Category: Electric Power Infrastructure Upgrades

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TVA Is Better Prepared by Running Their Natural Gas Units During This Artic Blast!

TVA-Artic-Blast-2024

Chattanooga Times Free Press – Since the year end of 2022, Winter Storm Elliott buckled TVA’s Power Grid forcing them to cycle temporary power blackouts across the Tennessee Valley Region. The region has not seen rolling blackouts by TVA since “its 90-year history.” After experiencing these power shortages, TVA has had over a year to prepare for another frigid winter artic blast like the one that is challenging the region now by average temperatures dropping as low as the teens and the wind chill into the single digits.

TVA is better prepared this winter with recent generation upgrades and improvement projects, including running several natural gas units as peak shavers during this artic blast.
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EV’s Not Able to Charge During Frigid Temperatures!

Tesla-charge-problems
NPR News-Nam Y. Huh/AP

From NPR News – Due to the arctic blast and frigid temperatures well below zero degrees, many electric vehicles (EV’s) were sadly affected. Since the frigid temperatures in the northern part of the U.S. reached levels below the EV’s normal operating temperature ranges for their batteries, the vehicles could not be re-charged or maintain a constant charge. This presented major obstacles for many Tesla owners in Chicago along with longer than expected lines for Supercharger stations.

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TVA Will Improve Its Power Grid By $15 Billion Over Next 3-Years

TVA-Power-Grid

TVA’s load growth demand forecasted is expecting over a 30% increase in power demand within the next decade. Like other utilities trending away from fossil fuel power generation due to stringent carbon emission regulations, TVA is retiring their coal-powered plants and replacing with cleaner energy generation and renewable resources.

The trend of moving away from older fossil fuel technology to cleaner generation systems is very costly. TVA recognizes this and has approved moving forward with capital expenditures of $15 billion that it will invest over the next 3 years by performing system reliability upgrades and transition into cleaner energy supply.

(Continue Reading at TVA.com…)

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Pennsylvania Is Moving from Coal Power to Renewables

New-Solar-Power

As coal power and other fossil fuels continue to decline as the nation’s leading power generation source, more power utilities are increasing renewable energy sources such as solar power.

Pennsylvania is replacing their planned fossil fuel generation retirements with clean solar power. The state is helping promote more jobs and job transitions for the green switch from traditional carbon emission type power generation into renewable energy resources.

(Continue Reading at Powermag.com…)

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Multiple Power Utilities Affected by Recent Cyber Attacks!

Power-Utilities-Cyber-Attacks

The US Electrical Grid Infrastructure continues to be vulnerable to cyber attackers and foreign nation state adversaries in attempts to bring havoc on power systems that supply other critical infrastructures.

Cyber security protection continues to be a major focus on power utilities and other critical systems. These cyber threats continue after power companies and their contractors as in the recent attacks.

(Continue Reading)

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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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