Local Power Company Research Articles

Public-public partnerships : A twist on the traditional publicprivate partnership that works for your airport

As airport operators, the provision of chilled water and back-up power generation is a necessary element of our utility infrastructure. This paper outlines the benefits and pitfalls related to outsourcing this increasingly critical infrastructure to the local power company and describes the case of Orlando International Airport (MCO), which formed a public-public partnership with Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC). Over the course of a multiyear negotiation, we engaged OUC to take on operating the chilled water plant and the back-up generation facility for the airport’s new Terminal C. Throughout the negotiation, we addressed many challenges. The aim of this paper is to familiarise the airport operator with the transaction and some of the key issues we faced and resolved at MCO.

Spatial overlap in powerline collisions and vehicle strikes obscures the primary cause of avian mortality

Anthropogenic threats to Hawaii’s birds have resulted in numerous extinctions with many additional species now listed as threatened or endangered. Implementing conservation recovery plans for these birds requires identifying a comprehensive list of threats. Research from outside of Hawaii has shown that avian powerline collisions are one of the greatest anthropogenic causes of mortality. To date, with the exception of endangered seabirds, powerline collisions have not been considered a major threat to most native and endangered birds in Hawaii. This may be because Hawaiian species face a multitude of already identified threats with the clearest causes of mortality (e.g., vehicle collisions) often obscuring evidence of powerline collisions. We report a strong spatial correlation between roads and powerlines which increases the likelihood that birds colliding with powerlines are grounded on roads, where secondary vehicle collisions can confound the primary grounding cause. We recorded flight heights of all birds at powerlines and roads, as well as the frequency of flights directly at powerline and vehicle height. We observed 162 powerline collisions across ten native and endemic birds. We also collected a further 251 grounded native and endangered birds. For each of the grounded birds we evaluated the injuries the bird sustained and the grounding location itself using multiple factors to attribute the primary cause of grounding. Using this system, we classified these birds as follows - powerline collision (69.3%), vehicle strike (9.2%), and uncertain cause of grounding (21.5%). Overall, we confirm that 13 native and endangered species collided with powerlines, including all native and endemic waterbirds, and vehicle collisions were confirmed for three species. Our study clearly demonstrates that birds hitting powerlines can be grounded in roads and then secondarily run over by vehicles, which can obscure the primary cause of grounding. The obfuscation of powerline collision by secondary vehicle strike has previously prevented researchers and managers from identifying powerline collisions as a threat to native and endemic waterbirds. By using the data reported here, the local power company has implemented 170 km of bird-friendly powerline modifications including the removal of static lines, attachment of bird diverters and reconfigurations. These bird-friendly powerline modifications are the first of their kind in the state of Hawaii.

Energy benefits of green-wall shading based on novel-accurate apportionment of short-wave radiation components

Climber green wall can alleviate urban heat island and conserve energy, mainly attributed to shading of solar irradiance by vegetation, yet the mechanism has remained poorly understood. The radiation properties of transmissivity, reflectivity and absorptivity, and thermal properties of the building envelope equipped with green wall, jointly govern radiation transfer processes. This field-experimental study monitored in-situ the radiation regime of a climber green wall on a windowed building envelope using high-precision radiometers. The northeast-oriented green wall in humid-subtropical Hong Kong has Lonicera japonica climbers, with 0.24 leaf area index. Radiation properties and shading-induced energy savings were determined in summer and validated. An innovative radiation apportionment model (RAM) was developed to determine the short-wave transmissivity, reflectivity and absorptivity of the climber canopy which were respectively 0.382, 0.074 and 0.543 in sunny weather and 0.449, 0.098 and 0.454 in cloudy weather. For further model development, the extinction coefficient (κ) obtained from Beer’s Law was estimated at 4.00 and 3.34 in respective weather conditions. According to RAM outputs, shading alone could shield against insolation up to 497 W/m2 behind the canopy and 356 W/m2 in the indoor space. Taking the electricity tariff and the carbon intensity of electricity generation of a local power company, the average daily energy savings at 0.226 kWh/m2 were translated into monetary and carbon units, registering approximately USD0.03 and 0.062 kg CO2 respectively. The extrapolated seasonal savings from a total of six green walls installed at the experimental site could reach USD75.8 and 157.9 kg CO2.

A GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK FOR FINE SCALE URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE NETWORKS

Abstract. Understanding the spatial connectivity of urban infrastructure networks that connect assets to buildings is important for the fine-scale spatial analysis and modelling of the resource flows within cities. However, rarely are spatially explicit representations of infrastructure networks available for such analysis. Further, an appropriate database system is the core of development of an infrastructure assets information and management platform, capable of handling the wide range of data for infrastructure system modelling and analysis. In this paper, we develop a geospatial simulation and analysis framework, which is capable of generating fine-scale urban infrastructure networks and storing the network instances in a hybrid database system for further modelling and analysis needs. We demonstrate the use of this platform by simulating the entire-city electricity distribution network for the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Validation of the resulting network is performed using the network layout diagram from the local power company. The heuristically derived network was found to have a 91 % spatial accuracy.

Performance of the PV Subsystems in Smart Micro Grid Sumba

Smart Micro Grid (SMG) Sumba is inaugurated in 2012. The SMG consists of sub-system PV of a-Si/μc-Si with capasity 500 kWp, smart generator of 2x135 kVA, VRB of 2x240 kWh, and sub-system control and data communication. The output of the SMG is connected to the grid at 20 kV. Sub-system PV is connected to the 5 unit’s inverter of PV-grid type with each power capacity of 100 kW.At the beginning of operation, sub-system PV is operated at maximum level (100%). Electrical power is about 400 kW-500 kW supplied to the grid in clear daytime continuously from 10:00-15:00. When it is cloudy, the electrical energy supplied to the grid varies according to fluctuations in the intensity of light on the surface of PV arrays. Base load during the daytime in Southwest Sumba Regency at the time is about 1.5 MW, meaning that the contribution of electric energy of PV array is almost 30%. The change of cloud abruptly causes the output of PV to drop significantly, which could lead to black out at the local grid because the generators of PLN are not able to cover the power loss immediately. These restrictions result in Sumba SMG can not be operated optimally. Local power company can not tolerate frequent black outs due to the fluctuating of power injection from PV array.Over time some of the components of VRB are damaged so that the VRB is not enabled. Then, the SMG is applied to the extent of PV-grid connections, with the restriction of the power output of PV array at a rate of 30%, or power supplies 150 kW continuously during the daytime. As the SMG has been operated for about four years, the performance of the PV array has degraded about 20%-30%. The changes evidenced in the form of an electric current-voltage curves of PV module are measured by Sun-Simulator.In this paper, it is also discussed general information about the SMG system built in Southwest Sumba Regency, and specifically reviewing the performance of the sub-systems PV since it was built until now.

Research of Smart Payment System of Power Grid Using Strongly Sub-feasible SQP Algorithm

With the continuous development and perfection of “Internet + Electricity”, the regional grid operation has gradually realized the Internet-based automation. In order to improve the smart level of regional grid operation, this paper analyzes the status quo of power grid terminal in Fujian local power (group) company, and introduces the strongly sub-feasible sequence quadratic programming (SQP). The smart payment system based on strongly sub-feasible SQP algorithm is described by its structure, function and implementation process. Through the information technology to improve the efficiency of the service, so that payment staff and smart terminal of self-service payment system has been information between the interactive mode, the actual operation effect is good.

Optimal active distribution system management considering aggregated plug-in electric vehicles

Increasing distributed energy resources in the active distribution system requires greater flexibility of active management and better utilization of existing network assets. An optimal active management model is proposed in this paper for the flexible operation of the active distribution system from the view of maximum economic benefits of the local power company. This active management scheme is presented with the multi-period optimal power flow framework, which includes both generation curtailment and intelligent control of the aggregated PEVs. The behavior data of the PEVs are generated by Monte-Carlo simulations based on the probability functions. A generic active distribution network is used to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed model and strategies. Results show that high operational flexibility of an active distribution system can be achieved by employing intelligent strategies-based active management.

Short-term Forecast Technology in Load of Electrified Railway based on Wavelet-extreme Learning Machine

With the development of economy and the progress of science, the proportion of electrified railway load in the power gird has been keeping on increasing, which impacts the short-term forecasting in load a lot, therefore, it is very important to analyze short-term load of electrified railway forecasting. This paper analyzes the power gird load-forecasting considering the influence of the electrified railway load, and introduces wavelet mechanism for data processing based on the research of electrified railway load. The wavelet-extreme learning machine algorithm is proposed and used in the short-term forecast in load of electric railway on the platform of MATLAB. The application in the local electric power company indicates that the wavelet-extreme learning mechanism model has the features of accurate prediction, quick response, and strong practicability

The smallest user campaign to decrease energy consumption in two Mid-South neighborhoods: A field experiment

This report describes a partnership and campaign to build awareness and support for energy conservation in a Mid-South community. The partners included a state university, the local power company, and two neighborhoods in the local community. This partnership led to a field experiment that built community esprit along with increased knowledge of and attitudes toward energy conservation. It did not result in lower electricity and gas consumption. This attempt to influence citizen behavior featured extremely powerful pre-and post-test measures of unit electric and gas consumption.

Design and implementation of a PIR luminaire with zero standby power using a photovoltaic array in enough daylight

This paper further enhances the previous research into reducing the standby power consumption of a PIR luminaire. Generally, although a PIR luminaire will turn on when motion is detected and turn off when the motion is no longer present, the luminaire still consumes 1 to 3 W of power when the lamp is off and plugged in. In this design the luminaire consumes 1 mW when the light is turned off. The power consumption is lower than that in the previous design. This design is not only easy to set up but also inexpensive. A more effective circuit design is used to reduce the power consumption. Furthermore, a photovoltaic array is included in this design to reduce the consumption from the local electric power company. The standby power consumption of the luminaire is 1 mW in a darkroom and less than 1 mW in a non-darkroom. When the illumination intensity is greater than 150 lx, the consumption from the local electric power company is 0 W <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sup>

Multi-variable Echo State Network Optimized by Bayesian Regulation for Daily Peak Load Forecasting

In this paper, a multi-variable echo state network trained with Bayesian regulation has been developed for the short-time load forecasting. In this study, we focus on the generalization of a new recurrent network. Therefore, Bayesian regulation and Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm is adopted to modify the output weight. The model is verified by data from a local power company in south China and its performance is rather satisfactory. Besides, traditional methods are also used for the same task as comparison. The simulation results lead to the conclusion that the proposed scheme is feasible and has great robustness and satisfactory capacity of generalization.

Conserving outside protected areas: edge effects and avian electrocutions on the periphery of Special Protection Areas

SummaryElectrocution on power lines is one of the principal problems facing raptors and other medium- and large-sized birds at the global scale. The recent European-based Spanish state legislation on avian electrocutions has focused on Special Protection Areas (SPA). Here we evaluate whether this policy has been successful, using the Community of Valencia, Spain, as a regional model. We compiled a database of 400 electrocution events from information on electrocuted birds taken into Wildlife Recovery Centres and incidents registered by the main local power company during the last decade. A small proportion (c.18%) of electrocution casualties occurred within SPA boundaries but the 5 km wide belt immediately surrounding the SPAs produced more than three times the number of avian electrocutions (c.60% of the total recorded). This was probably caused by higher densities of both power lines and susceptible birds, and higher use of the pylons for perching and roosting in the areas surrounding the SPAs. We therefore conclude that the focus on preventative measures being applied within SPAs is inefficient and that action should be targeted in these peripheral areas. Our results illustrate a classic problem of an edge effect associated with a protected area, where external human influences directly affect the persistence of protected species within reserves. Equally, they support the idea that management strategies within parks cannot be independent of the human activities surrounding them.

New Jersey company to provide solar panels to local power company

New Jersey company to provide solar panels to local power company

Design and implementation of a socket with zero standby power using a photovoltaic array

This paper further enhances our previous research into reducing the standby power of electric home appliances. Turned-off electric home appliances generally still require standby power when they are plugged in. We present a way to reduce the standby power of a socket. Our socket supplies the appliances with power when the user turns them on. When the user turns them off, our socket shuts the electric power off and thus reduces the standby power. Our design, which uses an MCU, receives signals from a PIR sensor which detects the user approaching the socket. The MCU controls the SSR On/Off when used as an appliance switch for shutting off the standby power. A load current sensor circuit provides a signal to the MCU to keep the SSR on until the appliance has finished its work. The MCU monitoring program provides both automatic detection of the user by the PIR sensor and detection of the load current. The MCU with low-power technology has internal modules to simplify the hardware circuit design. The PV array is added in our design to reduce the consumption from the local electric power company. The standby power consumption of an appliance with our new design is 7 mW in a darkroom and less than 7 mW in a non-darkroom. When the illumination intensity suffices, the consumption is 0 W from the local electric power company.

The Origins of British Nuclear Culture, 1895–1939

The images are familiar and ineradicable: cities scorched by blasts of tremendous heat, with thousands of civilians vaporized, thousands of others burned and disfigured, landscapes rendered desolate and uninhabitable by radiation; submarines, automobiles, luxury liners, and airplanes powered by clumps of uranium the size of a human fist; homes heated and cooled by limitless supplies of cheap energy drawn from secure reactors; land-based particle beam weapons capable of destroying airborne missiles and thus of providing a protective shield for civilian populations; eccentric physicists with thick central European accents, unkempt hair, ill-fitting clothes, and a crazed gleam of unearthly mischief in their eyes; politicians, civil servants, joint chiefs blinkered by hatred and ambition, ignorant of even the first principles of science and technology, careless of civilians, reckless in brinksmanship, and arrogant in assessments of military capability.Such images, indeed, are part of the consciousness of all citizens of the atomic age: we who have stared at the newsreels of Nagasaki and Chernobyl, sat riveted with John Hersey's unforgettableHiroshima, laughed over the absurdities ofDr. Strangelove(1964), winced at the smiling publicity of atomic energy authorities or the local power company's plans for a new reactor, trembled at the apprarently inexorable proliferation of nuclear technologies into the Third and Fourth Worlds, or grown angry at the exaggerations—both budgetary and practical—of yet the latest “generation” of weapons systems. And yet the images of obliterated cities, atomic-powered ships, and particle beam weapons—images which have come to define so much of the anxiety as well as opportunity of the postwar world—all existed in the popular consciousness in Britain and America long before August 1945, before, indeed, December 1941 or even September 1939.

Look Up and Live!

This article presents guidelines for well drillers for avoiding electrical accidents. The following instructions are suggested: always consider all electric wires to be alive and dangerous; always maintain at least 20 feet (6 meters) of clearance from electric wires; never locate a well under or near overhead wires; local power companies can be called on for free assistance; insulate all the handles that are used to operate the rig; and the rig driver should make it a habit to jump clear and not swing from the cab whenever getting out of the truck cab. If the drilling rig does come into contact with overhead electric wires, do not touch any part of the equipment or attempt to enter or leave it, have someone call the local power company and local fire‐rescue squad immediately for their assistance, do not touch any person who may be in contact with the electrical current, and use a dry clean rope or a dry, unpainted wood pole to remove the victim, if a rescue is attempted.

Snow and Slush on Floating Lake Ice

The behaviour of a floating sheet of lake ice was investigated for the case when it becomes loaded by a layer of fresh snow which is later soaked with water. This latter condition interferes with the traditional horse races of St Moritz, which are held on the lake each year. A piezometric precision gauge which measures accurately the vertical movements of the floating ice relative to the free surface of the lake is described. The level of the lake, in turn, oscillates, depending on the use of water by the local power company. Detailed measurements from the winter of 1978-79 are presented, showing that the piezometric level rises in direct response to precipitation, and that it rises further when the snow becomes soaked with water. With a simple model it is shown that the ultimate level is a function of the snow density, and it is concluded that immediate compaction of falling snow is an appropriate measure to reduce the amount of water entering the snow. It is very unlikely that the oscillations of the level of the lake caused by the demands of the power company have an influence on the slush problem.

Snow and Slush on Floating Lake Ice

The behaviour of a floating sheet of lake ice was investigated for the case when it becomes loaded by a layer of fresh snow which is later soaked with water. This latter condition interferes with the traditional horse races of St Moritz, which are held on the lake each year. A piezometric precision gauge which measures accurately the vertical movements of the floating ice relative to the free surface of the lake is described. The level of the lake, in turn, oscillates, depending on the use of water by the local power company. Detailed measurements from the winter of 1978-79 are presented, showing that the piezometric level rises in direct response to precipitation, and that it rises further when the snow becomes soaked with water. With a simple model it is shown that the ultimate level is a function of the snow density, and it is concluded that immediate compaction of falling snow is an appropriate measure to reduce the amount of water entering the snow. It is very unlikely that the oscillations of the level of the lake caused by the demands of the power company have an influence on the slush problem.

World Events

"Oil prices have doubled in the past few weeks for Braintree's local power company, which serves this Boston suburb of forty thousand people. But even at twice the price, Braintree cannot find anyone to guarantee delivery in the cold months ahead."This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.

Pumping Station and Filtration Plant at St. Joseph, Michigan

The 4,000,000-gallon filtration plant and pumping station completed for the City of St. Joseph, Michigan, replaces an old steam plant which took its supply from the lake and delivered it into the distribution system without any other treatment than chlorination. This old plant, in addition to boilers and steam pump, included a producer gas plant and a gas engine and generator to provide power for the street lighting system, which is owned by the City. At the time the City decided to construct a filtration plant, studies were made to determine the best source of power for the pumping station and street lighting load. A rate of 1.5 cents per kilowatt hour was offered by the local power company and, after consideration of steam, diesel and purchased power, the City selected purchased power. The maximum daily pumpage at St. Joseph occurs during the summer months and has been about 2.6 million gallons. The City approved the construction of a filter plant having a capacity of 4,000,000 gallons, with 1,000,000 gallons of clear water storage capacity. Plans were prepared for such a plant, to be located near the site of the existing plant, and the general contract for the work was let in May, 1931.