Infrastructure

In the Crosshairs

Protecting substations and transformers after the PG&E Metcalf attack.

The latest fallout from the April 2013 Metcalf incident: the unprecedented assault with high-powered rifles on PG&E’s Metcalf substation, in Silicon Valley, which disabled 17 of 20 large transformers.

Byline:

William Atkinson

Read Entire Article

Why Outage Management Must Change

Smart grid advancements call for a new approach to restoration.

The next-generation smart grid system must perform SCADA, DMS, and OMS functions using a single, common representation of the distribution network.

Byline:

Gary Ockwell

Read Entire Article

Cybersecurity and the PUC

Regulators and utilities should collaborate more to address cyber threats.

Public utility commissions face a growing need to understand cybersecurity issues, so they can address utility investments and processes. A collaborative approach will allow an effective response.

Byline:

Andy Bochman

Read Entire Article

Community Renaissance

When one age ends, another begins.

Community microgrids raise questions about the role of the utility franchise, versus the free market.

Byline:

Michael T. Burr, Editor-in-Chief

Read Entire Article

Customer First

Is the current regulatory compact in anyone’s best interests?

Serving customers’ needs should be a top priority for power companies, irrespective of the regulatory construct and business model. Transformation doesn’t change this basic fact, but how do we break the model without breaking the system?

Byline:

Charles Dickerson, Darren Brady, and Jamie Wimberly

Read Entire Article

Results-Based Regulation

A more dynamic approach to grid modernization.

The utility’s role is changing, and regulation must change along with it – to spur innovation and respond to evolving customer needs. Modernizing the industry will require a dynamic approach.

Byline:

David Malkin and Paul A. Centolella

Read Entire Article

Life in the Transco Age

The competitive transmission genie is out of the bottle.

FERC Orders 890 and 1000 have opened the doors to independent transcos, heralding an era of innovation to solve reliability and capacity problems.

Byline:

Elliot Roseman, Ken Collison, and Kiran Kumaraswamy

Read Entire Article

Don't Get Netflixed

The tide is turning. Are we planning for it – or hoping to stop it?

The central station system is the most cost-effective way to provide utility service, but that's beside the point. Customers don't care about 'utility service.'

Byline:

Michael T. Burr, Editor-in-Chief

Read Entire Article