Batten Down the Hatches
Storms tend to bring out the best in utility people. Of course, when storms hit hard, we are most needed and, hopefully, most appreciated. Some of our...
Six Steps to Improve Distribution Voltage Quality
In recent years, many engineers have increased the use of sophisticated tools and software to improve the distribution-planning process. Network data...
Some Assembly Required
Selection of supports used for overhead transmission and distribution lines is based on technical and aesthetic considerations that continue to create...
New Mexico Utility Builds 21st Century Control House
A few years ago, the Public Service Co. of New Mexico (PNM) adopted a program called FMEA (Failure Mode, Effects A Analysis) to identify weak points and...
Design and Construction In an Urban Environment
Last summer, in the wake of the power outages that crippled the Northeast and Midwest, President Bush issued a wake-up call on the antiquated state of...
WPS Strengthens a Long Distribution Feeder
Reliably serving large motor loads at the end of a long overhead distribution circuit is quite a challenge. Not only does it require trying to mitigate...
Design and Construction in an Urban Environment
Last summer, in the wake of the power outages that crippled the Northeast and Midwest, President Bush issued a wake-up call on the antiquated state of...
Linemen Excel in Their Element
Linemen must always be ready to take on the elements, whether facing rain, wind, sun or snow. But their real challenge is not weather. Linemen are at...
Vegetation Management Takes to the Air
Currently, BC Hydro (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) vegetation management field personnel work from the ground or from helicopters when determining...
Vibration Damages Towers
AltaLink, L.P. is responsible for electric power delivery to more than 50% of the population of the province of Alberta, Canada, providing power to more...
Missionaries for Safety
Carrying the message of safety, reliability and quality of service to linemen and other utility employees in South America, PSEG Global managers have...
A New Breed of Cat
After visiting Allegheny Power several years ago, I realized line work would never be the same. I saw linemen, armed with high-powered mobile PCs, morph...
Linemen Tackle Tool Troubles
By the time linemen hit their early 40s, many if not most suffer from crippling injuries. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find a lineman who hadn't...
Replace Fear with Knowledge
Dragging brush for tree-trimming crews and feeding the brush into chippers month after month can become a monotonous, boring job. After a while, most...
The Right Tools in the Right Hands
Fred Wenzel is one of thousands of linemen who know all too well the aches and pains caused by repetitive work. I met Wenzel at the International Lineman's...
Technology Enhances Joint-Use Planning Process
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 has caused a significant increase in pole-attachment permit applications. Gone are the days when the only requests...
Cable Stripping: A Cost-Effective Alternative
The focus on efficient utility operations is greater than ever. Therefore, electric utilities must recover as much salvage value as possible from their...
The Future of Distribution
For the past several years, national attention in the electric industry has focused on generation and transmission. Merchant power seemed to capture everyone's...
Bridging Feeder Concerns
The electrical-distribution system on the 24-mile (39-km) long Lake Pontchartrain Bridge in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., underwent a renovation, which...
Spacer Cables Revisited
Utilities have always tackled the need to improve system reliability. Now, due to factors such as regulatory demands, competitive markets and customer...
Design Philosophy Enhances Distribution Network in Italy
ENEL Distribution in Italy, in cooperation with CESI (Milan, Italy), has developed a new standardized design for environmentally friendly low-cost high-/medium-voltage...
EPRIsolutions, Northeast Utilities to Develop Live Line Maintenance Program
EPRIsolutions and Northeast Utilities have announced an agreement under which EPRIsolutions will help the utility develop a state-of-the-art program for...
Salt River Project to Receive CONDOR 180-I
Time Manufacturing Co. (Waco, Texas, U.S.) and its distributor Great Pacific Equipment (Anaheim, California, U.S.) have contractual arrangements to supply...
Blazing a New Path
Utility vegetation management has long represented one of the greatest challenges to electric utilities. It often represents the largest preventive maintenance...
JOEMC Implements Efficient Pole Management Program
Jones-Onslow Electric Membership Corp. (JOEMC, Jacksonville, North Carolina, U.S.) recently implemented an efficient pole management program with the...
