SDG&E Crews Work to Restore Service After First Major Winter Storm
Heavy rain and high winds kept San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) crews busy throughout Monday evening, and they continue to make repairs to the electrical system and restore service to customers during the first major winter storm of the season in San Diego County.
The storm, which hit the county Sunday night, knocked out power to a total of 92,000 SDG&E customers in the first 24 hours. At the height of the storm, as many as 44,000 customers were affected byoutages scattered around the service area. As of 11:30 a.m. yesterday, about 1,772 remained without power. "Our crews have been working round-the-clock to restore power as safely and quickly as possible," said David L. Geier, vice president of electric transmission and distribution for SDG&E. Wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour along the coast and even stronger gusts in the mountains blew tree branches and other debris into our lines causing outages. I'd like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we continue with our restoration efforts today."
This morning, SDG&E is calling individual customers who have been without power since last night to update them on the status of repairs and when they can expect their electricity service to be restored.
The areas hardest hit by the storm include communities in the center city area and east county. Also, in Borrego Springs, the winds damaged three utility poles, which have to be replaced and the wire restrung.
"With another storm on the way later this week, we're gearing up for the next wave of potential system problems," said Geier
New Jersey and New York City Electricity Systems Now Talking to Each Other
Two major Northeastern U.S. power grids, in New Jersey and New York City, are now talking to each other and dispatching energy more efficiently and reliably using GE smart grid technology and capital. Three massive “variable frequency transformers” are converting up to 315 MW of electricity – enough for up to 300,000 homes – from the power system in New Jersey and feeding it to New York City.
The technology kickoff was celebrated during a dedication ceremony yesterday at the 900-MW Linden cogeneration power plant owned by GE Energy Financial Services, just up the road from where Thomas Edison designed the first reliable electric light bulb 130 years ago. It follows three years of planning, design, construction and testing.
The rotary-type transformers – in their largest application – help control the intersection of two of the two largest electrical demand centers in the United States, the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland (PJM) transmission system and the New York City section of the NYISO grid, which are connected by an upgraded cable buried 60 feet below the Arthur Kill waterway.
These variable frequency transformers are stabilizing New York City’s power grid, increasing energy reliability and providing consumers with more diverse and lower-cost power sources. Because of capacity constraints, New York City pays among the highest electricity costs in North America, creating demand for PJM’s historically lower-cost power generation. The technology also reduces the need for new power plants within the city, where siting is difficult and construction costs are high.
The variable frequency transformers provide a precise control path between electrical grids, permitting power exchanges previously impossible because of technical constraints. They enable transmission system operators to control power flows with high reliability, speed and efficiency, while offering flexibility in how utilities meet growing energy demand.
Four power marketing and trading companies are buying 300 MW of the power, in the first truly merchant U.S. transmission project, and reselling it to wholesale and retail customers in New York City. GE Energy Financial Services plans to auction the balance of the transformers’ output, 15 MW.
Tres Amigas Files with FERC for America’s First Renewable Energy Transmission Hub
Tres Amigas, LLC has submitted filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission requesting regulatory approvals needed to move forward with the Tres Amigas SuperStation, America’s first renewable energy transmission hub.
The SuperStation will be located in Clovis, New Mexico and will for the first time provide the capability to transfer thousands of megawatts of power between the three U.S. power grids – or “Interconnections” – known as the Eastern Interconnection, the Western Interconnection and the Texas Interconnection (also known as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT).
The filings made by Tres Amigas request that FERC:
- Provide Tres Amigas, LLC with negotiated rate authority over the sale of transmission rights through the SuperStation to allow power to be scheduled between the three U.S. power grids.
- Preserve the status quo by disclaiming jurisdiction over ERCOT following its connection to the Tres Amigas project.
“Since announcing the Tres Amigas SuperStation in early October 2009, interest in and support for the project has been simply overwhelming,” said Tres Amigas, LLC Chief Executive Officer Phil Harris. “The need for new transmission to take America’s renewable energy from its point of generation in remote areas to where it is needed most is self evident. By enabling the exchange of wind, solar and geothermal power between all three grids, the Tres Amigas SuperStation will help break our nation’s transmission bottleneck. We believe the merits of this project and the benefits it will provide to the U.S. warrant FERC approval.”
Similar to highway rotaries or roundabouts used for traffic flow control, multiple power transmission lines from each of the Interconnections will feed power into and out of the Tres Amigas SuperStation through Superconductor Electricity Pipelines. Tres Amigas will help ensure the efficient and reliable flow of power from multiple generation sources in all three power grids to customers across a wide area of the U.S.
“The United States is embarking on an aggressive renewable energy plan, yet we lack a national transmission backbone to support our vision,” U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman stated. “By tying the nation’s three power grids together, the Tres Amigas station will catalyze the adoption of renewable power while at the same time increasing the reliability of our electricity network, which is fundamental to the expansion of the U.S. economy.”
The Tres Amigas project has received strong endorsements from the state of New Mexico and key industry stakeholders. Following FERC approval, the company will begin negotiating with transmission companies that would like to connect to the SuperStation. Tres Amigas currently has letters of intent with four transmission companies and is in discussions with others. The project is expected to be completed and operational by the end of 2014.
Electric Co-Ops Offer Energy Saving Incentives to Members
Eight Michigan utilities have joined together under the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association (MECA) to form Energy Optimization, a consortium introducing energy efficiency programs and incentives to co-op member-consumers. The electric cooperative utilities include Alger Delta, headquartered in Gladstone; Cloverland, Dafter; Great Lakes Energy, Boyne City and Newaygo; Midwest Energy, Cassopolis and Adrian; Ontonagon County, Ontonagon; Thumb, Ubly; Homeworks Tri-County, Portland and Blanchard; and Presque Isle Electric & Gas, Onaway. Energy Optimization is rolling out programs now and into next year. Programs include an Energy Efficiency Assistance Program, which includes installation of energy-efficient measures for income-qualified ...Europe the Front-Runner at Copenhagen in the Smart Grid Space, Asserts Frost & Sullivan
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, European Smart Meter Markets, estimates the markets to reach $11 billion by 2015. The study covers automated meter infrastructure (AMI), IT systems and communication technologies. Members of the Smart Green Grid Initiative (SGGI), which includes the heavyweights General Electric, Landis+Gyr, Echelon and Google to name a few, are expected to hold smart grid-focused events at the UN talks in Copenhagen. Europe, being a front-runner in the smart grid space with Italy leading the way since 2005, has seen continuous development.E SOURCE Announces Top Utilities in Large Business Customer Satisfaction
E SOURCE has announced the results of the 2009 E SOURCE Gap and Priority Benchmark: A Survey of Managed Accounts. The top-performing utilities that participated in this year's survey are Silicon Valley Power and MidAmerican Energy. The E SOURCE Gap and Priority Benchmark, which will be administered annually, is based on survey responses from more than 750 U.S. utility large business customers. In addition to indicating their most important priorities, customers were asked to rate their satisfaction and the overall value provided by their utility and their utility account representative.
BPA Proposes Construction of 500-kV Transmission Line
The Bonneville Power Administration is proposing construction of a new 500-kV transmission line to meet increasing demands for electricity along Washington and Oregon’s I-5 corridor. The line would meet growing local and regional energy demands and help bolster the BPA transmission system to accommodate energy deliveries, including wind power. The proposed line, known as the I-5 Corridor Reinforcement Project, would run between a new substation in the Castle Rock area of Washington and a new substation in Troutdale
