Archive for February, 2011

El Paso Electric: Advancing the Smart Grid Objective

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Energy delivery provides the backbone to social, economic and industrial growth. The smart grid is an ambitious vision to distribute abundant, affordable, clean, efficient, and reliable electric power anytime, anywhere, explains Hector Puente, Vice President, Transmission and Distribution, El Paso Electric Company. A speaker at the marcus evans Distribution Technology and Innovation Summit Spring 2011 taking place in Hollywood, Florida, April 27-29, Puente says that modernizing the electric grid with information-age technologies will dramatically improve operation and reliability. 

How is Distribution Automation improving the service El Paso Electric Company supplies?

Hector Puente: Distribution Automation is helping to optimize our operations and directly improve the reliability of our distribution system. We have just completed a Distribution Automation project at our Santa Teresa Substation, allowing us to interconnect different feeders from the multiple stations so any fault areas are automatically switched around. The rest of the load is then picked up from a different feeder in a matter of minutes, if not seconds. Before, we had to dispatch people out in the field and carry out those operations manually. It is proving to be a big time saver.

How important is it to advance the smart grid objective?

Hector Puente: The smart grid will bring several benefits. One is a dramatic increase in reliability, which is expected nowadays from consumers. Outages are a big inconvenience and are not acceptable due to the volume of electronic devices and appliances that depend on electricity. Furthermore, having utility devices like smart meters where people can access information such as usage and rates will help empower them. It puts the customer in control of their consumption and gives them the means to conserve where they can.

What role does new technology play in developing smart grid infrastructure?

Hector Puente: New technology, such as microprocessors, advanced computing and IT and communications is what makes it happen. It is what drives the smart grid. Technology facilitates communication between smart meters and devices out on the distribution lines with the central system. Advances in this area are very important.

How are renewable energy resources going to play out in the generation of electricity in the future?

Hector Puente: Power generation from renewable sources is here to stay. There has to be a continued commitment to find ways of being able to sustain the systems that we have well into the future. Renewables are sources that we can depend on for a long time. Whether it is by sun, wind or wave generation, it is an area that should be explored and tapped into as much as possible. Unfortunately, for as long as we continue
to be exposed to extreme weather conditions we will have reliability issues. Outages will still occur as they are usually weather-related and are not something that can be eradicated. None the less, having different sources of generation will have a positive impact.

What further advances are needed in this decade to keep up with ever growing electricity consumption?

Hector Puente: Conservation is key. It starts in the home and works out from there. The industry is always going to try and supply the demand and if it continues to grow then we have no choice but to satisfy it. It is the customer that has to curb the demand through having access to better devices, such as smart meters, and more intelligent use of electricity.

Contact:
Maeve McGovern
Group News and Features Writer, marcus evans
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com

About the Distribution Technology and Innovation Summit Spring 2011

This unique forum will take place at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, Florida, April 27-29, 2011. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The Summit includes presentations on advanced metering infrastructure deployment trends, critical infrastructure protection and modernizing distribution systems.

For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website

marcus evans group – environment/utilities/ energy sector portal

Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.

About marcus evans Summits

marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one business meetings. For more information, please visit www.marcusevans.com 

All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced – kindly inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com

Toronto Hydro: Energy Roadmap for the 21st Century

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Smart grid systems call for a 21st-century electric and technological approach while also encouraging energy management, according to Anthony Haines, President and Chief Executive, Toronto Hydro Electric System. A speaker at the marcus evans Distribution Technology and Innovation Summit Spring 2011 taking place in Hollywood, Florida, April 27-29, Haines explains that the smart grid demands an entire retooling of business processes.

What key challenges does implementing the smart grid pose?

Anthony Haines: The smart grid represents a new way of doing business and the skill sets needed are different. There are now huge data management, and IT and communications issues, as well as redefining technical jobs with that technology element. We now collect more data in one day than we used to in an entire year. It is really a retooling of your business.

How important is the role of new technology in the development of smart grid infrastructure?

Anthony Haines: It is absolutely critical and the two cannot be separated. The technologies are now embedded in a company’s smart grid spend. It is a permanent technology change that has taken place. The old utility model of dealing with the IT department once in a while is no longer the case. Fundamentally, technology is now embedded throughout the entire company and its operations.

What customer benefits should the smart grid be able to deliver?

Anthony Haines: The obvious one has to do with system reliability. In our operation room we can see problems on the grid before the customer experiences them. Smart grids are leading to a new customer experience. The old-fashioned measurement of customer service was, ‘Are the lights on or off?’ A modern customer service relationship, which is a 24/7 experience and is transaction and information-based, is required for energy delivery in the future.

A modern grid allows the customer to engage more actively with us. For that you need a lot of technology in your transactions systems as well as your grid. What we are building towards is communications with the customer on a proactive basis. We are pushing information to them through wireless, handheld devices such as Blackberrys or iPhones. The process is seamless and there is no human intervention.

What does the future hold for sustainable electricity generation?

Anthony Haines: There is a policy debate raging about how renewable sources should be used, at what cost and in what form. There has to be community consensus on building a sustainable energy model, because of the impact on the community and the cost implications. Conservation and efficient use of energy are key. We have different profiles as to the amount of energy that our customers are using, and are able to match conservation programs to the customer in order to optimize the efficiency that is available to them.

Conservation continues to be a major opportunity for us. In Canada we are the highest users of energy per capita. Part of this is because we have had plentiful, low cost energy for 100 years. This profile is changing, so helping the customer to manage the reality of the new price model is a big challenge. The debate we are facing in the coming decade is where we are going to get our electricity from – how much is going to come from renewable, nuclear and other sources?

Contact:
Maeve McGovern
Group News and Features Writer
marcus evans
Tel: + 357 22 849 313
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com

About the Distribution Technology and Innovation Summit Spring 2011

This unique forum will take place at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, FL, April 27-29, 2011. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The Summit includes presentations on advanced metering infrastructure deployment trends, critical infrastructure protection and modernizing distribution systems.

For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website

marcus evans group – environment/utilities/ energy sector portal

Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.

About marcus evans Summits

marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one business meetings. For more information, please visit www.marcusevans.com 

All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced – kindly inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com