Category: Electric Power Grid

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3D CAD Modeling Substation Design

Substation-3D

By 3 Phase Associates:

Substations can be modelled in three-dimensions, allowing customers to see full scale in isometric views, or any views relative to positioning that they would not have had before with traditional 2D designs. Proper construction of electrical equipment in most 3D software also allows for efficient go-by production, as elements can be plugged in or removed in minutes, and entire substations can be remodeled according to revisions or to create whole new designs.

The ability to change the virtual materials of 3D models also allows for consistent and accurate representation of the substation. Instead of having a matte, grey mass in the shape of a transformer, circuit breaker, switches, concrete foundations, steel structures, insulators, and copper connection points can be expressed with proper physical dimensions of density, mass, etc., and includes appropriate colors that anyone who observes real-life substations can recognize.

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Two 230kV Power Delivery Substations in NC Damaged by Gunfire

NC-Substations

By MarketWatch:

A criminal act is being investigated by the local authorities and the FBI that caused major substation damage to its power transformers and other equipment. This criminal act occurred sometime on Saturday night, Dec 3, 2022, in Moore County, NC.

The repairs could take weeks while several customers will remain without power. Crews will be working around the clock in order to replace the damaged equipment and to restore the power outages.

“Andrew Wilkins, a conservation advocate who grew up in Moore County, was driving Saturday night from Washington to his parents’ small farm in Whispering Pines when he noticed all the street lights were out in the county seat of Carthage. He arrived to a ‘pitch black street’ and little information about the cause or scope of the blackout. ‘When the power was cut, the flow of information was cut too.’ ”

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China Reveals World’s Biggest Offshore Wind Turbine

China-Wind-Turbine

By PowerMag:

“Two Chinese companies announced production of the largest offshore wind turbine built to date, a 16-MW unit developed by China Three Gorges (CTG) and Goldwind.

The groups on Nov. 24 showed off the turbine at a factory in Fujian province. The turbine has a 252-meter rotor diameter, with a 50,000-meter sweep area. The hub height is 146 meters.

Lei Mingshan, chairman of CTG, in a statement said, ‘the successful rollout of the 16-MW unit marks that my country’s wind power equipment industry has achieved a historic leap from ‘following’ to ‘running alongside’ and then to ‘leading’, creating the latest benchmark for the development of global offshore wind power equipment.’ ”

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FERC Tightens Regulations for Inverter Based Resources

FERC-Regulatory

By Renewable Energy World:

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued “new mandatory standards for inverter-based resources (IBRs) in an effort to enhance the reliability of the bulk electric system. IBRs are solar photovoltaic, wind, fuel cell and battery storage resources that use power electronic devices to change direct current power to alternating current power, to be transmitted on the bulk-power system.

In its November 17 action orders, FERC focused on three IBR-relateded actions:

  • An order directing the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) to develop a plan to register the entities that own and operate IBRs;
  • A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to direct NERC to develop reliability standards for IBRs that cover data sharing, model validation, planning and operational studies, and performance requirements; and
  • An order approving reliability standards that are related to IBRs, which NERC proposed earlier in 2022.”

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Higher Electricity Prices Estimated for this Winter Season

Winter-Peak-Power-Demand

By UtilityDive:

The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) reported that “the grid operator’s extreme winter weather scenario shows that peak demand could increase to as much as 26,086 MW, higher than its previous all-time winter peak.

NYISO repeated its earlier warning that it expects a sharp rise in wholesale electricity prices, and in consumer bills, this winter due to lingering impacts of the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration projected that the price of natural gas delivered to electric generators would average $8.81/MMBtu this summer, up from $3.93/MMBtu in 2021.”

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Higher Fuel Costs and Power Outages Produced a Hard Spot for TVA in 2022

TVA-Power-Expenses

By PowerEngineering:

TVA’s financial statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) showed fuel and power purchased expenses up nearly $2 billion in FY ’22 compared to the previous fiscal year. “Total operating expenses rose $2.5 billion for the year that ended Sept. 30, as compared to the prior year.

These increases were primarily due to higher natural gas and coal prices, along with increased market prices of purchased power. TVA said its fuel expenses alone rose by $830 million year-over-year. TVA said the average price of natural gas was almost 90% higher in 2022 as compared to 2021.”

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