Electical Contractor

For the electrical contractor (EC), finding a role in the smart grid shouldn’t be a matter of “wait and see.” Now is the time to prepare for this growing opportunity. If your work involves building automation and lighting controls, you are well on your way.

The Lucky Corridor, approximately 93 miles of planned new electrical transmission, consisting of double-circuit 230-kilovolt (kV) line in New Mexico, cleared a hurdle with a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Western Area Power Administration, a power marketing administration in the U.S.

Most utility reserve margins are adequate to meet peak demands. That is the assessment of the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) as the nation has hit the summer months in which heat can strain supplies.

MISO, a regional transmission organization, approved its Transmission Expansion Plan 2011 (MTEP11), a comprehensive, long-term regional plan for the electric grid that will bring more than $2 billion in annual benefits for decades to come for energy consumers throughout the Midwest.

It could be argued that the potential for success of a particular innovation can be measured by its effect on the existing technology operating around it. If that’s the case, then smart meters are here to stay.

The nation’s growing appetite for electricity, and for electricity generated by alternative-energy sources, demands a comparable expansion in the country’s transmission infrastructure, if all of that new power is to be delivered.

Officials at a Waukesha, Wisc., utility have announced plans to move forward with a project they have been studying for more than two years. In July, American Transmission Co. (ATC) decided that it was time to kick-start the proposed Badger Coulee Transmission Line into the public outreach stage.

Smart Grid pilot and demonstration programs are underway in 33 states, according to a new report, “Smart Grid Growing Pains” from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

If we build it, the power will come. This appears to be the mantra for U.S. electric utilities, which continue to pour more money into transmission upgrades.