transmission & distribution world - september 2016
TRANSCRIPT
Asset Management 28 l Bulk Power 34 l Diagnostic Use 40 l Grid Innovation 46S
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© S&C Electric Company 2016, all rights reserved
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com2
Vol. 68 No. 9
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The SMART Way to Improve Operations Digital inspection software helps KAMO Power lighten the load
while improving effi ciencies and delivering results.
By Alena Bradbury and Payton White, KAMO Power
Visibility Enables PV IntegrationRooftop photovoltaic installations in Hawaii have nearly doubled
every year since 2012.
By Dora Nakafuji, Hawaiian Electric Co.
KANSAI Monitors Network StationsPractical use of monitoring and diagnostic systems leads to more effi cient
maintenance, a stable electric power supply and optimized re furbishment.
By Yoshinao Matsushita, Shinya Iwasaki and Ryota Tomokane,
Kansai Electric Power Co.
Eversource Innovates with Fusesaver Pilot Utility upgrades its distribution system to help deliver the resiliency
and reliability that regulators and customers expect.
By Timothy J. Callahan, Eversource Energy
Analysis Drives Future Substation Confi gurationsStedin presents a changing perspective on medium-voltage network
design and reliability.
By Edward Coster and Dirk Boender, Stedin, and Bram Staarink, Alliander 40
CO
VE
RS
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Energized RebuildAEP completes an energized reconductoring project in south Texas
to ensure reliable power today, tomorrow and well into the future.
By James J. Berger, American Electric Power, and David Wabnegger,
Quanta Services
34
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September 2016 | www.tdworld.com4
DepartmentsGlobalViewpointInnovation Unleashed. Innovation can occur at all levels within a company,
but it does not occur in a vacuum. We must expand our circle of contacts
if we are going to expand our impact.
By Rick Bush, Strategic Director
BusinessDevelopments● ABB Wins $40 Million in Transformer Orders to Extend and Upgrade
Poland’s Grid
● Capgemini Supports London Hydro’s Digital Transformation
● Aclara Acquires Smart Grid Business from Tollgrade
TechnologyUpdates● PNM Uses Smart Grid Technology to Provide More Reliable Electricity
● Saft Batteries Deliver Backup Power to Offshore Wind Farm
● ACRs Help Increase Reliability and Reduce Outages in Brazil
Products&Services● Digger Derrick
● High-Power Waveform Drive
● Remote Switch Actuator
StraightTalkBaptism by Fire. CenterPoint Energy is proactively engaged in storm
resiliency preparedness and customer satisfaction. The utility’s business
model is to deliver safe, reliable and affordable energy every day.
By Kenny Mercado, CenterPoint Energy
In Every IssueClassifi edAdvertising
AdvertisingIndex
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CONTENTS
AEP had to increase capacity of transmission in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. A forward-thinking partnership and use of innovative technologies enabled this project to be done with the line energized.
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QUANTA SERVICES IS PROUD TO HAVE PARTNERED WITH AEP ON THIS INNOVATIVE PROJECT.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT QUANTA’S ENERGIZED CAPABILITIES PLEASE VISIT
WWW.QUANTAENERGIZED.COM .
SAFETY. QUALITY. RELIABILITY. www.quantaservices.comwww.quantaservices.com
EEI’S 2016 EDISON AWARDFOR THE ENERGIZED RECONDUCTOR PROJECT OF THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY IN TEXAS.
CONGRATULATIONS TO AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER ON RECEIVING
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com6
Strategic Director Rick Bush [email protected]
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New on tdworld.comVisit the website daily for breaking news, videos and photo galleries.
Gallery:Floods Batter Louisiana; Entergy Responds Entergy Louisiana crews continued to work on restoring service to customers after historic Louisiana fooding. Volunteers from every state were descending on food- stricken Louisiana to assist relief efforts for what the Red Cross called the nation’s worst disaster since Superstorm Sandy.
At least 11 people have been killed, some 40,000 homes affected and 30,000 people rescued in what offcials have described as some of the worst food-ing ever to hit the state.
Entergy Louisiana’s service area has been particularly hard-hit, yet the utility did what it could to prepare and has been working continuously to restore power and clean up. http://bit.ly/2bMfunL.
Grid Optimization:What Makes a Grid Smart? By David Shadle
Well, that’s a stupid question…..or is it? We hear about more smart grid tech- nologies and appli- cations on a regular basis. It is one of the most common subjects in the industry these days. Does that mean all grids are smart? http://bit.ly/2brlxk5.
Vegetation Management Resource Center: Research & Demonstration Plots By Sig Guggenmoos
It is extremely diffcult to gain public and environ- mental acceptance for the introduction of herbicides to a program.http://bit.ly/2beRYgd.
8 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
GlobalViewpoint
Innovation Unleashed
Thriving companies unleash creativity and passion into
the marketplace so they can thrill their customers. This
is especially important in our power-delivery space
because it is such a relationship-oriented business. We need
the whole to be bigger than the sum of the component parts.
We need to collaborate to succeed. And those of us who work
in T&D are so unique and have so much more to offer than
can be stated in a one-size-fts-all job description.
I believe in the power of the individual. In my wanderings,
I am always running into people with true passion, people who
care, people who are willing to do what it takes to move our
industry forward.
Recently, I was in the Denver, Colorado, area and dropped
in on the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) head-
quarters in Lakewood. I know Mark Gabriel, the administra-
tor at WAPA, from his days at Black & Veatch, so I stop in every
chance I get. I’ve always liked working with WAPA engineers
and line workers, because they are always open to trying new
ways of doing things and thus always have new things to share.
We usually cover their transmission construction projects in
Transmission & Distribution World, but we also track progress in
operations and maintenance.
One individual who continues to impress is Ed Hunt, a line
foreman out of WAPA’s Cheyenne, Wyoming, feld offce. He
doesn’t really want any attention, so he will probably be irri-
tated when I mention him; but he is a friend, so I’ll mention
him anyway.
Ed is the chairman of the IEEE ESMOL committee that
works to improve the safety and operations practices for over-
head lines. Ed is a feld guy, so his input is invaluable. When
our industry discovered that non-ceramic transmission line
insulators were deteriorating to the point of being a safety
hazard to workers, Ed wrote an editorial for me stating that
we needed to come up with a way to keep linemen safe. He
then went on to work with EPRI and EPRI contractors to push
for the development of a device that could check the integrity
of a non-ceramic insulator prior to initiating energized line
work. That device is now on the market. Way to go Ed!
Now back to my visit with Mark.
Being that I am a tech geek, Mark and I soon found our-
selves talking about innovation and technology. Mark in-
formed me that WAPA had just held its inaugural Technology
and Innovation Summit in Lakewood this past May. WAPA
brought in 100 or so employees and another 20 connected via
teleconference. The summit was conceived as an opportunity
to recognize and inspire creativity and innovation in the de-
velopment, testing and implementation of emerging technolo-
gies and enhanced work practices.
Mark believes that while innovation cannot be taught,
it can be unleashed, and it takes the right environment to
open minds to new ideas. He loves working
at WAPA because the organization is always
evolving and innovating and he sees that as
something really special happening at WAPA.
Mark appreciates the commitment and
dedication of WAPA staff to fnding better
ways of doing things so they can make a big-
ger difference. And Mark believes that inno-
vating is also fun.
Mark was thrilled that 64 nominations
were turned in. To give you a favor of the
event, here are a few of those individuals who
were acknowledged:
•Ronald Burbridge — Ronald invented a
device that allows an overhead static wire on a
wood H-frame to be disconnected under ten-
sion and then lifted so that the static connec-
tion hardware can be more easily replaced.
•David Katich — David was innovative in
developing a virtual high-resolution video
system that enables offce employees to have
Rocky Mountain foreman III lineman Ron Burbridge and headquarters civil engineer Cody Neyens with the Burb-o-lifter, a device developed and fabricated by Burbridge that allows crews to lift optical ground wire without the use of a jib crane. Now crews can use a helicopter for optical ground wire hardware replacement instead of a bucket truck and increase productivity by 500%. Photo by Travis Weger, WAPA.
PROVIDING TRUSTED PARTNERSHIPS
AND INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS.
Sharyland Utilities enlisted Black & Veatch to provide communities with access
to renewable wind energy by implementing the AJ Swope Substation project. In
the process, the companies formed an EPC partnership they could trust.
Construction crews working in the Texas Panhandle encountered sustained
wind, snow, and extreme cold, prompting innovative installation techniques
while maintaining safety and schedule.
Visit bv.com/PowerDelivery to learn more about our capabilities.
10 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
GlobalViewpoint
access to and visibility of system conditions without always hav-
ing to go out into the feld.
•Lane Cope, John Quintana and Gary Zevenbergen — In this
case, three amigos demonstrated innovative efforts to develop
and calculate new safe minimum working distances for main-
tenance employees working with high-voltage equipment.
•Anne Anderson, John Athanasiou, Grover Bray, Carol Ham-
mans, James Higgins, Timothy Padden, Jon Ridout, Steven Smith
and David Tucker — Now this team is almost as big as the task
at hand: to develop a WAPA-wide approach to identify and
automate the collection and monitoring of dissolved gases to
measure the health of transformers.
Of course, no company works in a vacuum, and Gabriel in-
vited Terry Oliver, Bonneville Power Administration’s (BPA)
chief technology innovation offcer, to share his thoughts
on the power of innovation. I know Terry and people in his
group. Terry empowers his team to create, and at the same
time, he has a system to track the value delivered to BPA by
these innovations.
Terry believes most innovation is additive. He used the syn-
chrophasor as an example of a game-changing technology.
He also shared counterintuitive lessons learned from BPA’s
10-year-old innovation program. One of the most important
lessons is to embrace failure. When Oliver started the innova-
tion program at BPA, he promised executives an 85% failure
rate. “I beat it,” stated Terry. “I have a failure rate of 90%.”
With failure as a legitimate option, BPA has a mantra: Fail
Early; Fail Cheap. Terry emphasized the importance of focus-
ing on mission-related problems, and the payoff for BPA has
been substantial. Terry says BPA has invested about $70 mil-
lion over the past 10 years, and that investment has generated
$280 million in benefts, even with a 90% failure rate.
I’m sure this won’t surprise you, but the biggest challenge
Oliver shared has been internal resistance to change. This led
BPA to look at changing the culture of the company with a
focus on change management and continuous improvement.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Chief
Grid Strategy & Operations Offcer Paul Lau also shared his
thoughts on innovation. He highlighted that SMUD’s board of
directors set a goal of 95% customer satisfaction for everything
they do. For example, SMUD chose to address residential solar
by becoming an enabler to help customers accomplish their
personal energy goals. This required change management
processes to be absorbed internally so that innovations could
be incorporated into the culture of the organization.
I visit a lot of utilities and see innovative ideas and insights
that can pop up anywhere in an organization. In fact, the case
studies we run in T&D World are selected so innovations devel-
oped in one utility can be shared with all.
The Technology and Innovation Summit was not just about
handing out awards. Attendees chatted with individuals man-
ning the 20 or so displays highlighting innovations at WAPA.
Electrical engineer Gary Zevenbergen stepped it up and pro-
vided a demonstration of ground potential rise. A video of
insulator and conductor ballistics testing was a big hit.
Not all utilities are of a size that they can launch their own
innovation summit, but we all have the opportunity to share
with one another. In fact, we have an event coming up later this
year that I would recommend you consider attending.
After a hiatus of a few years, I am excited to report that
American Electric Power (AEP) is teaming up with the IEEE
ESMO committee to bring back the ESMO conference. I love
going to this event. This is a real hands-on event like nothing
else in the power industry. The outdoor portion of this event
is being held at AEP’s Bixby substation. You will get to see the
latest feld practices being demonstrated in real time.
Here is a partial list of planned feld events:
•Installationofanaerialmarkerballbyhelicopter
•Changeoutofanenergizedinsulatorusingaroboticarm
•Installationofaconductorsleevebyimplosion
•X-rayofanenergizedtransmissionlinebyhelicopter
•Replacementofa115-kVcrossarmwithatrussarm
•Fallprotectionandselfrescueona115-kVwoodpole
•Measureofcorrosiononatransmissionwire
•SuspensionofV-stringglassinsulators
•Emergencyrestorationandinstallationofastructure.
Innovation can occur at all levels within a company, but
having worked at a research lab, I can confrm that innovation
does not occur in a vacuum. We must expand our circle of con-
tacts if we are going to expand our impact. Kudos to WAPA,
BPA and AEP for encouraging and sharing innovation. g g
Strategic Director
Editor’s note: Visit http://ieee-esmo.com/esmo-2016 for details
about the ESMO show Sept. 12-15 in Ohio. This is a must-attend
event for those who work in the feld as it will include feld and
technical presentations as well as indoor and outdoor booths.
Headquarters electrical engineer Gary Zevenbergen’s model and demonstration of ground potential rise. Photo by Travis Weger, WAPA.
12 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
ABB Wins $40 Million in Transformer Orders to Extend and Upgrade Poland’s Grid
ABB has won orders worth around US$40 million from Poland’s national trans-
mission system operator, Polskie Sieci Elektronergetyczne S.A (PSE S.A), to provide
energy-effcient transformers that will extend and upgrade the power transmission
grid in Poland.
The order is part of a project to modernize and expand Poland’s national trans-
mission system to meet the needs of the country’s expanding economy and grow-
ing energy demand.
This includes replacing
in-service transformers
and installing new ones.
ABB has worked
with PSE S.A. for many
years, participating in
the extension and mod-
ernization of the Polish
power grid, which is
driven by a number of
factors. These include
increasing demand for
energy in urban areas,
the need to integrate
new sources of renew-
able energy, and the de-
velopment of interconnections like the 500-MW LitPol high-voltage direct-current
(HVDC) link, recently delivered by ABB, which enables power trading between
Lithuania and Poland and opens up new possibilities in energy transmission in the
Baltic region.
As part of the order, ABB will design, deliver, install and commission three sets
of transformers, including fve 450-MVA units, two 500-MVA units and 10 units rat-
ed 275 MVA. The units will be manufactured at ABB’s transformer manufacturing
center in Lodz, Poland.
For more information, visit www.abb.com.
Aclara Acquires Smart Grid Business from Tollgrade
Aclara Technologies has acquired
the smart grid business of Tollgrade
Communications Inc. in a transaction
that includes the LightHouse distri-
bution monitoring platform compris-
ing Sensors and Sensor Management
System software with Predictive Grid
Analytics, as well as a broad intellectual
property portfolio.
The acquisition represents another
key growth initiative for Aclara follow-
ing the December 2015 purchase of
GE’s electricity meters business operat-
ing within GE Energy Management’s
Grid Solutions subdivision.
The LightHouse platform expands
Aclara’s capabilities in distribution
grid monitoring, and the transaction
strengthens Tollgrade’s focus on its
traditional broadband business. The
LightHouse platform provides fault
detection and location, power-quality
monitoring and classifcation of grid
events. With the LightHouse platform,
utilities can monitor the health of the
distribution grid, make informed deci-
sions and reliably deliver power to their
customers. Furthermore, the platform
enables grid operators to reach their
modernization goals and incorporate
renewable energy sources.
Visit www.aclara.com.
Energy-effcient transformers support efforts to strengthen power infrastructure across the Baltic region.
Capgemini Supports London Hydro’s Digital Transformation Capgemini Canada Inc. has been awarded a three-year
information technology (IT) testing and quality-assurance
contract with London Hydro of London, Ontario, Canada.
Capgemini Canada will provide testing services for London
Hydro’s technology platforms and applications, including
its Green Button initiative and Energy Data Platform (EDP),
which are designed to provide customers with easy, secure
access to energy-usage information as well as applications to
manage ef�ciency. Capgemini Canada signed on as the �rst
reseller of London Hydro’s EDP.
Under the testing agreement, Capgemini Canada will
support London Hydro’s digital capabilities by providing
independent test and evaluation services for IT systems that
support its operational needs, including its metering infra-
structure, customer information system and mobile apps.
Capgemini Canada will implement Capgemini’s testing pro-
cesses and methodologies, such as TMap and TPI, to support
ongoing testing operations.
Capgemini will resell the EDP to business clients within
London Hydro’s market to help reduce energy costs and bet-
ter manage consumption levels. London Hydro, a founding
member of the industrywide Green Button Alliance, became
the �rst utility to attain UL certi�cation of its electricity, natu-
ral gas and water Green Button Download My Data service
earlier this year. Through the Green Button Download My
Data service, customers with smart meters can access and
ef�ciently manage their resource consumption and access
applications that allow them to act on this information to
accurately manage their energy usage.
For more information, visit www.capgemini.com.
For more information, visit www.Powering-America.org
Online video magazine: www.electrictv.net
You know we’ll be there.You know we’ll be fast, productive, responsive and safe.You can better forecast recovery because every crew delivers the same top-notch performance.
Lightning. Hurricanes. Earthquakes. Floods. No matter what the disaster, Powering America Linemen help you recover faster. We’re ready to roll with experienced professionals trained to restore power faster. From routine recovery contracts to once-in-a-lifetime disasters, our linemen deliver with unmatched performance. So you can minimize the guesswork and focus on recovery work.
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14 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
BusinessDevelopments
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New York’s Clean Energy Standard Mandates 50% Renewables by 2030
The New York State Public Service
Commission has approved New York’s
Clean Energy Standard to fght climate
change, reduce air pollution, and en-
sure a diverse and reliable energy sup-
ply. The Clean Energy Standard will
require 50% of New York’s electricity to
come from renewable energy sources
by 2030, with an aggressive phase-in
schedule over the next several years.
In its initial phase, utilities and oth-
er energy suppliers will be required to
procure and phase in new renewable
power resources starting with 26.31%
of the state’s total electricity load in
2017 and grow to 30.54% of the state-
wide total in 2021. The Clean Energy
Standard will cost the average residen-
tial customer less than $2 a month.
The Clean Energy Standard will
reduce harmful greenhouse-gas emis-
sions and prevent backsliding on prog-
ress made to date by maintaining the
operations of carbon-free nuclear
power plants as the state transitions to
a 50% renewable requirement. It also
will strengthen New York’s electric fuel
diversity for the reliability benefts it
brings. By 2030, the 50% renewable
mandate will be a critical component
in reducing greenhouse-gas emissions
by 40% (from 1990 levels) and by 80%
by 2050.
Visit www.dps.ny.gov.
CenterPoint Energy Earns High Marks in Customer EngagementWith a score of 721 (on a 1000-point scale), CenterPoint
Energy scores the highest among Texas electric transmission
and distribution service providers (TDSPs) on residential
customer engagement, according to the Texas TDSP Trusted
Brand & Customer Engagement study, a Cogent Reports study
by Market Strategies International.
The study was conducted in the second half of 2015 and
frst half of 2016 among 2820 electric service customers resid-
ing in Texas in six deregulated electric service territories.
TDSPs are the companies that own and maintain wires,
poles and electric infrastructure and facilitate the distribu-
tion of electricity within a given region. CenterPoint Energy’s
score is 30 points higher than the 691 market average. Cus-
tomer engagement is scored based upon an Engaged Cus-
tomer Relationship index that comprises three components:
operational satisfaction, brand trust and product experience.
CenterPoint Energy posts the highest
score on each of these components
among other Texas TDSPs.
Visit www.CenterPointEnergy.com.
16 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
TechnologyUpdates
Saft Batteries Deliver Backup Power to Offshore Wind Farm
Saft has supplied its Uptimax nickel battery systems to ensure continuity of
power for critical communications and lighting services for sea marking at E.ON’s
Amrumbank West offshore wind farm.
The 302-MW capacity wind farm’s remote location off the coast of Germany in
the North Sea meant E.ON required backup batteries that would guarantee reliable
and safe operation without the need for regular maintenance visits. Benning of
Belgium, the power systems supplier for the project, highlighted that Saft’s mainte-
nance-free Uptimax was the only type of battery that would meet E.ON’s stringent
technological requirements that included up to four days of backup power, minimal
maintenance and long shelf life.
Saft has provided 80 Saft Uptimax battery systems, one for each turbine. In the
event of an interruption to the main power supply, the batteries are designed to
deliver peak power for essential safety systems for an initial period of eight hours,
followed by another 88 hours of low power. Each battery is rated at 24 V and has
energy-storage capacity of 150 Ah or 390 Ah.
The Saft nickel batteries will reduce E.ON’s need for costly maintenance visits
by helicopter and will require no topping up for their entire 20-plus-year lifetime.
For more information, visit www.saftbatteries.com.
PNM Uses Smart Grid Technology to Provide More Reliable Electricity
Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) is investing in smart grid tech-
nology to deliver more reliable electrical service to the city of Albuquerque, New
Mexico, U.S., and surrounding areas.
PNM tapped into the expertise of POWER Engineers to develop the specifca-
tion for the design and installation of a static var compensator (SVC), which is a sys-
tem of electrical devices that regulate voltage by controlling reactive devices in the
range of +250 MVar to -100 MVar. POWER also provided support for the protection
and controls of expanding PNM’s Rio Puerco Switching 345-kV switching station
where the SVC was installed.
PNM’s investment at the switching station allows it to maximize its existing trans-
mission systems and to simplify operation of its systems by eliminating several com-
plex tools and procedures to address voltage limits. The project lets PNM use its
northern New Mexico transmission system to deliver remote generation resources
from the Four Corners area to PNM’s native load customers and network transmis-
sion customers, reducing the need to use load-side generation in the Albuquerque
area for voltage support.
The project additionally improves PNM’s ability to stay in compliance with the
planning and operating standards of both the North American Electric Reliability
Corporation and Western Electricity Coordination Council.
POWER performed studies for PNM to determine the SVC main system ratings.
These studies included power fow, transient stability and system harmonic mea-
surements and analysis. The ABB Group designed, manufactured and installed
the SVC addition. POWER also served as the PNM owner’s engineer on the proj-
ect from the selecting of contractors through to energization. POWER provided
technical and design review, and its subsidiary POWER Testing and Energization
provided fnal testing and commissioning services.
For more information, visit www.powereng.com.
ACRs Help Increase Reliability, Reduce Outages in Brazil
Three subsidiaries of Eletrobras are
completing major projects in Brazil
that include the purchase and installa-
tion of NOJA Power’s automatic circuit
reclosers (ACRs)
Eletrobras Distribution Piauí has
installed 100 ACRs as part of its effort
to increase the reliability of Teresina’s
(Piauí’s capital) power distribution
networks while reducing the occur-
rence of power outages.
Eletrobras Acre Utility is installing
212 ACRs on the electrical distribution
networks of the state of Acre to im-
prove the energy supply. NOJA Power’s
control system allows the recloser to
perform automatic trips to open and
close circuits to protect the electri-
cal system. The device minimizes the
affected area during interruptions,
ensures a higher fault interruption ca-
pacity, and provides increased security
and safety for installations and people.
Eletrobras Distribution Amazonas
has installed four new NOJA Power
OSM reclosers in Humaitá’s substa-
tion, strengthening the overall primary
protection of the 13.8-kV equipment.
NOJA’s ACRs replaced old oil circuit
breakers that had been in use for more
than 25 years. This new equipment in-
creases the reliability of protection of
the distribution system and generation
at Humaitá.
NOJA Power’s OSM series ACRs
beneft from the use of vacuum inter-
rupters and solid dielectric insulation
instead of the environmentally harm-
ful oil or SF6 gas used in sectionalizers
and older recloser products. Another
key feature of the OSM series is its
stainless-steel enclosure forms a solid
dielectric unit with controlled internal
arc fault venting.
The OSM series has been fully
type-tested by independent labora-
tory KEMA in the Netherlands to en-
sure long life and reliability under the
harshest environmental conditions.
Visit www.nojapower.com.
Delivering grid modernization solutions including secure point-to-point or networked IEC 61850
Process Bus systems, enabling utilities to save up to 50% on P&C labor and material costs.
INTELLIGENT DIGITAL SUBSTATIONSIncreasing Substation Situational Awareness
Asset MonitoringMerging Units & Controllers
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Protection RelaysBay Control
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Gateways & RTUs Wide Area Control
Operator Interfaces (HMI)
EXPLORE & INTERACT WITH OUR DIGITAL SUBSTATION TODAY
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18 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
TechnologyUpdates
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Tennessee Co-op Automates Outage Management with FuturaUpper Cumberland EMC, an electric power distribution
cooperative serving more than 49,000 meters across parts of
10 Tennessee counties in the U.S., is launching mapping and
analytics software from Futura Systems.
The addition of Futura’s Catalyst WebMap will bring sev-
eral customer information system (CIS) and geographic in-
formation system (GIS) data streams together in one map
view, applying analytics to reveal ways Upper Cumberland can
use the information to better serve members. For example, it
can show the location of available trucks alongside work order
data to fnd the closest technician for a service call.
The tools — FieldPro, FuturaGIS, FuturaStake, Catalyst
and FuturaOMS — will integrate with Upper Cumberland
EMC’s existing software for customer billing (CIS) from Futu-
ra parent company SEDC. The core Esri ArcGIS-based map-
ping and staking tools selected by Upper Cumberland EMC
offer utility-specifc functions including
feld-accessible editing tools for energy
assets and turn-by-turn directions for
service technicians.
Visit www.futuragis.com.
SDG&E to Add More Storage to Improve Reliability
The California Public Utilities Com-
mission (CPUC) approved a proposal
by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E)
to build two new energy storage proj-
ects in San Diego County, U.S. In May,
the CPUC directed Southern Califor-
nia electric utilities to fast-track ad-
ditional energy storage options to en-
hance regional energy reliability.
Adding storage resources improves
the overall reliability of the grid as
it allows the system to accommodate
greater amounts of renewable power
and helps to ease congestion. SDG&E
proposes to charge the batteries dur-
ing times when there is an abundance
of solar or wind power, and discharge
them during the peak usage time in
the early evening.
SDG&E has signed an agreement
with AES, a major supplier of advanced
storage technology and other energy
resources, for 37.5 MW of lithium-ion
battery storage. SDG&E will own the
storage projects that AES will build on
utility-owned property in Escondido
and El Cajon. The larger of the two will
be a 30-MW unit and the smaller will
be a 7.5- MW unit.
The CPUC requires SDG&E to pro-
cure a total of 165 MW of energy stor-
age by 2020, to be operational by 2024.
To learn more, visit www.sdge.com
and www.aes.com.
© 2016 Thomas & Betts Corporation. All rights reserved. SEL is a trademark of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories.
Smart. Light. Flexible.Developed for the evolving grid with input from utilities, Elastimold®
solid dielectric reclosers include a wide range of innovative features:
• Smart – Equipped with current and load side voltage sensors
• Industry compliant – Compatible with SEL® control platform
• User-friendly – Red/green 360° tripping indicators visible from ground level
• Modular design – Enables fast, easy upgrades and retrofi ts
• Simple design – Maintenance-free magnetic actuator mechanism
• Time-saving – Does not require voltage correction factors
• Light and compact – 30% less weight than other reclosers
For more details, contact your T&B representative or visit tnb.com/recloser.Single-Phase, Three-Phase and Triple-Single confi gurations to 38kV
The sun rises over the energized reconductor project at the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The temporary poles on the left were planted using the existing right-of-way.
21www.tdworld.com | September 2016
Energized Rebuild
AEP completes an energized reconductoring project in south Texas
to ensure reliable power today, tomorrow and well into the future.
By James J. Berger, American Electric Power,
and David Wabnegger, Quanta Services
The energized reconductor project in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) that f nished in Novem-
ber 2015 is a landmark achievement for American Electric Power (AEP) and the utility industry. By
capitalizing on innovative technologies from across the industry, AEP solved an immediate need to
provide reliable electricity to its customers in the LRGV and simultaneously addressed future load
growth. This challenge was met by Quanta Energized Services (QES), an entity of Quanta Services, which is the
recognized industry leader for live-line work. The forward-thinking partnership enabled the entire 240-mile
(386-km) reconductoring job to be completed while in an energized state and eight months ahead of schedule.
For many years, the LRGV was primarily served by two 345-kV transmission lines that originated in Corpus
Christi, Texas, U.S. — 120 miles (193 km) to the north. Extraordinary weather events in 2010 and 2011 dem-
onstrated that these aging resources had to be upgraded to provide south Texas with reliable service. Adding
urgency, these parallel lines run precariously near the Texas Gulf Coast, which exposes them to hurricanes,
storm surges and corrosive salt spray.
Steady Load GrowthSummer highs in the LRGV routinely hit triple digits. The high temperatures in conjunction with a population
growth of 30% from 2000 to 2010 resulted in AEP’s peak electric demand more than doubling from 1000 MW
in the summer of 2000 to a summer record peak demand of 2220 MW in 2010.
In February 2011, south Texas experienced record winter temperatures, which dropped as low as 20°F (-7°C).
For a region accustomed to average February temperatures in the mid-60s, these low temperatures were crip-
pling. Panicked residents f ooded the stores in search of portable heaters. This immediate demand for electric-
ity in conjunction with downed generation for prescheduled maintenance overloaded the electric transmission
system and led to rolling blackouts.
While an increase in load over a decade is to be expected, a 514-MW jump from the previous summer record
of 2220 MW to 2734 MW during the 2011 winter storm was outside all modeled projections. Furthermore, pro-
jected growth in the LRGV showed 2016 summer peak load was expected to reach 2800 MW and a forecasted
summer 2020 peak load of more than 3000 MW.
22 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
TransmissionUpgrade
AEP needed a plan to immediately relieve circuits most
affected by the short-term seasonal spikes plus meet expected
load increases for 2016, 2020 and beyond. AEP provided the
Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) with a solution
that could meet the pressing reliability demands while safely
maintaining the aggressive schedule. ERCOT was presented
with several traditional “cold” construction options, running
the gamut from temporary upgrades to complete overhauls.
However, as AEP looked into permitting, rights-of-way
acquisition and various customer disruptions, it became ap-
parent these variables had a real chance of interrupting or
adding unforeseen costs to the project. The biggest area of
concern was ERCOT could only grant construction outages
in the spring and summer months, if at all. And if an outage
could be granted, ERCOT required the lines be back in ser-
vice within hours whenever system anomalies warranted.
Taking these limitations into account, AEP determined a
traditional construction solution would only delay an already
time-sensitive project and, therefore, could not be counted on
as a reliable option to meet the 2016 in-service date.
Partnering on a Progressive Option AEP approached QES to discuss its live-line planning ca-
pabilities; North Houston Pole Line, a Quanta Services enti-
ty, about its construction expertise; and cable manufacturer
CTC Global for its advanced aluminum conductor composite
core (ACCC) conductor. A plan emerged to reconductor both
lines, all 240 miles, in an energized state. While smaller en-
ergized projects had been completed successfully in the past,
no utility had attempted an energized reconductor project of
this size and length. Nevertheless, in early spring 2011, AEP’s
plan to perform the energized reconductor of the existing
345-kV transmission lines was approved by the regional plan-
ning group at ERCOT.
A year before the frst lineman hit the right-of-way, QES
technical advisors went about developing precise, project-
specifc work procedures with calculated man-hours, sequenc-
ing, schedules and anticipated resources. A unique aspect of
these one-of-a-kind work procedures — the ability to adapt to job
irregularities — proved its worth early in the project.
The bundled conductor was in a vertical rather than the
traditional horizontal confguration. To most effciently tackle
this issue, the team needed to adapt both the equipment and
the procedures to install the conductor. This frst adaptation
proved to be a calling card for the entire project.
As the project progressed, lessons learned on the job re-
fned and revised work procedures, and doing so bolstered
safety and productivity, allowing the project to fnish eight
months ahead of schedule and many millions of dollars under
budget.
State-of-the-Art TechnologiesThe collaborative AEP-QES partnership led to the appli-
cation of several innovative technologies that accelerated the
work schedule and ensured the line upgrade stayed on sched-
ule for the required in-service date.
AEP chose an energized solution for the entire 240-mile reconductoring job, because it allows the use of existing rights-of-way and struc-tures, limiting property disruptions and reducing the overall cost to their customers.
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24 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
TransmissionUpgrade
Quanta Services’ barehand methods for energized work
and proprietary LineMaster Robotic Arm made it possible for
all 240 miles of 345-kV conductor to be removed and replaced
without interrupting the fow of electricity. Attached to a boom
on a ground-based vehicle, the LineMaster Robotic Arm safely
moves and securely holds energized power lines while the con-
ductors, insulators and structures are maintained, replaced or
rebuilt. Beside the practical importance of the robotic arm,
the barehand work methods were developed by a team that,
collectively, has more than 400 years of energized work experi-
ence, starting with the frst-ever energized reconductor proj-
ect in 1990.
The use of ACCC to replace the existing conductor boosted
line effciency. Though the same diameter as the original
conductor, ACCC is comprised of 28% more aluminum,
making it lighter. The extra aluminum doubles the con-
ductivity capacity of the lines and reduces sag as a result of
less weight and heat. This meant AEP could replace the old
conductor without widening clearances or causing tower
modifcations or rebuilds. Just as important, given the loca-
tion of the lines, ACCC is more resistant to corrosion and
has the ability to handle future increases in load.
Project Execution
The project called for an aggressive schedule to ensure
the line would be upgraded by the required date. The
project was divided into fve segments between the substa-
tions. Doing so resulted in several strategic and fnancial
benefts, including reducing the risk on the entire system
serving the LRGV; prioritizing the line sections between
the substations, so the completed areas could immediately
reap the benefts of the system upgrade; and creating fve
smaller projects, which increased the effciency of scheduling
materials, equipment and crews as well as minimized project
costs.
The barehand work method was instrumental to the suc-
cess of work performed on the energized conductors. When
working barehand, the linemen wore conductive suits and
were bonded to the conductor, putting them at the same po-
tential as the energized conductor, which enabled them to
physically touch energized conductor and equipment. The ro-
botic arm provided safe, secure and controlled support of the
energized conductors, especially for unclipping or clipping
operations.
To replace conductors in an energized state, a temporary
North Houston Pole Line energized linemen work to remove energized conductor while the LineMaster robotic arm from Quanta Energized Services holds the conductor in place.
Barehand linemen wear a suit that consists of a hooded jacket, bib-style pants, socks and gloves. While wearing the barehand suit, the electric charge fows around the outside of the suit (the charged cage) and not through the lineman’s body (the interior of the charged cage).
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26 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
TransmissionUpgrade
structure was built at the edge of the right-of-way. Doing so
eliminated the need to acquire additional land or permits.
The new conductor was then installed in its permanent
position, clipped in and sagged. Load from another phase
transferred to this new conductor. The old conductor was de-
energized and then reconductored. This procedure was re-
peated until all three-phases were replaced, without any inter-
ruption to the electrical service. This was performed section
by section, on average 20 miles to 30 miles (32 km to 48 km).
AEP’s plan called for reusing existing structures, thereby min-
imizing the impact on landowners and negating the timely
permits associated with land acquisition and construction.
The energized crews’ ability to perform out-of-scope up-
grades, such as replacing damaged V-string insulators and
upgrading existing shield wire with optical ground wire fber,
realized other cost savings during construction. Typically, re-
conductoring work often requires months of planning to get
the necessary outages, which could be canceled at any time
and result in wasted revenue and man-hours. With crews re-
conductoring in an energized environment ERCOT took back
every scheduled outage, saving project costs.
The Future of Transmission ConstructionCompletion of the energized reconductor project ensures
that communities served by AEP in the LRGV have reliable
power today as well as plenty for tomorrow and well into the
future. It demonstrates that live-line reconductoring over long
distances is a safe and effcient construction method when
outage and time constraints make conventional building tech-
niques risky and expensive. It is an achievement that can be
repeated by utilities around the globe.
James J. Berger ([email protected]) is managing director of
transmission projects, responsible for delivering transmission
line and station projects for Electric Transmission Texas, AEP’s
operating companies, joint ventures and transcos. Berger joined
Central Power & Light Co. in Victoria, Texas, in distribution engi-
neering in 1984. Prior to 1992, he held positions that included re-
sponsibilities for standardizing materials used in designing dis-
tribution electrical systems, developing a corporate-wide work
management and outage reporting system, and implementing
a mobile computer-based system for service personnel.
David Wabnegger ([email protected]) serves
as president of Quanta Energized Services. He has more than
25 years of lineman experience and has developed 13 separate
industry-specifc inventions. As president of QES, he is respon-
sible for leading energized project integration between Quanta
Energized Services and the Quanta operating units, as well as
providing oversight and expertise to multiple energized educa-
tion and training programs offered by Quanta.
AEP completed the longest energized reconductor project eight months ahead of schedule and signifcantly under budget. The upgrade to the 345-kV ACCC conductor will allow for future clean energy generation to power the Lower Rio Grande Valley for the next several decades.
For more information:American Electric Power | www.aep.com
CTC Global | www.ctcglobal.com
Electric Reliability Council of Texas | www.ercot.com
North Houston Pole Line | www.nhplc.com
Quanta Services | www.quantaservices.com
There’s a Better Way to Find Faults
Line faults can take a crew hours or even days to find. Added time means added cost when an expensive line is out of service. Traveling wave fault location directs the search to the nearest tower. The SEL-411L Relay provides superior line protection and precise, multi-ended fault location. Protect your system and locate faults with serial or Ethernet communications. Save money, and get the line back in service faster.
To learn more about the advanced SEL-411L with traveling wave fault location, visit www.selinc.com/More411L.
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28 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
AssetManagement
The SMART Way to Improve Operations Digital inspection software helps KAMO Power lighten the load while improving effciencies and delivering results.By Alena Bradbury and Payton White, KAMO Power
KAMO Electric Cooperative was formed in 1941, just
eight years after the Tennessee Valley Authority Act
enabled transmission lines to be built to farms and
small villages across rural America, and the Rural
Electri�cation Administration was born. Over time, the num-
ber of substations and assets required to turn the lights on has
grown, but keeping track of all the assets has been a very time-
consuming challenge, until now.
Across northeast Oklahoma and southwest Missouri in the
U.S., more than 313,000 customers depend on reliable elec-
tricity delivered across more than 2700 miles (4345 km) of
transmission lines. At the center of that distribution is KAMO
Power, which is owned by and provides power resources for 17
member distribution cooperatives. As KAMO’s service terri-
tory has grown, so have the mounds of paperwork.
For most industries, manual documentation and reporting
are a thing of the past, like Rolodexes, typewriters and rotary
phones. But for many electric cooperatives today, the manual
way is still the case. About �ve years ago, KAMO decided it was
time to shift the paper trails and ongoing historical investiga-
tions to digital asset management and the enlistment of other
technologies that would improve growing operations.
Manual Paper-Based ProcessAmong KAMO’s approximately 300 substations, there are
some 60-year-old switches and other equipment for which no
documentation exists. The make and model of these assets
are often revealed only through folklore. For the asset details
that are identi�able, unending hours of manpower are spent
writing data on paper, sending it to headquarters, entering it
into an Excel spreadsheet, and printing, copying and return-
ing it to service centers to be �led away in a roomful of dust-
collecting cabinets.
With 23 substation technicians manually reporting mainte-
KAMO Power’s John Spurgeon used to spend a lot of time looking up previous test reports and equipment information, and researching the history of assets. Soon these efforts will be a thing of the past.
29www.tdworld.com | September 2016
AssetManagement
nance data for everything inside the
fence, errors and missing data have
been found. Substation inspections
are simple and conducted by highly
qualifed personnel who check vari-
ous boxes — physical condition, veg-
etation and temperatures — noting
any problems that might exist. How-
ever, the challenge with that process
has always been the paper report
being fled away when occasional
problems were not addressed.
In Search of a Solution
At KAMO, an estimated 200 em-
ployees work daily to maintain high
standards of operation and service
levels. When the utility decided to shift from manual to digital
asset management, it assembled a multidisciplinary team to
identify and prioritize needs to fnd the right solution.
At that time, only a few companies offering asset manage-
ment software existed — all large, expensive, legacy options
with overwhelming data requirements and intimidating user
interfaces. In 2013, KAMO took notice when an Oklahoma
distribution cooperative, People’s Electric Cooperative, began
using new software called Substation Maintenance and Asset
Reliability Tracking (SMART) by MinMax Technologies.
As the vendor-evaluation process continued, the larger
companies could not meet KAMO’s needs without adding
complexity to the user interface and taking too much time
and additional money. However, with SMART, every request
KAMO made was met and integrated into the product with
collaboration, ease and timeliness. That agile fexibility to cus-
tomize a product-based solution was the metaphorical stone
in the slingshot that knocked the giants out of the running.
KAMO chose SMART because MinMax was willing to
listen and learn from feld experience to enhance the capabil-
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Payton White and Alena Bradbury used to search for solutions amidst piles of paper.
30 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
AssetManagement
ity of the software. One such KAMO-driven enhancement in
substation maintenance planning enables feld teams to go to
substations with real-time data; in the past, schedules had to
be entered manually and disparate data paper trails drove em-
ployee workload. With the enhanced SMART product, all data
can be brought into one repository and inform operations and
substation managers on how to plan for the right amount of
staff and time.
Phased-In ImplementationThe KAMO team’s approach to implementing SMART is
helping the utility to move forward with little to no resistance
from its users. To gain early buy-in, and because the feld per-
sonnel did not have an electronic inspection form yet, KAMO
began with the feld group that focuses on battery testing at
the substations and developed a mobile data entry form that
could be populated on their new iPads while using the KAMO
communications system. Much of this group is from a younger
generation and accustomed to everyday technology use. Re-
gardless, one thing that remained clear was the software need-
ed to be extremely feld friendly, work fast and be reliable, or
they would not adopt it.
There are silos of information from one substation to the
next, and every time a new maintenance or inspection record
is entered into the spreadsheet, there are possibili-
ties of error on data entry. The biggest mind-set to
change in feld crews is the transition from flling
out paper forms they have used for the last 20 years
to flling out an electronic form. SMART stream-
lines KAMO’s feld information, validates against
the established norms, creates a historical database
and makes it possible to see data faster, perform
predictive maintenance and make decisions more
effciently. Employees say they are happy to have the
ability to look up information instantly in the feld,
something they have never had access to before.
For example, with all equipment, SMART makes
it possible to go to one data source and look up a
transformer, breaker or bushing versus going to
many different places. Across its
substations, KAMO maintains 250
sets of batteries and air condition-
ers. And its service centers have
rooms full of fle cabinets contain-
ing manuals for substation equip-
ment such as transformers, load-tap
changers, circuit breakers, circuit
switchers, relays, switches and more.
KAMO also is integrating spe-
cialized test set data by extracting
it and importing it into a central-
ized database from MinMax. Some
of this equipment is used for North
America Reliability Corporation
(NERC) compliancy, and the re-
corded data will be stored and easily available for any NERC
compliance reports.
Early Positive Results While the KAMO team knows it will take a while to sort
through, they fully expect SMART to eliminate errors as data
is entered and stored in one location. Another crucial factor
of SMART that appealed to KAMO is the data is stored in-
house on the cooperative’s secure servers, something other
vendors are not doing because they only offer off-site hosting
and data storage.
Going digital with asset management and other operations
functions is helping KAMO to improve its workfow manage-
ment by creating work orders and to-do lists, and assigning
tasks versus making phone calls to the call center or leaving
sticky notes behind — basically the way the world used to op-
erate before automation started making life easier.
With their iPads, feld teams can use FaceTime to com-
municate with other personnel about issues they are experi-
encing, and they can visualize and respond on the spot. They
can take pictures of abnormal equipment conditions or make
video clips of the repair work and attach them to the equip-
ment for later use.
As the battery testing group moves through inspections, the
Shelves full of manuals fll rooms at KAMO, but in the near future, all of the manuals will be uploaded into SMART.
The KAMO team walks through SMART together to track down assets.
31www.tdworld.com | September 2016
AssetManagement
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intuitiveness of the query �elds and intelligent typing is shav-
ing off time and enabling the group to inspect two to three
more substations per day. This entire process also is helping
KAMO to develop naming conventions so it can standardize
how it maintains and manages assets more systematically.
Having the equipment history is proving to be a vital ben-
e�t of SMART as �eld teams may come across equipment
they want to retire versus repair, which automatically sends
alerts when it is time to purchase new pieces. They also can
see equipment failures more quickly as well as view history on
repairs and other maintenance work
performed.
In the event that an outage takes out
substation equipment, the �eld team
is alerted immediately. They can then
look up equipment speci�cs and make
necessary replacements quickly.
A Look Toward the Future
After the battery testing crew com-
pletes the SMART implementation,
the KAMO team prioritizes the next
steps and creates a wish list for what it
would like to see the tool help the util-
ity to achieve. As more data becomes
available and is analyzed, the team can
more accurately assess the next best
steps and focus areas. For one thing,
the data gathering alone will provide
insights into trends like never before.
In fact, the utility is already seeing
improvements in how tasks are ad-
dressed. For example, a battery tester
might be in a substation to test batter-
ies but also notice a broken hinge on
a cabinet door in the substation. The
tester can create a task to have the
hinge repaired, and then a substation
manager can assign the task to the
appropriate personnel and identify a
priority level.
As new substations come on board,
SMART is expected to save time, man-
power and money as all assets will be
entered into the system, immediately
helping overall operations. While
these expected improvements will en-
able KAMO to continue its long-stand-
ing reputation of reliability, the utility’s
employees will bene�t, too. The auto-
mation will help to alleviate some of
the worry that comes with issues like
deteriorating bushings that can create
power outages, or discharged batteries,
which affect the relay to make all the
substations operational. Administrative staff can have more
peace of mind because they will know the information in the
system is accurate and complete.
Employees outside of asset management are starting to
ask what SMART could do for them, such as improving the
way they stay compliant with safety standards. For example,
the KAMO �eld force is required to wear safety gear and �re-
retardant clothing. Every time they go out, they can show and
enter in real time that they are in compliance. Because every-
thing is auditable, they must keep all this information on �le.
32 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
AssetManagement
Down the road, KAMO is consid-
ering taking inventory of all poles,
lines and possibly even contracts.
And if the utility wants to get really
adventurous, it might even explore
a voice-to-text option when populat-
ing reports out in the feld.
For the KAMO team, the invest-
ment of streamlining operations
and the bumps and hiccups that
come with any new technology inte-
gration are worth the wait. For now,
reaping the benefts of more eff-
ciency and strengthened reliability
is lightening the load in more ways
than the team thought possible.
Alena Bradbury ([email protected]) has worked for
KAMO Power for almost 30 years and has been tracking assets
before it was ever referred to by today’s electrical industry stan-
dards as “asset management.” With extensive knowledge in
operations, in particular substation maintenance, she has been
a central fgure in organizing the substation records and know-
ing where KAMO assets reside. She has watched KAMO grow
from 194 substations in 1987 to approximately 280 substations by
2015 — that is 86 new substations and thousands more substa-
tion equipment added.
Payton White ([email protected]) has 13 years of experi-
ence in the electric utility industry. Working with KAMO Power
since 2012, he has worked with all of KAMO’s departments and
cooperative members to develop plans for the next fve years of
construction projects. Currently, White is working with opera-
tions on the creation of the asset management database and
operational fow using the database to its fullest.
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34 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
BulkPower
Visibility Enables PV IntegrationRooftop photovoltaic installations in Hawaii have nearly doubled every year since 2012.By Dora Nakafuji, Hawaiian Electric Co.
Hawaii continues to be a hotbed of solar activity with
rooftop photovoltaic (PV) installation requests
nearly doubling every year since 2012. As in Cali-
fornia and Arizona, Hawaii utilities are contend-
ing with some of the highest distributed generation penetra-
tion levels in the U.S., with 17% of their customers having
approved or installed PV systems. Renewable momentum and
PV adoption are sure to continue as the state strives to meet
one of the nation’s most aggressive renewable portfolio stan-
dard (RPS) goals: 100% renewable energy by 2045.
At the same time, the electric power industry is undergo-
ing an unprecedented shift as a result of market, political and
technological change. Nearly every facet of traditional grid
operations is transforming because of increasing levels of
renewable generation, especially from behind-the-meter cus-
tomer generation. Utilities today are in a catch-22 with many
business and technical practices based on convention-
al, centralized fossil generation that are giving way to
more customer-sited, distributed resources based on
dynamic transactive energy models. While these mod-
els lack a long-term track record, the data visibility they
provide on performance impacts helps utilities to cre-
ate new operational conf dence and processes.
Faced with fast-paced change on all fronts, and the
unique challenges of islanded systems without back-
up support of interties to other utilities, Hawaii utili-
ties are working with innovative industry partners on
pilots with grant support to bridge the knowledge gap.
Efforts are underway to deploy new technologies and
tools, and to integrate real-time forecasting, advanced
decision-based analytics and visualization to better see
and manage high levels of distributed weather-depen-
dent renewables. The Hawaiian Electric Companies
are demonstrating how collaboration can build prac-
tical solutions for proactive change and sustainable
transformation toward the next generation of cleaner,
more cost-effective renewable generation portfolios
while minimizing risks to grid reliability.
State of the Grid
Because of high energy costs and incentives for so-
lar installations in Hawaii, rapid adoption of customer-
sited rooftop PV systems swelled rapidly, starting in
2012. With increasing numbers of rooftop PV systems,
more circuits on the islands began to experience an ex-
cessive drop in the midday load. This resulted in back-
feeding when the PV power generated locally exceeded A Gridco In-line Power Regulator is installed next to a distribution trans-former to manage local voltage.
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36 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
BulkPower
the local need for power. Systemwide, the behind-the-meter
solar generation is now as large as, or larger than, any single
utility generator, but without the necessary visibility or con-
trols. On Oahu, for example, aggregated behind-the-meter
PV is more than 400 MW compared to the single largest util-
ity controllable generator of only 200 MW. As a result, better
visibility and the capability to forecast and manage variability
impacts of aggregated distributed PV are high priorities.
The Hawaiian Electric Companies operate grids on the is-
lands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Molokai and Lanai. They are
already contending with some of the highest levels of renew-
able generation from both utility-scale and distributed gen-
erating resources. Renewable generation of 40% to 50% of
system electricity use on some days is among the highest in
the nation. This is changing historical customer electrical use
characteristics and management of the utility’s central plant
dispatch, generation portfolio and reserve planning needs.
Hawaiian grids are exhibiting what has been coined the
“Nessie curve,” which is similar to
California’s “duck curve.” With the
Nessie curve, the daytime load is be-
ing reduced by aggregated amounts
of uncontrolled midday behind-the-
meter PV generation, resulting in
a steeper rise to the evening peak
as the solar resources go off-line.
This steep rise places additional op-
erational burdens on conventional
generators not designed to cycle or
ramp at such frequency. This Nessie
curve is impacting daily system op-
erations on all the islands in Hawaii
today. It poses concerns for all is-
landed grids, which must plan for
all generation as well as reserves for
operations and contingencies.
New Tools for Connecting Seeing is believing. Transforming the electric
power system requires new intelligent tools
and technologies to manage diverse distrib-
uted resources and emerging dynamic trans-
active energy models.
Seeing is informing. Operating the future
grid requires proactive analytics and heads-
up predictive capabilities.
Seeing is enabling. Planning for the grid of
the future requires innovation and collabora-
tion with like-minded industry partners and
engaged customers to increase awareness and
adopt sustainable solutions.
With increasing levels of distributed re-
newable generation, utilities are f nding ad-
ditional f eld-measured and distribution-level
data are needed to inform future grid opera-
tions. Collecting, managing and evaluating such large volumes
of data from diverse monitoring systems — including f eld
devices, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA),
and other behind-the-meter resources — require advanced
analytical tools not readily available in most utility environ-
ments. Because of network f rewalls, limitations on real-time
data handling and analytics, utilities often are hindered from
evaluating such data in a common framework environment.
Yet this data is vital to understanding the operational impacts
on the grid.
Over the last f ve years, Hawaiian Electric Companies
have developed and operationalized a renewable database
and decision analysis framework — called the REDatabase
— comprised of an advanced time-series data management
and common data analysis platform, and a f exible backbone
architecture to support high-volume data exchange and in-
tegration of diverse data sets across a secure network. The
REDatabase provides the backbone to support automation of
Impact of behind-the-meter
rooftop PV masking load
Load
(MW
)
Midnight Noon
System load shape before there was any distributed generation
Net system load shape today showing the effect of behind-the-meter PV
Load shape typical of many individual circuits today
The Nessie curve comes from the impact that solar PV has on the system load shape. This results in a dramatic midday drop of the system load curve, as seen by the utility, and a steep rise to early evening peak.
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Load
(M
W)
Time
Aug. 8, 2013 Backfeed condition
Backfeed occuring 10 a.m – 2 p.m.
2010
2011
2012
2013
Average Transformer Load
Aug. 8, 2013 Backfeed condition
Aug. 8, 2013 Backfeed conditionBackfeed condition
Aug. 8, 2013
Backfeed occuring Backfeed occuring Backfeed occuring Backfeed occuring Backfeed occuring Backfeed occuring Backfeed occuring Backfeed occuring Backfeed occuring Backfeed occuring Backfeed occuring Backfeed occuring Backfeed occuring 10 a.m – 2 p.m.10 a.m – 2 p.m.10 a.m – 2 p.m.10 a.m – 2 p.m.10 a.m – 2 p.m.10 a.m – 2 p.m.10 a.m – 2 p.m.10 a.m – 2 p.m.10 a.m – 2 p.m.10 a.m – 2 p.m.10 a.m – 2 p.m.
2010
2011
20122012
2013
Average Transformer Load12 a
.m.
1 a
.m.
2 a
.m.
3 a
.m.
4 a
.m.
5 a
.m.
6 a
.m.
7 a
.m.
8 a
.m.
9 a
.m.
10 a
.m.
11 a
.m.
12 p
.m.
1 p
.m.
2 p
.m.
3 p
.m.
4 p
.m.
5 p
.m.
6 p
.m.
7 p
.m.
8 p
.m.
9 p
.m.
10 p
.m.
11 p
.m.
Tracking increasing PV penetration impacts on a circuit over a four-year period.
37www.tdworld.com | September 2016
BulkPower
OfflineCustomer sitesMedium volumeSlow rate
OnlineExternal networkHigh volumeMedium rate
OnlineEMS networkHigh rate
OfflineField sites
High volumeVery high rate
Online and offlineField sites
High volumeHigh rate
Onlineconsumer/
public resource
data
Large amount of data from disparate sources
Customersited PV
Vendor data(forecasts,
IPPs)
SCADA
Generator, substation
power quality
Irradiancemeters
Feeder data
Renewablespowerquality
Phasor data
Diversity of distributed data sources and formats.
real-time visualization, distribution
model automation, real-time data
translation and access, and robust
information sharing to stakehold-
ers and customers through online
tools.
Hawaiian Electric Companies
partnered with Referentia/In2lytics,
a Hawaii-based information tech-
nology company, to develop a high-
performance database and user
interface for high-resolution time-
series data analytics. Utility staff
now can retrieve, assess and merge
full-resolution SCADA and non-
SCADA information at data-access
speeds 200 times faster than previ-
ously available. They also can build
customized tools to access high-
resolution, high-volume data from
f eld devices like synchrophasors
and meters, and to interface with
circuit and other customer information to
troubleshoot or plan.
Utility operators and planners now can
access and evaluate data quickly and easily
from different data platforms (public and
corporate-level secure SCADA networks)
while preserving conf dentiality and net-
work security requirements. Dealing with
distributed system management, the speed
to access a diverse data pool is vital for real-
time decision making based on information.
A f eet of remote monitoring sensors
combined with new visualization tools and
data-mining capabilities are providing per-
spective to help shape future grid capabili-
ties and provide better customer options for
managing energy use. There are three in-
novative visualization tools to “see and man-
age” solar:
• The solar and wind integrated forecast-
ing tool (SWIFT) provides a real-time look
ahead (15 minutes up to six hours) of pre-
vailing conditions in wind and solar for the
Hawaiian Electric Companies service area.
In collaboration with AWS Truepower, the
SWIFT tool uses state-of-the-art numerical
weather prediction and mesoscale models
along with a utility-operated remote sen-
sor network comprised of sonic detection
and ranging (SoDAR), light detection and ranging (LiDAR),
irradiance sensors and radiometer to provide forecasts and
a bird’s-eye view of the wind contours and solar cloud condi-
tions for the islands.
The solar forecasting feature is unique to SWIFT as it pro-
vides discrete forecasts for distributed resources with local and
system views. While forecasting is not a silver bullet, by inte-
grating the information into existing tools and familiar envi-
An example of a PV visualization tool output.
38 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
BulkPower
ronments, such as the energy management system, Hawaiian
Electric Companies are building operational confdence and
trust in using forecasts to inform proactively and manage im-
pacts of variable renewables cost-effectively.
•The locational value map (LVM) pro-
vides visibility to high-penetration locations
used to better inform customers and devel-
opers of areas likely to experience longer
interconnection times, or that may require
studies and upgrades for interconnection be-
causeoftheexistinginstalledPVlevels.The
LVMdepicts, inapercentage, the installed
megawatts of PV to the load of the circuit
servingthearea.Twoviewsareprovided,one
based on daytime circuit load conditions and
one based on maximum circuit peak.
•TheRenewableWatch (REWatch) and
REDatabase tools provide customers ac-
cess and visibility to the system load as well
as the amount of solar and wind generation
contributing to the grid in real time. Prior to
REWatch, therewasno insightonaccount-
ing for aggregated distributed generation
from behind-the-meter rooftop PV systems
for planning or operations. As this information is not mea-
suredreadily,rolloutoftheREWatchdataandvisualdisplays
haveenabledreal-timeaccountingofdistributedPVproduc-
tion from hundreds of thousands of
distributed PV generators, without
the added expense of metering and
deployingadditionaldedicatedPV
monitoring devices.
Thesenewtoolshavecost-effec-
tively created visibility to what was
not previously visible and are pro-
viding resource performance data
to inform operations and planning,
thus enabling more reliable adop-
tion of solar resources.
Deployment PilotsTo meet the operating needs
of the future, the Hawaiian Elec-
tric Companies are doing more
than just wishing for solutions. To
achieve the RPS energy goal of
100% renewables by 2045, the com-
panies are actively pursuing and le-
veragingmorethanUS$30millionSEAMS for SHINES concept for management of high-penetration issues is building foundational capability leveraging grant-funded efforts.
The locational value map depicts installed PV as a percentage of the load per circuit.
39www.tdworld.com | September 2016
BulkPower
in federal and state grants as well as industry fund-
ing to stimulate technology pilots and gain opera-
tional experience. This will enable development
of new processes and operational procedures that
account for renewables and distributed resources.
The grid of the future requires new models,
data and communications capability. Utilities like
those in Hawaii are faced with the challenges of
high uptake of distributed rooftop PV. They are
seeking to demonstrate a new set of cost-effective,
intelligent and robust control solutions that can ac-
commodate emergent technologies and modern
infrastructure.
As distributed renewable resources continue to
increase in Hawaii, additional opportunities to ap-
ply the renewable database are emerging. Efforts in
development to help manage high-penetration is-
sues have built successively on grant-funded efforts
(DREAMS and SEAMS for SHINES) to include
coordination of controls for distributed resource
assets; secure API-enabled data exchange of fore-
cast data and grid condition data with cloud-based
environments; and risk-based continuous monitor-
ing and proactive evaluation of change impacts on
the grid.
Timely access to data will help to inform grid
modernization needs. By design, the tools and platforms of
the renewable database provide a fexible and scalable foun-
dation to continue to support access, analysis and data-driven
decision making for the future grid.
Active EngagementEfforts to date have provided hands-on practical opportu-
nities for utility staff, industry forecasters and energy manage-
ment system (EMS) developers to engage and discuss their
needs. By kicking the tires on forecasting and analytical tools
and deploying feld equipment, forecasters and utilities have
a shared understanding of the level of detail and forecasting
accuracy necessary to support real-time operations. Lessons
learned from Hawaiian Electric Companies’ partnerships are
resulting in more intuitive visualization tools, data sharing
and EMS logic to help other utilities gain more sense of inte-
grating renewables.
No single technology will be a silver bullet for the elec-
tric power industry. However, by seamlessly integrating more
edge-of-grid devices and merging information into existing
tools and familiar environments, such as the EMS, utilities
are building operational confdence and trust to proactively
inform and cost-effectively manage the impacts of variable
renewables.
Dora Nakafuji ([email protected]) is direc-
tor of renewable energy planning at Hawaiian Electric Co. With
more than 15 years of experience in renewable integration and
energy research, she is leveraging $30 million of grant-funded
efforts to enable real-time, short-term forecasting; advance
visualization data analytics; and deploy smart technologies to
modernize Hawaii’s grids. Nakafuji holds a Ph.D. in aeronautical
and mechanical engineering from the University of California at
Davis and a patent for advanced load control for wind turbines.
For more information:AWS Truepower | www.awstruepower.com
Gridco Systems | gridcosystems.com
Hawaiian Electric Companies | www.hawaiianelectric.com
Referentia Systems/In2lytics | www.referentia.com
Hawaiian utilities are using technologies such as the Gridco In-line Power Regu-lator (installed below the box located under the distribution transformer) to gain more visibility and control in the face of the impacts of high penetration of PV.
40 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
DiagnosticUse
KANSAI Monitors Network StationsPractical use of monitoring and diagnostic systems leads to more effi cient maintenance, a stable electric power supply and optimized re furbishment.By Yoshinao Matsushita, Shinya Iwasaki and Ryota Tomokane, Kansai Electric Power Co.
Japan is addressing the low growth in demand for elec-
trical energy, coupled with an increasing volume of
aging equipment and a declining number of trained
maintenance technicians. For electric utilities in
Japan and around the world, it is becoming more challenging
to maintain a high-quality, more reliable supply of power with
fewer outages at a reduced cost.
The introduction of more eff cient maintenance strategies
together with the optimization of investment in equipment
refurbishment is now considered a major issue that needs to
be addressed. Activities introduced to provide solutions to this
issue include acquiring maintenance information automati-
cally using a monitoring system with advanced sensors, re-
ducing plant outage times, monitoring the degradation of
gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), improving the reliability of
monitoring devices and reducing their costs.
Kansai Electric Power Co. (KANSAI) has a large number
of medium-voltage/low-voltage (MV/LV) distribution sub-
stations located over an area of approximately 28,000 sq km
(10,811 sq miles) that require regular maintenance. There-
fore, an eff cient maintenance programming system — aided
by remote monitoring devices using sensor technology — has
SF6 gas-pressure sensors are candidate items for advanced sensor utilization to provide improved remote monitoring of aging systems.
41www.tdworld.com | September 2016
DiagnosticUse
been an essential prerequisite for making maintenance activi-
ties more eff cient.
Distribution Substation MonitoringTo support this effort, KANSAI installed GIS and
equipped transformers in ground-mounted substations with
a series of sensors, a converter unit and a server. Each item in
the plant has sensors that acquire specif c data required for
maintenance programming. This monitoring system provides
a continuous output of signals from each sensor, converts the
signals into digital data and transmits the data to the substa-
tion server through a local area network cable. This enables
the monitor terminals at KANSAI’s maintenance off ce to
access the substation server through the existing Internet
protocol (IP) network and download plant operational and
performance data.
This relatively simple system of data acquisition has re-
duced the need for frequent manual substation inspection vis-
its, eliminated human errors and reduced the revenue expen-
diture on this activity. Since implementation of monitoring,
the time to record maintenance data on transformers and GIS
has been reduced by 80%. It is particularly effective for GIS
because of the large number of sensors, such as gas-pressure
sensors installed in GIS, as well as for large-scale substations
that have a large number of feeders controlled by GIS units.
800
600
400
200
100
0
Gas-
pre
ssure
ris
e (P
a) P1
P2
P3
Required detection level
0 5 10 15
Time (seconds)
600
400
200
100
0
P2
P3
Required detection level
0 5 10 15
Three phases had sensors installed to monitor gas pressure to verify the detection system. The pressure excursions of all three phases were above the 100 Pa required detection level.
Operating Parameters Being Monitored
Plant installed in MV/LV substation Parameters
Medium-voltage/low-voltage transformers
Oil temperature
Oil level
Number of on-line tap-changer operations
Circuit breaker(s)SF
6 gas pressure
Number of circuit breaker operations
GIS Gas pressure
Screen Ambient air temperature
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42 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
DiagnosticUse
In addition, the following benefts of the monitoring sys-
tem are possible in the event of plant failures and interrup-
tions to supply:
• Avoiding unnecessary dispatch of a maintenance crew to
the substation because of a false alarm from the monitoring
system
• Preparing materials needed for plant maintenance work
at the substation
• Providing control center staff decision-making informa-
Specifcations for Gas-Pressure Sensors
Latest sensor Conventional sensor
Resolution 10 Pa (100 dB) 1 kPa (60 dB)
Accuracy ±0.1% ±0.5%
Lifetime More than 40 years 10 years to 15 years
Long-term stability ±0.004% per year ±0.1% per year
Total error(more than 10 years)
0.15% to 0.25% per year(<0.5% per year)
1% to 2% per year(>0.5% per year)
4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12 2 4 6 8 10 12
Alarm level
Trend of faulty gas compartment(Slow leakage occurring)
Pn
Pe
0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
Gas
densi
ty (M
Pa)
Time (months)
Trend of normal gas compartment
Gas refilling
Actual data collected shows the detection of a slow gas leak on 84-kV gas-insulated switchgear. .
tion on the need for and timing of
load-transfer switching operations
following receipt of a critical alarm
from the distribution substation.
GIS Fault Location Substations with primary volt-
ages up to and including 154 kV
generally supply a large number of
outgoing feeders; therefore, a GIS
failure can cause a wide-scale power
outage. Fault location equipment
is required for early detection of a
GIS internal fault. Nevertheless,
the fault current and pressure rise
of the GIS are small for substations
operating in this voltage range be-
cause of the resistor grounding
system. This is why high-sensitivity
and high-precision gas-pressure
sensors are so necessary, as they can
detect a slow gas leak some 20 years
earlier than a conventional sensor.
The slow-leak monitoring of aging
GIS is regarded as one of the most
valid asset management indicators.
The conventional fault location
system consists of the gas-pressure
sensor and a data-processing unit
that receives fault signals from
the bus bar protection following
veri�cation the ground fault cur-
rent exceeds the preset detection
level. This system was veri�ed by
the ground fault test to reach the
required detection level. The gas-
pressure sensors are installed directly on the GIS and bus bar
chamber.
KANSAI conducted a pilot project to test the fault locator.
The pilot proj ect con�rmed that, following a ground fault, all
the installed sensors reached the required detection sensitiv-
ity settings (100 Pa) required to detect the fault. By using this
system, the required time for localizing the GIS fault location
was reduced from several hours to less than 10 seconds.
GIS Degradation MonitoringThe SF
6 gas-insulation system used in GIS must be subject
to regular inspection and maintenance. Because SF6 gas is
regarded as a contributor to global warming, the integrity of
the insulation system is paramount. If any unexpected leak is
observed, the leak must be stopped as soon as possible. Many
O-rings are used in GIS, and more gas leaks are likely to occur
on aged equipment as a result of O-ring deterioration.
Condition monitoring can be used to identify gas leaks
on all GIS chambers, including the occurrence of slow gas
Gas density and temperature recording for 550-kV gas-insulated switchgear.
Nov. 3 Nov. 8 Nov. 13 Nov. 18 Nov. 23 Nov. 28
0.52
0.51
0.50
0.49
0.48
0.47
0.46
Gas
pre
ssure
(M
Pa)
Date
Approximation line
Tem
peratu
re (°C
)
Gas densityGas pressureTemperature of chamber
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
43www.tdworld.com | September 2016
DiagnosticUse
leaks. Based on the life-cycle cost, an evaluation can be
performed to determine whether the operation and mainte-
nance costs for the remaining life of the equipment would
exceed a renewal plan for the equipment. Part of KANSAI’s
asset management strategy is to conduct on-site monitoring to
determine gas leak trends on aged gas chambers, when pos-
sible. Refurbishment or replacement is then considered.
Case Study ConfrmationGas-pressure sensors were installed on aging 84-kV GIS in-
stalled in an outdoor substation located
near the sea. In this case, a small leak
was con�rmed before the gas-density
switch operated and, following the gas
re�ll, the monitoring terminal in the
remote maintenance of�ce con�rmed
the gas re�ll proved to be ineffective.
Fine rust caused by the sea breeze, not
identi�ed in the course of periodic in-
spection, was detected and repaired.
The gas-leak rate was only about 1%
per year, so this gas leak was immedi-
ately identi�ed from the remote main-
tenance site. This is in contrast to the
expectation that the conventional gas-
density switch would take 10 years to
operate. This example proved high-
sensitivity and high-precision gas-leak
management is highly effective.
Similarly, data collection was per-
formed on an aged 550-kV gas circuit
breaker to determine the timescale for
renewal. Data collected for one month
indicated a decline in gas density, and
as a result of detailed investigation, a
slow gas leak was identi�ed, con�rming
for KANSAI that monitoring this per-
formance characteristic on aged GIS
circuit breakers is one of the most valid
asset management indicators.
Monitoring Improvement For maintenance of GIS using the
condition-based maintenance strategy,
the sensors need to have high reliability
to monitor GIS conditions accurately,
so long-term trends can be identi�ed
using the same evaluation criteria (that
is, by sensor).
The latest gas-pressure sensor devel-
oped in Japan provides stability and de-
tection sensitivity that is more than 100
times more sensitive than the conven-
tional sensors used to meet the detec-
tion sensitivity speci�ed in Internation-
al Electrotechnical Commission Standard 62271-303 (0.5%
per year). Also, the lifetime and failure rate of these latest gas
sensors are equivalent to those of GIS and gas circuit breakers,
which means there is no need to repair or replace the sensor.
The temperature change characteristic is less than ±0.01%
per degree Celsius and more than 10 times the stability
compared with a conventional sensor. Therefore, stable mea-
surement is possible under any temperature condition. The
gas-pressure sensor is able to measure and be in service for
more than 40 years without maintenance.
44 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
DiagnosticUse
Cost Reduction and ResultsThe latest gas-pressure sensor has two functions: slow gas-
leakage detection and grounding fault location. The system
structure is simplifed and cost per function is reduced by
50%. To reduce the initial cost, the operation and mainte-
nance cost, the use of general-purpose parts in the acquisi-
tion unit and the substation server result in a reduction in the
procurement cost.
When installing a new tool such as a monitoring system
within a substation, it is important to train maintenance staff
on the tool. The monitoring system installed by KANSAI was
developed by the utility, with the exception of the sensor, so
it is not entirely dependent on the equipment manufacturer.
Therefore, in-house experts at KANSAI were able to deliver
training to the maintenance staff, which benefted from be-
ing able to focus on learning a single system.
The maintenance data acquisition system reduced substa-
tion inspection activities and the initial cost by using an ex-
isting IP network. The gas-pressure sensor reduced the time
required for localizing fault location to less than 10 seconds.
In addition, the pressure sensor with high-detection sensi-
tivity of 0.5% per year or lower can detect slow gas leaks from
aged equipment and can be used to develop the equipment
renewals plan based on life-cycle cost evaluation. The pres-
sure sensor has a similar lifetime and fault rate as the GIS,
and the life-cycle cost of the monitoring system is reduced be-
cause of the multifunction monitoring of gas leak and fault
location.
Yoshinao Matsushita is manager of the substation group in the
power system engineering center of Kansai Electric Power Co.
He holds a MSEE degree from Kyoto University and is a member
of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. And for the past
six years, Matsushita has participated in CIGRE’s Study Commit-
tee B3 (substations).
Shinya Iwasaki ([email protected]) is deputy
manager of substation group in the power system engineering
center of Kansai Electric Power Co. He holds a MSEE degree
from Osaka University and is a member of the Institute of Elec-
trical Engineers of Japan.
Ryota Tomokane ([email protected]) is an engi-
neer in the hydropower and substation group at Kansai Electric
Power Co.’s head offce. He holds a master’s degree in electrical
and electronic engineering from Osaka Prefecture University and
is a member of the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan.
For more information:Kansai Electric Power Co. | www.kepco.co.jp
KANSAI has confrmed that performance monitoring of aged GIS equipment, such as this 550-kV switchgear, is one of best applications of gas-density monitoring sensors.
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46 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
GridInnovation
Eversource Innovates with Fusesaver Pilot Utility upgrades its distribution system to help deliver the resiliency and reliability that regulators and customers expect.By Timothy J. Callahan, Eversource Energy
Eversource Energy recently installed Siemens’ Fus-
esavers in its Connecticut service territory. The in-
stallation started as a pilot project to help the util-
ity meet the reliability goals of its system resiliency
program.
Like other electric utilities across the U.S., Eversource is
upgrading its electrical distribution infrastructure to better
withstand extreme weather-related events and to improve cus-
tomer reliability. Improving service reliability with the deploy-
ment of single-pole switching devices and new low-cost fault-
interrupting Fusesavers will provide the utility immediate
reliability improvements.
Fault-Interrupting FunctionalityThe Fusesaver is a self-powered,
electronically controlled single-phase
fault-interrupting device that works in
partnership with a fuse to protect a lat-
eral line from temporary faults. It is ca-
pable of detecting, opening and clearing
a fault in a half cycle, which is less time
than it takes the fuse to melt. It will in-
terrupt an overcurrent condition and
then reclose automatically to re-energize
a line and determine whether the fault
was temporary. It is estimated more than
70% of faults are temporary.
After reclosing, the Fusesaver will re-
main closed, even if the fault is perma-
nent, then the associated fuse will open
to interrupt and isolate the fault. If the
fault was temporary and the reclose suc-
cessful, the Fusesaver will reset itself in
preparation for any future disturbances.
The Fusesaver will operate similar to
hydraulic reclosers, currently used on
the Eversource system.
Eversource identif ed 32 locations
throughout its Connecticut service territory for single-phase
and three-phase installations on 13 distribution circuits.
In conjunction with Siemens and Burns & McDonnell,
Eversource also produced a T&D How video focusing on the
installation of a single-phase Fusesaver. The video demon-
strates the pole construction and installation in accordance
with Eversource standards.
Pilot ImplementationEversource distribution standards brought several cross-
functional disciplines together to implement this new reli-
ability-transforming design. The T&D
standards group provided a construc-
tion standard, an engineering manual
(DSEM) describing the unit and its
capability, an installation video and a
training webinar. Line crews, the test
department and other supporting f eld
operational personnel received this
training. The Eversource test group also
had a two-day training seminar on the
Siemens Connect software used to pro-
gram and interrogate the Fusesavers
through a wireless USB connection.
The Eversource construction stan-
dard details how to construct a pole with a
Fusesaver. The Fusesaver mounting
will be on the load side of the fuse with
the remote control unit (RCU) cabinet
mounted on the pole. This construction
standard covers single-phase and three-
phase construction.
Other areas of importance covered
in the construction standard’s notes are
minimum primary cable connections
and grounding requirements. Wedge
tap connectors are used to connect to
the primary lines, and compression lug
A typical remote control unit includes a wireless backhaul modem for SCADA. In Eversource’s service territory, the SCADA points are transmitted back to the systems operations center in Berlin, Connecticut.
47www.tdworld.com | September 2016
GridInnovation
connectors are used to connect to the Fuse-
saver. Fusing for the 120-Vac power supply is
located inside the RCU cabinet. For three-
phase applications, only one RCU cabinet is
needed. The RCU cabinet is bonded to the
pole ground and is to be installed 5 ft (1.5 m)
above fnished grade.
The Eversource standards group also pro-
vided installation training to the individual
line crews with a hands-on component. The
three modes of operation for the Fusesaver
— manual, Wi-Fi, and supervisory control
and data acquisition (SCADA) — were em-
phasized because of the addition of wireless
operation. A Fusesaver guide for feld engi-
neers also was created by the utility’s resilien-
cy group, with input from the protection and
control group. The purpose of the guide is to
assist feld engineering to plan and locate via-
ble candidate sites for Fusesaver installations.
Some site restrictions are as follows:
• Stepdown transformers downstream
• Single-phase recloser locations
• Fault current levels.
Other areas for consideration include the
SCADA integration of Fusesavers on existing
SCADA system, geographic information sys-
tem/outage management system (GIS/OMS)
integration, screens for system operator and
nomenclature for mapping.
Eversource traditionally uses radio broad-
cast base station sites in its Connecticut ser-
vice territory for recloser backhaul of SCADA
points to the systems operation center. How-
ever, in the Fusesaver application, wireless
mobile 4G gateways using the input/output
model option were used to backhaul SCADA
points to the systems operation center in Berlin, Connecticut,
as a result of space constraints in the RCU cabinets. The rel-
evant areas of expertise needed to be consulted to help inte-
grate the Fusesavers into the existing GIS/OMS infrastructure
with an eye toward the future distribution management system.
Leveraging Features One additional safety feature for line crews is the 60-
second hit-and-run function of the Fusesaver. Linemen are
able to close in the Fusesaver manually with the red lever
on the communications module, which is an optional fea-
ture located on the bottom of the unit. Line crews can lower
the bucket to a safe distance away from the Fusesaver when
switching back in a circuit. The Connect software also has an
event log that stores event history in permanent memory. The
memory can be downloaded for analysis of events on the dis-
tribution system. The event is time-stamped, which is helpful
in analyzing circuit outages.
Lessons LearnedNew product introduction into the distribution system
has a huge ripple effect across the organization. Much of the
operational organization is affected and needs to be kept up-
dated on the smart grid technologies integrated onto the dis-
tribution system. A distribution engineer’s job is not only to
innovate but also to inform. A signifcant part of a standard
engineer’s job is to help educate the feld about new product
introductions being implemented. Listening to the feld orga-
nization on suggested enhancements and modifcations also
goes a long way in acceptance of a new product.
The time invested upfront rolling out the Fusesaver and
training the workforce will directly correlate to ease with and
adaptation to the new technology. The dividends of upfront
communicating and training will translate into acceptance
and success of the new product. The bottom line is one needs
to communicate often and early for new product develop-
ments and designs. The successful deployment of Fusesavers
This slide depicts the current level, Siemens Fusesaver state (open/closed) and the partner Fuse (open/close). Both the Siemens Fusesaver and Fuse are in the closed state because of the normal current (non-fault current levels).
The current has reached fault current levels, and the Fusesaver has detected the fault current in a half cycle. The Siemens Fusesaver is going into the open state while the partner Fuse stays closed.
48 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
GridInnovation
in Eversource’s Connecticut service territory has paved the
way for installation in its western Massachusetts service terri-
tory. Ten Fusesaver installations with SCADA capabilities are
planned for later in 2016.
As more installations are completed, these smart grid tech-
nologies will help to deliver the resiliency and system reliabil-
ity expected from both regulators and customers.
AcknowledgementThe author would like to acknowledge the following indi-
viduals for their technical support throughout the pilot: Carl
Peterson, manager T&D Eversource Energy;
Steven Pell, product manager for Siemens
Industry Inc.; and Christopher DeSanctis,
president D&D Electrical Sales Inc. Special
thanks goes to James Beatty, Eversource En-
ergy’s supervisor of electric f eld operations
New London. Finally, thanks to the dedicated
line crew that helped to make the Fusesaver
installation video possible: Ernesto Punzalan,
Jeremy Rose and Scott Herman.
Timothy J. Callahan (timothy.callahan@ever-
source.com) received BSEE and MBA degrees
from the University of Hartford. He has more
than 26 years of experience in the electric
utility industry and is an active member of the
IEEE Power & Energy Society’s Connecticut
chapter. Callahan is a distribution standards
senior engineer with Eversource Energy. His main focus is
developing and implementing standards for distribution auto-
mation (smart grid). He also is developing and implementing
standards for leased line, power line carrier, unlicensed spread
spectrum radio and fi ber-optic distributed generation transfer
trip schemes.
Fusesaver Guide
The Fusesaver guide for distribution fi eld engineers was created to help engineers integrate the Fusesaver into the Ever-
source distribution system. The guide provides criteria to choose locations for installation. A holistic approach is used to help
maximize the benefi t of the Fusesaver and to prioritize locations to get the biggest bang for the buck.
The Fusesaver has a fault current withstand limit of 4000 A and is available in 100-A and 200-A models. To streamline the
process, Eversource decided to standardize on the 200-A model because it provides a greater fuse coordination range than
the 100-A model, and the minimum line current needed for operation of the device is 0.5 A and 1 A, respectively. The 200-A
Fusesaver coordinates with a range of K-class and T-class fuses (from 10 A to 100 A).
Because the device is connected to the Eversource supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, data about an
event, device reliability and availability, and load profi le can be accessed from the database through SCADA. This data can be
helpful for distribution engineers to monitor distribution circuits effectively and effi ciently. For example, the event database can
provide a record of faults and protection operations to help determine line reliability. It also can confi rm the Fusesaver is operat-
ing as expected, help to diagnose faults and determine how many fuses have been saved by the Fusesaver.
The access event database can assist distribution engineers with data analytics. The Fusesaver’s event database saves up to
3000 events, such as a protection trip or line current, in the order of occurrences.
The Fusesaver can be installed on single-phase or three-phase side taps. Eversource decided the device would not be in-
stalled to protect stepdown transformers to avoid exposing the stepdown transformer to fault current twice during a permanent
fault, fi rst when the Fusesaver operates and second when the fuse operates.
Because of coordination issues, the Fusesaver also should not be installed upstream or downstream from an existing single-
phase recloser. It is critical that the distribution engineer have a good understanding of the loading for prospective Fusesaver
installation locations. Nomenclature for Fusesavers also is important for the geographic information system/outage manage-
ment system and SCADA systems. As an example, in Eversource’s Connecticut service territory, a single-phase Fusesaver is
designated with the circuit number and device designation, such as 12A3-1601F.
For more information:Burns & McDonnell | www.burnsmcd.com
Eversource Energy | www.eversource.com
Siemens | www.siemens.com
The Fusesaver returns to the closed state after the predefi ned dead time. The partner Fuse stays in the closed state, and load current returns to normal levels.
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Tel-O-Pole II from Hastings is a “no twist”
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Life Line 48B | Field Applications 48D | Boot Camp 48F | Drivin’ for Linemen 48L
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2016
www.tdworld.com
LifeLine
Josh HuntIBEW Local 71
Early YearsI was interested in line work from the time I was a freshman
in high school. It wasn’t until 2007, however, that a large storm
spanning three states lit the fuse for me to get into the trade.
My frst day on the job was so nerve-racking because I was
new and had never worked on a line crew. All of my family was
in Missouri, and I was blessed enough to get a job as an ap-
prentice in Cincinnati, Ohio. I quit my old job, packed up and
showed up on the job. Professionally, it was the best decision
I have ever made.
Topping OutThe day I topped out as a journeyman was a day I will never
forget. We had been on storm work in Detroit, Michigan, for
more than a week, and by the time I was done sleeving pri-
mary, the word had spread to several other crews. That night
at the show up, I received more handshakes and hugs from the
men whom I had learned so much. It was so rewarding to have
the same classifcation as so many other great linemen.
Day in the LifeAs a journeyman lineman, I currently work on a crew do-
ing distribution maintenance. We change out poles and recon-
ductor circuits in the Cincinnati and tri-state area. The new
crew consists of my foreman, an apprentice and me. We work
on energized circuits with voltages ranging from 2400 V to
19,900 V. A typical day consists of getting a job order, loading
up material and poles, going to our job site, digging a hole,
setting the new pole and transferring all of the conductors
from the old to the new.
Challenges and RewardsAs a lineman, the biggest challenge for me is being away
from my family. I have missed a lot of birthdays, holidays and
special occasions, but thankfully, they understand. The big-
gest rewards are often helping people. I sincerely enjoy restor-
ing power to places that have been affected by storms or natu-
ral disasters. That is my favorite part of the job.
• Born in Springfeld, Missouri.• Has a seven-year-old son named Eli and a three-year-old daughter named Delaney. They are his world. • Is a frst-generation lineman.• Enjoys outdoor activities like hunting, fshing, reloading and shooting, and dirt track racing.• Can’t live without his OxBlock, which is useful for tagging out heavy materials. He doesn’t go up in the bucket without it.
Safety LessonOne day while I was working on a storm, there was a mis-
communication between the dispatch and one of the crews
on the line. They had given the orders to energize a line that
the two crews were still working on. The crew who energized
the line had no idea there were still men working. Thankfully,
both crews who were working had come down for material and
planning, because they never knew the line had been ener-
gized. I learned that day that communication is essential in
our trade, and everyone has to be on the same page.
Memorable StormAs a low-step apprentice, I worked the aftermath of Hur-
ricane Irene. My foreman and lineman had busted their tails
all day to repair a circuit through a large subdivision in Long
Island, New York. We had been working there for about six
days, and I had mainly worked from the ground, grunting
for them on this day. When the wire was all put back up and
everything was in the clear, the lineman took me out to the
main line to take the grounds down and energize the line. I
closed the switch, and I turned the power back on for the sub-
division. People were coming out on their porches and in the
yards clapping and cheering for us. The lineman said, “This is
what our job is about, not a paycheck.” That really stuck with
me, and it infuenced me throughout my apprenticeship.
Future PlansThis is a great and rewarding career. I wish I would have
gotten into it sooner. I plan to work on the West Coast soon,
and I would like to try out some helicopter work.
Words of WisdomIf I could tell anyone just coming in anything, it would be
to make sure your family is on board. Don’t go into this with a
“What’s in it for me?” attitude. Look for ways you can contrib-
ute to the brotherhood and make it better.
Throughout his time in the line trade, Josh Hunt has worked in 19 different states, mainly east of the Mississippi River.
ELECTRIC UTILITY OPERATIONS
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com48B
FieldApplications
By Thomas Planert, Contributing Writer
Chemical Grouting Combats Water Intrusion
ElEcTric UTiliTy OPEraTiOns
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com48D
Typically, utilities have leaks that occur inside con-
duits, along cracks and at pipe penetrations. The
conduit problem, for example, occurs where the con-
duit penetrates inside a structure such as a building
foundation, a manhole or a vault. Water infltration occurs
inside the structures at the annular space between the cables
and the conduit. This leakage can fll an underground vault
with water, depending on the water table elevation. Structures
located near the ocean also are subject to accelerated corro-
sion due to salt-water infltration, which can damage other
equipment inside the structure.
Chemical grouts, however, have been used successfully to
seal off the annular space between the conduits and the cables.
Sealing ConduitAs part of this process, one option is to use clean sections
of oakum that are inserted into a pail of expanding urethane-
based chemical grout that needs water to react. Then the
oakum is placed inside a leaking conduit about 6 inches deep,
beyond the conduit opening.
The expanding urethane and the oakum create the frst
barrier. The barrier will still have pinholes, and small amounts
of water may penetrate through the barrier, but this typically
seals off 80% of the water. Next the process is repeated and a
second section of oakum and expanding urethane is placed
about 3 inches deep, beyond the conduit opening.
After the barriers have cured for about 15 minutes, a needle
pipe is inserted between the barriers. The needle pipe has a
sharp tip to cut through the barrier material. Next, water and
urethane chemical grout are pumped between the barriers.
The void between the barriers is pumped because specifc
urethane chemical grouts used for this purpose must be in a
dense plastic-like condition in order to seal off water for long-
term results. Simply allowing urethanes used for conduit seal-
ing to expand freely into foam will not result in a cured matrix
that can stop water seepage/infltration.
Urethane-based chemical grouts must be fexible because
thermal changes can cause conduits and cables to move. Ca-
bles must be separated to allow the chemical grout injected to
seal their entire circumference around the cable, as water can
leak later between the cables. This is especially important with
wrapped steel for lightning protection or small conduits.
People often ask if the cables can be pulled out of the con-
duit later or if new cables can be inserted into the conduit.
The answer is yes, the cured chemical grout and oakum can be
removed with a knife if necessary, however, the process would
need to be repeated to reseal the conduit.
Remediating Leaking CracksFor cracks in concrete, drill holes 3 inch to 5 inch in diam-
eter are drilled into the shear plane of a crack, with spacing
between the drill holes every 1 ft to 3 ft apart. Water is injected
into the drill holes to clean our any dust. Then packers are
placed into the drill holes, and a bolt is turned to force a rub-
ber sleeve to expand against the drill hole walls. Chemical
grout is injected into the packers to react with the water and
cure to a rubber-like matrix while penetrating into the crack.
Pumping pressures can range up to 3000 psi with chemical
grouts that are in the viscosity range of 300 centipoises, similar
to maple syrup. Basically, the cured chemical grout matrix is
fexible, and unlike conventional brittle repair options, such
as hydraulic cement or epoxy, the chemical grout matrix will
not crack. This type of repair is used most often for cracks in
manholes, vaults, foundations, tunnels, walls and roof slabs.
While leakage can lead to corrosion (photo at left), chemical grouting can seal pipes and conduit (right).
ElEctric Utility OpEratiOns
www.tdworld.com | September 2016 48E
deep. Chemical grout and water is pumped after 15 minutes to
seal the annular space between the barriers, similar to sealing
leaks inside conduits.
Smaller annular spaces that do not allow placement of oa-
kum and expanding urethane are sealed by “stage grouting.”
This process consists of injecting a chemical grout with water
to activate it and waiting until the crack is flled and the grout
begins to cure. Next, a second injection through the same drill
hole is used to pump chemical grout and water that is trapped
inside the crack/annular space, thus allowing the second stage
of grout to obtain the proper density for long-term results.
This technology can offer considerable savings over ex-
cavation with waterproofng membranes, for example. Also,
guaranteed results have been completed for long-term results
successfully so the technology has a time-tested track record.
For best results, it is imperative that electric utilities select
the proper material, use an experienced applicator and part-
ner with frms that specialize in chemical grouting. That way,
they can prevent water leakage into their vaults, pipes, man-
holes and other structures, therefore limiting water-infltra-
tion corrosion and extending their life.
Thomas Planert ([email protected]) is a consulting
engineer and contractor with more than 34 years of experi-
ence, specializing in chemical grouting. He is a professional
engineer.
Results are guaranteed as long as the correct application
technique was used and the appropriate chemical grout was
selected that will allow for the expected movement/elongation
limits. Expecting a chemical grout to withstand the movement
at a bridge expansion joint would not result in a successful
long-term repair, for example. After the injection is complet-
ed, the excess chemical grout must be sanded off and the drill
holes are patched with nonshrink hydraulic cement.
Preventing Leaking Pipe PenetrationsFinally, a third common problem is pipe penetrations,
when the space between the pipe and the wall is leaking.
Chemical grouts are used in these situations by drilling
3-inch- to 5-inch-diameter holes through the wall and inter-
secting the space between the pipe and the wall.
The drill bits used for drilling holes are rounded masonry
bits that will bounce off any metal intersected to avoid damag-
ing a metal pipe. Drilling depths are measured to ensure the
drill bit does not penetrate concrete or PVC pipe.
The exposed annular space is often wide enough to allow
visual observation of the drill bit, as drilling depths are usually
about 6 inches deep. After the drilling is completed in two or
three holes, depending on the diameter of the pipe, the an-
nular space is sealed with an expanding urethane and oakum.
With wide annular spaces, two sections of oakum and ure-
thane can be used to form barriers 6 inches deep and 3 inches
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September 2016 | www.tdworld.com48F
ELECTRIC UTILITY OPERATIONS
Hooked on Line WorkApprentices learn the ropes at Entergy’s 2016 Linemen’s Boot Camp in Arkansas.
By Sally Graham, Entergy Arkansas
At the 2016 Linemen’s Boot Camp, I stand alongside
veteran instructor Todd Wheat as he smiles with
appreciation as an agile apprentice is already about
25 ft up a 35-ft utility pole. Other recruits are in
various stages of the task — from examining their equipment
to being 5 ft off the ground.
As the instructor and I stand out-
side the pole-climbing training yard
at Baseline Safety and Skills Training
Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, we
also observe one young man kicking
his gaffs into the pole. Any observer
could see his joy in discovering how
well he took to a task most people
outside the utility brotherhood would
consider unnerving.
A brotherhood, it certainly is. From
what I could tell, the kick-off of the
2016 Linemen’s Boot Camp inspired
at least three leaders to drive to Little
Rock to check in on and observe their
apprentices: Forrest City line supervi-
sor Eddie Bosnick, Hot Springs senior lineman Steve Bleifus
and Searcy line supervisor Scott Williams.
Back inside the main classroom, Ron Suhm, a senior train-
ing specialist with Entergy’s technical skills training division,
is teaching a training module to the other team of apprentices.
Seven apprentices each are assigned
to Team A and Team B, rotating days
which group will be in the yard versus
the classroom.
When they visit Suhm’s classroom,
they quickly learn that safety in all
actions is a requirement and priority
number one, not only during the boot
camp but throughout Entergy. They
are also instructed to follow other
class rules inscribed on a handwritten
poster.
“We’re not a democracy, but we are
always open for a good idea,” Suhm
directed at me, friendly but frm.
Suhm is managing all aspects of boot
camp for the frst time.
One apprentice likened the atmo-
sphere of boot camp to what it is like to
be the new guy on a football team: “You
don’t go in telling people what to do. You
listen and get your assigned job done,
that way you can earn their respect.”
Inspired Managers Supporting Employee Growth
Last year, Suhm’s leadership team
encouraged him to step up and be the
lead instructor for the 2016 Linemen’s
Boot Camp. Dennis Weaver, the Arkan-
sas and Mississippi training supervisor,
and Suhm traveled outside of Arkansas
for professional development classes and
later advocated for representatives from
the Association for Talent Development
(ATD) to deliver a Train-the-Trainer
class for the entire department, with
Lead instructor Ron Suhm shares the safety focus for the day’s work with apprentices and guest instructors.
48Gwww.tdworld.com | September 2016
ELECTRIC UTILITY OPERATIONS
each trainer receiving a certifcate of completion. Since that
time, all new trainers have attended the ATD Trainer Certif-
cate Course at various locations around the United States.
“I traveled to the Power House, Entergy’s facility in Jackson
and came back with specifc tactics I could use to help me grow
as a trainer as well as to become a better leader in the class-
room,” Suhm says.
John Morehead manages the trainers for all Entergy op-
erating companies. While Arkansas trainers demonstrated
employee practices of ownership and effective teamwork,
Morehead recognizes a motivated, well-trained employee is
a productive employee. He warns about falling into “a com-
fort zone where individuals teach the things or groups they
are most comfortable with” and sees the value in providing
trainers with career growth opportunities that champion col-
laborative exercises and group discussions.
A Boot Camp of FirstsIn addition to being Suhm’s frst boot camp, this year’s class
An instructor coaches the apprentices as they climb in the training yard.
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is unique on several fronts: 14 apprentices, from two genera-
tions, represent four of Entergy Arkansas’ fve regions. Col-
lectively, the class may be its most diverse yet; just consider
their career and family backgrounds: a master electrician who
remained optimistic and persistent in his pursuit to work for
Entergy; an oil feld worker; a state prison guard; a bartender;
an entrepreneur; a state trooper; an Accu-Read employee who
decided to switch from removing single-phase meters under
load to embodying a customer’s hero; a teenager from a legacy
lineman family; and a son of a chief clerk from West Markham
Service Center.
About communicating with apprentices across genera-
tions, journeyman lineman John Wilkins from Batesville, Ar-
kansas, says trainers need to be creative. As he talks to me,
he keeps his eyes focused on Team A apprentices tackling a
scenario he has assigned them in the training yard. Wilkins,
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Brothers in arms Blake Livingston, Zach Varnell, Kendle Tillar midway through boot camp start to gel as a team.
Cody Brady, one of the two apprentices recognized for best-climbing skills at the June graduation ceremony, inspects his climbing gear.
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September 2016 | www.tdworld.com48J
who was featured in the The Weather Channel’s docu-series
“Lights Out” about Entergy Arkansas linemen, is one of sev-
eral boot camp coach observers who will provide counsel dur-
ing the 12-week course.
Brothers’ KeeperWilkins says the Linemen’s Boot Camp prepares appren-
tices to communicate clearly and effectively with one another.
Apprentice Evan Fraser, the master electrician in the class,
says from his experience in boot camp, the instructors help
apprentices to strengthen their ability to trust in themselves
and in their crews.
“We’re learning how each of us has his own personality,
and if you see someone who’s normally outgoing get quiet, you
know to reach out: ‘Hey buddy, are you okay?’”
That peer check for pole buddies is just one of the ways ap-
prentices and linemen keep a questioning mind. The brother-
hood of linemen live by a creed to watch each other’s back and
to make sure everyone goes home safely.
State troopers know a thing or two about hazards on the
job. Just ask apprentice Zach Varnell who had earned a posi-
tion on the highway patrol’s elite SWAT team. He describes
discussing with his girlfriend his anguish over leaving a job he
loved for Entergy and was deeply concerned, at the beginning
of boot camp, about what he perceived as a loss of a position
of honor and prestige. “I just don’t want to let that go,” he told
me after class.
In a private group discussion during the second week of
boot camp, seven apprentices discussed the notion that a
lineman answers a noble call. “I’m learning about the util-
ity brotherhood and I’m excited to learn more about that,”
Varnell says.
Keithan Williams from Hot Springs, Arkansas, is the new-
est hire of the bunch, and by Week Two, had earned the name
Joker. Along with his lighthearted demeanor, he can get seri-
ous about what drew him to Entergy. He’s been with the utility
since the end of February and extols the utility’s strong sup-
port for craft workers through competitive salaries and pen-
sions. “With a high school diploma you can earn a respectable
living and provide for your family,” the 26-year-old said.
Boot camp exercises also teach apprentices how to dele-
gate and how to work side-by-side their instructors. When they
return to their service centers, senior linemen will continue
their instruction. It’s on-the-job training every day for four
years.
During one boot camp exercise in week nine, Williams
worked side-by-side with Wilkins, the coach-observer from
Batesville. There’s a new confdence in the energetic recruit
who had earlier played a role delegating a job to another crew.
The mentoring exercise? How to rig up a crossarm to
be sent up a handline to the lineman on the pole: Wilkins
instructs Williams to get rid of the slack in the rope itself,
specifcally between the anchor tie-off points he is using to
attach the handline.
Observations Upon GraduationVarnell, now called Trooper by his colleagues, summed
up what many of the 2016 apprentices shared in conversation
over the last 12 weeks: In a connected world, if customers can’t
power their homes and businesses, life stops.
“I have the utmost respect for frst responders,” says
Varnell, when he was recalling his life as a state trooper. “Most
people who see state troopers just want to get on with their
lives and see the lanes of traffc cleared. It wasn’t until I com-
pleted Linemen’s Boot Camp that I saw the similarities: haz-
ards on the job, responding to 24/7 calls and knowing that
what we do for our communities is vital. I wanted to know I
was going to matter when I took this job.
“Now that I’ve made it through boot camp, I realize I did
not understand the magnitude of what being a lineman was
all about. It’s humbling for me to look around at our instruc-
tors, and the years of experience they bring to the job, and
The 2016 recruits are as follows (left to right): Shaughn Mora, Kendle Tillar, John Cartwright, Mitch Conner, Blake Livingston, Evan Fraser, Cody Brady, Blake Potter, Cody Kitchens, Aaron Ramos, Zach Varnell, Keithan Williams, Mason Williams and Adam Knight. Photo by David Lewis.
48Kwww.tdworld.com | September 2016
ELECTRIC UTILITY OPERATIONS
know that I am now welcomed into this brotherhood.”
No utility job can ever be made completely safe, but the
job can be made safer if people remain alert to the risks and
communicate, says the International Brotherhood of Elec-
trical Workers. Under Suhm’s leadership, the 2016 Entergy
Arkansas Boot Camp apprentices will go back to their service
centers knowing how to do just that.
Sally Graham ([email protected]) is a senior communi-
cations specialist for Entergy Arkansas. She visited with the
apprentices three times during the 12-week Boot Camp.
Editor’s note: To see a snapshot of life inside the training yard,
view a video clip at Entergy.com/BootCamp2016.
Two military veterans in the 2016 class were proud to see to the hanging and care of the fags for this class picture of all 14 apprentices.
For more information:Entergy Arkansas | www.entergyarkansas.com
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September 2016 | www.tdworld.com48L
ELECTRIC UTILITY OPERATIONS
Drivin’ for Linemen 200 Unites Line TradeThird annual NASCAR race includes climbing competition that raises funds for the Fallen Lineman Organization.
By Amy Fischbach, Field Editor
The 2016 Drivin’ for Linemen 200 race had one mis-
sion in mind — to bring the line industry together.
Linemen from across the country convened in late
June at Gateway Motorsports Park in Marion, Illinois,
for the third-annual NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
themed event.
“We wanted to stop all the barriers that exist between dif-
ferent affliations and companies and thank linemen and their
families,” says Chad Dubea, a journeyman lineman, founder
of the race and owner of Elite Fleet Services, LLC.
Because of the fnancial burden of hosting the event,
Dubea was not sure if he would be able to do it again this year.
But thanks to two sponsors — Altec and Buckingham Manu-
facturing — the race went on, and it was a big success, he says.
“It has taken about two years to get the word out,” Dubea
says. “I think having sponsors will help going forward with con-
tinuing the race. We thought we would try it one more year,
and then if it didn’t kick off, we wouldn’t do it anymore. We
were very honored and grateful that it did. Now not all of the
fnancial burden is on me, and the event is bringing different
companies together in appreciation of the industry and the
linemen.”
During the frst year of the Drivin’ for Linemen 200, the
organizers were hoping to get around 20,000 fans at the event.
Race winner Christopher Bell leads the feld in the early stages of the Drivin’ for Linemen 200. Photo by Michael Allio.
48Mwww.tdworld.com | September 2016
ELECTRIC UTILITY OPERATIONS
Instead, 28,000 cheered on the sidelines. The numbers kept
going up — last year’s event drew 32,000, and this year, about
40,000 fans purchased a ticket to the event.
“They keep beating their numbers because linemen come
from all over the country to go to the race,” Dubea says.
Racing to the FinishJust before the qualifying round began, rainfall soaked
the 1.25-mile track and delayed the start time by an hour and
15 minutes. As such, the feld was set by combined practice
speeds. Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Ed Rhodes had
the top starting position, but was edged out by Christopher
Bell, who earned his second career NASCAR Camping World
Truck Series victory.
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Spectators eye the competition in the Climbin’ for Linemen event prior to the start of the NASCAR race.
Ameren employees await the start of pre-race ceremonies at the Drivin’ for Linemen 200. Photo by Michael Allio.
ElEctric Utility OpEratiOns
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com48N
Bell raced a No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra
an average of 89 mph to the fnish, giving KBM its 50th victory
in the series and tying Roush Fenway Racing for the all-time
series wins lead, according to the NASCAR Wire Service. Bell
took the lead on Lap 119, and after losing the lead to Rhodes
on Lap 149, he reclaimed the lead on Lap 153 and held on to
his position until the last lap.
Competing in a Climbing ContestThe Drivin’ for Linemen event not only included the race,
but also another special component new for this year — a
climbing competition sponsored by Buckingham Manufac-
turing. Last year, Dubea wanted to do a lineman’s rodeo in
conjunction with the event, but the plans for the competition
didn’t go forward. This year, Buckingham approached Dubea
about sponsoring a “Climbin’ for Linemen” event prior to the
race, and the International Lineman’s Rodeo Association also
lent a helping hand with the judging.
“They were excited and wanted to help, and it was a huge
success,” Dubea says. “Since a lot of the linemen are NASCAR
fans, they were all willing and offered their assistance.”
The organizers set up three poles — one set aside for prac-
tice and two marked for the competition — on the racetrack
grounds. During the morning of the race, 30 climbers repre-
sented the 30 fallen linemen from last year. Each climber had
the name of a fallen lineman on his or her back during the
competition.
As part of the Hurtman Rescue Championship, the line-
men climbed up the 40-ft pole to the “injured lineman,” which
was represented by a 175-lb dummy, and then used a hand
line rope-and-block to tie him off and lower him down to the
ground to safety. According to Ameren Illinois, which served
as a sponsor of Drivin’ for Linemen, the event had three objec-
tives: showcase the skills of the
line worker, promote safety and
raise public awareness.
The participants each con-
tributed about $250 in entry
fees, and as a result, Bucking-
ham was able to donate $4,000
of the proceeds to the Fallen
Lineman Organization (FLO)
to help the families of the fall-
en linemen. The FLO, which
was founded by Dubea, helps
care for families who have lost
or are impacted by a severe in-
jury to a loved one in the line
of duty including groundsmen,
apprentice and journeymen
linemen, operators and substa-
tion mechanics.
Jason Novak, a line fore-
man for Ameren Illinois, won
an all-inclusive trip to Mexico
for two from the Bevins Company and a championship belt
from Buckingham as the top climber. Scott “Woody” Lafore,
an electric emergency troubleman for Ameren Illinois in
Belleville, Illinois, fnished second, and Cole Winn of Big D
Electric in Marion fnished third.
Novak, who has been a lineman for the last 19 years, heard
about the event through his wife’s Facebook page. Novak holds
the company record for the hurtman rescue and can complete
the event in 46 seconds, according to Ameren Illinois. He used
his skills and focus to win the inaugural event despite the heat
and humidity.
“It sounded like a fun thing to do,” Novak says. “I was
sweating before the competition even started, but we work
in all kinds of weather. I just came back from a storm and
came down here, and it was a lot of fun, and there was good
camaraderie. The guys did a really good job of running the
competition.”
Looking Ahead to Next YearNext year, Dubea says he plans on doing the climbing com-
petition the night before the race to give the climbers and
spectators a different experience.
In addition to watching and participating in the climbing
competition, the linemen could also race go carts around the
racetrack, and kick back and relax at a country music concert
starring a Nashville star who recently released a single.
Next year, Dubea says he is looking forward to another suc-
cessful race. “We are trying to build up the race, and now we
have more people in the industry trying to make the race a
success,” he says. “My wife and I have funded it because it is in
the central part of America where IBEW started, and we want
to bring together union and non-union linemen together to
be excited about the industry.”
Ben Rhodes celebrates in Domino's Pizza Victory Lane after winning the Drivin’ for Linemen 200 while Jason Novak proudly displays his winnings from the Climbin’ for Linemen competition.
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PartingShot
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ELECTRIC UTILITY OPERATIONS
Photo courtesy of Salt River Project
Salt River Project lineman Chris Fedock,
a 15-year veteran, descended down a
115-kV transmission tower after completing
maintenance work near Horse Mesa
Dam near Canyon Lake in Arizona. As he
cautiously scaled down the 65-ft tower,
Fedock used his lead climber safety line.
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50 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
NetworkDesign
Analysis Drives Future Substation ConfgurationsStedin presents a changing perspective on medium-voltage network design and reliability.By Edward Coster and Dirk Boender, Stedin, and Bram Staarink, Alliander
Stedin Netbeheer B.V. is a regional network operator
responsible for the transmission and distribution of
electricity in Randstad, a large urban area in western
Netherlands. More than 2 million customers are sup-
plied by Stedin in this area, which includes the cities of The
Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. Stedin was formed by a merg-
er of former municipal network operators that had different
design philosophies on network structures, voltage levels and
substation layouts. As a result, the layouts of Stedin substations
commissioned between the 1960s and 1980s differ widely.
Stedin’s high-voltage (HV) subtransmission network oper-
ates at 50 kV and 25 kV, with medium-voltage (MV) distribu-
tion network voltages of 23 kV (as of 1990), 13 kV and 10 kV.
Apart from three 50-kV overhead lines, the HV and MV con-
nections consist of underground cables.
Aging switchgear in need of replacement presents the
utility with an opportunity to re-evaluate the design and con-
�guration of its current HV and MV substations while simul-
taneously exploring possibilities for integrating distribution
automation into its MV network. Switchgear replacement is
linked to controlling the risk of aging assets no longer sup-
ported by the original equipment manufacturer, now or in the
near future. This risk involves mainly minimum oil breakers
installed in 35% of all bays in the HV and MV substations.
Stedin has decided to pursue a two-track approach that in-
volves the replacement of minimum oil breakers switchgear
over a 20-year period plus conservation of switchgear not re-
placed during that time, in cooperation with the successor to
the original equipment manufacturer.
Substation LayoutsA substation replacement gives Stedin an opportunity to
re-evaluate the layout and consider a standardized layout. To
de�ne standard substation layouts, a distinction was made be-
tween the bus bar concept and the maximum number of trans-
formers to be installed, all of which affect substation capacity.
The approach chosen for determining the maximum num-
ber of transformers and the substation capacity is based on
basic building blocks consisting of a �xed transformer capac-
ity and a �xed short-circuit current. These building blocks are
speci�ed so the nominal bus bar current and the short-circuit
current contribution comply with the design parameters of
the available MV switchgear. The acceptable fault level of the
existing ring main units must be considered.
The building blocks for substations are as follows:
•50-kV/10-kV or 50-kV/13-kV substations, two or three
Bart Kers and Wim Kerstens from Stedin’s asset management deparment review documents for the project that will replace the 10-kV switchgear, including protection, monitoring and control, in the 50/10-kV Utrecht Leidseveer substation.
51www.tdworld.com | September 2016
NetworkDesign
40-MVA transformers, 15% impedance
•25-kV/10-kV and 23-kV/10-kV substa-
tions, three 22.5-MVA transformers, 12%
impedance
•25-kV/10-kV and 23-kV/10-kV sub-
stations, four 11-MVA transformers, 10%
impedance.
Thelimitationonthecapacitypersubsta-
tionislinkedtotheimpactacompletesub-
stationoutagehasonStedin’sperformance.
Bus Bar Concepts
The substation layout and bus bar con-
fgurationhaveanimportantroleinsecurity
of supply, operational fexibility and costs.
These are themost commonbus bar con-
ceptsforvoltagesbelow150kV:
•Single-section single bus bar (SBBSS)
—Thesimplestandcheapestbusbarcon-
fguration concept (concept 1) is SBBSS.
Becauseofitssimplicity,errorsinswitching
operationsareminimal.Anextensionorre-
pair to thebusbar,oncecommissioned, is
notpossiblewithoutde-energizingthecompletebusbar.
•Two-section SBB— A natural extension of the single-
sectionbusbarconceptisthetwo-sectionSBB(concept2).A
transformer is connected to each section, and the sections can
becoupledbyabusbarcouplercircuitbreaker.
•Single-section double bus bars (DBB)— This concept
(concept3)overcomesthedrawbackoftheSBBSSconceptas
eachbusbarhastwobusdisconnectorsthatfacilitatethecon-
Nordic’s 2-Piece Sectionalizing Cabinets for 15kV or 25kV 200Amp Applications
•Nordic’s two piece sectionalizing cabinets have a removable cabinet top and a ground sleeve to provide construction sites with the option to install the ground sleeve frst and then come back and install the cabinet.
•Once construction is over, the cabinet can be installed. Installing the cabinet later helps prevent the possibility of it being damaged by equipment during construction. Also, in case a vehicle were to hit the cabinet during its service life, the cabinet is able to be removed without having to replace the whole unit.
•The ground sleeves have large interiors that allow for cable looping. In case of an elbow failure, the extra cable allows the line person to use the extra slack to make a new connection without having to splice in new cable.
ND-2202248-MG-125-X-X ND-2562448-MG-152-X-X
ORDIC FIBERGLASS, INC.Quality Products for the Electric Utility Industry
P.O. Box 27 Warren, MN 56762 Tel: 218-745-5095 Fax: 218-745-4990 www.nordicfberglass.com
Two standard substation building blocks for use on the Stedin system with intended breaker operation.
40-MVA and 22.5-MVA transformers may be used. The third transformer is operated on hot standby to maintain the medium-voltage fault level within the fault level rating of the medium-voltage switchgear. In the event of a transformer outage, an automatic changeover switches the hot standby transformer to the bus bar. The changeover takes place within 150 msec, minimizing the interruption time.
This substation model includes four 11-MVA transformers. In the event of a transformer outage, an automatic changeover switches the hot standby transformer into service, to maintain suffcient capacity in the substation.
Circuit breaker open Circuit breaker closed
Primary voltages of 50 kV, 25 kV or 23 kV
Secondary voltages of 10 kV or 13 kV
Primary voltages of 25 kV or 23 kV
Secondary voltage of 10 kV
Substation Building Blocks
52 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
NetworkDesign
nection of each feeder to either of the two bus bars.
• Two-section DBB — This concept (concept 4)
can be extended further by adding a second section.
Both sections can be coupled by a coupling breaker
between the sections, and both buses can be cou-
pled by a coupling breaker between the buses.
• Four SBB — This concept (concept 5) consists
of four SBB that can be paired up and coupled by a
coupling breaker. A maximum of two transformers
can be applied, and two bus bar sections are con-
nected to each transformer. Because of the trans-
former division over two SBB sections, larger trans-
former capacities can be accommodated.
After a multicriteria analysis and discussion on
substation and bus bar concepts — involving 20 ex-
perts from various relevant technical departments
— Stedin formulated a design rule: New switchgear
would be divided into a two-section SBB, installed
in separate rooms. A reliability study of the new
design rule was undertaken with the Gorinchem
substation.
The Design StudyThe substation confgurations have been stud-
ied for an HV/MV substation in the town of Gorin-
chem, where the existing MV switchgear needs to
be replaced. The substation confgurations and dis-
tribution grid adaptions were evaluated by means
of reliability calculations.
Within Stedin, the customer interruption time
and frequency should be as low as possible, subject to
reasonable costs. At the substation level, this is done
by optimizing the substation confguration for the
feeding infrastructure of the distribution network.
Optimization is achieved by removing and replac-
ing aged satellite switching stations and transform-
ing complicated meshed network structures into
radially operated ring structures.
Additional reliability improvements
can be achieved through remote-
controlled switches (RCS).
Reliability Indicators and Assessment
In this study, the system aver-
age interruption frequency index
(SAIFI), system average interrup-
tion duration index (SAIDI) and
customer average interruption du-
ration index (CAIDI) are used. The
development of SAIFI and SAIDI
values in the Netherlands over the
last 10 years show the MV distribu-
tion network has large contribu-
tions to both indices.
LV MV HV EHV
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
40
30
20
10
0
Year
SA
IDI (m
inute
s p
er
year)
History of SAIDI for 10 years in the Netherlands.
The left schematic shows a single-section single bus bar (concept 1), and the right schematic shows a two-section single bus bar (concept 2).
Circuit breaker open Circuit breaker closed Disconnector open Disconnector closed
The left schematic shows a single-section double bus bar (concept 3), and the right schematic shows a two-section double bus bar (concept 4).
Circuit breaker openCircuit breaker closedDisconnector openDisconnector closed
The schematic illustrates four single bus bars (concept 5).
Circuit breaker openCircuit breaker closedDisconnector openDisconnector closed
54 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
NetworkDesign
The reliability assessments were done within a software
package. The distribution grid in the Gorinchem area was
modeled to consider various MV substation conf gurations.
To secure redundancy in the distribution network, the dis-
tribution feeders must start from one bus bar section and end
at the other bus bar section. Hence, as a consequence of the
design rule, some distribution feeders in the distribution grid
of Gorinchem had to be adapted to meet this requirement.
Substation Confi gurationWith the aid of the distribution network modeling, various
substation conf gurations can be evaluated. The proposed
MV switchgear conf gurations were SBBSS, two-section SBB
and two-section DBB.
Initially, the current substation conf guration of Gorin-
chem had a DBB conf guration with four assessment cases:
• Reference case, no changes made to both the current sub-
station conf guration and current distribution network
• Substation conf gured as a two-section DBB combined
with the restructured distribution network
• Substation conf gured as a two-section SBB combined
with the restructured distribution network
• Substation conf gured as a SBBSS combined with the re-
structured distribution network.
The reliability calculations of these four cases incorporated
various network component failure rates from experience and
were focused on reliability of the MV network; therefore, the
LV network was excluded from the calculations.
Distribution AutomationDuring the study on Gorin-
chem’s MV distribution grid,
implementation of distribution
automation was considered.
A RCS contains a remote fault
passage indicator so the control
center can quickly identify the location a faulted component.
The switch can be controlled remotely by an operator in the
control center, instead of locally, reducing travel and localiza-
tion time. Hence, it has a positive impact on CAIDI and SAIDI.
Results of Reliability EvaluationThe reliability evaluation showed the overall effect of the
Results of Distributed Automation Concepts
Index Concept 1:Reference
Concept 2:RCS at open points
Concept 3a:One extra RCS
Concept 3b:Two extra RCS
Concept 3c:All RCS
SAIDI (hour/year)
0.18 0.14 0.12 0.11 0.10
Results of Reliability Evaluation
Index Case 1Reference
Case 2DBB
Case 3SBB
Case 4SBBSS
SAIFI (number/year)
0.24 0.22 0.20 0.22
SAIDI (hour/year)
0.27 0.19 0.18 0.21
CAIDI (hour) 1.14 0.85 0.89 0.96
Reliability Indices Calculations Based on Network Component Failure Rates
Network component Failure rate(times per year)
Mean time to repair (hours)
HV grid 0.1 0.5
HV/MV transformer 0.02 84
MV bus bar section (SBB/DBB) 0.0004 48
MV bus bar section (SBBSS) 0.0008 48
MV cross-linked polyethylene cable type*
0.015/km (0.024/mile)
48
MV paper-insulated lead-covered cable type*
0.020/km (0.032/mile)
48
RMU 0.0006 60
*Including cable joints and terminations
SA
IDI (h
ours
per
year
)
0.45
0.40
0.35
0.30
0.25
0.20
0.15
0.10
0.05
0.00Agr1 Pub1 Pub3 Pub4 Pub5 Ind1 Ind2 Ind3 Ind4 Ind5 System
overallArea
Concept 1: Reference
Concept 2: RCS in open points
Concept 3: One additional RCS
Concept 3: Two additional RCS
Concept 3: All RCS
SAIDI predictions for the different automation concepts using modeling for the Gorinchem medium-voltage distribution network.
55www.tdworld.com | September 2016
NetworkDesign
distribution grid adaptions resulted in a 30% decrease in
SAIDI. According to the design rule, the two-section SBB has
a slightly better SAIDI (5%) than the next best option, the two-
section DBB.
The results show restructuring the distribution grid led to
a SAIDI reduction overall of about 30% (from 16 minutes per
year to 11 minutes per year), but the distribution network im-
provements do not have an equal effect on all areas.
Two-section bus bar confgurations have lower SAIDI val-
ues than the one-section confguration. In the latter case, a
bus bar failure causes a total substation
outage, because of the lack of redun-
dancy. Such bus bar failures are an
event with a high impact and low prob-
ability. The SAIFI values for DBB and
SBB confgurations are lower because
the transformers operate in parallel
(in separate sections), while for the
SBBSS, one transformer is operated in
a hot standby mode.
The reliability evaluation for the
DBB confguration results in extra
time being incorporated because the
healthy bus bar will be visually inspect-
ed frst to ensure it is not damaged
by the failure of the other bus bar.
After the inspection, all feeders will
be switched over sequentially to the
healthy bus bar using the disconnec-
tors and circuit breakers. For the SBB
confguration, a bus bar failure needs
no visual inspection since both sec-
tions are architecturally divided, mini-
mizing possible damage to the second
section. However, switching over the
involved feeders to the healthy section
is done by closing the normally open
points in the distribution network, a
procedure that takes more time.
Impact of Distribution Automation
The results of distribution auto-
mation are shown by comparison of
SAIDI values, because RCS only ac-
celerate the fault localization and de-
crease restoration duration while the
SAIFI remains unchanged.
Comparison of the SAIDI values
show the more RCS introduced in the
network, the larger the impact, but the
additional reliability beneft per ad-
ditional RCS is quickly saturated. For
the Gorinchem distribution network,
with a maximum of about 10 ring main
units per open ring feeder, the highest quantitative impact is
obtained by placing a RCS at the open points in the distribu-
tion network and, eventually, placing one extra RCS halfway
down each feeder (concepts 2 and 3).
Impact of Substation ConfgurationsThe impact of substation con�gurations has shown it is
preferable to divide the switchgear into two redundant sec-
tions and install them in separate rooms. Next to that, the
two-section SBB concept is rewarded slightly higher than the
56 September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
NetworkDesign
For more information:Stedin | www.stedin.net
two-section DBB concept. Therefore, it can be concluded the
substation confguration has little impact on the reliability
indices. Comparing the results of the SBB and DBB confgu-
rations shows the SBB confguration performs slightly better
with a 5% lower SAIDI.
Therefore, in view of this small difference, the capital and
maintenance costs become important. Taking these costs as
well as the reliability indices into account, it is cost-effective to
apply the SBB confguration. Comparing the SBBSS confgu-
ration with the two-section alternative indicates the approach
of two sections positioned in separate rooms is a valid design
rule in substation planning.
Furthermore, because of the small differences in the re-
sults, it can be concluded that the majority of the contribution
to the reliability indices comes from the distribution network.
A prerequisite for the two-section substation design, the distri-
bution network should be adapted such that it can be divided
in two sections to meet the redundancy requirements. Also,
the largest reduction in SAIDI is obtained by automating the
normally open points. Further reduction can be achieved by
automating a switch in the middle of a feeder. Automating
more switches will lead to an increase in costs, but the contri-
bution to a reduction in SAIDI quickly declines.
Dirk Boender ([email protected]) obtained a MSEE
degree in 1985 from the Delft University of Technology and then
worked for 13 years in a high-voltage cable factory. Since 2006,
Boender has worked within Stedin Netbeheer B.V. on asset
management policies and strategies concerning all switchgear
installed in high-voltage/medium-voltage substations. In Sep-
tember 2015, Boender joined the Siemens’ Expert Centre High
Voltage in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.
Edward Coster ([email protected]) was awarded a
BSEE degree from TH Rijswijk in 1997 and a MSEE degree from
Delft University of Technology in 2000. He joined Stedin Netbe-
heer B.V. in 2000 as a specialist for network planning. In 2006,
Coster joined the electrical power system group at Eindhoven
University of Technology to start a Ph.D. research project, which
he obtained in 2010. Currently, he is a network strategist in the
network strategy department. His main felds of interest include
distributed generation, power system protection, distribution
automation, dynamic behavior and stability of power systems.
Bram Staarink ([email protected]) completed his sus-
tainable energy technology studies with a master’s degree from
Eindhoven University of Technology in 2015. He did his graduate
project at grid operator Stedin Netbeheer B.V., focusing on the
design and confguration of current high-voltage/medium-
voltage substations and simultaneously exploring possibilities
for integrating distribution automation into the utility’s medium-
voltage network. Staarink joined Alliander, another grid opera-
tor in the Netherlands, following his graduation.
The 13-kV cables were installed in the basement of 50/13-kV Stel-lendam substation.
The 13-kV switchgear was installed in the 50/13-kV Stellendam sub-station (one section of the two-section SBB installation).
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September 2016 | www.tdworld.com58
Products&Services
Digger Derrick
Elliott Equipment Co. introduces the D105, a new ANSI 10.31 digger derrick. The D105 is specifi cally designed for transmission and heavy-duty construction projects.
Mounted on a tandem axle chassis, the D105 digger derrick boasts a 107-ft (33-m) sheave height, 20,000 ft-lb (27,116 N m) of torque, a 41-ft (12-m) digging radius and a 16-ft (5-m) digging depth. The unit is equipped with Elliott’s high boom pin-point geometry, allowing for maximum power out of the hole, a variable displacement piston pump and a new ergonomic seated control console.
The D105 digger derrick also, features a heavy-duty tilting pole claw attachment and pole guide designed for gripping large poles; front-entry seated pedestal
control station with LMI; the ability to handle augers up to 48 inches (1219 mm) in diameter; 12,000-lb (5443-kg) single-line pull main winch with synthetic rope and 30,000-lb (13,608-kg) maximum lift capacity at a 10-ft (3-m) radius; and optional out and down EZ-CRIB high-penetration two-stage vertical outriggers with full or mid-span operation.Elliott Equipment Co. | www.elliottequip.com
High-Power Waveform Drive
GE’s Power Conversion business unveils its new MV7-Series Drive with UWave technology. The water-cooled UWave drive is based on GE’s proven MV7 technology, which has a 10-GW installed base worldwide. GE adopted the same MV7 technology and used the same components, but arranged them in a different way, shifting from 3 level to 5 level. The increased number of levels
means increased voltage and power output. As an extension of the existing MV7 drive platform, the new UWave drive can operate at up to 13.8 kV with a power capacity of up to 40 MW in a single thread.
The MV7 UWave drive produces cleaner power with fewer harmonics. When feeding into motors, it reduces motor stress and can help increase its life expectancy. Higher power quality also results in cleaner electrical signals making the drive more compatible with the grid. The drive can meet grid harmonic standards with smaller fi lters. The smaller fi lter means a smaller footprint for the entire system, which can help bring signifi cant benefi ts across industries.
When it comes to offshore operations, this drive technology has allowed the removal of the transformer for voltages up to 13.8 kV. This transformer-less design can reduce the footprint by up to 40%.
In terms of renewables, based on a customer study in the wind industry, the footprint of the system (drive and fi lter combined) can achieve up to a 40% reduction compared to a 3-level drive.
High availability and reliability of the equipment helps to ensure uninterrupted operation. Reliability is also reinforced by capacitors installed in the drive. An advanced mechanism adopted inside the drive enables immediate isolation of a failed capacitor. Unaffected by this single failure, the rest of the capacitors allow the drive to operate without interruption. GE | www.ge.com
Hardware in the LoopSimulation Video
RTDS Technologies announces a new video featuring power hardware in the loop simulation using the RTDS Simulator. This application involves the real-time simulation environment exchanging power with physical power hardware, such as renewable energy hardware, electric vehicles, batteries, motors and loads, in a closed loop.
The video shows the development of an interface between the RTDS Simulator and an inverter connected to a solar photovoltaic panel. The video reviews the critical technical considerations involved with developing a closed-loop interface between a real-time simulator and physical power hardware, and shows simulation results from the RSCAD software interface.RTDS Technologies | www.rtds.com
Remote Switch Actuator
CBS ArcSafe offers a remote switch actuator for the Westinghouse motor control center bucket. The portable CBS ArcSafe RSA-35 allows technicians to remotely close or trip the motor control center bucket from a safe distance of up to 300 ft (91 m) while remaining stationed outside the arc-fl ash boundary.
Installation and operation do not require any modifi cations to the existing electrical equipment. The RSA-35 is compatible with the Eaton/Cutler-Hammer MCCB slide-plate type handle mechanism motor control center buckets. Typical applications include switching and protection of squirrel-cage, wound-rotor and synchronous motors. CBS ArcSafe | CBSArcSafe.com
www.tdworld.com | September 2016 59
Reliaguard’s GreyEEL™ Conductor Cover prevents bird and animal
contacts by eliminating gaps in coverage. GreyEEL’s protection is
achieved with an overlapped seam and material memory technology
that supports exceptional closure performance.
Use the EEL Slider™ tool to apply GreyEEL™. The EEL Slider™ is a dielectric
tool for use with rubber glove work method or for de-energized
installation. Ergonomically designed, the EEL Slider™ optimizes safety,
dexterity and the speed of applying GreyEEL™.
SLIPSLIDEDONE
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Products&Services
Digital Voltmeter/Phaser Lightning Inspection Solutions
Schneider Electric’s WeatherSentry solution provides daily reports on potential lightning strikes against a set of critical assets, allowing utility and wind farm managers to pinpoint inspection and maintenance schedules. This reduces maintenance costs while also minimizing the risk that damaged assets will go unnoticed and cause greater issues down the road.
Additionally, frst-of-its-kind lightning inspection data archives, with powerful search and flter tools, give users the ability to generate custom lightning data reports fltering several variables. Access to this information supports a wide variety of critical business functions, such as long-term analysis of lightning activity for smarter lightning-resilient infrastructure investment decisions.Schneider Electric | www.schneider-electric.com
HD Electric Co. has launched its Double Vision Dual Display Digital Voltmeter, a compact, high-accuracy dual display voltmeter and phasing set with capacitive test point mode and peak hold. It can be used in both overhead and underground applications and is accurate and repeatable to within 1%. The voltmeter is lightweight, and its weather-resistant construction is ideal for use in tight work environments with minimum approach distances or with storm duty during disaster relief.
The Dual Display Digital Voltmeter, model DDVM-40, measures voltage from 5 V to 40 kV, and the voltage is displayed on the two large LED displays that are synchronized and can be read from a distance or in bright conditions. There is also a dual battery monitor with automatic shut off.
A single-button interface that controls all modes: line to line measurements, line to ground measurements, capacitive test point, cable fault testing, and real-time and peak hold reporting. HD Electric Co. www.HDElectricCompany.com
Outrigger Pads
DICA now offers yellow and orange SafetyTech Outrigger Pads for utility and tree-care applications. The high-visibility color of yellow and orange provides a clear visual reminder to think and act safely when setting up equipment on outrigger pads. Further, both yellow and orange contrast with the ground and paved surfaces, reducing the potential for lost pads.
Made from DICA’s premium engineered thermoplastic material, yellow and orange D1818 and D2424 outrigger pads are designed for stabilizer-enabled equipment. The square pads are available in 18 inches (457 mm) and 24 inches (610 mm). They are medium-duty models with strength capacity of 100,000 lb (45,359 kg). DICA | www.dicausa.com
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com60
SOFTWARE
DC to AC Inverter
Behlman Electronics Inc. has upgraded its INV-1200 Inverter in response to customer requests. In the past, Behlman rated the power output of its INV-1200 Inverter as 1200 VA, which required some users to do the math to come up with output watts (960 W at a pf of 0.8 or 840 W at a pf of 0.7).
Now with the new INV-1200 Gen 2 Inverters, there is a 25% increase in output power to 1200 W at 55°C (133°F) with no de-rating. In addition, when including Option D1 or A1 (AC bypass and alarms), the transfer time is less than 30 ms.
The new, more powerful Behlman INV-1200 Gen 2 DC to AC Inverter delivers 1200 W of clean, regulated AC power in a 3.5-inch-(88.9-mm)-high (2U) rack-mount chassis.
It provides numerous features that support substation and utility operations, where sensitive electronics require reliable, clean, regulated and surge-protected AC.
• 1200 W of AC power• Sine-wave output• Low total harmonic distortion• Unique overload protection• Excellent line and load regulation• Short-circuit and thermal protection• Optional bypass with alarms• LEDs for DC IN and INVERTER OK.
Behlman Electronics Inc. | www.behlman.com
Power-Quality Meter
Electro Industries/GaugeTech (EIG) announces that the Nexus 1500+ high-accuracy revenue and Class A power-quality meter for critical metering applications is now available in a prewired NEMA 1 type enclosure assembly. This meter incorporates EIG’s Constant Calibration technology that self-calibrates the meter every 10 seconds for outstanding metering accuracy and stability.
EIG’s Nexus 1500+ Meter in Enclosure expands switchgear capability and lets the user easily meter critical circuits without time-consuming switchboard panel redesign. The meter is prewired in the enclosure with shorting blocks and fuses for quick, error-free installation. The enclosure has a locking mechanism to prevent tampering.
Standard equipment includes voltage fuses, a shorting block for current transformers and a control power transformer if used with 277/480-V power systems. It is offered in two models:
• 277-V enclosure (equipped with a control power transformer)
• 120/240-V enclosure.Electro Industries/GaugeTech | electroind.com
Don’t let the lights go out on your watch.
CAPE 14
www.electrocon.com
CAPE 14 protection analysis software supports the latest NERC PRC standards including
PRC-001, PRC-019-1, PRC-023-2, PRC-025-1, PRC-026-1,and soon to be adopted PRC-027-1
Products&Services
www.tdworld.com | September 2016 61
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
www.tdworld.com | September 2016 61
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com
SOFTWARE
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www.tdworld.com
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StraightTalk
Fire may be an exaggeration, but CenterPoint Energy in
Houston, Texas, U.S., has seen its share of devastating
hurricanes, wind storms, fooding and practically every-
thing else nature can throw at a geographic area. CenterPoint
is eager to share its experience with the extreme fooding in
the Houston area in April of this year, and how years of hard-
earned experience and smart planning helped us accomplish
system restoration in an amazingly short period. We also want
to give a shout out of thanks to the Texas Regional Mutual As-
sistance Group, made up of our utility partners who helped in
the restoration during this severe event.
Storm Prone and Storm HardenedThe Houston area sees 20 to 30 large storms every year.
Weather experts called the storm that began April 17 the larg-
est non-hurricane food event the area has experienced in 15
years. However, service was restored to 90% of the 400,000
outage events in less than 12 hours, and the system was back to
reasonably normal condition in 24 hours, except for a few in-
accessible high-water areas. Our response to this major event
demonstrates storm resiliency in action. The company is able
to achieve such performance because it has developed a highly
skilled workforce and an engaged and well-trained leadership
team that is proactive in its preparation for and response to
storms; furthermore, it has integrated advanced work pro-
cesses and technologies into the workforce. All of these com-
ponents/attributes are combined into a comprehensive plan
along with highly developed system solutions, including an
advanced metering system, an advanced distribution man-
agement (ADMS) system, an intelligent grid, a mobile data
platform, a power alert service system, an integrated voice re-
sponse (IVR) system and a Customer Vision Platform.
The success of CenterPoint’s plans and systems is evidenced
by both the April storm restoration time and the customer
feedback. The news media following the storm focused on the
magnitude of the damage and impacts to the public, but the
outage-related feedback was minimal and positive. Customer
satisfaction feedback regarding the utility’s response was
equal to or better than a normal “blue-sky” day, indicating the
technology and plans put in place to inform customers in real
time about outages and restoration worked very well.
High Performance Takes Extensive PreparationLast spring, Steve Greenley, vice president of electric opera-
tions, oversaw the deployment of our new mobile data system
for the crews and trucks, which is tied to our new ADMS sys-
tem. As fate would have it, we experienced major storms later
in the year. Ed Scott, director of electric operations, incorpo-
rated the lessons learned from those events into our storm re-
sponse manual, which is our game plan and a tool for ensur-
ing continuous improvement.
The eyes for our storm resiliency program are the smart
meters we began installing on our system in 2009. We no lon-
ger rely on customer phone calls. Whether the customer is
home or not, our meters reveal in real time when there is a
problem. Outage and other information travels to our back
offce in a second and is fed into our outage management sys-
tem, which is part of our ADMS software upgrades. This mar-
riage of two new systems, each highly valuable on its own, has
been a transformational change for us.
CenterPoint’s ADMS system recognizes faults on the sys-
tem, sectionalizes feeder circuits through intelligent grid IT
sensors and helps route crews effciently when there is a dis-
ruption. This DSCADA system allows CenterPoint dispatch-
ers to communicate with the approximately 2000 intelligent
grid and other automated switching devices on the system.
The back-offce system can communicate in real time to those
devices and recover power more quickly by automatically re-
storing service under some conditions and minimizing the ex-
tent of any disruption requiring a truck roll. The same system
interacts with the mobile data platform, providing real-time
orders to work crews for the issues requiring a call-out.
Customers FirstCenterPoint has been working for several years to refne its
Customer Vision Platform and its Power Alert Service (PAS).
Customers can elect to receive outage information via email,
text or phone call with PAS. The service notifes customers
that the system has detected an outage and provides informa-
tion about work crew response and expected restoration times.
More than 580,000 customers are enrolled in this service, and
we are seeing a 90% satisfaction rating from customers. This
program is accompanied by a new natural language IVR sys-
tem at CenterPoint’s call center that has a predictive analytics
function that recognizes customers who call the center and re-
sponds to voice cues regarding outages and other information.
CenterPoint is proactively engaged in storm resiliency pre-
paredness and customer satisfaction. The business model is
to deliver safe, reliable and affordable energy every day.
Kenny Mercado is senior vice president of electric operations
for CenterPoint Energy.
Baptism by Fire By Kenny Mercado, CenterPoint Energy
Learn more at burnsmcd.com/NxG.
Becoming the Next Generation (NxG) Utility:
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Burns & McDonnell is pleased to sponsor this series of videos, produced by Penton and in cooperation with our utility clients. Corporate safety is each company’s responsibility. Consult applicable codes and industry standards for your unique job situation.
These videos may not apply to each location or situation.
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THERE’S ONE PARTNER
I CAN TRUST.Nik Wallenda’s history-making walks across the Grand Canyon, Chicago skyline and Niagara Falls had more
in common than his bravery and skill: They were all on cables engineered and installed by Powering America
professionals. Our annual $200 million investment in intense training and demanding skills-development made
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MY LIFE IS ON THE
LINE.”
“I DON’T TAKE CHANCES WHEN
3www.tdworld.com | September 2016
from Severe StormsUtilities harden their systems, invest in new technology and prepare their feld workforce for storm-related emergencies. By Amy Fischbach, Field Editor
Four years ago, one of the deadliest and most de-
structive hurricanes struck the northeastern United
States. With wind speeds of up to 100 mph, Super-
storm Sandy inficted widespread outages, destroyed
utility infrastructure and killed 117 people. In the wake of the
storm, utilities nationwide ramped up efforts to harden their
systems, improve food-mitigation measures and train their
feld workforce.
After restoring power to its home territory when Sandy
brushed the coast of Florida, followed by restoring power to
New York by way of sending mutual-aid crews, Florida Power
& Light Co. (FPL) incorporated lessons learned from these
restorations into its storm-response strategy. The utility has
experienced its share of severe storms, including a series of
hurricanes that hit Florida in rapid succession more than a
decade ago. After the high winds tore down poles and wires
to the ground, causing massive outages, the utility invested
$2 billion to make its system more resilient against storms.
“We’ve taken unprecedented steps to transform our ener-
gy infrastructure into what’s become a national blueprint in
the years since the last hurricane struck our state more than a
decade ago,” said Eric Silagy, president and CEO of FPL. “By
investing more than $2 billion to build a stronger, smarter,
more storm-resilient energy grid, we are delivering energy to
our customers they can count on in good weather and bad.”
Throughout the utility’s service territory, line workers are
replacing wood poles with stronger ones, strengthening lines
serving critical infrastructure and continuing to clear veg-
etation from power lines. In turn, the utility has improved
reliability by 25% over the past fve years while also enhanc-
ing feld crew productivity. Richard Britt Jr., a senior line spe-
cialist for FPL, says the investment is doing exactly what it is
designed to do — save customers unnecessary outages time
and time again.
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com4
“Compared to before the hardening efforts, it’s like night
and day,” Britt said. “Our ability to assess damage, roll out to
affected locations and get power back on safely and effciently
has improved exponentially. I’m proud to be part of an orga-
nization that is so committed to our customers.”
Following are seven strategies FPL, Consolidated Edison
and Unitil have implemented to help reduce storm-related
outages and strengthen their systems.
1. Harden the SystemWhen Superstorm Sandy struck the
Northeast, the resulting high winds and
fooding impacted Con Edison’s electric
infrastructure, steam plants and sub-
stations. Following the hurricane, the
utility invested $1 billion in its compre-
hensive Fortifying the Future program.
Since then, the New York utility has been
able to avoid 100,000 customer outages.
“In the fnal year of our billion-dollar
program, we have learned how to handle
low-frequency, high-impact events,” said
Bob Schimmenti, senior vice president
of electric operations for Con Edison.
“While these events will still continue,
we have focused on collaborating with
our stakeholders and allocating specifc
dollars to the program.”
For example, the utility has focused
on hardening its infrastructure so it can
withstand severe storms. To determine
which types of poles would be most cost-
effective and resilient against storm-
related events, Con Edison conducted
pilot projects with wood, steel and
concrete poles and collapsible f-
berglass structures.
While the concrete poles may be
nearly indestructible in areas with
high winds, Con Edison found it
needed a crane to install them, and
they carried a higher price tag than
other options. In its service terri-
tory, larger wood poles with addi-
tional guying and shrinking spans
were the best ft. To ensure the
poles would not bend easily during
a storm, the linemen are installing
them deep into the ground. As a
result, these utility poles can with-
stand wind gusts of up to 110 mph.
In addition, the utility has se-
lected certain overhead critical
circuits to be buried underground.
Because of the cost of conversion — $8 million per mile
this selective undergrounding program is limited in scope.
To protect the reliability of main lines feeding critical in-
frastructure, the crews are installing underground cable on
aerial lines to make them resistant to tree-related failures.
The typical overhead circuit has a three-phase circuit spread
on crossarms or tri-mount brackets on top of a pole, and as
a result, an animal or tree branch can trip the circuit if it
crosses two phases.
Florida Power & Light crews install a new, strengthened power pole in Juno Beach, Florida.
Con Edison’s overhead workers make repairs after food water from Superstorm Sandy impacts a Staten Island neighborhood.
5www.tdworld.com | September 2016
With the new installation method, however, the line work-
ers are mounting a single cable with three conductors inside
of it, about 25 ft below the top of the pole on a special brack-
et. By supporting this cable midway on the pole, the cable will
have less torque and tension, even in high-wind conditions.
That way, even if sticks, limbs and branches topple onto the
power line during the storm, it will not fash over or fall down
to the ground. As a result, the utility can avoid the danger of
having energized lines in the city streets. As the power fows
from the substation to the load pocket, it converts to an open-
wire traditional circuit.
“With this approach, we can keep the public safe and the
power fowing,” Schimmenti said.
2. Focus on Vegetation ManagementUtilities are focusing on hardening their infrastructure as
well as ramping up their vegetation management programs.
Because vegetation can be one of the main causes of power
outages and fickers, FPL has a continuous program to re-
move vines, tree limbs and overgrown vegetation from power
lines. Since 2006, FPL has removed vegetation from 135,000
miles of power lines. Every year, FPL crews and contractors
clear more than 15,000 miles of power lines across 35 coun-
ties in Florida.
At the service center where he works, Britt says he and the
other line workers must contend with some of the densest
vegetation in the entire system. As such, they work alongside
tree-trimming crews and, when necessary, de-energize sec-
tions of line so the crews can remove vegetation safely.
“Because trees falling on power lines can cause outages
or fuctuations, we try to be proactive by identifying those
locations where there could be issues,” Britt explained. “That
way, the tree-trimming crews can
isolate the section and minimize
power interruptions.”
Within Con Edison’s service ter-
ritory, the utility has partnered with
the local community to implement
a more aggressive and robust tree-
trimming program. As part of this
initiative, Con Edison accelerated its
tree-trimming cycles to every two to
three years, required wider cutbacks
around circuits to protect them, and
partnered with municipalities and
cities to remove danger trees, es-
pecially those in close proximity to
critical infrastructure such as feeder
circuits.
Unitil also is focusing on its veg-
etation management program as a
way to reduce storm-related outages.
In 2011, after Hurricane Irene and a
major snowstorm inficted a signif-
cant amount of damage to Unitil’s service territory, the utility
was among the frst in the region to have power restored to its
customers. As a result, the governors of New Hampshire and
Florida Power & Light crews remove downed trees before repairing storm-damaged power lines in Miami, Florida.
Unitil crews work to restore power in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com6
Massachusetts called to thank them for the swift restoration.
While Unitil has a history of responding well to storms,
the utility always tries to improve on and build off of each
successive major weather event. Because a regional interest
in proactive vegetation management was a key takeaway, the
utility implemented a storm resiliency program (SRP) fve
years ago. It launched SRP as a pilot project in New Hamp-
shire four years ago, and today, it also runs this program in
Massachusetts.
As part of the SRP program, Unitil targets the critical
three-phase sections of selected circuits as well as areas that
serve critical infrastructure or large numbers of customers.
The goal is to remove all overhanging branches in these sec-
tions and to perform an intensive risk-tree assessment and
hazard-tree removal.
“This work is out of the normal scope of vegetation man-
agement pruning and hazard-tree removal,” said Sara Sanko-
wich, system utility arborist for Unitil. “As such, we do exten-
sive landowner outreach and education to attempt to remove
trees outside of the typical right-of-way and on private prop-
erty before they impact the system.”
For example, in its off-road right-of-way, the utility has
implemented specifcations requiring the removal of all ad-
jacent birch and poplar species, which can bend over into
the conductors when they get wet and snowpacked, and
then cause further problems as they shed snow and spring
up again. Also, through a midcycle review program, crews
can catch any cycle-buster trees growing into the three-phase
lines that may cause a problem before scheduled pruning oc-
curs. Finally, in conjunction with its SRP program, Unitil is
embarking on a tree-growth-regulator application program
for those trees that must be pruned but
are otherwise structurally stable.
Now in its ffth year of a 10-year pro-
gram, the SRP is designed to address
issues before they happen. By using his-
toric tree-related interruption data as
well as current tree density and health,
Unitil strives to prioritize the circuits
with the greatest potential for large or
numerous tree-related interruptions. Af-
ter the work has been completed, Unitil
uses analytics to show outages have been
reduced in areas where the program
has been implemented. For example,
following Superstorm Sandy, Unitil could
show that less than a quarter of the tree-
related incidents per mile occurred in ar-
eas where the SRP had been completed,
compared to areas that were not part of
the program in the same geographical
area.
“The storm did signifcant damage
to the region with 440,000 customers
without power in New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the
storm’s wake,” Sankowich noted. “While devastating to the
region, Superstorm Sandy ended up serving as the perfect
litmus test for our SRP in its pilot year.”
In turn, this data proved the value of the program to regu-
lators, resulting in the program’s expansion and implementa-
tion in advance of other severe weather events.
“We’ve found that the regulatory agencies and property
owners that we share this data with are more receptive to the
program,” Sankowich explained. “By tracking the number of
tree-related outages on the system, we were able to show the
program is reducing outages in normal and storm conditions.”
3. Invest in New TechnologyUtilities are not only hardening their systems but also in-
vesting in new technology that can help to speed storm resto-
ration. For example, over the last few years, Con Edison has
installed automatic devices as well as the latest version of auto-
loop technology.
To lessen the impact to customers from a single event, the
line workers also have added more switches on a circuit. Be-
cause the switches are controlled remotely, Con Edison can
isolate and restore parts of the circuit before the trouble-
shooter arrives on-site, speeding restoration.
FPL also is installing smart grid technology such as
automated lateral switches from S&C Electric Co. If an
animal makes contact with a power line, the utility can de-
energize the line temporarily to clear the fault. Custom-
ers may experience a brief ficker rather than having to en-
dure an extended power outage. Last year, FPL’s feld crews
installed 20,000 of the devices on lateral lines.
A major storm caused widespread outages when heavy, wet snow fell in Concord, New Hampshire, on Thanksgiving Day in 2014.
7www.tdworld.com | September 2016
“With these smart devices and switches, we can safely ener-
gize and de-energize a circuit remotely,” Britt said. “Before we
had them, our line crews would have to roll out and perform
manual operations.”
FPL also has installed more than 4.8 million smart meters
on homes and businesses, and more than 36,000 advanced
smart grid devices on its poles and wires. This technology en-
ables the utility to continually monitor and assess the health
Three Years Later: Analysis of Outage Data from Superstorm SandyBy digging into historical data, utilities can plan for future
emergencies. For example, researchers at the Georgia
Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) partnered with
Northeast utilities impacted by Superstorm Sandy and
the New York State Public Service Commission in Albany,
New York, to evaluate the effect of the event on New York’s
distribution grid. Partnering utilities included Central Hudson
Gas & Electric Corp. in Poughkeepsie, New York; National
Grid in Waltham, Massachusetts; New York State Electric and
Gas Corp. in Binghamton, New York; and Orange & Rockland
Utilities Inc. in Pearl River, New York.
“Through the collaboration, the utilities provided us with
preprocessed, detailed and large-scale real data for power
failures,” said Chuanyi Ji, an associate professor in the School
of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech. “This
enabled the research team to look into each individual failure,
the impact on the customers and the duration of the outages
within the entire state of New York.”
During the three-year study, researchers studied power
failures affecting more than 600,000 customers in four
major service regions covering 51,000 square miles in upstate New York. By analyzing actual data from the utilities’ outage
management systems, researchers discovered the big impact of a lot of small failures.
Georgia Tech found more than half of the outage impact stemmed from failures affecting small numbers of customers.
More than 80% of the customers affected were a result of the top 20% of distribution grid failures. However, 89% of small
failures resulted in 56% of the total cost of 28 million customer interruption hours.
“There were so many small failures, and if you put them together, they take up a bigger portion of the customer
downtime,” Ji explained. “Superstorm Sandy was a tremendous challenge because utilities had a large number of failures
in the service region when resources were limited. Trying to do the common ways of recovery became impossible, as the
recovery pattern was different than the failure pattern.”
Through research, the team learned system failures can affect large numbers of customers, even if they occur at the
distribution level of the grid and do not cascade.
“Together, these local failures can have a big nonlocal impact on customers,” Ji said about the research, which was
recently reported in the Nature Energy journal. “The grid simply cannot respond well to large numbers of failures.”
By partnering with the utilities and the Department of Public Service, the Georgia Tech team was able to provide
information that will be useful in not only responding to emergency situations but also day-to-day operations, according to Ji.
For example, Yun Wei and Henry Mei, two Ph.D. students from the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia
Tech, studied resilience issues such as customer service, restoration and sporadic infrastructure failures.
The doctoral students’ research, which was supported by the New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority, showed extreme weather does not cause but rather exacerbates existing vulnerabilities in the infrastructure. Also,
they discovered their research could be applicable to other states beyond just New York when comparing data from daily
operations to emergency conditions.
In the future, Ji and her research team plan to focus on going beyond studying failures, which they defne as the number of
customers affected, to analyzing restoration data, which could have a broad-reaching impact.
“Data analysis can help utilities turn what they collect into knowledge for improving services,” she added. “The grid can
be made more inherently resilient, like communications networks, so a failure in one place doesn’t cut off services for many
people in the network.”
This fgure includes all outages induced by Superstorm Sandy. Each circle shows the number of customers affected by one power outage. Courtesy of Georgia Institute of Technology.
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com8
of its system, predict and — in some cases — prevent outages
for customers, and restore power faster when outages occur.
“We have made remarkable strides in our ability to moni-
tor and manage the energy grid today, compared to just a
few years ago,” said Manny Miranda, senior vice president of
power delivery for FPL. “The smart meters on homes and busi-
nesses, together with tens of thousands of intelligent devices
installed on our poles and wires, provide unprecedented vis-
ibility across the grid so we detect issues before they become
problems for our customers and help deliver reliable service.”
The smart meter technology also can save the feld
workforce valuable hours following an outage. For ex-
ample, if the lights go out, it may be the result of a sec-
ondary condition embedded in a regular problem.
“We don’t have to knock on 80 doors or drive around
looking for lights on or off, which is not effcient,” Britt
said. “With the smart grid technology, we can commu-
nicate with every single meter remotely from an iPad
or computer inside of our truck using mobile hot spots
and proprietary software. That way, we can verify that
every single customer’s power has been restored.”
Beyond installing smart grid technology, FPL is ex-
ploring emerging technology that could help to restore
power to its customers more quickly in the future. For
example, the utility is using unmanned aircraft systems
and is working with the government to expand their
use, especially in times of restoration. This can provide
an aerial view of damage in hard-to-reach areas.
In addition, the utility is exploring the use of am-
phibious robots with cameras to snap photos and
videos of fooded areas. With these visuals, the feld
workforce can repair infrastructure and restore power more
quickly following both storm-related and everyday outages.
4. Set Up a Mobile Command CenterDuring a severe storm, utilities do not have time to spend
countless hours mobilizing resources. As such, they are set-
ting up mobile command centers.
Depending on where the hardest-hit area is, FPL can put
together mini cities or staging sites, bring its contractors and
Florida Power & Light’s storm restoration feet includes mobile command centers equipped with advanced technology that enable FPL to monitor and manage its network on-site during emergencies and coordinate with other frst-responders in the feld to help respond to customers faster.
A Florida Power & Light line worker installs a new automated lateral switch on a neighborhood power line in St. Augustine, Florida. Smart switches help monitor and manage the electric system, detect and prevent power issues, and help to get life back to normal faster when outages occur.
9www.tdworld.com | September 2016
crews, and help to provide them with equipment and job
orders in an emergency situation. FPL has several vehicles
already equipped with the same technology as a command
center building, such as radios, satellites and high-resolution
cameras. These vehicles can serve as a hub of operations dur-
ing an emergency situation.
By mobilizing the vehicles to the affected areas, FPL can
get information to its linemen much more quickly, so they
can restore power as safely and effciently as possible. Then,
through on-site command and control, FPL can streamline
communication with feld workers and get the information
out faster to the feld where they are working.
5. Strengthen Substation Protection When Superstorm Sandy struck the Northeast, substations
were submerged in foodwater, damaging equipment and in-
ficting widespread outages. After sending mutual-aid crews
to the Northeast, FPL crews witnessed frsthand the destruc-
tive power of a storm surge and what 14 ft of water can do to
a system.
In turn, the utility went to work on strengthening protec-
tion of its own substations back home. For example, since
2013, the utility has installed food monitors at 223 substa-
tions, especially those located near coastlines in counties
such as Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier and Lee. FPL also has
installed monitors in electrical vaults in food-prone areas of
downtown Miami and taken water intrusion measures such as
installing sump pumps and food-resistant doors, and sealing
windows and doors.
Following Superstorm Sandy, Con Edison benchmarked
with other utilities on food-protection measures and also
joined forces with international companies
that faced disasters and fooding. In turn,
Con Edison developed an in-depth defense
program with a layered approach.
As part of this plan, the utility hardened
all substations located near coastlines as well
as those with the potential to be impacted
by another major storm event based on food
maps. For example, the utility constructed
more than a mile of concrete and steel storm-
surge walls around eight coastal substations,
and installed backup electric generators at
eight major electric and steam facilities to
power food control equipment.
Con Edison also installed high-capacity
pumps to keep water out of substations, el-
evated a critical substation control room
signifcantly above estimated storm surge
levels, and installed more than 550 pieces
of submersible equipment in food zones
to speed restoration. To further protect
the equipment, Con Edison installed 3000
expansive foam seals in conduits and more
than 180 watertight food doors.
6. Minimize the ImpactWhen foodwaters seep into substations, utilities often
have to de-energize equipment. To limit the number of
customers who lose electrical service when Con Edison de-
energizes equipment during fooding, the utility redesigned
its underground electrical networks in lower Manhattan and
installed automatic switches.
“We added a lot more coordination on our system and a
new design based on our overhead infrastructure,” Schim-
menti said. “Any circuit between devices now has 500 custom-
ers and, prior to Sandy, one event could take out 1200 to 2000
customers. That shrinks the impact, and it’s a huge beneft to
our customers.”
In addition, the utility has created a design that uses un-
derground smart switches and synchronous fber to operate
the switches and substation breakers seamlessly. By recon-
fguring the underground network following a food, Con
Edison can leave about half of the customers and the critical
facilities in service.
In Manhattan, 64 networks all are interconnected and two
of them are on the coastline in Manhattan. During Sandy,
Con Edison proactively shut down the coastal networks for
two reasons: foodwater on an energized network could pose
a public safety issue and severely damage equipment. As
such, the utility de-energized critical networks in Manhattan
before the fooding began.
Following Sandy, the utility learned the two networks that
supply hospitals and the Federal Stock Exchange were not
impacted equally; one side of the geographical boundary
Florida Power & Light’s staging sites serve as resource hubs, which allow the company to move its crews and equipment closer to the storm damage, including the thou-sands of out-of-state utility workers who come in to restore power following a storm.
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com10
was fooded while the other half was completely dry. Using
the old system, however, Con Edison had to de-energize its
entire network. In the three years since Sandy, Con Edison
has tested the new system and verifed it works as intended.
“Sandy was a unique event with its wind and fooding,
and it was one of the most destructive that we have ever had,”
Schimmenti noted. “It’s impressive that three years since San-
dy, we have the design complete and operational, and have a
control system that is synchronized — a credit to the men and
women of Con Edison.”
7. Practice for EmergenciesAnother successful strategy is preparing for severe weath-
er. For example, rather than waiting until a severe storm hits
their service territory, many utilities
are proactively training their feld
workforce through storm drills.
At FPL, employees prepare for
storm season year-round to ensure
they have the processes, tools and
technology in place to restore power.
Every year, more than 3000 employ-
ees participate in an annual storm
drill. Recently, the command center
simulated a Category 2 storm called
Hurricane Alexa. Both feld and of-
fce employees were actively involved
in the intense multiday training ses-
sion in Riviera Beach, Florida, to
practice how they would respond in
the event of an emergency.
For the drills, the utility sets up
staging sites to move equipment and
employees close to affected areas.
Hundreds of FPL employees participate in the training exer-
cise by simulating damage assessments and distributing work
assignments using new technology. Britt says that he has been
engaged in a few of the drills during his career, and they have
been a successful way to prepare for a major storm.
“It simulates a major storm event coming through, and we
perform our duties and gauge our profciency with standard-
ized training,” Britt explained. “We make sure that we assess
damage, have crews on the trouble locations, and work to get
the power back on as safely and quickly as possible.”
Like FPL, Con Edison also conducts storm drills annually,
and both utilities organize localized drills around damage as-
sessment and response. This year, Con Edison set up a three-
day exercise tied to an overhead response event.
“We dedicated all the key re-
sponders over a three-day period,
which took a lot of planning, but
was very successful,” Schimmenti
said. “Investing the time and the
dollars in a drill is paramount
for success in responding to the
events.”
As key responders, the line-
men responded to mock scenarios
within the storm drill, and then
they provided feedback to those
employees with less experience in
the feld.
“Linemen are so acclimated
to what they do, and they know
where to go and how to dispatch
crews,” Schimmenti said. “As such,
the training for them is less of an
issue. They help, however, to train
More than 3000 Florida Power & Light employees, including 100 inside the FPL command center, test their ability to respond to Hurricane Alexa, a simulated Category 2 hurricane, during the company’s annual storm drill in Riviera Beach, Florida.
After Superstorm Sandy, Con Edison elevated equipment and installed water-resistant doors in its substations located in food zones.
folks that are in nontraditional storm and response roles like
engineers, accountants and lawyers, who are doing damage
assessments during the drill.”
At Unitil, emergency preparation has taken a variety of dif-
ferent forms over the years. The current drill system, however,
has been in place since 2010, when the utility implemented an
incident command system for major events.
“The Northeast has seen quite a few major weather events
over the last 10 years,” said Chuck Lloyd, manager of electric
operations for the New Hampshire capital region at Unitil.
“We’ve learned from and adapted from each of these large
storms, and our current drill practices exist in their current
form because of these large events.”
During these drills, Unitil simulates an incident that has
wide-reaching effects on its electric infrastructure, such as
a large weather event. The utility tests its ability to prepare
for the event, roll out, restore power, demobilize and retain
documents. As part of the drills, Unitil includes scenarios
that challenge the utility’s existing processes while also foster-
ing interdepartmental collaboration between the operations,
engineering, customer service and communications teams as
well as municipalities.
“One of the biggest changes since 2009 is involving the
whole company in major storm events,” Lloyd said. “Every
employee is assigned a storm role, in addition to his or her
normal everyday job responsibilities. Holding storm drills has
helped employees learn these new roles as well as given all
employees additional practice in between storm events, es-
pecially when we’ve needed to implement new procedures. It
helps to have the dry run under your belt when something is
new, before using it in actuality.”
Because line workers’ approach to storm restoration is
tested during day-to-day outages and smaller storms, they fo-
cus on mentoring non-feld employees or working with mutu-
al-aid crews during the drills.
“Our internal linemen and their local knowledge of our
system become all the more valuable as we bring in additional
crews,” Lloyd said. “As the man-hours we coordinate triple or
quadruple, managing the logistics of those new teams and
making sure they are able to get to where they need to be,
both rested and ready, becomes crucial. Our drills help with
this.”
Lloyd says that it is important for utilities to have a proac-
tive, rather than a reactive, storm-response strategy.
“Even with 100-year weather events seemingly happening
on a near-annual basis, the opportunity to practice existing
procedures and try out new ones in a safe, constructive en-
vironment allows us to be as ready as possible when the time
comes,” Lloyd said. “When the actual storm hits, we’ve all
been there and we know what to do. In many ways, we are
already preparing for a major storm the day after we fnish
restoration from the last one.”
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Training Tomorrow’s Leaders TodayUtilities prepare the next generation of linemen for the opportunities and challenges ahead. By Amy Fischbach, Field Editor
In just a few short years, about one-third of FirstEnergy
Corp.’s electric utility linemen will be eligible to walk out
the door to retirement. Rather than waiting to backfll
these positions, the utility is already creating a pipeline of
new skilled linemen to train alongside these veterans.
“We are well aware of the need to have skilled line-
men,” said Ed Rhodes, supervisor of skills training lines for
FirstEnergy. “The competition for experienced linemen is
ferce, not only from utilities but also from contractor compa-
nies that help with storm restoration, and build facilities and
power lines. There is defnitely a shortage of skilled linemen.”
Over the last few years, the need for more feld workers
has become even more acute, Rhodes says. Throughout First-
Energy, the average age for a line worker is in the mid-40s,
and the substation electricians are in their mid- to late 40s.
“Before they leave, we have to be able to transfer some of
their experience to the new linemen coming in,” Rhodes not-
ed. “That way, we can make sure that the institutional knowl-
edge and safety culture are passed along to our new workers.”
A Limited Number of Linemen
All competing for the same available linemen, utilities can
no longer depend on the fact there will be enough linemen
to go around, according to Rhodes. As a result, he says, they
must invest in their own training programs.
“Rather than counting on being able to get in there and
dip into that pool, it is necessary to home grow the next gen-
eration of linemen,” Rhodes explained. “We can then train
them the way we want to train them with our safety culture,
which we consider to be paramount.”
Ameren Illinois apprentices work together to build a transmission line near Belleville, Illinois.
13www.tdworld.com | September 2016
Ameren Illinois takes a similar approach to FirstEnergy
by cultivating its future workforce at two training centers
in Belleville and Decatur, Illinois. Over the years, Marvin
Morey, manager of training and quality assurance for Ame-
ren Illinois, has seen an increase in the amount of training
programs for linemen.
“The utility sector is a very mature profession,” Morey said.
“Everyone knows the industry is facing a shortage on linemen.
With most of the existing linemen between the
ages of 50 and 60, we have to work that much
harder to fll the pipeline with the next genera-
tion of skilled workers. That’s why you’re seeing
so many new training schools ramping up.”
The number of linemen retiring and the
massive amount of work currently being done
on the power system are fueling the demand for
more linemen, says Alan Drew, vice president of
research and development for Northwest Line-
man College.
“In the fairly near future, we see a protract-
ed need for workers,” Drew said. “Line contrac-
tors are beefng up their forces, and they have
budgets for some very signifcant expenditure
on the grid. A lot of the system is outdated and
reached the end of its life.”
Partnering with Local Community CollegesTo satisfy the need for well-trained and skilled linemen,
electric utilities are investing in state-of-the-art training cen-
ters, hands-on instruction and new technology for their feld
workforce. Case in point: Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of
FirstEnergy, opened a new training facility at its Williamsport,
Maryland, headquarters through the Power Systems Institute
training program. The utility also has forged a partnership
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Northwest Lineman College electrical line worker students receive training on underground residential distribution systems.
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com14
with nearby Blue Ridge Technical Community College in
Martinsburg, West Virginia.
As part of this collaboration, the students spend two-and-a-
half days per week in the classroom at the community college
and the remainder of the workweek on the utility’s training
center grounds. As part of the training program, FirstEnergy
covers the cost of tuition and books for each student in the
Power Systems Institute. To stay in the program, students
must maintain or exceed a designated grade point average.
“If they are committed, we will help get them get through
the program,” Rhodes said. “We provide tutors for them, and
our company’s employees give their time to the kids to assist
them in getting through the process.”
During the frst part of the hands-on training portion
of the program, the students learn about the safety aspect
of line work, how to climb poles and how to operate heavy
equipment. In addition, they obtain a commercial driver’s
license. Because line work can be physically demanding, they
also focus on building up their strength to be able to handle
the hands-on portion of the job.
“The typical crossarm is about 50 lbs, and the climbing
tools are about 40 lbs,” Rhodes said. “Linemen carry a lot
of weight, and sometimes they work through the night on
small crews. As such, they try to make the least number of
trips that they can to not tire themselves out when climbing
the poles.”
After completing two college semesters, the students then
start a 10-week paid work internship at the service center or
work location closest to their home. As part of their intern-
ship, the student works on a three-person crew installing
underground conductor, setting poles and performing en-
ergized work under the watchful eye of a seasoned lineman.
During this time, a local supervisor evaluates the students’
work in the feld and then provides feedback to the instructor
about what could be improved.
“It gives them a good look at the students and what they
are capable of before you hire them on,” Rhodes explained.
At the completion of the program, the students earn an
associate’s degree in applied science and also get the oppor-
tunity to be hired on at FirstEnergy. With the graduation rate
Six Strategies for Success for Tomorrow’s Linemen1. Be determined. Linemen can work long hours and in severe weather. Even when
the conditions are not ideal, they must stay focused. “You can’t let it bother you or
get you down,” said Romero Taylor, an apprentice with Ameren Illinois. “You work
with a lot of high voltage, and one mistake can cause a tragic accident for you or
your coworker. “
2. Consider investing in a specialized lineman school. Apprenticeship
programs can be competitive, so attending a lineman’s college or other training
program before applying for a position at an electric utility can give individuals
an edge on the competition. “If you want to get into the door at a lot of companies,
you need to have that climbing experience,” Taylor said.
3. Always exhibit a good attitude. Even if apprentices have the knowledge
and experience, they won’t make it through the program at Northwest Lineman
College successfully if they cannot get along with the other students or if they
exhibit poor behavior, says Alan Drew. “Employers have told us that the number
one thing they don’t want is for someone with a bad attitude to get out on the
crew,” he said. “We try to make them good, responsible citizens who will work with
our local community and behave well.”
4. Keep up with changes. At Georgia Power, lineman Willie Turner says his
utility’s training department focuses on preparing the feld workforce to do all the different tasks they need to perform.
“Something is changing every day, and we have people on the front line making decisions and offering training so we can
do better work and be better linemen,” Turner says.
5. Get tuned into technology. Ameren Illinois apprentices must have solid education and training to keep up
with all the new technology being installed in the service territory. For example, in the last class before they top out as
journeymen, the apprentices learn how to use the mapping and outage management software. Also, in the near future,
they may use iPads in the feld so they can work on job briefngs and complete safety inspections.
6. Learn as many practical, hands-on skills as possible. During their apprenticeship at Ameren Illinois, students
work together to build a small line from start to fnish by gathering the material, constructing the line, using pulling and
safety rigs to pull the wire in, and then setting the poles. Next, the apprentices learn how to install an underground
system and build out transformer banks. By learning all these different skills through Ameren Illinois’ internal training
program, the utility can hire young candidates who already understand what it takes to serve as a lineman.
A Northwest Lineman College student learns pole-top rescue procedures.
15www.tdworld.com | September 2016
of the students at 97%, the Power Systems Institute program
has helped FirstEnergy to train and hire more than 1200 util-
ity line workers and substation electricians since its inception
in 2000.
“If they are offered a job, they commit to work for us for
a certain period of time,” Rhodes said. “Because the Power
Systems Institute takes care of the apprentice step, they come
in as a C lineman at Potomac Edison and then come back for
multiple follow-up sessions to prepare them for classifcation
as an A lineman, also known as a journeyman.”
Empowering Aspiring Linemen
To prepare young people for the opportunities ahead in
the line trade, other training programs also have popped up
nationwide. For example, Metropolitan Community College
(MCC) in Kansas City, Missouri, created a certifcate or asso-
ciate’s degree in applied science for line workers seven years
ago. During the students’ three semesters, they learn how to
climb poles, build transformers, and construct and decon-
struct infrastructure based on industry standards.
“Our goal is to teach a curriculum that keeps up with in-
dustry standards. And to do that, we have utility members
who come in and give feedback on the direction that the
program should go,” said Susan Blaser, a journeyman line-
man and lineman program coordinator for MCC. “Our goal
is to give utilities safe, qualifed students who know what they An instructor teaches students about the operation of a capacitor bank at the Northwest Lineman College.
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com16
are getting into, and go into an apprenticeship and hit the
ground running.”
To give students as much climbing practice as possible
before entering an apprenticeship, MCC set up a training yard
with 57 poles, which range from 40 ft to 65 ft. After warm-
ing up by scaling up and down the poles, the students move
over to the construction and deconstruction side of the yard.
They also receive hands-on training at an indoor
laboratory that contains a dedicated transformer
simulator room, and single- and three-phase con-
nections.
Before entering the program at MCC, potential
students are screened to ensure they are not afraid
of heights and they can trust their fall protection
equipment. Then, during the following three se-
mesters, instructors look for candidates who can
move on as well as those who may not be able to
retain information nor follow directions.
“We are not going to put the stamp on someone
and send them out to cause a fatality or injury,”
Blaser said. “We give them feedback and give them
time to step up and improve if possible, but if not,
then it may not work out.”
Typically, about 35 students start the program
and about 27 to 28 graduate. Those who fnish the
training usually have a lot of opportunities open
to them. “Companies basically get someone beyond ground-
man experience who is very profcient and climbing quali-
fed,” Blaser said.
Investing in a Lineman’s CollegeTo prepare for a lifelong career in the utility industry, line-
men are not only graduating from community college-based
As part of their electrical lineworker training, Northwest Lineman College stu-dents practice installing a transformer using the OX Block.
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tions where they can splice and terminate cable, and set me-
ters in a mock residential underground distribution system.
Also, the students can practice working on underground in a
larger commercial system. After successfully completing the
four-month program, the students graduate and are encour-
aged to enter the workforce as soon as possible.
“We don’t like for them to wait for that blue chip job,” Drew
said. “They need to go to where the work is for line contrac-
tors or utilities that have job openings, and we would like for
them to get into a registered apprenticeship program.”
In many cases, the graduates may gain experience at a
line contractor before getting hired on at an electric utility.
Sometimes, however, utilities hire the graduates as appren-
tices straight out of the program. For example, Idaho Power
needed 12 apprentices, and the utility hired all of them from
Northwest Lineman’s College.
“The competition was severe and a lot of people applied,”
Drew said. “They had to be on top of their game to get those
jobs.”
Many employers come to the college to recruit students,
while others post job vacancies on the college’s password-
protected website. Also, the college invites utilities and con-
tractors to its Student Day, when students practice for the
lineman’s rodeo. By having a degree from the college, the
graduates have a competitive edge, Drew noted.
“They have so much more of a start, and when companies
training programs but also from specialized linemen’s col-
leges nationwide. For example, back in 1993, Aaron Howell
founded the Northwest Lineman College in Boise, Idaho.
While Howell was teaching the line worker program at Boise
State, he thought about starting his own school to train future
linemen because of the small class capacity and subsequent
backlog at the university.
“The one at Boise State was more academically focused,
but he wanted to focus more on the line side,” Drew recalled.
“Over time, it gradually expanded, driven by training needs
and the jobs in the industry.”
To apply for the course at the college, individuals must
have a high school degree or GED, be at least 18 years old and
pass a physician’s physical exam. Every year, the college re-
ceives several applications and tries to accommodate as many
candidates as possible, but the class size typically ranges from
50 to 100 students.
Beyond its campus in Idaho, Northwest Lineman College
now has campuses in Oroville, California, and Denton, Texas,
and soon will open another one in Edgewater, Florida. While
the campuses are basically identical, they share three key
components: classrooms with digital projection; a laboratory
for hands-on exercises like making transformer connections
and testing grounds; and training yards that feature poles
and steel structures for the students to practice climbing.
In the feld, the students can train on underground sta-
Students enrolled in FirstEnergy’s Power Systems Institute practice climbing at the new frst-year climbing yard at the Potomac Edison headquarters in Williamsport, Maryland.
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com18
get someone from a line school, he or she can start to be pro-
ductive on a crew right away,” Drew explained. “If they hire
someone off the street, they really need to start at the bottom,
so it gives a graduate from a line school a huge advantage in
applying for a job.”
Training on New TechnologyWhen today’s graduates are ready to enter the workforce,
they come equipped with the skills and technological know-
how that enables them to maintain new technology and
equipment. For example, Northwest Lineman College has
invested in smart devices that graduates will eventually see
on the jobsite. For example, students can take elective classes
as supplemental courses such as crane certifcation. They
also can attend the smart grid equipment lab course to learn
about the new devices like smart reclosers, switches, regula-
tors, sectionalizers and capacitor controls.
“If they take these courses, then they get a bit of an edge
on someone who doesn’t have this training,” Drew said. “We
use the term smart grid, but the linemen are getting smarter,
too. They have so much more information available to them
on the job site.”
Another technology the college is contemplating teaching
the students about is renewable energy. Across the country,
but especially in California, Arizona and Nevada, Drew says
an increasing number of utilities and their customers are ty-
ing photovoltaic systems into the grid.
“With the massive amount of renewable energy, we are
thinking about having solar panels and small wind generators
at our campuses to show how they are interconnected into
the distribution system,” Drew said. “When the new linemen
go out into the workforce, they will bump into renewable en-
ergy resources feeding into the grid in different places. It is
happening more and more each day, and this is training that
needs to be incorporated.”
Electric utilities also are expanding their curricula to keep
apprentices up to date on the latest tools, trends and technol-
ogy. Compared to when he frst started his career with Illinois
Power in 1978, Morey says today’s apprentices are learning a
new set of skills through the program at Ameren Illinois.
“In the beginning, there was a lot more book work, and we
did a lot of training in our own areas,” Morey recalled. “Now
we see a lot more automation training and teach more theory
on why and how some of the smart grid devices work. And we
include transformer theory in our classes. We feel like it is im-
portant that the apprentices understand the theory, so if they
are out at night or on a crew, it will make the troubleshooting
much easier.”
Along with studying theory, apprentices also have the op-
portunity to gain hands-on experience with the latest devices.
For example, Ameren Illinois set up a smart grid trailer with
an IntelliRupter and a Viper as well as some controls for its
automated switching. Linemen are currently installing these
devices on poles and within substations throughout Ameren
Illinois’ service territory.
“It is important that they understand how these systems
work, so we teach them how they work and how they operate
them,” Morey said.
During his apprenticeship at Ameren Illinois, Romero
Taylor says he learned how the Vipers help to minimize pow-
er outages. Over the last year-and-a-half, he says about 90%
of his training has occurred out in the feld. As such, he has
FirstEnergy’s Power Systems Institute two-year lineman training program is designed to train the next generation of the utility’s line and substation workers.
Power Systems Institute students use an extender stick to reset a fuse from ground level at Potomac Edison’s new training facility.
19www.tdworld.com | September 2016
had the opportunity to work with different voltages, perform
many pole transfers, and set and change out poles.
“I enjoy the constant, steady work environment and learn-
ing about different technologies and the history of the line
trade,” said Taylor, who spent three weeks at the training cen-
ter every six months.
Learning How to Scale StructuresBefore they can learn how to install and maintain equip-
ment and technology, aspiring linemen must frst learn a core
skill of the line trade: climbing poles. In the past, apprentices
were expected to know how to climb poles when they were
hired off the street, but today, trainers work with the new em-
ployees to teach them how to scale structures safely.
“We want to start apprentices off on the right foot,” Morey
said. “When I started, we used our hands and feet, and had no
belt around the pole. Six years ago, we began incorporating
fall protection when teaching the apprentices how to climb.
By getting into a better work position, the fear of falling has
gone away for the most part, and it has allowed us to cut down
on injuries.”
Taylor says that right before he started his program, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration put a stop
to free-climbing. As such, he learned how to climb with the
BuckSqueeze from the very start.
“All the different fall protection makes you fearless as far
as climbing the poles,” said Taylor. “It was hard to learn at
frst, but now it is a piece of cake. It comes second nature to
me and doesn’t bother me at all.”
At Northwest Lineman College, the students also spend
a lot of time learning how to climb poles using the Buck-
Squeeze from Buckingham Manufacturing. Drew says that
the shift to full fall protection has been a positive change for
the line trade as it has improved the safety of linemen signif-
cantly.
“In reality, when they get out in the feld and become
a lineman, 90% of their work will be done out of a bucket
truck,” Drew said. “The employers on our technical advisory
committee provide program oversight, however, and they
want them to learn the fundamentals. Because there are a lot
of times that they can’t get a truck into a backyard, we teach
them to work off the poles as opposed to training them with
the bucket.”
By teaching future linemen everything from climbing
poles to building lines and installing new technology, Drew
says training programs can help to prepare line workers to be
able to embrace the opportunities in the workforce.
“It’s a good job for someone who wants a good career that
is exciting and makes good money,” Drew said. “A lot of them
can move into management, and for the right people, there is
a lot of upward mobility for those who want to take on more
responsibility.”
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September 2016 | www.tdworld.com20
Industry InnovatorsLinemen are inventing new products to help solve long-standing challenges in the feld. By Amy Fischbach, Field Editor
Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion
for helping the trade, linemen nationwide are
moonlighting as inventors. These linemen often
work tirelessly in their home workshops to create
a prototype of the next big thing. While not all of these prod-
ucts enjoy mass-market production, a select few gain traction
in the industry and help linemen to solve long-standing prob-
lems in the �eld.
“Linemen have a lot of great ideas, and inside every line-
man is an inventor,” said Rodney Lewis II, a general foreman
for Portland General Electric (PGE). “They just need to �nd
their best idea for a product and put in the time and effort
to make it work and get it into production. It’s not something
that can be done overnight, but when you see your product
or device being used by other linemen in the United States, it
puts a smile across your face.”
At this point, the line industry is open to innovation, says
Robert Fennell, a retired journeyman lineman and inventor.
“A lot of what linemen do right now was done back in the
1900s, and it hasn’t changed all that much,” Fennell said.
“The �eld is wide open for a lineman thinking about making
it better. This industry is slow to change, and it can take years
for an idea to stick.”
Bringing Ideas to MarketNew products are born in the utility industry through sev-
eral different channels. For example, some manufacturers
actively partner with linemen to bring their ideas to market.
For example, at the 2015 Internation-
al Lineman’s Expo, Utility Solutions
showcased several tools that originated
from linemen such as the Jack Jumper,
invented by a lineman from Idaho. By
using this tool, linemen can bypass an
overhead cutout without using jumper
cables. This tool is said to save time and
money, eliminate risk of service inter-
ruption and prevent accidental cross
phasing.
While the lineman came up with
the initial concept for the product and
patented it, Utility Solutions improved
on the design, added nine models and
took over control of the manufacturing.
In addition to this product, Utility Solu-
tions also brought several other lineman-
derived product ideas to the mass
market, including Jumper-Aid, a prod-
uct developed by a Georgia Power line-
man to safely secure jumpers in several
different types of situations; the Strip-
N-Coil, which easily cuts the outer in-Robert Fennell, a retired journeyman lineman for Savannah Electric (now Georgia Power), invented the Grab-It to help other linemen to safely install or remove fuse barrels.
21www.tdworld.com | September 2016
sulation on underground cables; and the Klondike Clamp,
which secures blankets on poles.
Utility Solutions also is manufacturing the Grab-It, which
was invented by Fennell, who worked at Savannah Electric,
now Georgia Power, for nearly 15 years. He invented the tool
after a fuse barrel slid down and struck him in the back of the
hand during a severe storm. While recovering, he conceived a
new way to install or remove fuse barrels safely and effciently.
Even in high-wind conditions, the tool maintains control of
the fuse barrel to prevent accidental drops.
“Linemen have had to ring a small hole 40 ft in the air
with wind in their faces and rain in their eyes,” Fennell ex-
plained. “If the fuse holder slides down while they are work-
ing, some of these linemen have broken their collarbones or
gotten scars.”
Knowing there had to be a better design for fuse holders,
Fennell got to work in his garage on the prototype. Several
years prior, he had started on the invention, and it traveled
around with him in the back of his work truck. He frst re-
ferred to it as the High-Wire Fuse Invention and later called it
Lineman’s Friend, before it was offcially named the Grab-It.
“It was a different kind of fuse holder, and it didn’t work
very well when I frst made it,” Fennell recalled. “When I add-
ed a fork to it, it lifted right out. Even if the wind would blow
it, it would slide right up the tube and lock it in.”
After taking different parts and connecting them together
with a hacksaw and Bond It, the product’s design turned in
a positive direction, and Fennell sent it to Mike Nolte, presi-
dent of Utility Solutions. Fennell then secured a patent for the
product in February 2003 and worked with the manufacturer
to produce it and release it to the mass market.
When the device reached a sales milestone, Utility Solu-
tions mounted the original prototype on a plaque to honor
how far the product had come since its inception. “It felt great
to see how far we had progressed,” Fennell said.
Partnering with LinemenOver time, electric utilities have developed programs to
help linemen inventors turn their ideas into actual products
for the industry. When Fennell retired from Savannah Elec-
tric, he was one of only a handful of linemen to invent and
market a patented product for the utility. However, many line-
men had ideas on how they could help to improve safety and
productivity at the utility.
“Power companies are strict on safety, and Southern Com-
pany really doesn’t want anyone to get hurt,” Fennell said.
“If their linemen think of anything that will help them with
safety, they will come out with the product.”
Today, through its Energy Innovation Center, Georgia
Power has helped employees throughout its transmission, dis-
tribution and substation groups to market dozens of inven-
tions. For example, the products include David McQuaig’s
Jumper-Aid, Van Holsomback’s Capacitor Monitor, Alex
Parnell’s Outrigger Foot Protection Device, and Ed Harmon’s
Tips for Linemen Inventors1. Do not give up. If a lineman has an idea for a
product that could help to solve a problem in the feld,
Rodney Lewis of Portland General Electric encourages
him or her to lean forward and never give up. “There
are no stupid ideas, just like there are no stupid
questions,” he said. “They need to keep things moving
and keep pushing that envelope.”
2. Document the idea. It is important for inventors
to write down their ideas along with the date they
conceived them. This will help them to prove they
were the frst to conceive the idea when applying
for a patent. Retired journeyman lineman Robert
Fennell advises linemen to manually write down the
idea in a bound journal rather than simply typing it on a
computer. “You want to be frst in line, and if there is a
dispute, you can show them your ideas in your book,”
he explained. “You want to document your ideas in as
many ways as you can possibly draw or write about.
Don’t tear the pages out of the journal, but instead,
keep it intact so you can show it to a patent attorney.”
Also, he suggests inventors mail themselves a certifed
letter about the product that is not tattered, not
opened and clearly has the date on it.
3. Make sure there is a market for the product. Also, as part of this research, inventors should make
sure there are no ownership issues on the technology
before fling a patent. This will save companies a lot of
heartache in the long run, says Tasha Hardegree of the
Energy Solutions Center at Southern Company.
4. Secure a patent. After inventing a product, linemen
may consider hiring a lawyer to help navigate the
patent and production process. For example, Fennell
says he went into business with a lawyer, who paid for
the patent for the product and then split the royalties
50-50. Another option is to hire an agent, who will
conduct the same research as a lawyer, but he or she
will not be able to represent an inventor in court.
5. Come to a fair arrangement with a manufacturer or utility. It varies by company, but
typically, manufacturers give inventors a percentage of
the unit price of the product for a set number of years
or the life of the product. Inventors have expenses on
the front end with prototypes and patents, and then
the manufacturers carry the cost of marketing,
distribution, samples and representation. For example,
at Utility Solutions, every deal is unique, and the
company gives linemen a percentage of every unit sold.
and Ted Gaillard’s Energy Decision Management System. In
addition, Allan Holloman came up with the Hotline Base-
plate, Buddy Phillips conceived the Arm Attachment Bushing
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com22
and Mike Lee invented the Conductor Head
Modifcation.
In addition, Tony Kiser, a training su-
pervisor for Georgia Power, partnered with
a group of trainers fve years ago to invent
the Unigain, which is now available through
Diversifed Product Development. Through
the Everyday Solutions program, he submit-
ted his idea on the utility’s website. A team
then researched the market to ensure it was
a unique idea for a product, helped him to
develop a prototype and then walked him
through the patent process.
“I think most linemen in other parts of
the world make inventions in their garage,
pay for the patents out of their own pock-
ets and do their own research without any
company support,” Kiser said. “At Georgia
Power, however, the step-by-step process
takes you from start to fnish, and it’s very easy. People ask me
all the time how to do it, and while it was a brand-new process
when I started, it has evolved and improved over the years.”
At Southern Company, inventors are paid incentives as
their product moves through the different steps of the pro-
cess. For the Unigain, trainers at the Klondike Service Cen-
ter split the incentives 15 different ways to reward those who
helped to invent the product.
“I did this more for my company’s use to help our line-
men,” Kiser said. “It is a very unique process and, while it
won’t make you rich, they do have some incentives, and we do
get something for our time and trouble.”
For the frst part of his career, Kiser worked on a crew out
in the feld, and he and his fellow linemen faced the age-old
problem of trying to move the old wire out of the way during
reconductoring. In the past, linemen had to install a tempo-
rary arm on the pole to accommodate the wire transfer. Of-
ten, they would drill holes in old wood crossarms and then
saw them down to the proper length. After only three or four
times, however, the crossarm became unusable due to the
drilling of multiple holes.
The Unigain is a 12-ft fberglass arm that can be attached
easily to a pole. While it is long enough for the linemen to lay
out the wires on, it also is adjustable and can be slid back and
forth. As such, the attachment points for the conductor are
adjustable without drilling any holes into the arms.
“It does the same thing that the old wood arms did, but
it should last forever because you are not sawing and drill-
ing, and therefore weakening the pole,” Kiser said. “Also, it is
lighter and more durable than the wood crossarm.”
After submitting his idea, Kiser and his fellow trainers
went to work on a prototype. They brought in a welder who
pieced the device together from steel, but it proved to be too
heavy. “It took three people to pick it up,” Kiser recalled. “We
then went to aluminum, which was lighter but weaker, but we
were able to get the rating out of it after we
modifed it.”
After making a prototype and ensur-
ing the device served its intended purpose,
Kiser and the other trainers tested it in the
feld. At the training center, they kept add-
ing more and more weight until it began
to bend and fex. Then they beefed up the
weak points until they achieved the desired
rating. They then took the device to the
manufacturer, which made the changes and
evolved the device to what it is today.
Initially, the product was made to be the
same size as the wood crossarm, but it did
not have the same strength and could not
withstand the necessary amount of pres-
sure. For that reason, the inventors moved
to a larger fberglass arm. They also de-
signed the product so the gain could be put
in two different positions — one for tangent or straight poles,
and one for deadend poles.
Today, the product has been licensed to Diversifed Manu-
facturing and is available to Southern Company’s entire feld
workforce, including its underground linemen and reconduc-
toring crews. After initially purchasing 900 units, the utility
now owns 1500. “Everyone who has used it likes it, and it’s now
available on all of our bucket trucks,” Kiser said.
Conceiving Ideas from the FieldWhen it comes to linemen inventions, often the products
come straight from the feld. For example, Lewis says he and
his crew at PGE wanted to isolate their energized tools from
ground potential when doing live-line work. While they could
use isolation links, they felt limited by this approach. Instead,
they invented a new tool for hot work in distribution. The
product grips the crossarm and gives linemen an isolated
4-ft section so their rigging is further out from the pole and
they do not have any conductive equipment next to a ground
source potential.
“It’s all about safety, safety, safety,” Lewis said. “Linemen
want to go home with what they came to work with.”
Lewis worked on the prototype at home for about three
years before using it with the utility’s lineman’s rodeo team
back in the 1990s. After PGE used the tool as a standard
piece of equipment in its rodeo trailers, the rules changed
and the competitors were no longer allowed to use home-
made tools that were not factory-rated and manufactured. At
that point, PGE approached A.B. Chance, which is now sell-
ing the stick to other linemen. The product, which measures
4 ft long and is bright orange, features an insulated hook to
go around the crossarm, is rated electrically and is stamped
with a load rating.
“Safety has become more paramount in our industry, and
it’s exciting to have the stick in their catalog,” Lewis said.
23www.tdworld.com | September 2016
Linemen at Guadalupe Valley Elec-
tric Cooperative also are busy inventing
newer and better ways to perform line
work. For example, Robbie Coldeway
came up with a way to contain dirt when
setting a new pole. Called the Dirt Skirt,
the tarp, which has a hole in the middle,
can be placed around a pole. Then the
digger truck can pick it up and flter the
dirt inside the hole rather than scatter-
ing it over the jobsite. In addition, Rich-
ard Scott worked with Techline Inc. and
Hubble to develop the BP3 switch.
Launching a BusinessFor some linemen, inventing new
products has led to a new business ven-
ture, company or career. For example,
after working for 40 years for Tampa
Electric, journeyman lineman Ralph
Stinson has been working part time in the training depart-
ment for the utility. In addition, he partnered with three oth-
er individuals to found a new company called MADI, which
stands for making a difference through innovation.
“Everything we have is unique,” Stinson said. “We are not
out to copy anyone, but we instead want to make things better
from a lineman’s point of view.”
In the beginning, Stinson made all the prototypes him-
self. Now he works with an engineer to make changes to the
prototypes until the product is ready to be feld-tested and
ready for market.
Originally, his company invented a tool called the Deviner
to help remove vines from poles, so they do not disrupt power
circuits. Now that the tool is tested to 100 kV and manufac-
tured with fberglass impregnated with nylon, linemen are
using it for a variety of uses such as getting rid of ice on the
line, lifting a phase, removing poison ivy or taking down
abandoned nests.
MADI has introduced a variety of hand tools that help
linemen to improve effciency and safety. For example, a new
multipurpose screwdriver has a hardened case and a staple
remover at the bottom. With this tool, linemen can dig staples
out of a pole or use it as a drift pin. The company also has
released a hammer with a staple remover that will take a
J-hook out of a pole or remove ground wire from a pole.
Four-and-a-half years ago, the company started with one
tool; today the company has 13 tools.
“When you get to be my age, you get really excited
about it,” Stinson said. “I am answering some of the guys’
problems that they have had for years, and we get a big
response from our tools.”
Stinson believes if a lineman has an idea for a product
that could help to change the industry, it is crucial to share
this knowledge.
“Linemen should al-
ways be thinking, and if
they cannot do it them-
selves for someone else,
they should make sure they
pass it on,” Stinson said.
“Nobody benefts from an
idea if it’s locked up in your
head. Instead, they should
share it so it can help other
linemen.”
Rodney Lewis holds the prototype for the Crossarm Link Stick. He worked with A.B. Chance to develop and manufacture the product.
At the 2015 International Lineman’s Expo, Ralph Stinson with MADI talks to a lineman at the booth and displays two of the company’s most popular new tools.
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com24
Powering the Past and Electrifying the FutureVeteran linemen refect on the early days of the line trade and how today’s technology has improved safety and productivity.By Amy Fischbach, Field Editor
At just 19 years old, Nelson Smith launched his 43-
year career in the line trade. Over the decades, the
tools, technology and work practices have continu-
ously changed, but he will never forget his �rst few
years in the �eld — when everything was done by hand.
“We hand dug a lot of holes using A-frame trucks to set the
poles,” said Smith, a journeyman lineman for Mecklenburg
Electric Cooperative in Chase City, Virginia. “There were no
battery-operated tools at all, and we were boring holes with
bracing bits. With the advantage of today’s tools and per-
sonal protective equipment, linemen will be able to live a lot
longer.”
In addition, they can prevent repetitive-use strains and
sprains through more ergonomic work practices, enabling
them to work longer careers in the �eld. Jeffrey Roy, a se-
nior supervisor with 41 years of experience for Eversource in
Yarmouth, Massachusetts, says the equipment has gotten bet-
ter and safer as a result of regulations from the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
“The tools, wire and equipment have all gotten better,”
Roy said. “We are still doing the same work that we did a long
time ago, but we have different ways of doing it. The biggest
improvements are our new trucks, new technology and new
equipment.”
A Hard Day’s WorkIn the early days of the trade, linemen climbed poles from
morning to night. While the �rst bucket trucks were invent-
ed in the 1900s as cherry pickers, the �rst insulated bucket
trucks for linemen were not commercially available until
In the early days of the line trade, linemen worked in large crews without personal protective equipment, hard hats or fame-retardant clothing. Courtesy of Alabama Power.
25www.tdworld.com | September 2016
the 1960s. Then, a decade later, bucket trucks became more
commonplace as linemen used them to build and maintain
infrastructure in the mountains of Virginia, notes Smith.
Even if a line crew had access to a bucket truck, however,
the apprentices often spent their days strapping on their leg
gaffs and climbing to the top of an endless number of poles.
Roy remembers one thing about his days as a groundsman —
climbing one pole after another.
“Our crew had access to a service bucket truck, but I
couldn’t use a material handler until many years later,” Roy
recalled. “We climbed in the morning, and we climbed in the
afternoon. We worked a lot of extra hours to build most of the
main lines, but when you are young and in your 20s, it didn’t
hurt like it would now.”
Bob Birss, a Canadian lineman who recently celebrated
45 years in the line trade, says back in the 1970s, a transmis-
sion lineman did not take his spurs off all day. Instead, he was
usually climbing every other pole, hanging travelers, pulling
lines or tying in line. If a lineman could armor rod and tie in
fast, he would earn top dollar about $4 per hour in 1971.
“The work was hard, but we were young and tough, or
so we thought,” Birss observed. “There were no cranes with
Sources: TheHistoricalArchive.com, Energy.gov, NESC, IEEE, OSHA, Edison Foundation, SEPA and americanhistory.si.edu.
From Past to Present: A Look at the Line Trade
1826 Georg Ohm defnes the relationship between power, voltage, current and resistance in Ohm’s law.
1831 Michael Faraday proves electricity can be induced by changes in an electromagnetic feld. His experiments to learn how electrical current works led to the understanding of electrical transformers and motors.
1832
Using Faraday’s principles, Hippolyte Pixii builds the frst dynamo, an electric generator capable of delivering power for industry. Pixii’s dynamo uses a crank to rotate a magnet around a piece of iron wrapped with wire. Because this device uses a coil of wire, it produces spikes of electric current followed by no current.
1835 Joseph Henry invents the electrical relay for sending electrical currents long distances.
1879 Thomas Edison invents the frst incandescent lightbulb.
1882 Thomas Edison opens the Pearl Street power station in New York City. The Pearl Street station is one of the world’s frst central electric power plants and can power 5000 lights. (It is referred to by Energy.gov as the frst commercial power grid.)
1888 Nikola Tesla demonstrates the frst polyphase alternating current (AC) electrical system. His AC system includes everything needed for electricity production and use: generator, transformers, transmission system, motor and lights.
1883 Nikola Tesla invents the Tesla coil, a transformer that changes electricity from low voltage to high voltage, making it easier to transport over long distances.
1893 The Westinghouse Electric Co. uses an AC system to light the Chicago World’s Fair. The same year, a 22-mile AC power line is opened, sending electricity from Folsom Powerhouse to Sacramento, California.
1896 An AC power line transmits power 20 miles from Niagara Falls, New York, to Buffalo, New York.
1900 The highest-voltage transmission line at 60 kV becomes operational.
1901 The frst power line is built between the U.S. and Canada at Niagara Falls.
1914 The National Bureau of Standards establishes the National Electrical Safety Code under the direction of the U.S. Congress.
1922 Connecticut Valley Power Exchange begins pioneering interconnections between utilities.
1927
During the two decades after regulation frst appeared, utilities expand to provide increasing amounts of electricity at a lower unit cost to a greater number of customers. The electrical output from utilities increases from 5.9 million kWh in 1907 to 75.4 million kWh in 1927. In that same period, the real price of electricity declines 55%.
1935 The Rural Electrifcation Act, Public Utility Holding Company Act and Federal Power Act are enacted.
1953 Linemen energize the frst 345-kV transmission line.
1954 The frst high-voltage direct-current line is built.
1971 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is established.
1972 OSHA publishes the Electric Power Transmission and Distribution regulation.
1990 A signifcant change is made to the method for specifying overhead line clearances.
1999 The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issues Order 2000, promoting regional transmission.
2009 The federal government invests $3.4 billion in the smart grid initiative.
2015
OSHA enforces the new fall-protection standard (April 2015), restricting free-climbing to certain situations and requiring linemen to use a fall-restraint system, work-positioning equipment or a personal fall-arrest system when climbing above 2 ft.
Also in 2015, the number of smart meters installed in the U.S. increases to 50 million, reaching 43% of homes overall, according to the Edison Foundation’s Institute for Electric Innovation.
In addition, 22,700 MW of cumulative solar electric capacity is operating in the U.S., which is enough to power 4.6 million average American homes.
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com26
baskets, so we used diving boards and a lot of tricks and inge-
nuity to get the job done. We used brace and bits to drill holes
in the big wood poles.”
Lead lineman Randy Tindle, who works for the distribu-
tion department at Alabama Power, remembers those days all
too well. As a 21-year-old apprentice, his six-man transmission
line crew set poles with a bucket truck and a derrick truck.
Still, he remembers climbing all day every day.
“I worked with two lead linemen and a hard-nosed fore-
man who loved to see the bottom of an apprentice’s boots,”
Tindle recalled. “There’s nothing like standing on a pole with
bracing bits — talk about an abnormal workout. But back
then, I was younger and I enjoyed climbing. I had some good
trainers and instructors, and we learned a lot. If it was not for
them, I would not be where I am
today.”
Today, he and the other lead
linemen take a different ap-
proach to training apprentices
how to climb.
“We still climb from time to
time, and our guys will climb an
average of three poles a week,”
Tindle said. “We try to get them
some experience, and we make
sure they know how to get up
and down the pole, because they
won’t be able to get a truck into
every area.”
The trainers, however, do not
make the apprentice climb just
for the sake of climbing. The
utility now has more training
programs to teach the linemen
proper climbing techniques.
Transmission crew leader Willie Turner says when he frst
entered the apprenticeship program at Alabama Power, he
learned primarily through on-the-job training.
“A lot of things have changed,” Turner said. “Poles are a lot
higher, and we don’t do a lot of climbing unless it’s necessary.”
In addition, the engineering department is designing the
new distribution infrastructure in spots more easily accessible
to linemen and their bucket trucks. That way, they can main-
tain poles more effciently and perform trouble-related tasks.
In addition, all linemen must wear full fall protection to
comply with the new standard enforced by OSHA. When he
was an apprentice, Turner says he was expected to free climb.
If he could not have climbed a 70-ft pole, then he would not
have made it in the transmission department. Now everyone
Randy Tindle, a lead lineman for Alabama Power, says training has changed signifcantly since he worked as an apprentice.
The line trade has improved and evolved over Willie Turner’s 34-year career at Georgia Power.
Linemen are hard at work for West Penn Power, which celebrated its 100th anniversary on March 1.
27www.tdworld.com | September 2016
on the crew — from apprentices to journeymen — must be
fully protected from the bottom to the top of the pole to pre-
vent falling or slipping.
Because he had free climbed for so long, Turner says it
took time to get used to wearing full fall protection rather
than free climbing.
“It takes a lot more effort, but I think it is a whole lot bet-
ter,” Turner said. “You don’t have to worry about cutting out
and falling to the ground.
Spotlight on SafetyOver the decades, line work has become safer not only
through improved fall protection devices and hands-on train-
ing, but also through changes in regulations and safety stan-
dards. In the beginning of the line trade, linemen earned low
pay at $0.15 to $0.20 per hour, worked long weeks at 12 hours
seven days a week, and endured dangerous work conditions,
according to the International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers (IBEW) Local 104.
At that point in history, lineman fatality rates skyrocketed
as a result of no safety training, no apprenticeship programs
and no standards. In fact, the IBEW found, in certain parts of
the country, one out of every two linemen died, and the fatal-
ity rates nationally were twice as high as other industries. As a
result, the IBEW was formed at the end of the 1800s to put an
end to the inhumane working conditions of linemen.
Even so, line work is still rated as one of the top 10 most
dangerous careers. For the frst 20 years of his career, Smith
remembers many linemen experiencing accidents as a result
of never-ending work hours. When he frst started, it was not
unusual to work 36 to 50 hours, but now, crews only work
eight to 16 hours at a stretch.
“It’s a good thing to limit the work hours, because if you
are not alert mentally and are physically exhausted, that can
contribute to an accident,” Smith explained. “I’m not sure
when I saw that come into play, but it has defnitely evolved
over the years.”
Smith experienced the danger of working too much over-
time back in 1986. After clocking 37 hours straight restor-
ing power following an electrical storm, he made contact
with 7200 V and was electrocuted, an accident that forever
changed his view on safety.
“I was working in the bucket, and I remember losing my
balance, falling and making contact with the wire,” Smith
recalled. “No one on the crew knew anything about CPR or
frst aid, but a retired nurse happened to drive by and she
performed CPR on me right in the middle of the street.”
After the ambulance arrived, it was estimated Smith had
been dead for four-and-a-half minutes before he arrived at
the emergency room. Eight months later, after recuperating
at the burn center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Smith
was back at work again. Since that time, safety practices have
changed dramatically; today, there are monthly safety meet-
ings and daily tailgates, which were unheard of 20 years ago,
Smith notes.
“Back then, you would come to work in the morning and
hope you would make it to quitting time in the afternoon,”
Smith recalled. “Even today, the fatality rate still scares me.
It is uncalled for. It is unreal the number of guys who are still A West Penn Power lineman heads skyward to work on a streetlight.
A GVEC lineman and equipment operator hang a distribution volt-age regulator.
September 2016 | www.tdworld.com28
getting killed in this industry, and I think complacency has a
lot to do with that.”
Smith tries to work with apprentices at Mecklenburg Elec-
tric Cooperative to teach them the safe way to do their jobs.
Because of what happened to him as a young worker in the
trade, Smith feels he is more safety oriented than a lot of oth-
er linemen.
“Safety should be 99% of the thought process in this in-
dustry,” he explained. “I am trying to get our younger guys
focused on a different direction than just money, especially
on storms. You can’t be there thinking about the dollar bill.”
To minimize or eliminate the number of linemen ac-
cidents and fatalities, electric power utilities are working to
change the culture. For example, Alabama Power created a
companywide Target Zero program, which has reduced its
on-the-job accidents by two-thirds.
“It used to be acceptable in the line trade to have acci-
dents, but now it is not,” Tindle said. “I think once everyone
bought into it, things started to change.”
When Turner frst started, he says the younger linemen
were expected to follow a “do-as-I-say” approach from super-
visors. Now that the program has been implemented, every-
one on the jobsite is encouraged to speak out if something is
unsafe.
“It’s a big change, and it takes some getting used to,” Turn-
er said. “Within this program, we are our brother’s or sister’s
keeper, and everyone on the job is important and has a say.
Before we start the job, we stop and address any problems and
don’t continue with the work until the issue has been resolved.
I tell the youngsters to do their jobs safely, and I work with
them and show them how to do certain things. I’m not going
to put them in a situation they are not comfortable with.”
The utility also is requiring every feld employee to par-
ticipate in job safety briefngs, which it started back in 2003.
On each and every job, the team identifes hazards on the
jobsite and designates a person to call 9-1-1 and be in charge
in case of an emergency. Also, the crews always know where
the closest hospital is located to a jobsite, and they inspect
their frst-aid kit monthly to ensure it is well stocked. In ad-
dition, the utility recently equipped each line truck with an
automated external defbrillator in the event of a cardiac ar-
rest and ensures all of its employees are up-to-date on frst-aid
and CPR training.
Now that the utility is actively engaged in energized work,
Alabama Power also has changed its work practices and invest-
ed in additional personal protective equipment for its feld
workforce. Today, its linemen wear fame-retardant clothing
and rubber gloves while working live. Years ago, however,
Tindle remembers that linemen throughout the industry
wore a lot less protection.
“We would operate a bucket with a belt around our waist,
and wear regular jeans and T-shirts, and nobody would say
anything,” he recalled. “Now side shields are mandatory on
safety glasses, and whenever we operate a bucket, we must
wear a full-body harness, long-sleeved fame-retardant shirt
and pants, and electrical hazard-protected boots.”
They also are instructed to inspect the trucks, lines and
adjacent poles on each side before doing energized work and
cover all paths to ground.
“We take time to visualize what we are doing because we
know the importance of doing the job correctly and safely,”
Turner said. “When it comes to rubber gloving, every job is
different, and no two jobs are the same.”
Tapping into TechnologyVeteran linemen not only have seen dramatic changes in
safety equipment and practices but also in tools and technolo-
gy. Birss says while installing aerial markers on river crossings,
he often thought about how the linemen before him worked
with no modern tools and little hydraulics in the 1940s, 1950s
and 1960s.
In the even earlier history of the line trade — back in the
1890s to 1920s — linemen strung thinner copper wire from
30-ft to 40-ft telephone poles, only worked with one or two
circuits and performed a signifcant amount of rigging, notes
Jason Townsend, a journeyman lineman for Meade Electric
in Chicago, Illinois. Also, wearing felt caps rather than hard
hats, linemen worked on six- or eight-man bull crews, hand
carried all the poles into jobsites and relied on mules to carry
their supplies.
“It was hard manual labor, and if the linemen didn’t do
what they were told, they were sent down the road,” said
Before bucket trucks and heavy equipment were invented, linemen relied on mule-drawn carts. Courtesy of Alabama Power.
29www.tdworld.com | September 2016
Townsend, who is an avid collector of antique insulators, util-
ity signs and historical lineman postcards. “Today, a lot of the
work is done by our big machinery, and rather than having a
lot of guys on the crew, we work on a three-man crew, but we
still have a lot of work to get done.”
Today’s linemen must work with heavier poles, thicker
wires, higher voltages, longer spans and larger loads than
their predecessors. At the same time, however, Townsend says
the bucket trucks have gotten smaller and more versatile, the
backyard machines are able to set bigger poles in the back-
yards and a lot of helicopter work is going on nationwide.
Smith agreed, saying today’s modern heavy equipment
has made the physical part of the job much easier, and the
technical end of the line trade is changing every day.
“In the late 1970s, the industry started to see a lot of the
changes with technology,” Smith said. “Now that we have hy-
draulic power tools and ATVs, a lot of the physical strain has
been taken away.”
Over the last 17 years, Townsend believes hand tools have
come a long way as far as usability and ergonomics. When he
started working as a groundsman and later as a lineman, the
utility he worked for started to transition from the hand hy-
draulic press tools to battery-operated tools like presses from
Huskie Tools.
Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative also has continually
invested in new tools for its feld workforce to improve line-
men’s productivity. Oftentimes, Smith says he and his other
team members have discovered new technology at the local
rodeos and the International Lineman’s Expo and brought
information on these new products to the management
team. For example, each year many of the exhibitors of-
fer lighter and more powerful battery-operated tools with
a longer battery life and more functionality.
“The battery-operated tools have just exploded,” Tindle
observed. “The battery-operated cutters, presses, impact
wrenches and drills are saving elbow, wrist and shoulder in-
juries. In addition to being faster and more productive, they
are also a lot safer.”
Beyond hand tools, modern communications technology
has revolutionized the way linemen communicate with one
another, navigate directions to a jobsite or submit reports.
While linemen once relied on brick-sized radios and paper
maps, they are now able to pull up data right on their iPads
from the feld. While Tindle says that it was a struggle for him
to learn how to use the technology a year ago, it has now be-
come an essential tool for him in the feld. On the transmis-
sion side, Turner’s crew heavily depends on the iPads.
“When I was coming up through the trade, the older
linemen always knew where the lines were and how to get to
them,” Turner recalled. “Now we can pull up a map and fnd
out the easiest way in and out of an area. It is tremendous and
has helped a lot.”
Tindle says when he frst started out in the trade in 1985,
he never anticipated the technology would advance so signif-
cantly during his career.
“The knowledge and technology is forever changing,” Tin-
dle said. “We take today’s material and devices, and we install
them and put them in place and learn how to use them, and
then there’s something better on the market.”
While the line industry will never stop evolving, linemen
are continually learning on the job, upgrading infrastructure
and installing new lines to serve generations to come. At the
same time, however, they have not forgotten the pioneers of
the line trade, who helped to frst power the country.
Jason Townsend, an avid collector of vintage linemen postcards, signs, insulators and other items, displays his collection, which is housed in the basement of his Chicago, Illinois-area home.
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