Preparing for Continued Renewable Generation Growth
Companies Announce New Residential Virtual Power Plant for California
(PowerMag) – A distributed energy power plant, designed to help bring more reliability to California’s power grid, is being developed by a company whose investors include Alphabet, the parent company of Google. The project when fully developed would be the world’s largest residential virtual power plant (VPP).
Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP), a group that builds, owns, operates, and invests in advanced infrastructure projects and technology companies, on Dec. 7 released details of a $100 million deal as part of Resilia, the company’s new advanced power grid platform. The agreement includes an $80 million commitment to finance the 550-MW Resi-Station project, along with a $20 million investment in OhmConnect, a partner in the VPP.
Growth of VPP installations has accelerated, particularly in areas that have sustained rolling blackouts and power outages. A project in South Australia, with Tesla taking a lead role, was touted as the world’s largest VPP when development began in 2018.
OhmConnect is a demand response and energy services technology company that works with residential electricity customers to predict, incentivize, and coordinate consumer energy savings. Resi-Station is expected to bring together thousands of electricity customers with in-home smart devices that can deliver targeted energy reductions supported by OhmConnect’s technology, according to SIP. The project’s investors also include the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, based in Toronto, Canada, which has long been a financial supporter of institutional infrastructure projects.
The Value of 3D CAD Modeling in Power Substation Design
3D CAD Modeling and 3D CAD Design enhances the design characteristics in many ways while providing several benefits. Design efficiencies are improved where traditional 2D drawing representations can be easily achieved from a completed 3D design versus manually drawing each 2D representation in CAD. Being able to view equipment, components, and systems in three dimensional space allows almost endless possibilities towards planning, implementation, construction, and manufacturing efforts, which is extremely important in the electric power industry. 3D CAD Design and Modeling is improving and aiding with power substation designs compared with 2D designs ….
Click here to continue reading….
AEP Continues Its Efforts Into the Power of Augmented Reality (AR)
As AEP continues to roll out augmented reality (AR) within their distribution and transmission organizations, they are beginning to realize the benefits of this transformative technology.
AR allows AEP foresters to see what trees are impacted and pose risks under a variety of potential weather conditions against the backdrop of the real world. It also improves the ways AEP distribution engineering technicians interact with customers in the field by showing them how designed lines would look on their property. In this live webinar, experts will discuss practical AR distribution and transmission applications and use cases being used at AEP to enhance interaction with customers, validate overhead and underground line designs, and mitigate clashes with structures.
See other information on VR Systems by 3 Phase Associates…
Basic of Designing Power Substations
Power substations are the most integral part of a power utilities’ electric system. Substations make up the various electric systems – power generation, transmission, and distribution systems. Power substations consist of power transformers, voltage/potential transformers, current transformers, electrical bus, foundations/structures, circuit breakers, switches, outdoor cabinets, control house, fencing, etc.
Many design aspects and processes go into engineering and designing a power substation from the ground up. This discusses the basic steps performed in planning and implementing a new substation.
Click here to continue reading….
Solar Power and Battery Storage Efficiencies Continue to Improve
The Solar Power and Battery Storage Industry continues to improve with greater efficiencies and lower costs mainly from better manufacturing practices of using newer silicon type materials. Management of these renewable systems are also adding enhanced productivity and control from advanced software solutions.
CLICK HERE to try out a free and basic online Grid-Tied Solar System Calculator (by 3 Phase Associates)