminum is more corrosion
resistant due to the formation of aluminum oxide (a low reactivity
material) on its surface, making the metal more resistant than copper to a
wide range of aggressive, environmental conditions.
Siemens, in particular, has been manufacturing GEAFOL cast-resin
transformers with aluminum windings of ratings up to 50 megavolt amp
eres, and 69 kilovolts since 1965 and has shipped more than 100,000 units
worldwide. With these cast-resin transformers, the aluminum thermal
expansion coefficient is used as an asset in the life of the product. The ex
pansion coefficient of resins is closer to that of aluminum than copper.
Meaning that, over time, the cast resin will expand and contract at a rate
similar to aluminum, ensuring that the cast windings will not crack because
of thermal expansion or shock.
Additionally, GEAFOL cast-resin transformers are insulated with an epoxy
resin/quartz powder mixture. This material makes the windings maintenancefree, moisture-resistant, tropicalized, flame-retardant, and self-extinguishing.
Even when the insulation is exposed to arcing, no toxic gases are generated.
The windings are clamped between resilient spacers that provide effective
vibration insolation both from the iron core and between windings. The
result is that cast-resin transformers are as quiet as oil-immersed types.
GEAFOL cast-resin transformers are suitable for universal use and satisfy the requirements of the highest classes per IEC 60076-11: Power
transformers - Part 11: Dry-type transformers, published by the Interna
tional Electrotechnical Commission, and have been proven through com
prehensive testing. Testing classes include environmental class E2, climatic
category C2 (thermal shock), and fire resistance class F1 (refer to De
fining Classifications sidebar).
DEFININGCLASSIFICATIONS
Testingclassesfordry-typetransformers
ElectromagneticEnvironmental
Classes(E)
ThermalShock/Climatic
Classes(C)
FireBehavior
Classes (F)
Environmental conditions for dry-type transformers Two climatic classes are defined:
Two fire behavior classes are
are identified in terms of humidity, condensation,
defined:
pollution, and ambient temperature.
Class C1: The transformer is suitable
for operation at ambient temperature Class F0: There is no special
With regard to humidity, condensation and
not below 5C but may be exposed
fire risk to consider. Except
pollution, three different environmental classes are
during transport and storage to
for the characteristics
defined:
ambient temperatures as low as 25C.
inherent in the design of
the transformer, no special
Class E0: No condensation occurs on the
Class C2: The transformer is suitable
measures are taken to limit
transformers and pollution is negligible. This
for operation, transport, and storage at
flammability. Nevertheless,
is commonly achieved in a clean, dry indoor
ambient temperatures as low as 25C.
the emission of toxic
installation.
substances and opaque
The transformer is subject to a thermal
smoke shall be minimized.
Class E1: Occasional condensation can occur
shock test by placing the transformer
on the transformer (for example, when the
in a test chamber and lowering the
Class F1: Transformers
transformer is de-energized). Limited pollution
temperature and then gradually raising it
subject to a fire hazard.
is possible.
to the rated temperature. Once the rated
Restricted flammability
temperature is achieved, a thermal shock
is required. The emission
Class E2: Frequent condensation or heavy
shall then be performed by applying a
of toxic substances and
pollution or combination of both. Class E2 is tested current equal to twice the rated current
opaque smokes shall be
for condensation and humidity penetration.
to the winding under test (contained in
minimized.
solid insulation).
For condensation, the transformer is placed in a
For Class F1, a complete phase
test chamber where temperature and humidity are The current shall be maintained until
of the transformer is placed in
controlled. Once the relative humidity is above 93
the winding under test reaches a
a test chamber and is ignited
percent, the transformer is energized at 1.1 times
mean temperature (that is, the average
using ethyl alcohol as a heat
its rated voltage. During the voltage application,
atmospheric temperature in any location source. The fire behavior is
no flashover should occur and visual inspection
for a designated time period, such as a
carefully recorded, which must
should not show any serious tracking.
month or a year) corresponding to the
show a decrease after the
average winding temperature rise plus
ignition source is removed.
For the humidity penetration test, the transformer
40 C (maximum ambient temperature
shall be in a dry condition. It is installed in a dein normal service conditions). The mean
energized condition and held in the climatic
temperature reached by the windings
chamber for 144 hours). The temperature of the
shall be determined by resistance
climatic chamber shall be held at 50 plusor minus variation. The thermal shock should be
threeC and the relative humidity held at 90 plus
performed by applying an AC or DC
or minus five percent. At the end of this period and
current.
after three hours in normal ambient conditions, at
the latest, the transformer shall be subjected to the
Additionally, partial discharge
separate-source AC withstand voltage test and the
measurements are carried out. When
induced AC withstand voltage test, but at voltages
visually inspected, the windings shall
reduced to 80 percent of the standardized values.
show no visible abnormality, such as
cracks or slits.
No flashover or breakdown should occur during
dielectric tests and visual inspection shall not show
any serious tracking.
SELECTED MATERIAL PROPERTIES

Aluminum
Copper
Electrical Conductivity (107 S/m)
3.8
5.9
Coefficient of thermal expansion (10-5 K-1)
2.31
1.65
Thermal conductivity (W/m-K)
237
401
Heat Capacity (cal/goC)
0.220
0.092
Tensile Strength (MPa)
221
345
Volume Conductivity @ 20oC (IACS)
61.8%
100.0%
Temperature Coefficient of Resistance @ 20oC
0.00410
0.00393
Density @ 20oC (gm/cubic cm)
2.703
8.89
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MYTH THREE: Aluminum windings are not as strong as
copper windings
In cyclical loading applications, electromagnetic forces generated by the cur
rent flow can cause significant stresses on the windings. In order to withstand
those stresses, the tensile strength of the conductor must be high. On a per
unit basis, the tensile strength of aluminum is less than copper. Again,
because the cross-sectional area of aluminum in a transformer is larger by
65 percent than copper, the tensile strength is roughly the same. This allows
aluminum windings to withstand the same
forces generated as copper windings dur
ing normal and short-circuit loading.
Since the cross-sectional area of aluminum windings are larger than

copper windings, cast-resin transformers with copper windings tend to
have smaller core and coil assemblies. However, this so-called feature is
only a perceived advantage, because manufacturers often install cast-resin
transformers within the same pre-fabricated air-cooled enclosures regardless
of the winding material used or engineers create custom aluminum designs
based on dimensional restrictions.
WEIGHT AND SIZE
MYTH FOUR: Aluminum
transformers are much lighter, but the

same size, as copper options
While it is true that transformers made
with aluminum windings are generally
lighter than their copper counterparts,
the difference is not as great as expected.
The relative conductivity of aluminum to
copper by volume is 62 percent, but by
mass, the relative conductivity of alum
inum to copper is 214 percent, which
means that one kilogram of aluminum is
twice as conductive as one kilogram of
copper. This calculation would suggest that
the windings of an aluminum transformer
weigh half that of a copper transformer.
In practice, however, this conclusion on
weight is flawed because thermal and electrical considerations force designers to use
larger cross-sectional profiles of alumin
um conductors. Nonetheless, aluminum
transformers still typically weigh 15 per
cent less than their copper counterparts.
This fact has important benefits in appli
cations where a transformer is installed
above ground, such as high-rise buildings,
wind turbine nacelles (a covering that houses
all generating components in the turbine),
and other locations where space is at a pre
mium and structural loading concerns exist.
Generally,
copper is more
expensive than aluminum
COST
10-Year Aluminum and Copper Prices

(LME Spot)
FIGURE 1
$6.00
$6.00
Al $/lb
Al
$/lb
CU $/lb
CU
$/lb
$4.00
$4.00
$2.00
$2.00
$0.00
$0.00
10 Year Copper Price for Equivalent Aluminum Conductivity

10-Year Copper Price for Equivalent Aluminum Conductivity
FIGURE 2
$10.00
$10.00
$8.00
$8.00
$6.00
$6.00
$4.00
$4.00
$2.00
$2.00
$0.00
$0.00
CU $/lb
CU
$/lbEquivalent
Equivalent
Price of copper is generally

higher than aluminum (Figure 1).
Also, aluminum for transformer windings offers
significant cost advantages (Figure 2).
Aluminum winding
transformers, on
average, cost 15% less than
equivalent copper transformers
MYTH FIVE: The difference in the price of aluminum and copper
is enough to make a big difference in transformer costs

Figure 1 shows that the price of copper is generally much higher than
aluminum in addition to being significantly more volatile. Figure 2 dem
onstrates how using aluminum for transformer windings offers significant
cost advantages. Copper is widely used for applications in the construction,
motor winding, and wiring industries, but the amount produced world
wide is only about one third of that of aluminum. Aluminum is produced
globally.
Photo credit (aluminum): Hannah Chapman
ALUMINUM 101
Aluminum windings are designed

to meet all loss targets in project
specifications and U.S. Department of
Energy efficiency standards.
When proper hardware is used,
aluminum-copper connections are
just as effective as copper-copper
connections.
The thermal conductivity of aluminum
and copper is the same. Aluminum
dissipates energy at a similar rate from
its hot spot.
The tensile strength of aluminum
and copper is comparable. Aluminum
windings are capable of withstanding
equivalent short circuit and overload
conditions.
Roughly, 40 percent of the worlds copper is mined in South America

alone, while bauxite, the worlds main source of aluminum ore, is found
in many parts of the world. When nations embark on large infrastructure
projects or when disruptions occur in major copper mining countries,
the supply and demand for copper, along with its price, move erratically.
Price increases are reflected in both the manufacturing and product cost.
Aluminum is unlikely to face similar challenges because it is the second
most abundant metal on earth, making its supply cheap and predictable.
On average, the cost of a cast-resin transformer with aluminum windings is
approximately 15 percent less than an equivalent copper transformer.
LAST LOOK
Aluminum windings are a prudent engineering option that pro

vides customers with lighter weight and more cost-effective castresin transformers. In some cases, copper will continue to exist
as the preferred conductor material; however, the understanding
of aluminum as a conductor solution is slowly improving in the
United States.
As the industry moves beyond the misapplications and misunderstandings of the 1960s and 1970s, the demand for alum
inum winding transformers will increase. Additionally, standards
organizations such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) have published papers supporting aluminum
as a viable alternative to copper as a conductor. The lower price
and abundant supply of aluminum ensures that it will continue
to provide customers with cost savings for a long time. Most im
portantly, aluminum is able to match the performance of cop
per in all key areas of performanceelectrical and thermal con
ductivity, and tensile strength. ET
Related Articles
ELECTRICAL
SUBSTATIONS
Substation Maintenance
TODAYS ELECTRICITY | THE BULLETIN BOARD
WITH DATA ANALYTICS
ith an aging infrastructure, rising demand, and an increasingly

stringent regulatory climate, utilities across the country face some
tough decisions in the coming decade. The American Associ
ation of Civil Engineers calculates that it will take a $107 billion investment
by 2020 to keep the over-100-year-old power grid intact.
Therefore, the question becomes whether opportunities exist to balance
supply and demand in load-constrained areas without adding new trans
mission, which is costly, time consuming and sometimes difficult to execute.
One solution that might prove advantageous for electric utilities and their
customers is geographic targeting (geo-targeting).
Through this approach, energy efficiency and/or demand response pro
grams are targeted and implemented in precise geographic areas to mitigate
specific load problems at hand. Energy efficiency can provide a low-cost
way to lower monthly energy bills for customers while alleviating stress
on the local electrical gridleveling out peak demand even if total
consumption continues to increase.
Buildings consume approximately 40 percent of all U.S. energy, which
translates into perhaps the single largest energy efficiency opportunity. Tra
ditionally, identifying which buildings hold the greatest potential savings
and evaluating the most effective solutions for each building has proven
one of the most challenging steps in turning this opportunity into a reality.
Information gleaned through energy analytics has revealed that the top
30 percent of buildings in a utilitys portfolio can offer 70 percent of the sav
ings. Therefore, identifying that top 30 percent is crucial for utilitieseven
within contained areas.
Identifying those targets is also critical for demand responsethrough
which end users reduce or shift their electricity usage during peak periods,
typically in response to time-based rates or other financial incentives. If utilities
can use energy efficiency to reduce overall consumption and demand response
to soften peak load volume on the power grid, knowing which buildings to
target and which customers to incentivize can go a long way.
This issues The Bulletin Board presents four helpful suggestions and best
practices on how electric utilities can use data analytics to geo-target specific
service areas and, ultimately, reduce peak load.
Seize the opportunity

Can energy efficiency or demand re
sponse be leveraged to alleviate network
constraints? Understanding the effic
iency or demand response potential with
analytics is the first step to answer this
question.
Meter data analytics identify, not only
the savings potential of a particular building, but also the various oppor
tunities available during time-specific network and system peaks. The ability
to observe potential energy savings and demand reduction opportunities
for individual and a portfolio of buildings across various time slices is par
ticularly impactful for geo-targeting applications.
Once potential energy savings and demand reduction opportunities are
identified, the potential can be compared with the resources required to
alleviate the network constraintor expected constraint. Energy efficiency
and demand response might have the capabilities to address the entire prob
lem, some of the problem, or very little of the problem.
Utilities must accurately assess opportunities such as identifying buildings
with high potential or ones with limited potential to provide an established
business case and instill confidence in the achievability of efficiency or de
mand response project targets.
TIP 2
Take a multi-departmental
approach to tackle the problem
Network operations, procurement, and
energy efficiency groups within utilities
are often siloed, with limited cross-de
partment operational experience. For
geo-targeting programs to launch suc
cessfully, opening communication lines
between key stakeholders is critical.
Load forecasting planning cycles may
Photo credit (puzzle globe): B S K; (vintage key) Mike Cooke; (dollar sign) Przemyslaw Szczepanski
How to reduce peak load in constrained areas of the grid

BY W. HUGH GAASCH, Retroficiency
TIP 1
Geo-targeting requires an all-hands-on-deck approach

operate on different timelines than the efficiency and network operations
groups, and have different approval procedures. Furthermore, the efficiency
group can provide expertise and financial resources that concurrently
benefit network management and efficiency program goals.
Imperatively, utilities must increase communication between operations
and other internal groups, such as energy efficiency, to ensure that all par
ties are on board and to foster internal buy-in around strategies, savings
projections, and program metrics.
Photo credit (Toronto skyline): Maryette Perraulti
TIP 3
Offer flexible and tailored solutions

Energy consumption and use patterns
can vary drastically from building to
building, both across and within dif
ferent building types. It is important to
assess the building types in a given constrained
area and the opportunities that exist in those buildings,
and then ensure that efficiency and demand response offers
are flexible enough to capture the potential that exists.
For instance, utilities can take advantage of several ways to reduce peak
demand across a set of office buildings. An office building with an energy
management system may be an ideal candidate for retro-commissioning,
whereas one with no centralized controls may need that solution installed.
Some utility efficiency programs may count the savings from the in
stallation of an energy management system, but not recognize savings from
retro-commissioning. While this is unfortunate (and potentially deserving
of a separate column on its own), utilities should take an all-hands-on-deck
approach when using geo-targeting solutions to ensure they consider any
measure that will result in reliable savings.
Data analytics are important to enable this geo-targeting process. Using
traditional approaches, pinpointing critical issues in the power grid or specific
factors that affect performance can be similar to searching for a needle in a
haystackwithout even knowing which haystack to search. Analytics em
power utilities to gather customized, detailed insights on potential energy
savings and demand reduction opportunities in each building.
By employing data analytics, efficiency programs do not have to rely on
ineffective mass marketing tactics and can ensure energy audits do not miss
key opportunities.
TIP 4
Consider incorporating enhanced
incentives
Suddenexpected or unexpected
spikes in demand can leave utilities
struggling to provide enough power
a true worst-case scenario for any utility.
While nearly every utility offers some
form of incentive for its customers
to implement energy-saving measures, utilities with capacity constraints

should investigate increasing those incentives for peak reducing measures.
The incremental incentive could be the difference in encouraging many
customers to enroll versus just a few.
Several reasons provide proof why the right incentive can have a large
impact on customer engagement. Primarily, enhanced incentives reduce the
financial payback period of energy efficiency measuresa key metric for
customers when considering whether to participate in a program. Secondly,
the notion of a limited-time offer in the form of an enhanced incentive,
specifically if it bundles energy efficiency and demand response solutions,
places a sense of urgency amongst customers to act now rather than wait.
LAST LOOK
Findings from advanced analytics are specific, accurate, and re

peatable, by leveraging energy consumption data to develop a
specific energy model of how each building is presently using
energy and how it could potentially use energy with optimized
operations and systems.
While analytics have long been leveraged at the macro-grid
level for transmission and distribution purposes, new advances in
energy analytics allow utilities to understand what is happening
behind the meter, or at the micro-grid level. Data analytics em
power utilities to make informed decisions about the systems and
load management opportunities in their service areas, partic
ularly those that are becoming increasingly constrained.
By reducing the load in targeted pockets of the power grid,
utilities can potentially defer otherwise costly and disruptive in
frastructure upgrades. Buildings are producing massive amounts
of consumption data, and through advanced analytics, the energy
industry has the potential to not only save money and kilowatthours, but also make for a more sustainable, reliable, and less
capital-intensive grid. ET
W. Hugh Gaasch has worked with utilities and other energy service providers
for more than 20 years. He is currently the Vice President of Energy Efficiency
at Retroficiency.
Related Articles
SMART
GRID
The Watchdog of Electrical Assets
Q:
Reflecting back at Hurricane

Sandy two years ago, what
steps did PSE&G take to
restore power? What were
the lessons learned?
Photo credit (Hurricane Sandy satellite image): NASA GOES Project
TODAYS ELECTRICITY | UTILITY SPOTLIGHT
OUR EXPERT | Richard Wernsing, Manager of Asset Strategy, Electric at Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G)
Prior to any storm, PSE&G (Public Service Electric and Gas)

estimates the labor requirements based on weather projections.
If needed, we hire mutual aid prior to the storm so they are
ready for work when the storm passes by.
In the case of Hurricane Sandy, we quickly assessed the amount of damage
immediately after the storm. Our assessment concluded that vegetation
caused much of the damage. Initially, the only information available was the
location of customers who were out of service. Fortunately, some of these
customer reports included actual vegetation damage locations.
However, we needed more information on damage sites caused from veg
etation to make the necessary repairs. Therefore, assigned restoration staff
began a look-up process to ascertain what asset damage occurred due to
vegetation. Once restoration staff completed the process and obtained more
information, staff re-estimated the necessary labor requirements based on
initial damage reports. Finally, restoration workers correlated the reported
damage and performed the necessary repairs.
In the aftermath, we learned that improvements were required in our
work prioritization and optimization as well as our work scheduling and
dispatch processes. Since then, PSE&G have taken necessary steps to make
those improvements.
A:
Q:
PSE&G recently announced that it is investing $3.9 billion

over the next 10 years to proactively protect and strengthen
its electric and gas systems against increasingly frequent
severe weather conditions. What are the main investment
areas and how have funds been allocated to date?
A:
PSE&G focused on two areas of improvement for the electricity

transmission and distribution side of our business: hardening
and resiliency (see Did You Know sidebar). For our gas systems,
we focused our efforts on hardening the infrastructure to make it less susceptible
to damage from future extreme weather events.
Q:
Regulators and electric utilities are making power grid sec

urity a priority; however, how are utilities such as PSE&G
ensuring that security measures are implemented in the
most cost effective way?
A:
Each utility has their own way of securing the power grid. At
PSE&G, we plan and try to anticipate all risksnatural or human
made. Our Energy Strong program, which focuses on hardening
our infrastructure against extreme weather events, is an in
dication of how we are pro-actively trying to strengthen our system and at the
same time increase infrastructure resiliency in case our hardening efforts fail.
DID YOU KNOW?

Hardening Electric/Gas Delivery
Storm hardening for electric delivery involves physically
changing the infrastructure to make it less susceptible to
damage from extreme wind, flooding, or flying debris.
Hardening improves the durability and stability of the energy
infrastructure, making it more capable to withstand the
impacts of hurricanes and weather events without sustaining
major damage.
Photo Credit (light bulb): Sufi Nawaz
BY RACHEL STURGESS, Power Grid Resilience
Resiliency - Electric Delivery

Resiliency is the energy facilitys ability to recover quickly from
damage to any of its components or to any of the external
systems on which it depends. Note that resiliency measures
do not prevent damage; rather these measures enable energy
systems to continue operating despite damage and/or
promote a rapid return to normal operations when damages
or outages occur.
Photo credit (post-it note): Polina Ivanova
Now, we consider scenarios previously considered extreme such as a tow

er line being damaged beyond repair. We are working closely with the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security, PJM Interconnection, and our power
pools in New Jersey and New York to ensure we have the latest threat in
formation. Together, PJM and PSE&G are studying maximum credible
disturbances such as catastrophic damage to an entire station where, in the
past, we primarily studied loss of components.
We are constantly expanding our physical and cyber security measures and
monitoring the vicinity of our stations due to more severe weather, terrorist
threats, and significant copper thefts.
Part of our hardening effort will be to create our own communications

network. We may not stay ahead of severe weather, but we can fix damaged
assets and restore power at a quicker pace.
Communications and computer systems are key to improving system
restoration. The information technology world can help analyze our data,
but first need to learn our needs. ET
TM
March 23-25, 2015 |
Q:
You are speaking at the International Quality and Productivity

Centers upcoming Power Grid Resilience Summit on pro
tecting key assets. What are the most important solutions and
technologies required to protect critical infrastructure?
March 23-25, 2015

The Westin Crystal City | Arlington, VA
Now in its 2nd year, Power Grid Resilience summit will bring together the whos who on the subject of
preventing, responding to, and recovering from physical damage to the power grid infrastructure.
SESSION HIGHLIGHT
Designed for utility executives, Power Grid Resilience: Proactive Strategies for a Robust, Resilient
and Secure Grid, will provide a platform for utilities, government and solution providers alike to discuss,
debate, and outline strategies to protect utility assets from catastrophic and cascading weather, security
incidents and deliberate attacks.
FEATURED SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
Chris Peters, VP, NERC/ Critical Infrastructure Compliance, Entergy
Jelynne LeBlanc-Burley, Executive Vice President & Chief Delivery Officer, CPS Energy
Protecting Your Assets from Both

Natural and Physical Attacks
Richard Wernsing, Manager of Asset Strategy, Electric, PSE&G
Robert Martinez, Manager, Risk Control & Business Continuity, CenterPoint Energy
www.PowerGridResilience .com
A:
Q:
A:
The most important solution is rapid data anal

ysis and
communication. Utilities must create actionable information
now, whether the concern is cyber or physical threats, or a
power flow issue due to a circuit trip out.
What closing message do you have for other electric utilities?
We are now advanced enough to realize that data drives

success. During Hurricane Sandy, we lost communications
to all systemspower and cellular. Once again, we were using
telephone and radio systems. Our computers are nothing
without streams of information. Security personnel, Homeland Security,
utilities, and processing centers were all dead in the water until data started
flowing again.
enquiryiqpc@iqpc.com
1.800.882.8684
Speaker: Richard Wernsing,

Manager of Asset Strategy Electric
Public Service, and Electric Gas (PSE&G)
Conducting systemic and local analysis to evaluate
equipment criticality
Protecting key assets and hardening critical infrastructure
Staying aware of potential threats; deliberate and natural
Achieving security without incurring undue cost or
adversely affecting asset performance
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
TM
March 23-25, 2015 |
The Westin Crystal City | Arlington, VA
Now in its 2nd year, Power Grid Resilience summit will bring together the whos who on the subject of
preventing, responding to, and recovering from physical damage to the power grid infrastructure.
Designed for utility executives, Power Grid Resilience: Proactive Strategies for a Robust, Resilient
and Secure Grid, will provide a platform for utilities, government and solution providers alike to discuss,
debate, and outline strategies to protect utility assets from catastrophic and cascading weather, security
incidents and deliberate attacks.
FEATURED SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
Chris Peters, VP, NERC/ Critical Infrastructure Compliance, Entergy
Jelynne LeBlanc-Burley, Executive Vice President & Chief Delivery Officer, CPS Energy
Richard Wernsing, Manager of Asset Strategy, Electric, PSE&G
Robert Martinez, Manager, Risk Control & Business Continuity, CenterPoint Energy
www.PowerGridResilience .com
enquiryiqpc@iqpc.com
1.800.882.8684
TODAYS ELECTRICITY | AT YOUR SERVICE
S
E
R
I
DF
L
I
W
G
N
I
T
H
G
FI
BY BUTCH BERNHARDT, North American Wood Pole Council
he number of wildland fires reached record levels in many states

in 2014, prompting questions about what poles perform more
efficiently in fires: steel or wood. Research from a bulletin entitled,
The Performance of Distribution Utility Poles in Wildland Fire Hazard
Areas, published by the North American Wood Pole Council and auth
ored by independent engineer Stephen T. Smith, P.E., contains some sur
prising answers on pole evaluation for increased wildfire protection.
Over the past decade, an average of 68,000 wildfires has burned eight
million acres of land each year across the United States. Losses from
wildfires have averaged more than $1.3 billion annually since 2003.
Wildfires expose utility poles to temperatures from 932 degrees to 2,192
degrees Fahrenheit. At these temperatures, fires can consume structures,
cars and, in some cases, even melt roadways.
Since wood is easily flammable, utilities opt for materials such as steel
the most obvious choiceto protect against fire. However, research
shows that wood poles may offer some advantages compared to steel when
exposed to wildfires.
Wood poles can burn substantially in a fire, yet still support attached
wires. When wood burns, it develops a layer of char that slows the rate
of decomposition and protects the interior wood against the loss of
strength.
Many wildfires move at a rapid pace, which only blacken the woods
surface, thus having no significant impact on the poles structural cap
abilities. For example, a 10-minute exposure to fire at temperatures of up
to 932F would cause charring to a depth of just 6.5 millimeters, or less
than 1/16th of an inch, in a wood pole.
By comparison, steel poles face a different danger from fires: heat. It
is well documented that steel loses strength as it is exposed to high
temperatures. Structural steel starts losing strength at about 392F and
Evaluating
pole selection for
increased protection
retains just 80 percent of its strength at 572F. By the time a steel pole hits
932F, temperatures commonly reached in wildfires, its strength is just
50 percent and can no longer support design loads.
Exposure to fire can affect galvanizing on a steel pole, leading to increased
corrosion. The American Galvanizers Association notes that zinc-iron
alloy layers created during galvanizing provide corrosion protection
only up to 480F. Higher temperature exposures are not recommended.
LAST LOOK
No matter the material, utilities can take steps to protect distri

bution poles from the damaging impacts from wildfires. Con
trolling vegetation around poles can reduce the risk of fire damage.
The effectiveness of vegetation management will depend on the
quality of the work, as well as factors such as slope and vegetative
conditions (thick forest growth versus open grasslands).
Utilities should consider strategies that recognize some fires
will be so severe that no pole type will likely survive. Realistic strat
egies should include elements such as locating lines for ease of
firefighting, incorporating redundant options and maintaining
relationships with suppliers that have the capacity to supply a
large number of replacement poles. ET
Butch Bernhardt is the program and communications manager for the North
American Wood Pole Council.
READ ORIGINAL RESEARCH: www.woodpoles.org
TODAYS ELECTRICITY | JUST THE FACTS
TRANSMISSION
TOWERS
IN DEMAND
Study shows growth

from now to 2020
ging infrastructure and increased demand for power has amplified the de
mand for transmission towers. In their latest report ,The Global Market for
Electricity Towers and Poles 2014 to 2020, StatPlan Energy, specialists in the
electricity sector, forecasts global demand for transmission towers will increase at a 1.6
percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from now to 2020.
The rate of growth does not seem dramatic when expressed as a constant financial
rate of return over a specific time, but as an indication of the number of towers re
quested for construction, the figures are substantial. This issues Just the Facts presents
a summary of the studys key findings.
KEY FINDINGS
Current global market for transmission tower construction is valued at $14.3 billion
per year
Annual demand through to 2020 will steadily increase (a combination of new build
in some regions and replacement in others)
Current global installed base comprises of 16.2 million operational transmission towers
StatPlans growth forecasts suggest another 1.7 million towers will be added to the
power network by 2020
Pace of growth will vary around the world and rely on different factors. In some,
notably mature markets, the tower industry is reliant on replacement of existing
structures. In other regions, often working from a low installed base, the addition of
new transmission towers will drive the market
Uncertain international markets are likely to moderate growth, especially in oil
exporting countries relying not solely on private enterprise
In many markets, utilities are postponing unnecessary projects. In many regions,
including the U.S., this is a steadily building backlog
REPLACEMENTS
StatPlan Energy states that utilities should not underestimate the asset replacement
market. Determining specific asset (for, example, transformers, meters, cable, towers,
or utility poles) replacement dates is based on knowing with accuracy, dates of equip
ment installation.
LAST LOOK
Growth exists for transmission tower suppliers; however, capitalizing on

the right opportunity is critical to success. StatPlan Energy concludes that
suppliers around the world seeking robust growth must choose their bat
tlegrounds carefully; significant merger and acquisition (M&A) activity is
expected in the future as companies position themselves for any upcoming
investment in infrastructure renewal. ET
Compiled by David Dower, StatPlan Energy
READ ORIGINAL REPORT: www.statplanenergy.com
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
TARGETS
Photo credit (aim at target): Rainer Topf
TODAYS ELECTRICITY | GET YOUR GEAR ON
Using real-time
monitoring to reduce
power consumption
BY TIM VAN SLAMBROUCK, DENT Instruments
uilding automation applies computerized controls to manage elec

trical systems in commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings,
equipment such as fire, power, and security systems, as well as light
ing. Building automation can help facilities reduce power consumption and
cut operating costs. What can help in achieving the aforementioned goals is
a comprehensive energy strategy.
The University Hospital Authority and Trust (UHAT) operates seven
medical office buildings on the University of Oklahomas Health Science
Center campus in Oklahoma City. In early 2012, the hospital was con
templating some changes to upgrade their HVAC (heating, ventilation,
and air conditioning) systems and install automated controls. At the time,
the building controls were a mix of disjointed pneumatic and direct digital
control systems and UHAT facilities had no easy way of measuring the ef
fects of energy conservation measures.
ES2, a local consulting firm providing comprehensive energy solu
tions, proposed an energy strategy focused on establishing a holistic solution
that could unify the campuss energy conservation projects. The consulting
firm performed energy audits of the hospitals facilities and proposed a
strategic overhaul of the building controls.
The key component for any comprehensive strategy is a solid evaluation,
measurement, and verification (EM&V) plan based on ability to measure
energy use as it happens. Real-time performance data should drive decision
making. According to the Ontario Power Authority, an EM&V plan is
the blueprint for studies and activities aimed at assessing the affects (for
example, energy savings) and effectiveness of a conservation program on its
participants and/or the market.
In this case, the plan was to turn UHATs facilities into smart buildings
by networking the hospitals energy-consuming components together, and
providing a means for building occupants and facilities managers to easily
monitor current consumption and assess the effects of the hospitals energysaving measures. The specified solution involved implementing strategic
tools including WebCTRL provided by Automated Logic and metering
devices from DENT Instruments (refer to Figure 1). Making energy con
sumption information available to the necessary individuals who can affect
that consumption can be a key to achieving considerable savings.
CHOOSING A CONTROL SYSTEM

The completed energy strategy for UHAT included the installation of new
building automation systems that utilize BACnet, a data communication
protocol for building automation and control networks that was developed
under the auspices of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and
Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Among the benefits of an industry
standard interface is interoperability, whereby best-in-class system elements
such as sensors, switches, and motor drives can be interfaced, and the ability
of compatible devices to communicate is assured.
Photo credit (blue light bulb): Mark Phelan
DID YOU KNOW
Some modern building control systems offer an

operator interface that can show, at a glance, the
status of building control points, which enables
operators to make changes to system operation
(refer to Figure 3 on page 86).
Figure 1: Power
submetering devices
shown with Rogowski
coil curent transformers
CHOOSING POWER METERS

Integrated submetering was required to monitor power consumed by each
one of the UHAT buildings in order to enable the system to monitor peak
electrical demand in real time. For connectivity, BACnet-ready devices were
also required, since many measurement points were involved. Essentially,
a solution was needed that offered a lower cost per monitoring point for
monitoring power use of individual building floors.
Single-point, three-phase submeters that communicate using either BACnet
or Modbus protocols were installed in seven buildings across the campus
at the main power feed level. Multi-channel power meters that can monitor
up to 24 different consumption points were installed to monitor the power
consumption of individual floors (one 24-channel metering device could
record power consumption by HVAC, lighting and outlet circuits on about
two and a half floors in a UHAT hospital building). Figure 1 shows the
metering devices. With the meters in
place (refer to Figure 2), operators can
access live energy consumption data
for each access point, showing the per
formance of each metered circuit.
ENERGY CONSERVATION PROGRAMS

A behavior-based energy conservation program is an integral part of a com
prehensive energy strategy. The State of Oklahoma mandates that all state
agencies cut their energy use by 20 percent by 2020. A strategy that can help
increase awareness and to create energy saving behavior can show benefits.
The University Hospital Authority and Trusts executive team launched a
behavior-based energy efficiency improvements campaign where their med
ical staff members were encouraged to power down lights and computers
when not in use, as well as to review use of medical equipment. A friendly
competition between building occupants was officially launched once
enough accumulated data was available for baseline comparison. Com
petition proved to be successful with clinics proactively engaged in iden
tifying ways to lower their energy use. In two months, total electric con
sumption was reduced by six percent.
Percentage of reduced
energy consumption in
one year with a behaviorbased program and a newly
installed monitoring and
control system
Photo credit (percent symbol): Przemyslaw Szczepanski
20
LAST LOOK
Figure 2: Network
diagram showing the
interconnection of
control and metering
systems
Public institutions and commercial

facilities can achieve sustainable energy efficiency targets with a com
prehensive energy strategy based
on capabilities and data from ad
vanced controls and monitoring equipment. A comprehensive energy
strategy can help facility managers
and building owners see a return
on their investments within five
years. As the industry mantra goes,
you cannot improve what you can
not measure. ET
Figure 3: Screen capture showing power consumption data (graph) for one of the UHAT buildings; the temperatures of
each floor and temperature of the hot water supply are also monitored as additional indicators of energy consumption
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DOBLE ENGINEERING COMPANY
Editorial Contributors
WILL KNAPEK, OMICRON USA
William Knapek, a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), currently works as the Secondary Engineering Service and Customer Support Manager for
OMICRON USA. He is certified as a Senior NICET (National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies) Technician and a former NETA (InterNational Electrical Testing Association)
Level IV technician. Will received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology from
East Carolina University in 1994. He retired from the U.S. Army as a Chief Warrant Officer after 20
years of service in 1995. During his time with the Army Corps of Engineers, he held positions as
a power plant instrumentation specialist, a writer/instructor for the Army Engineer School, and a
Facility Engineer for a Special Operations compound.
Protective Relay Frustrations: Solving misoperation with line parameter measurements
CLICK HERE
TAO HONG, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Tao Hong, PhD, is the Director of BigDEAL (Big Data Energy Analytics Laboratory), the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporations (NCEMCs) Faculty Fellow of Energy Analytics, Graduate Program Director, and EPIC Assistant Professor of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management
at University of North Carolina. He is the Founding Chair of the IEEE Working Group on Energy
Forecasting and lead author of the online book Electric Load Forecasting: Fundamentals and Best
Practices. Hong received his Bachelor of Engineering in Automation from Tsinghua University in
Beijing and his Doctor of Philosophy with co-majors in Operations Research and Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University.
Integrated Energy Forecasting: Improving T&D planning and operations
CLICK HERE
CRAIG FIRL, Capital Safety

Craig Firl has worked at Capital Safety for more than 30 years, most recently as the North American
Technical Manager. Firl has extensive experience and knowledge in the areas of fall protection application, product support, development, and service, as well as a focus to help clients understand
and comply with regulations instituted by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). His accomplishments include
numerous presentations and research on fall protection, including presentations to the International Society for Fall Protection, and the National Safety Congress. Firl has an associate degree in
industrial engineering technology from South East Technical College in Red Wing, Minnesota.
Fall Protection Becomes Mandatory: New regulation removes optional to
increase worker safety
CLICK HERE
This issues contributors

Massoud Amin, IEEE Smart Grid, University of Minnesota
Scott May, Siemens
Butch Bernhardt, North American Wood Pole Council
Budo Milovic, DV-Power
Philip Charlton, Utility Arborist Association
Vijai Narayanan, Siemens
David Dower, StatPlan Energy
Howard Ng, Comverge
Craig Firl, Capital Safety
Henning Oetjen, Megger
W. Hugh Gaasch, Retroficiency
Jim Siebert, FOX 26 Chief Meteorologist
Tao Hong, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Rodger Smith, Oracle Utilities
Ralph King, Electric Power Research Institute
Rachel Sturgess, Power Grid Resilience
Will Knapek, OMICRON USA
Tim Van Slambrouck, DENT Instruments
Andrew Lawless, Siemens

Trade Show Newsreel
Industr y happenings
FEATURED CONFERENCE
82nd International Conference of Doble Clients

March 22 to 27, 2015
Boston, Massachusetts
Now in its 82nd year, the International Conference
of Doble Clients is a closed forum for electric power
industry professionals to share best practices and
lessons learned with additional focused training
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factor and sweep frequency response analysis
(SFRA). Additionally, the conference will host
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The closed conference sessions are designed
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21st IPPSA ANNUAL CONFERENCE Art of the Deal

March 8 to 10, 2015
Banff, Alberta
www.ippsa.com/2015_conference
This years event will feature a host of business case panels
and keynotes providing lessons learned from policy,
regulatory and commercial deals. We look forward to
welcoming our delegates, exhibitors and sponsors to the
premier electricity event in Alberta.
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IEEE Standards Association
CHANGING THE UTILITY

BUSINESS MODEL
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PLUGGING INTO
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Intelligently charging on the
power grid
2014 ELECTRICAL SAFETY REPORT
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Electrical Substations
THE DEMAND RESPONSE

EVOLUTION
Substation grounding and personnel safety

Megger
Progress, challenges, and the
Lineman Safety
road ahead
CHANNELS
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CARBON EMISSIONS
Electrical safety and personal protective equipment

3M Company
Smart Grid
Leveraging voice radio networks for
data transmission
Motorola Solutions
Electric Power Research Institute
The path toward a more

sustainable energy future
Environmental Defense Fund
Smart Metering
Wireless technology: Moving the
smarts around the Smart Grid
TESSCO
Overhead T&D
Vegetation management:
scheduling, optimum cycle, and
the cost of deferring maintenance
Utility Arborist Association
Power Transformers
How to prevent power failure on
transformer upgrades
Megger
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LAST
PAGE
A contract lineman tends to ice-laden power lines

during an ice storm that affected about 190,000 of
DTE Energys 2.1 million customers in December
2013. Frigid temperatures, snow, and high velocity
winds made restoration work more challenging,
and new power outages occurred as ice continued
to put weight on power lines and tree branches.
Even arriving to job sites was difficult with icy roads
and yards.

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