Electical Contractor

As the result of the rapid expansion of smart grid and advanced meter infrastructure, many utilities around the country are replacing existing meters with new solid-state smart meters and two-way communication devices. These new systems offer significant benefits to the consumer and utility.

Extreme weather in extreme temperatures poses the most danger to electricity transmission and delivery. Unfortunately, we have seen time and again that it is in those circumstances that electricity service is needed most.

If renewable energy is driven by innovation and creativity, then the state of New Jersey has taken these driving forces to a new extreme.

While the smart grid has been the topic of much conversation lately, specifics on what this supposed technical marvel will do, cost or look like in actual utility installations have been notably lacking.

It’s no news that coal-fired electricity generation is in decline in the United States. Falling natural gas prices and increasing pollution regulations are combining to put aging plants in many states out of business.

On the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Gulf Coast residents watched as Category 1 Hurricane Isaac bore down on the New Orleans region, evoking memories of the costliest U.S. hurricane disaster on record. On Aug.

Several solar industry training programs and facilities have been developed in various states, the most recent in Utah, to prepare the work force.

With the Institute of Electric Efficiency reporting more than 36 million smart meters installed from 2007 through May 2012 and a target of 65 million by 2015, it appears that smart meters are here to stay.

On most distribution networks (except maybe in rural areas), the voltage levels typically reduce to a couple of percentage points from nominal when the sun rises, people wake up and they start using more electricity. Conversely, as the sun sets, the voltage creeps back up, and by 10 p.m.