Big Data From Smart Grid Tells Utilities More Than They Want To Know
by jeff mcmahon

If you’re an electricity thief, watch out for the Smart Grid.

“Utilities have been using the Smart Grid data to find all kinds of creative ways that people have been stealing electricity,” said Mel Gehrs, a Smart Grid expert with Silver Springs Networks, yesterday at The Great Lakes Symposium on Smart Grid and the New Energy Economy hosted by the Illinois Institute of Technology.

“That’s by far the easiest (use of the Smart Grid) to monetize. I think ComEd said in 2011 their theft alone was over $60 million.”

But for the most part, utilities have yet to realize the potential of the flood of new data that has begun flowing to them from the power grid, panelists agreed. And in some cases, they may not welcome it.

“Smart Grid data is beginning to give us a view of what the customer is actually experiencing, something that we’ve never ever seen before,” Gehrs said. “Now we’ll tell you that some utilities are not thrilled to know this, because it’s kind of a two-edged sword, because then you have to go out and fix it if it’s bad. continued…

first published week of:   09/30/2013

Breakthrough for long-distance power transmission

Supergrids connecting electricity networks and renewable energy resources on a global scale will be more efficient and reliable, thanks to a new circuit breaker design for high-voltage direct current [HVDC] power lines, recently unveiled by the Swiss technology corporation ABB.

The breaker means power flow equivalent to the electrical output of a large power station can be interrupted in just five milliseconds – 30 times faster than the blink of an eye – protecting against overloads which cause damage and cuts.

“A circuit breaker is the key to building HVDC networks, as they need an elegant mechanism to force the current to zero”, says Kang Li, a professor at Queen’s University Belfast’s School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “Reliability is the big issue, and ABB’s HVDC breaker represents a big step forward.”

Joe Hogan, CEO of ABB, explains that DC grids will be able to interconnect countries and continents, balancing loads and reinforcing the existing alternating current [AC] transmission networks. “This breakthrough will make it possible to build the grid of the future”, he adds. While high voltage technology has been around for almost 60 years, HVDC lines have been notorious for turning local power disruptions into widespread outages.

Details Here

first published week of:   04/01/2013

California approves energy storage goal
by dana hull

In a bold move being closely watched by utilities, environmentalists and the clean technology industry, California on Thursday adopted the nation's first energy storage mandate.

State regulators with the California Public Utilities Commission, meeting in Redding, unanimously approved Commissioner Carla Peterman's groundbreaking proposal that requires PG&E, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric to expand their capacity to store electricity, including renewable energy generated from solar and wind.

"The decision lays out an energy storage procurement policy guided by three principles: optimization of the grid, integration of renewable energy and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions," continued…

first published week of:   10/21/2013

Cape zoning officials mull revision of solar development rules as confusion continues
by renewablesbiz.com

Yet another improperly issued work permit for a solar power project -- this time for town Supervisor Urban C. Hirschey's residential photovoltaic system -- is prompting local zoning officials to consider aligning the local law with state guidelines.

Mr. Hirschey said he took down his pole-mounted solar panel array at his Tibbetts Point Road home last month upon learning it was an illegal project under Cape Vincent's new zoning law.

"I commissioned Fourth Coast to do the work. They got a permit from the county and a permit from the town," Mr. Hirschey said.

What he and his renewable energy consultants with Fourth Coast Inc., Clayton, did not know at the time was that Cape Vincent's zoning enforcement officer, James G. Millington Jr., should never have issued that work permit in April in the first place.

"If you look at page 54, you can do it; but if you look at another page, it says you need to go through an additional process if you're in the Lake Front District. So I took it down," Mr. Hirschey said. continued…

first published week of:   10/21/2013

Carbon regulations threaten Ohio economy
by ryan scott, executive director consumer energy alliance midwest chicago

The Obama Administration has released long-expected regulations to limit greenhouse gas emissions from our nation’s power plants (“Climate for change,” editorial, Sept. 27). Under the new rules, coal-fired power plants will need to be built with expensive carbon-capture technology to limit greenhouse-gas emissions. That could spell trouble for Ohio’s energy supply and economy.

Under the new regulations, many coal-fired power plants will have a difficult choice: upgrade or shut down. Both options could mean higher electricity prices for consumers and a less-reliable electric-power grid.

Ohio is particularly at risk. The state ranks fourth in coal consumption, partly because of its energy-intensive manufacturing sector. Manufacturers undoubtedly will be harmed if energy prices significantly increase in the face of power plant closures and limited electricity supplies.

State Rep. Mike Dovilla (R., Berea) summed up the situation succinctly: “All Ohioans should be concerned about the growing list of announced power plant closures in our state with no plan to bring online additional power-generating capacity to meet our current and projected needs. Ohio’s hard-working families will be particularly impacted, as analysts have projected electricity rate increases of up to 300 percent.” continued…

first published week of:   11/11/2013

China launches first carbon trading scheme

China, the world's largest carbon emitter launched on Tuesday its first carbon trading scheme aimed at reducing emissions, an official said.

A platform allowing businesses in the southern city of Shenzhen to trade carbon emission permits among each other held an official launch ceremony and has completed several trades, a spokeswoman for the city's foreign affairs office who did not provide her name told AFP.

China plans to open similar schemes in seven areas before 2014, in what analysts say is a step towards a nationwide carbon market.

"This is the first step towards a national carbon trading system," Li Yan, head of environmental group Greenpeace's climate and energy campaign in China, told AFP.

But analysts have said that the scheme, which covers just 38 per cent of the city's emissions, is unlikely to produce significant emissions reductions. continued…

first published week of:   06/24/2013

Co-ops Alarmed by President’s Proposal That Will Increase Electric Bills
by mark hayes

Jo Ann Emerson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), made the following statement in response to the President’s proposal that will raise electric utility bills for millions of Americans:

“Electric cooperatives oppose President Obama’s proposal to use the Clean Air Act to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. America’s rural communities depend on coal-fired generation for affordable electric power and would be disproportionately penalized by this scheme. Folks in rural communities and those with low or fixed incomes already spend more of their household budget on energy; this proposal would increase their burden. The President's proposal would be, in effect, a regressive new climate tax on America’s most economically vulnerable citizens.  continued…

first published week of:   07/01/2013

continued cool of smart meters
by  h. christine richards

Even though we've had smart meters for what seems like forever now, (I know, I know, not everyone has a smart meter, me included) I still think they're pretty cool devices. And their coolness continues to grow through all of their uses with analytics. I love this utility story below as it highlights how utilities keep finding new ways to leverage meter data for their organizations. You can learn more about projects like this one through our Utility Project Profile Library.   

Project overview

• Implemented a conservation voltage reduction (CVR) scheme in response to a regulatory order. AMI data has enabled the utility to look at the voltage at the end point to ensure that voltage does not fall below tariff when taking steps to reduce voltage. 
• Collects temperature data from its meters to proactively identify any hot sockets that might exist. If an installer misses a jaw with the blade during installation, then temperature build up can occur and fires are possible as other utilities have experienced. Temperature data is being analyzed using statistics to isolate potential issues, and a crew is immediately dispatched to investigate whenever a meter temperature flag is tripped. 
• Collects hourly consumption data as part of the CVR project. This data is aggregated and used to assess the load on each transformer and to identify any overloaded conditions.
• Offers a peak time rebate program that is the default pricing structure in parts of its service territory. If the utility calls a curtailment event and the customers reduce their loads beyond a certain threshold, then the utility pays them per kilowatt-hour for the amount reduced below the threshold. Customer thresholds are calculated in advance using AMI data. (Three peak days from the past 30-day period are averaged to create a customer baseline) The baseline essentially becomes the customer's bogey for each curtailment event. Some customers have saved a tremendous amount as a result. (e.g., a farmer dispatched load from a backup generator)
• Plans to implement an electric vehicle pilot involving the deployment of 50 smart chargers. The utility will communicate with these smart chargers via its AMI network. 
• Participates in a pilot that is deploying smart inverters for about 30 solar residential customers. The AMI network will be used to communicate with these inverters. The goal is to prove that transformer high voltage issues can be mitigated by managing these inverters. 
• Operates electric vehicle programs in every jurisdiction. In two of these jurisdictions, the utility receives address-level DMV information on registered vehicles enabling it to screen for the additional load driven by electric vehicle chargers. This analysis is currently being done manually, and the utility has plans to automate this process.

first published week of:   12/02/2013

Crystal River Nuclear Plant Closing Due To Botched Repairs
by AP | by emery p. dalesio

The largest U.S. electricity company said Tuesday it will permanently close a Florida nuclear power plant after botched repairs and use $835 million from an insurance settlement to refund consumers forced to pay for higher-cost replacement power.

But Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy also said it will seek to recoup from customers its $1.65 billion investment in the Crystal River Nuclear Plant, about 70 miles north of Tampa. The company said it is starting a closing process that may take 60 years before the nuclear site is decontaminated and dismantled and considering whether to build a new, natural-gas-fueled power plant to replace the power lost.

The nuclear plant operated by Duke Energy subsidiary Progress Energy Florida has been shut down since 2009, when its concrete containment building cracked during a maintenance and upgrade project. A 2011 repair attempt resulted in new cracks in other parts of the containment structure. Estimates put repair costs at between $1.3 billion and $3.4 billion.

The federal operating license for the nuclear plant, which began operating in 1977, was due to expire at the end of 2016, meaning Duke Energy would have had to wage a regulatory fight to extend its authority to operate.

Details Here

first published week of:   02/11/2013

Denver uses a 'Google for machine data' to improve water use
by rutrell yasin

Colorado’s oldest and largest water utility, promotes the efficient use of water to 1.3 million people in the city and surrounding suburbs, but that job hasn’t always been easy.

The utility, a semi-government entity, relies on its Information Technology Division to identify and implement the appropriate applications and technology infrastructure to meet the utility’s business needs. Until recently, supporting the infrastructure and monitoring applications was a challenge. A deluge of machine data from logs and databases often overwhelmed IT administrators, hampering efforts to pinpoint problems when users notified the help desk. IT officials wanted to adopt a more proactive approach where administrators could solve application and system problems long before they impacted the users of these IT resources.

“We need to know before the user knows that something is wrong,” said Henri van den Bulk, an enterprise architect with Denver Water. The IT team grappled with how they could move to a more predictive approach. Classical monitoring tools required an investment in more IT infrastructure, and the division had limited resources in terms of budget and people. continued…

first published week of:   08/12/2013