Glendale Water & Power is not the only utility company investing in smart grid technology. Avista linemen are now installing new conductor for the Spokane, Washington, smart grid project called “Smart Circuits.” In just a few months, crews did the equivalent of a normal year's construction work by adding new conductor and replacing aging power poles on 8 miles of power lines in northern Spokane.

Work began in December 2009, after the company was awarded a $20 million matching grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Avista will contribute $22 million for the project, which will upgrade 59 distribution feeder lines and 14 substations over the next two years.

Five heavy construction crews are dedicated to the smart grid project. This spring, the linemen focused on changing older, smaller electrical wires to a more-efficient heavier gauge conductor. Early last month, line crews began installing the equipment that is integral to the Smart Circuits project. This includes items like smart switches and reclosing devices that run automatically without human intervention.

Other items on the installation list include switched capacitor banks, voltage regulators and wireless communication devices. Once all the hardware is in place in fall 2010, a new distribution management system will be brought on-line. This is when the smart grid elements will begin to work together, communicating with each other, and improving efficiency and reliability on the system. When everything is completed, the project is expected to reduce energy losses, lower system costs, increase reliability and enhance the ability to integrate distributed renewable-generation resources.

“Our system really needed this work,” said Jim Sanchez, Avista line foreman. “We're replacing old poles and getting rid of open (bare) wire. It will mean fewer outages and a lot less maintenance.”