Five Con Edison engineers have won high-powered honors for their research to improve the transmission of high-voltage electricity. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) named the engineers winners of its Technology Transfer Award. The engineers worked with experts from EPRI, a national energy research organization.

Con Edison's vast transmission system is an integral part of the company's mission to provide safe, reliable power to its 3.3 million customers in New York City and Westchester County. The company owns 438 miles of overhead transmission circuits and 742 miles of underground transmission circuits.

"Con Edison takes pride in being recognized as the most reliable utility in North America, and these projects exemplify our ongoing commitment to developing new methods that enhance both reliability and efficiency," said Robert Sanchez, Con Edison's vice president of System and Transmission Operations. "We congratulate our employees on their awards and thank EPRI for being a great partner."

The Con Edison winners are:

• Mike Ragona, section manager in Protective Systems Testing. He performed energy audits of electrical equipment at four substations. The audits found ways to improve efficiency and save energy, and will be expanded to other Con Edison substations.
• Anna Fu, senior engineer in Transmission Planning. She evaluated the potential impact of fault current limiters. These devices reduce fault currents when a short circuit occurs, helping to maintain reliable service while deferring more expensive upgrades. While not yet commercially available, the behavior of these devices needs to be evaluated in advance to ensure their best possible design and implementation.
• Amadou Salla Diop, engineer in Transmission Planning. He used new methods to forecast a comprehensive profile of electric load at area substations for up to 24 hours in advance. The company can use this information in studies to evaluate and improve reliability.
• Pallavi Kuchikulla, engineer in Transmission Planning. She developed a computer application that recommends the best configuration for the transmission system to minimize electric losses. The application can help Con Edison save energy while maintaining reliability.
• Matt Koenig, section manager in Transmission Planning. He combined the forecasting and optimizing methods into a tool that forecasts a daily model of the transmission system, and recommends actions to be taken as the load changes throughout the day. This will provide the company with more accurate and timely information to improve efficiency and maintain reliability.