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QT e-News™

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Volume 4, Issue 3 • Summer 2013

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Microgrids Are For RealBy Farid Katiraei, PhDRenewables Manager, Quanta Technology Expert

In the past few years, Microgrid devel-opments have grabbed the attention of various utilities and industries as a key part of system hardening and Smart Grid implementation. This is to enhance the reliability of the electric grid, as well as the power quality – particularly for the purpose of providing backup power supply during system restoration as a result of blackouts or natural disasters. Given that, the discus-sion around microgrids does not seem to be solely a research and/or academic ambition anymore; rather recently, several industrial assemblages and utility-oriented events are widely organized around the specific topic of microgrids.

Two of such recent events include the Microgrid World Forum, held in March 2013 in Irvine, California [1], and the second Microgrids Summit, held in late April 2013 in Arlington, Virginia [2]. Additionally, without exception, all major North American and/or international power and energy conferences

and symposiums (e.g., IEEE PES general meeting, IEEE T&D Conference, CIGRÉ, Distributech and Smart Grid Roadshows) have a number of panels and multiple paper presentations as an essential part of their agenda on the subject of Microgrid. To further emphasize, it is worth noticing the significant

governmental funding and the support of several pilot projects in the last two years. Over $600 million dollars is assigned by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Defense (DOD) in support of some 30 microgrid demonstration projects.

Microgrids Are For Real . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 1Letter from the President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 2DOE ARPA-E R&D Project – Transmission Congestion Management through Predictive Simulation & Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 5

U.S. Energy Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6Application of Robots for Transmission Line Asset Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8Damir Novosel, PhD, IEEE Fellow 2003 — Candidate for PES President 2016 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 11Sustainable Technology Integration Laboratory (QT-STIL™) . . Page 12International Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page14

Continued on page 3

Inside This Issue:

Smart Solutions, Practical Results

QUANTA TECHNOLOGY’S e-NE WS Page 2

LE T TER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Addressing Industry ChallengesDear Colleagues,

We are pleased to continue providing you with forward-thinking and timely articles in the QT e-News™ quarterly newsletter written by our industry experts. This issue discuss-es many of the topics that are trending in today’s energy market:

• Microgrids have grabbed the attention of the utility industry, including being a major component of system hardening and Smart Grid implementation. Farid Katiraei writes about how recent blackouts and natural disasters have brought more attention to the reliability of the electric grid. There is much worldwide interest regarding the characteristics, functions, architecture and technologies associated with microgrids.

• We are proud to inform you about our Sustainable Technology Integration Labo-ratory (QT-STIL™) that helps utilities with finalizing designs and testing of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) integration. It provides great value in getting from the proof-of-concept design stage to the proof-of-value performance evaluation of the integrated DER systems (renewable generation resources and energy storage) in a controlled lab environment. As it iden-tifies and remedies product and system integration issues, it is an essential part of the risk management process.

• Along those same infrastructure optimiza-tion lines, Quanta Technology is on the De-partment of Energy's ARPA-E project team

developing high-performance computing algorithms and software to make electric grid transmission more efficient. Guorui Zhang details the Transmission Congestion Management through Predictive Simulation & Optimization project.

• Today's U.S. energy trading markets are more efficient than they were over a decade ago. Srijib Mukherjee outlines the history and progress of traditional and market-regulated energy trading markets and the role of Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs) and Independent System Operators (ISOs).

• As electrical power systems face significant congestion issues, working on grid elements while energized provides significant savings to various stakeholders. An article by David Elizondo, "Application of Robots for Transmission Line Asset Man-agement" compares current state-of-the-art technologies and limitations of ground-based, line-suspended and aerial-based robots for use in transmission line asset management.

• The International Spotlight hosts a variety of current and future projects in Europe, Latin America, the Far East and India.

In addition, our team was glad to participate at the IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting in Vancouver, Canada in July. This meeting was very successful in addressing both practical issues and research topics,

bringing innovative solutions and ideas to our industry. It showed strength of IEEE PES global diversity and variety by combining international technical, business and academic knowledge and experience. An example was the very successful Late Breaking News Super Session on Managing Extreme Events that included executive and technical industry leadership discussing recent weather related and physical vandalism events and technolo-gies to manage those events better (includ-ing microgrids); challenges & solutions for gas & electrical interaction; lessons learned from the largest blackout ever in India; and technologies to simulate grid events.

Quanta Technology is pleased that you, our clients, have continued to engage us in a range of important projects, enabling us to continue to expand our expertise and strengthen our service to you. We hope that these articles whet your interest to discuss the subjects further and we would be pleased to hear from you on these and other industry topics.

Sincerely,

Damir Novosel and the Quanta Technology Team

2013 IEEE PES Prize Paper Award for "IEEE PSRC Report on Global Industry Experiences with System Integrity Protection Schemes (SIPS)" by Vahid Madani, IEEE, Damir Novosel, IEEE, et al. "Evolution Pathway towards Wide Area Monitoring and Protection – A Real-world Implementation of Centralized RAS System," by Edwin Liu, et al — IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, Special Issue on Transmission (2013)"Probabilistic Justification of Planning, Operating and Control Solutions" by Anatoliy Melkin — BPA Grid Transformation Workshop, Portland, OR (March 2013)"Integrating PEV into grid operation and planning" by Edwin Liu (June 2013)"Experiences with Storm Restoration and Hardening" by Le Xu, IEEE — Storm Experiences: Toward Smarter and Robust Grid panel, IEEE PES General Meeting (July 2013)"Managing Extreme Events & Other Factors Affecting the Electrical Grid" by Damir Novosel, IEEE — Late Breaking News Super Session (IEEE PES 2013)"Collaboration Is Key to DMS/OMS Changes" by Lisa Hahn, Principal Advisor and Project Manager, et al — Transmission & Distribution World (August 2013)

Recent Quanta Technology Presentations & Publications


Figure 1 shows the relative locations of the present microgrid demonstration projects in the United States.

The major drivers for microgrid developments are:

• The debates on improving the resilien-cy and reliability of the interconnected electric systems in the aftermath of recent blackouts and devastating natural disasters (storms and tsunamis) from one end.

• A paradigm shift toward customer-owned distributed generation for active partici-pation of end users in the development, enhancement and utilization of the energy delivery infrastructure from the other.

To name an existing precedent, Sendai Microgrid, one of the early pilot projects con-ducted by NEDO in Japan, survived the 2011 earthquake and managed to supply power to its customers (hospital, water treatment plan, nursing house and control center) during grid restoration [4].

For many utilities, thus, microgrids have become top choices in order to explore methods of improving power quality, as well as to provide power to customers during system restoration and maintenance periods. Based on the observations by the DG owners and also local users who have experienced major blackouts, many have raised concerns or questioned the inability of the existing and increasing amount of distributed energy resources (in the form of residential/ commer-cial Photovoltaic (PV) and wind generation systems) in serving the areas under outage and supplying power to local businesses. Aside from regulatory changes that are required to allow microgrid operations in the utility environment, several other technical challenges need to be investigated.

What is a Microgrid?When it comes to the definition of microgrids, proposed definitions and/or terminology descriptions in the technical literature or public domain seem to be noncompliant. Some would even argue that a microgrid is nothing new and is just another buzz word. To position the microgrids more clearly, at least for the purpose of this article, it is important to understand that an on-site, genset-based power generation system, and/or what is commonly known as an uninterruptable power supply (UPS), may not be qualified as a microgrid. Those systems could provide an alternative solution to the similar power outage issues mentioned earlier; yet, their applications are limited to the single purpose of local load supply that is just one of the many features of microgrids. The concept of microgrid extends beyond the electricity requirements and can consider heat and thermal energy needs of the users, as well.

According to the definition proposed by the U.S. DOE [3], A microgrid is an integrated

system that includes multiple distributed generation units (alternative and renewable sources) serving clusters of loads and con-sumers. In other words, the key distinguish-ing characteristic of microgrids from other systems is the integration of renewable en-ergy resources and loads through advanced controls (local and supervisory) to present the microgrid as a single, dispatchable entity to the rest of the grid. The microgrid is able to operate with the presence of the main grid (grid-connected operation) and/or in the absence of it (stand-alone operation).

The power management and energy ex-change in a microgrid is performed among multiple energy providers and users in a coordinated and autonomous fashion. In essence, involvement of multiple generation sources, including the main utility grid and the distributed resources as well as the need for supplying power to customers with different levels of power quality and reliability expectations, are the major challenges in the design and operation of a microgrid.

Microgrid ArchitectureBased on the applications and end users, microgrids are widely developed by utilities and private sectors (industries) or proposed for military purposes. Campus and community- based microgrids; however, have been the most attractive and cost-effective applications built upon co-location of multiple facilities, while sharing a common energy infrastructure.

Microgrids Are For Real — Continued from front cover

Figure 1 - Microgrid landscape in U.S. - Federal programs, institutions and the private sectors [3]

Figure 2 - Left: Sendai Microgrid Energy Center (photo courtesy of H. Keiichi, NTT Facility) - Right: Sendai Microgrid during the 2011 disaster (photo courtesy of A. Kwasinski, U. of Texas at Austin) Continued on page 4


Yet, recent advancements in Smart Grid technologies and deployment have gathered much interest in several other types of micro-grids, as shown in Figure 4, including:

• Utility Microgrid – An implementation owned and operated by the local utility incorporat-ing part of a distribution feeder or an entire substation. The utility microgrid is used to locally manage load growth and integration of renewable generation, while providing ancillary services such as reactive power management, demand response and premi-um power quality for the utility benefit and meeting customer needs.

• Multi-facility (campus) Microgrid – An energy infrastructure comprising several commercial buildings and/or public facilities. A multi-fa-cility microgrid may have a single or multiple Points of Interconnection (POIs) with the main utility grid. A well-known example is a microgrid built around a university campus or a military compound.

• Single-facility (residential/commercial) Microgrid – An individually owned and operated system to meet specific customer requirements. It may serve a residential application or small retail and commercial purposes. At commercial end, data centers and cellular communication providers have been implementing microgrids to secure cost-effective and high-quality power supply at reliability and security levels required for these systems.

• Remote Microgrid (mini-grid) – A system for electrification of isolated communities and non-integrated areas on geographic islands or hardly accessible regions. The microgrid archi-tecture facilitates contribution of renewable resources to reduce fossil fuel consumption and development of a sustainable environment.

Key Technologies & FunctionsMicrogrid design and development is a multi-disciplinary area involving several emerging, advanced technologies consisting of:

• Advanced controls and protection systems – for real-time control and operation

• Precision sensors and high-resolution mea-surement devices – for real-time monitoring and health status update

• Resource forecasting and scheduling schemes – for system optimization and reliability enhancement

• Communication infrastructure – for automa-tion, remote control and monitoring

• Next generation power electronics – as the interface media for distributed generation and energy storage apparatus, as well as power-conditioning systems (such as static switches, reactive power compensators, and active harmonic filters)

A microgrid has several modes of operation including: grid connected mode, islanding transition, stand-alone operation, re-syn-chronization and transition to the main grid after restoration. Each mode requires unique functionalities and an operation strategy. The control and protection methodologies are

conceptually different for the two situations of the grid-connected and islanded operation.

In the grid-connected mode, the primary control objective is to optimize operation in terms of increasing the renewable generation contribution, reducing losses and improving voltage/reactive power profile in an effort to maximize power delivery to the grid. The voltage and frequency is dictated by the grid.

On the contrary, the islanding and stand-alone operation mode requires precise voltage and frequency control and fast-acting power sharing among the resources to maintain stability of the microgrid. After the disconnec-tion from the grid, the short-circuit capacity of the islanded area is drastically reduced, which challenges the protection design.

Also, due to the incapability of the grid to supply reserve capacity requirements, energy storage unit and strategic demand response methods are applied to ensure the close balance between generation and load.

Microgrids Are For Real— Continued from page 3

Figure 4 - Microgrid types and applications

Figure 5 - Microgrid functional requirements

Figure 3 - Microgrid: An integrated system consisting of clusters of Load and Generation

Continued on page 5


DOE ARPA-E R&D Project Transmission Congestion Management through Predictive Simulation & OptimizationBy Guorui Zhang, PhD, Quanta Technology Executive Advisor

Transmission Congestion Management through Predictive Simulation and Optimization Transmission companies are facing a significant challenge to improve the transfer capabilities and reliability of existing grid transmission lines, reduce transmission congestion and improve the nation’s electricity infrastructure. Due to stressed conditions, heavy loads, variable renewable resources and responsive smart loads, there is substantial pressure to build new transmission lines in order to relieve congestion; however, building new lines is not necessarily the entire answer.

In an effort to optimize the electricity transmission infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency- Energy (DOE ARPA-E) awarded cutting-edge research projects to promote "transformational energy technologies" as part of its OPEN 2012 program. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Quan-ta Technology, PowerWorld and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), were granted R&D funding to support the development of in-novative mathematical, computational and optimization technologies under the "Non-Wire Methods for Transmission Congestion Manage-ment through Predictive Simulation and Optimization" project.

Quanta Technology will work with the project team to perform the following technical tasks as part of the research, development and demonstration of innovative solutions to help improve the compu-tation of the transfer capabilities of existing grid transmission paths and to reduce transmission congestion:

• Develop computation methods for simultaneous path ratings for multiple transmission paths using high-performance computing technologies.

• Perform benefit analysis of real-time transmission path rating.

• Demonstrate real-time path rating capability for congestion manage-ment with real-life dynamic models and operating conditions.

• Develop the implementation plan to market the technology.

The project team will develop high-performance computing algo-rithms and software to use power transmission lines in the electric grid more efficiently. By analyzing unused capacity of existing trans-mission lines, this software would significantly increase the efficiency of utilization of existing transmission infrastructure, eliminating or delaying the need to construct new costly transmission lines.

The fast simulation techniques and real-time transmission transfer capability evaluation methods to be developed will improve the tran-sient and voltage stability simulation at least 20 times faster, enable path rating studies to be performed at intervals of 5-10 minutes, and utilize existing transmission assets more efficiently.

Once developed, the technologies will be thoroughly evaluated and demonstrated with the power system models, data and operation scenarios from BPA. The developed technologies and solutions will be transferred to industry members, with a cost much lower than that of constructing new transmission lines.

In addition to autonomous control strate-gies applied through individual resource controllers, typically, an overall supervisory controller or a Microgrid Master Controller (MMC) is required to coordinate the operation of multiple generation sources and to ensure power balancing and energy management. MMC would also play the role of the interface and data exchange with the utility and system operators for participation in the energy market and coordination of the operation with the rest of the grid. Resource forecasting to properly determine expected power from the intermittent resources (PV and wind gener-ation), as well as monitoring the operational states of various components of the microgrid, are other functions of the MMC.

Experience & Service Offering for MicrogridsQuanta Technology experts are in the forefront of the microgrid development and

technology advancement. Our practical experience and deep understanding of various microgrid applications come from involvement in the design, technology selection, field deployment and operational analysis of several utility and government sponsored projects. Quanta Technology experts have helped utilities and manu-facturers develop functional specifications and define control requirements that led to enhancement of the existing products and facilitating planning and road mapping of the next generations of innovations.

Developing a robust design and reliable architecture that can survive harsh environ-ment is our key value added offering. We support project development from the early stage of the design with extensive simula-tion analysis and transition to the laboratory testing of the prototypes and final products,

as well as assistance during field deployment and performance evaluation. Quanta Technology has recently developed an autonomous controller and remote monitoring scheme for a microgrid application in collab-oration with a utility in the western United States. The system is laboratory tested and is ready for deployment in the field.

References for further reading:

[1] Microgrid World Forum website: http://www.microgri-dworldforum.com

[2] The 2nd Microgrid Summit website: http://www.infocastinc.com/events/microgrids13

[3] M. Smith, "Overview of Microgrid research and development – US department of energy", Microgrid international symposium, Sept. 2012, Portugal.

[4] H. Irie, "Sendai microgrid – introduction and use case", July 2012, http://e2rg.com/microgrid-2012/Send-ai_Irie.pdf

[5] International Microgrid Symposium website: http://der.lbl.gov

Microgrids Are For Real— Continued from page 4


Markets for delivering power to consumers are typically split into two systems: traditional regulated markets and market-regulated markets run by Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs), which include In-dependent System Operators (ISOs). RTOs use their market to make operational decisions, such as generator dispatch. Traditional systems rely on management to make those decisions, usually based on the cost of using various generators.

Typically the trading of power is split into over-the-counter (OTC), bilat-eral transactions and RTO transactions. Bilateral transactions occur in both traditional systems and in RTO regions, but in different ways. Pricing in both RTO and traditional regions incorporate both cost of service and market based rates.

Bilateral Transactions Bilateral or OTC transactions are agreements between two parties and do not occur through an RTO. In bilateral transactions, buyers and sellers know the identity of the party with whom they are doing business. Typically, they occur through direct contact and negotiation or through an electronic brokerage platform, such as the Intercontinen-tal Exchange (ICE).

The deals can range from standardized contract packages, such as those traded on ICE, to customized, complex contracts known as structured transactions. Whether the trade is done through ICE, directly between parties or through another type of broker, the trading of standard physical and financial products, such as next-day on-peak firm or swaps, allows index providers to survey traders and publish price indexes.

Physical bilateral trades involve the movement of energy from one point to another for which the parties reserve transmission capacity. Electric Utilities are required to post the availability of transmission

capacity on an Open Access Same-time Information System (OASIS) website. Traders typically reserve transmission capacity on OASIS at the same time they arrange the power contract.

Bilateral transactions conducted through RTOs are settled financially. Generators offer their power into the RTO markets, and load is served through the power dispatched by the RTO. The RTO then settles bilat-eral transactions based on the prices in the contracts and the prices that occurred in the RTO markets.

Traditional Power MarketsTraditional, wholesale electric markets exist primarily in the South-east, Southwest and Northwest United States. About 40% of all retail customers are traditional wholesale markets, where utilities are still responsible for system operations and management, and for providing power to retail customers. The responsibilities of a typical traditional market are:

• Generate or obtain power needed to serve customers (varies by state)

• Ensure the reliability of the U.S. transmission grid

• Balance supply and demand instantaneously

• Dispatch system resources as economically as possible

• Coordinate system dispatch with neighboring balancing authorities

• Plan for transmission requirements within the utility’s footprint

• Coordinate its system development with neighboring systems

Regional MarketsTwo thirds of the population of the U.S. and more than one-half of Canada's population is served by electric markets run by RTOs or ISOs. The main distinction between RTO/ISO markets and their predecessors (i.e., vertically integrated utilities, municipal utilities and co-ops) is that

RTO/ISO markets deliver reliable electricity through a competitive market mechanism.

The basic function of an RTO or ISO includes the following:

• Ensure the reliability of the transmission grid

• Operate the grid in a defined geographic footprint

• Balance supply and demand instantaneously

• Operate competitive non-discriminatory electric markets

• Provide non-discriminatory interconnection service to generators

• Plan for transmission expansion on a regional basis

RTOs and ISOs do not own transmission or gen-eration assets, perform the actual maintenance on generation or transmission equipment, or directly serve end use customers.

U.S. Energy Markets By Srijib Mukherjee, PhD, PE, Quanta Technology Principal Advisor, Asset Management

U.S. RTOs (Source: Energy Velocity)Continued on page 7


History - Perspective on the 1999 California Energy Market CollapseIn the summer of 1999, the lack of energy imports, transmission capacity, emissions restrictions, unplanned maintenance and natural

gas shortages combined to put intense upward pressure on energy prices paid in both the day-ahead and spot markets in California. Day-ahead market prices skyrock-eted to as much as 80 cents per kWh!

California utilities were bound to sell to consum-ers at 6 cents per kWh. Between the summers of 1999 and 2000, behavior in these markets began to resemble what critics of the California plan had predicted: an increasing number of transactions were leaving the day-ahead market run by the Power Exchanges (PX)

and then appearing again in the balancing market of the ISO, where wholesale prices were escalating even faster.

Generators typically earned a premium on top of the high price received for the actual generation of electricity for being on "stand-by status" in the event of an ISO-declared emergency. In effect, the mar-ket design that California erected created incentives for generators to withhold power from the day-ahead market and sell instead in the chaotic real-time market where the ISO operator was at a distinctive disadvantage, unable to see the generator’s costs.

Acting as purchasing agents for the utilities, the ISO had purchased $1 million in emergency power during the summer of 1999. By the summer of 2000, these purchases increased 100-fold, and the balancing market system, designed to manage no more than 5% of daily transactions, was handling as many as 30% excess daily transactions. An intense argument ensued as to the existence of mar-ket manipulation on the part of the generators, possibly colluding to withhold generation from the PX auction. This would both force prices to rise in the day-ahead market and increase activity in the reliability spot market run by the ISO.

Since that period of time, rules have been put into place to improve market efficiency. Today’s energy markets are efficient and non- discriminatory. They balance supply and demand and allow partic-ipants to competitively bid in, sell or buy energy in the U.S. Energy Trading Markets.

U.S. Energy Markets — Continued from page 6

Today’s energy

markets are efficient

and non-discriminant.

They balance supply

and demand and

allow participants to

competitively bid in,

sell or buy energy in

the U.S. Energy

Trading Markets.

Our Quanta Technology experts will be participating in the

Grid of the Future Symposium, sponsored by the CIGRÉ

U.S. National Committee (USNC), October 20-22, 2013 in

Boston. The theme is Technological Solutions to Regulatory

Challenges and will be a forum for the participants to discuss

stat-of-the-art innovations in generation, transmission, dis-

tribution and Smart Grid technologies. There will be plenary

sessions, technical paper sessions and tutorials by interna-

tional experts. See you there!


Three types of robot technologies are typically used for transmission line asset management: a) ground-based robots; b) robots suspended from the line; and c) aerial-based robots. For ground-based robots and robots suspended from the line, the key accomplishments and limitations for transmission line work and inspections are identified and transmission line changes that would facilitate technology adoption are presented. For aerial-based robots, the application of conventional aerial vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles are compared. Pictures of transmission line components taken with conventional aerial vehicles and UAV are shown as a proof of comparable results of the technologies.

Ground-Based RobotsElectric power utilities are interested in investigating the development of robotic-based maintenance, inspection, upgrade and construc-tion technologies for transmission lines, particularly with regard to how the accommodation of these technologies and practices could impact the design of transmission lines. The following outlines current technology for ground-based robots, accomplishments, limitations and proposed design changes that would facilitate the use of robots for transmission line inspection and maintenance.

Accomplishments

The current, state-of-the-art technology for ground-based robots can be described as a remotely operated and controlled heavy-duty arm that is able to capture and control energized conductors. An operator must be in the control loop, remotely operating the robotic arm. Typical maintenance related applications that have been successfully executed in a number of projects include:

• Transmission structure repair and replacement

• Insulator replacement

• Re-conductoring

• Replacing line spacers

• Addition of circuits to structures

• Selective transmission substations

• Emergency repairs and support for conductors when a new structure is not available in a timely manner

• Conductor repair

• Sleeve replacement

Limitations

The limitations or barriers of the current technology for ground-based robots are:

• Dead-end structures

• Delta "banjo" and other types of structures

• Conductor bundles in a vertical configuration

• Conductor carrying capability of 5000 pounds

A limitation of these ground-based robots is that they have not been able to handle the number of conductors or insulator configurations found in dead-end or angle transmission structures. This limitation is related to the bisector forces (forces in the horizontal and vertical axes) that these trans-mission line structures are designed to support. The ground-based robots by design provide full support for forces in the vertical axis and have very limited support for forces in the horizontal axis. A structure that supports bisector forces is shown in Figure 1.

Application of Robots for Transmission Line Asset ManagementBy David Elizondo, PhD

Continued on page 9

Proposed Design Changes for Ground-Based Robots

After considering a matrix of costs, the prioritization of transmission line design changes for ground-based robots for an H-frame 345 kV transmission structure is:

Limitation Transmission Line Design ChangeVertically bundled conductor Switch hardware to horizontal bundle

Vertically bundled conductor Install T2

Max vertical load exceeded in long spans Install composite conductor

Limits of approach/clearance Reframe/lower x-bracing & Insulator length increase

Figure 1 - Typical structure that ground-based robots cannot support due to the bisector forces.


Robots Suspended from the LineThis section reviews the technology accomplishments, limitations and proposed design changes that would facilitate the use of robots sus-pended from the line for transmission line inspection and maintenance.

Accomplishments

Robots suspended from the line are remotely operated from a controlled mobile platform (as opposed to autonomous robots). An operator must be in the control loop, remotely operating the robot. These robots are in constant communication with the operators located on the ground, and they transmit information of the monitored asset in real time. They are usually equipped with a GPS system for accurate location of transmission line defects.

The robots or moving platforms are able to travel over the live or ground conductor of transmission lines within different conductor slopes (usually no more than 30-35 degrees) and are able to pass through or cross over the following obstacles that are found attached to the conductors of transmission lines:

• Dampers for wind vibration (stockbridge)

• Double suspension clamps with yoke plates and bundled conductor clamps

• Single suspension clamp

• Spacers for bundled conductor

• Splices/sleeves

• Warning spheres or aerial markers (sizes: 11, 22, 100 inches in diameter)

• Trunnion clamps

These robots have been used mainly for particular applications, such as the inspection of transmission lines that cross difficult terrains like mountainous areas or large rivers.

The current state-of-the-art for robots suspended from the line indicates that the robots can perform the following tasks:

• Visual inspections with different types of cameras

• Application of specialized sensors

• Temporary repairs/adjustments of transmission line components

• Specialized applications

Limitations

The limitations or barriers of the current state of the art for robots suspended from the line include obstacles which this type of robot has not been able to overcome, such as:

• Dampers for wind vibration (spiral)

• Angle or dead-end insulator strings (strain clamps)

• Flying taps and other mid-span connections

• Galloping mitigation devices - interphase spacers, detuning pendulums, air foils, AR twisters

• Insulator weights

• Stand-off - post jumper insulation (with dead ends)

• Conductor bundles in a vertical configuration

The issue associated with insulation and/or conductor configurations typically found in angle and dead-end structures is the relatively large conductor slope found in the suspension jumpers and the inability of the mobile platform to advance in a controlled fashion and achieve a balance between the force of its own weight (due to mass and gravi-ty) and the mechanisms that are in contact with the conductor.

The feasibility and benefits of designing a line that could be main-tained and inspected by robots should consider the limitations previously identified and the recommended transmission line design changes. For example, while for dead-ends the most practical solution with the current state of robotic technology is to detach and re-attach robots when dead-end structures are encountered, in the future the idea of a fully-autonomous robot that can inspect an entire line should not be completely ignored.

Application of Robots for Transmission Line Asset Management — Continued from page 8

Continued on page 10

Proposed Design Changes for Robots Suspended from the Line

After considering of a matrix of costs, the prioritization of transmission line design changes for robots suspended from the line for an H-frame 345 kV transmission structure is:

Limitation Transmission Line ChangeDead-ends strain clamps New design of strain clamps

Galloping mitigation devices Installation of AR twisters

Dead-end strain insulators Running angle conversion

Limits of approach/clearance Reframe or lower x-bracing & insulator length increase

Figure 2 - Suspension jumper, for which robots suspended from the line cannot cross.


Aerial-Based RobotsElectric power utilities employ a number of inspection techniques to identify safety, maintenance and reliability issues and acquire the information that is needed to manage transmission line assets. As another tool to help meet customer requirements for availability and reliability, the application of robots to automate the inspection of transmission line assets is of increasing interest to electric power utilities, as this work is performed while the transmission lines are energized. Currently, electric power utilities are interested in inves-tigating the technology of aerial-based robots or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as the UAVs provide a unique perspective as they can fly close to the transmission lines to inspect the assets.

When comparing top-ranked UAV models to their conventional manned aerial-vehicle counterparts, we can conclude that UAVs are capable of taking panoramas, as well as detailed footage that is on par with the capabilities of conventional manned aerial vehicles. The UAVs have a superior performance with respect to data acquisition, as all top-ranked UAV technologies are able to transmit real-time information to the ground station, which is an advantage over unmanned aerial vehicles. After the regulatory and other technology adoption hurdles are over-come, UAVs are envisioned to replace current methods of inspection, such as conventional manned helicopters, and to some degree, replace ground patrols, climbing inspections, routine foot patrol, thermo vision patrols, right-of-way patrols and traditional aerial inspections. Visual inspections and emergency work after major storms are other foreseen applications.

Pictures of transmission line components taken with conventional aerial vehicles and UAV are shown in thefigures on this page.

The main barrier for technology adoption of UAVs in North America (USA and Canada) continues to be government regulations. Power utility companies or third-party companies operating UAVs for power line inspection would be considered a commer-cial operator. Under current U.S. regulations, there are no means to obtain an authorization

for commercial unmanned aerial vehicle operations in the National Airspace System (NAS). However, there are two possible mechanisms to operate UAVs in the NAS and outside restricted airspace: 1) using a special airworthiness certificate or 2) using a Certificate of Authorization (COA).

Conclusions & Next StepsIt is expected that electric power utilities will explore new evolving technologies for transmission line inspections and energized work. Ground-based robots will continue to be the technology of choice for heavy duty applications. The application of robots suspended from the line and unmanned aerial vehicles are expected to increase after sorting out the regulatory barriers.

AcknowledgementsPart of this work has been based on research projects conducted for CEATI international and the authors greatly appreciate its support.

Application of Robots for Transmission Line Asset Management — Continued from page 9

Figure 3 - Detailed picture taken from a manned aerial vehicle. Picture provided by CEATI sponsoring utilities.

Figure 6 - Panoramic pictures taken from a manned aerial vehicle. Provided by CEATI sponsoring utility.Figure 5 - Panoramic pictures taken

from an unmanned aerial vehicle. [Cyberhawk]

Figure 4 - Detailed pictures taken from an unmanned aerial vehicle. [Aerial Photography Specialist and Cyberhawk]


Damir Novosel, PhDIEEE Fellow 2003Candidate forPES President 2016

Dr. Damir Novosel, president of Quanta Technology, is among the distinguished nominees for the 2014-15 positions of IEEE PES president-elect, secretary, and treasurer:

President-electBruno MeyerDamir Novosel

SecretaryMini ThomasLina Bertling Tjernberg

TreasurerJovica MilanovicChristopher Root

In response to his nomination, Novosel stated, "I am proud of what PES has become and excited about what WE can do in the future! We are part of a vital industry that is re-inventing itself at a fast pace. Our industry’s metamorphosis has created an increased demand for practical expertise and a shortage of new talent to support the developing engineering technologies. PES Members have dedicated their time to these challenges and WE are providing the Power System Industry with Leadership and a Part-nership for a better future.”

Damir Novosel (SM 1994, F 2003) served as chair of the PES Technical Council, vice pres-ident of technology and a member of the PES Governing Board from 2010 to 2012. He is presently Technical Council Education Chair and Chair of the Long Range Planning Sub-committee for Technical Activities, Meetings,

and Publications. Dr. Novosel has been priv-ileged to participate in PES successes, such as growing membership, industry leadership, support to the industry through sharing best practices and attracting a younger generation of new thinkers to join ranks.

Damir holds 16 U.S. and international patents and published over 100 articles in Transactions, Journals and Proceedings, receiving a PES 2011 Prize Paper Award. Damir has been a continuing contributor to education, including an adjunct professorship of Electrical Engineering at North Carolina State University, sponsorship of college scholarship programs and support to industry courses and tutorials. He holds PhD and MSc degrees in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University, where he was a Fulbright scholar, and the University of Zagreb, Croatia.

Damir Novosel, PhD

PES Benchmarks & Successes include sponsoring global technical and business conferences, supporting worldwide membership in group strategy exchanges for better management of energy, business assets, education and career development programs.

Supportive partnership with you and other IEEE members, regions, and technical committees, incorporating your feedback and requests into policies and activities.

PES members compose 10% of overall worldwide IEEE membership and have published more than 50% of all IEEE Standards. Increased visibility will enable us to sponsor more programs, nurturing growth in the industry and technology.

Programs to energize and promote PES members at all grades, attracting new membership, meeting the requests for facilitating more tutorials, coaching and connection programs, partnering different disciplines and experience levels.

Programs to publically acknowledge and thank PES volunteers for their individual and group contributions and dedication. The Achievement Recognition Programs will include correspondence to employers and tributes at conferences.

In his candidate’s statement, Dr. Novosel enumerated his goals, “My major goal would be to strengthen our global diversity by combining technical, business and academic leadership experience to tap your innovative ideas.”

DAMIR

IRECTION

CTION

ERIT

INITIATIVE

ECOGNITION


Quanta Technology has recently established a Sustainable

Technology Integration Laboratory facility (QT-STIL™) to help

utilities with finalizing designs and testing of Distributed

Energy Resources (DER) integration in the distribution

systems controls and operation. The aim is to get from proof-

of-concept design stage to proof-of-value performance

evaluation of the integrated DER systems (renewable gener-

ation and energy storage) in a controlled lab environment.

One of the major challenges in control and monitoring of DERs is the communications among various power electronics, control, metering and protection devices from multiple vendors, as well as interface re-quirements with utility operation and control centers. Typically, not all the devices are using similar communication protocols. A variety of legacy and proprietary protocols can be expected. Several data mapping, device settings and configuration files need to be developed and tested to enable communications across gateways and protocol converters to facilitate command/data exchange among devices and data streaming to/from enterprise servers over secure communication networks. The end-to-end full operation of a system can better be evaluated if controls, measurements and communications are performed in a real setup where captured data represents meaningful states of operation and power flows.

QT-STIL™ is a flexible setup with regulated/unregulated ac and dc load buses (serving critical/sensitive and non-critical load types). The setup can be restructured based on various advanced integration concepts and utility applications, such as DER automation, microgrids, and community/home area energy systems with renewables (wind/PV) and plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) simulators. The typical scope of the tests that can be performed with this setup is to verify, troubleshoot, and finalize configurations and settings of the control & monitoring devices incorporated in the communications, remote dispatch and data monitor-ing architecture of distribution smart grid and DER integration projects prior to field deployment.

Sustainable Technology Integration Laboratory

QT-STIL™

For further information contact: Farid Katiraei, Shuvo Chowdhury, or Saman Alaeddini

Some examples of the recently completed tests on utility projects are:

• Remote control and dispatching of an energy storage unit as part of device and field acceptance testing – establishing remote controls and communications with the device to verify various energy storage applications and response to wind/solar fluctuations.

• Power quality measurement and data streaming - for remote monitoring and performance evaluation to validate mitigation solutions,

• Integrated control and monitoring of multiple DER devices with different communication protocols (DNP3 and Modbus over serial or TCP/IP) including Wind Inverter, Power Quality meters, Intertie protective relays, and revenue metering, etc.

Similar test setups have been also designed by Quanta experts for utility smart grid laboratories in North America.



For further information contact: Farid Katiraei, Shuvo Chowdhury, or Saman Alaeddini

Sustainable Technology Integration Laboratory — Continued from page 12


EuropeThe Quanta Technology Europe team partici-pated in several industry conferences across Europe. In June, Bas Kruimer presented at the Smart Grid Metrology Workshop in Noordwijk, The Netherlands speaking on the application of WAMS. This workshop was part of a European joint research project involving participants from 17 different coun-tries working together to explore metrology aspects of Smart Grid technology.

Bryan Gwyn presented on Protection Data Asset Management Protection Sensitivity Analysis using the CAPE software tool at the PAC (Protection Automation Control) World Conference in Dublin, Ireland.

In early July, Bas Kruimer served as chair and presenter at the UtiliNet Conference in Brussels, Belgium. Bas presented on Com-munication Aspects of Real-Time Monitoring & Control & IEC 61850 for Substation Auto-mation. The theme of this conference was understanding the migration of IP/Ethernet to enable Smart Grid improvements.

In the past three months, the Europe team has focused on extending their role in a substation refurbishment engineering project

with respect to protection and automation upgrading. They have been discussing applying PMU data for automated voltage regulation and grid transfer capacity and sta-bility, as well as using phasor measurements for distribution grid flow monitoring, early

warning and power quality. The team has also been exploring an opportunity to design and specify a substation automation system to be built next year using IEC 61850 system architecture, including process bus.

INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT

Far EastIn April, Edwin Liu served as the keynote instructor of the master sessions at the Smart Power & Electricity World Asia 2013 in Singapore by invitation. This event is one of the most influential and largest power and electricity conferences in the Asia Pacific region and was attended by over 1,200 executives. Our presence at this confer-ence was part of our initial exploration into doing business in Singapore, as well as other SE Asia countries. We have been very successful in Japan, Macau/China and Taiwan recently, and hope to further our presence in these regions.

Quanta Technology also began a research study project for III-Taiwan, “Demand Response Technology and Business Framework.” As a result of

a good relationship with a repeat customer based on previous performance, Quanta Technology kicked off this strategically important Demand Response (DR) project in May. It will also include organizing meetings with U.S. utilities for delegations from Taiwan in July.

As a result of several recommendations made on a past communication strategy project at CEM, it was confirmed that once approved by the regulator of Macau/China, several of these recommendations were turned into company initiatives to be implemented in 2014.

Bas Kruimer presenting at UtiliNet.



INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT — CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

India Quanta Technology recently finalized a project with TATA Power and USTDA. Both TATA Power and USTDA are very pleased with our work. In fact, USTDA plans to

showcase both our results, as well as our handling of the process and interaction with TATA Power, as an example of an outstand-ing collaboration.

Recently, India has been engaged in power sector reform in order to help stabilize the continuing issue of power shortages.

Quanta Technology has been actively following these reforms and proceeding with several opportunities in India during this time of change.

Latin America The Latin America team has been solidifying several opportunities in Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Panama and Guatemala. Quanta Tech-nology is in final negotiations with USTDA and XM of Colombia for a Synchrophasor Roadmap and Implementation Strategy Project. This contract leverages Quanta Technology’s expertise, as well as the good working relationship developed with XM over the course of past projects.

In Ecuador, the team successfully finished the FACTS Location Project for CENACE and conducted a two-day training seminar taught by Dr. David Elizondo and Dr. Aty Edris. Hans Candia presented the CENACE FACTS Technical and Economical Evaluation Project to the Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy of Ecuador. The project and its results were received with enthusiasm.

Quanta Technology has been awarded a contract with Centro Sur in Ecuador, one of the leading electric power distribution companies. The Latin America team will be

working in close collaboration with Centro Sur to improve planning and operation practices to facilitate a more robust and consistent dis-tribution system. The project will start with a face-to-face meeting and a one-day seminar on distribution automation in late July. Dr. Julio Romero Agüero, Ivette Sanchez and Dr. David Elizondo will participate in the meet-ings in the colonial city of Cuenca, Ecuador.

Caribbean Utilities Company also awarded Quanta Technology a contract to perform a Relay Coordination Study in preparation for new protective relay settings for an upgrade of their transmission system. Quanta Tech-nology is pleased to continue working with CUC on this extension of a past project.

(L-R) Dr. David Elizondo (QT Principal Advisor), John Lawhorn (MISO Sr. Director Pol-

icy and Economic Studies), Flora Flygt (ATC Strategic Planning and Policy Advisor),

David Hilt (QT Vice President, Transmission & Regulatory) in Medellín, Colombia for a

workshop with XM Colombia.


Abi Christoph, International Business Coordinator, supports the international consulting team relative to proposal writing, marketing material editing and meeting coordination. She joins the team after one year of marketing support with the company.

Shuvo Chowdhury, Engineer, specializes in Mechatronics and has a strong aptitude in the operation and integration of electromechanical devices. He also possesses expertise in CAD and computer programming.

James Bouford, Manager of Transmission, Northeast Region, has 45 years of experience in the electric power delivery industry with progressively challenging managerial positions, including V.P. of Engineering at National Grid. He has been involved in all technical aspects of the planning, design and operation of an electric utility, and has been recognized for developing and implementing innovative processes, procedures and solutions for problems facing the utility industry.

Kevin Fougere, Transmission Advisor with 15 years of experience in the U.S. electric utility industry, has ex-pertise in planning, transmission and distribution engineering, and software technical support. He has performed as well as directed studies, developed cost estimates and schedules for engineering studies and projects, managed workflow, provided training, engineering and software support, and developed post-processing tools to streamline analyses of load flow, short-circuit and stability program results.

WELCOME OUR NE W PEOPLE:

UPCOMING CONFERENCES

Quanta Technology, LLC, headquartered in Raleigh, NC with offices in Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Oakland, CA; Toronto, Ontario in Canada and a European office in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, is the expertise-based, independent consulting arm of Quanta Services. We provide business and technical expertise to energy utilities and the utility industry for deploying holistic and practical solutions that result in improved performance. Quanta Technology has grown to a client base of nearly 100 companies and to an exceptional staff – now more than 100 persons – many of whom are foremost industry experts for serving client needs.

Quanta Services, Inc., headquartered in Houston, TX, (NYSE: PWR), member of the S&P 500, with 2012 revenue of $5.9 billion, is the largest specialty engineering constructor in North America, serving energy companies and communication utilities, according to McGraw Hill’s ECN. More information is available at www.quantaservices.com.

ABOUT QUANTA TECHNOLOGY

Want to Receive Our Newsletter? Quanta Technology’s e-News online newsletter is published four times per year, in both electronic and printed form, and in special editions for important industry events. If you would like to receive your copy, please contact: Lisa Williams at (919) 334-3071 or lwilliams@quanta- technology.com.

Visit us at www.quanta-technology.com

July 21-25 2013 IEEE PES General Meeting

September 2013 2013 EMS User’s Conference

September 9-10 Cigre Canada 2013

September 8-12 IEEE PES 2013 Fall-Power Systems Relaying Committee (PSRC)

Sep 10-12 System Resiliency and Service Restoration Summit

Sep 23-24 Platt’s Transmission Planning & Development Conference

October 6-8 Utility Perspectives 2013

October 20-22 CIGRÉ Grid of the Future Symposium

Documents

Microgrids Are For Real - Quanta Technologyquanta-technology.com/sites/default/files/doc-files/QTeNews_summer.… · QUANTA TECHNOLOGY’S e-NEWS Page 2 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT