Southern California Edison Company Research Articles

Analysis of utility wildfire risk assessments and mitigations in California

Utility-related ignitions have historically been correlated with catastrophic wildfire. First noted in Australia and Southern California, as climate-change related drought has increased catastrophic wildfires from utility ignitions now plague the western US. Regulatory changes now require California utilities to analyze and mitigate wildfire risk. This analysis reviews recent data and risk assessments from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Southern California Edison Company (SCE), and San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E), California's largest electrical utilities. While utilities have adopted data science methodology, covariates capturing extreme weather effects are missing and tools lack mechanisms to incorporate causal linkage between likelihood and consequence models. Consequently, risk models incorrectly prioritize risk drivers, such as vegetation, equipment, or external agents. Additionally, match-drop wildfire spread calculations fail to represent large fires due to limited run time. Risk models also fail to incorporate the health effects of wildfire smoke. Power shutoff is an effective mitigation during extreme weather events, but causes significant public harm. “Hardening” programs, especially undergrounding lines, are effective but their expense threatens public health for the poorest. Accurate balancing of wildfire risks, risk of power loss, and financial impacts on vulnerable populations, in conjunction with application of new technology is required to address the utility wildfire problem.

Electromagnetic Fields Associated with Commercial Solar Photovoltaic Electric Power Generating Facilities

The southwest region of the United States is expected to experience an expansion of commercial solar photovoltaic generation facilities over the next 25 years. A solar facility converts direct current generated by the solar panels to three-phase 60-Hz power that is fed to the grid. This conversion involves sequential processing of the direct current through an inverter that produces low-voltage three-phase power, which is stepped up to distribution voltage (∼12 kV) through a transformer. This study characterized magnetic and electric fields between the frequencies of 0 Hz and 3 GHz at two facilities operated by the Southern California Edison Company in Porterville, CA and San Bernardino, CA. Static magnetic fields were very small compared to exposure limits established by IEEE and ICNIRP. The highest 60-Hz magnetic fields were measured adjacent to transformers and inverters, and radiofrequency fields from 5–100 kHz were associated with the inverters. The fields measured complied in every case with IEEE controlled and ICNIRP occupational exposure limits. In all cases, electric fields were negligible compared to IEEE and ICNIRP limits across the spectrum measured and when compared to the FCC limits (≥0.3 MHz).

Generating Infrastructural Invisibility: Insulation, Interconnection, and Avian Excrement in the Southern California Power Grid

Abstract The fact that industrial infrastructures are embedded in complex environments animated by unexpected agencies is often invisible to their users—at least those who live in rich, industrialized societies with reliable systems for distributing water, power, and other goods and services. This article investigates how that invisibility is generated through a case study of electric power transmission in California in the early twentieth century. In the 1910s, the Pacific Light and Power Company constructed a 150,000-volt transmission line that delivered power from the Big Creek hydroelectric complex in the Sierra Nevada to customers in Los Angeles, more than 240 miles (386 kilometers) away. When the Southern California Edison Company upgraded this line to 220,000 volts in the early 1920s, the rate of disruptive “flashovers” on the line jumped dramatically. After months of investigation, the cause was determined to be excrement from birds perching on the transmission towers. To render this and other sources of interruption invisible to users, two techniques were used: insulation and interconnection. These kinds of humble techniques of separation and resilience are ubiquitous in modern infrastructure. By creating and maintaining divisions, they make it possible for new kinds of agency to emerge. Infrastructures become animate: responsive to their environments in ways that allow them to persist in the face of continual change.

The Apotheosis of Power: Corporate Mural Commissions in Los Angeles During the 1930S

While examples of both governmental patronage and private sponsorship of art during the 1930s have been well documented, the history of corporate commissions has not yet received the same degree of critical attention. By tracing the development of corporate mural commissions in Los Angeles during the 1930s, larger concepts emerge beyond that of simple corporate branding. Labor, modernity's notion of progress, local history, civic identity and art's pedagogical purpose are the themes found within the murals which reflect the complicated, and often paradoxical, role of private corporations in this emerging city. The inclusion of murals by local artists Hugo Ballin, Conrad Buff and Barse Miller within the highly trafficked lobbies of the corporate headquarters for the Title Guarantee and Trust Company (1931), the Southern California Edison Company (1931) and the Los Angeles Times (1935) was a way for these powerful corporations to frame public opinion about business through carefully constructed narratives of local history that place the corporation as the major vehicle of urban growth and remind viewers of their on-going investment in the city's cultural and civic history.

Table of Contents

Abstract NEWS Groups identify key steps to successful pro bono projects HSBC launches 5‐year, $100 million water/sanitation initiative SCUTTLEBUTT SPOTLIGHT Utilities industry Exelon Corporation Florida Power & Light Company Southern California Edison Company NV Energy Inc. Natural resources industry International Paper Company Shell Oil Company Louisiana‐Pacific Corp. Alpha Natural Resources Inc. GRANT ALERTS Arts and Culture Endangered Language Fund grants for tribal programs New England Native Arts grants California playwright grants Education Meemic Foundation grants for classroom projects Kauffman Dissertation Fellowships Class project grants for North Carolina teachers Environment Green Communities grants for green building design Patagonia environmental activism grants Health Shared Services Learning Community grants Religion Louisville Institute's Pastoral Study Project grants Social Science New York Community Trust's Social Work grants

Heavy-Duty PHEV Yard Tractor: Controlled Testing and Field Results

Diesel powered tractors are used to shuttle cargo trailers from point to point within the confines of a port facility, terminal or warehouse yard. Such operations are similar to those in ground support applications at airports and in industrial warehouses with lift trucks, in that the vehicles are used as tools to move goods in a semi-regular pattern. Southern California Edison Company (SCE) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have partnered to help electrify vehicle operations in both of those venues with great success and see good prospects for the same at port operations. However, current port operations might require large investments in infrastructure and operational changes to implement electric drive all at once. To help demonstrate the benefits of electric drive without requiring large-scale changes, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) yard tractor design was proposed by EPRI and member utilities as a means to reduce operational emissions and diesel fuel use. Four member utility companies with large port customers in their service area (SCE, Southern Company, CenterPoint Energy, and New York Power Authority) agreed to work with EPRI to study the benefits and impacts of a PHEV yard tractor. In 2007 the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) contracted US Hybrid Corporation (USH) to design and construct a unique PHEV yard tractor. SCE agreed to test and evaluate the PHEV yard tractor for EPRI. To properly evaluate the benefits realized by the yard tractor in comparison to unmodified conventional yard tractors as well as other alternative fueled tractors, SCE had to test the tractor in controlled conditions with realistic loads in addition to field testing. SCE developed test procedures for controlled testing and for field evaluation. The field testing was conducted in four ports across the United States, each with different operating conditions and climate: Long Beach, California; Houston, Texas; Savannah, Georgia; and New York City. SCE designed a test procedure that simulates an accelerated duty cycle of cargo operations. The accelerated duty cycle has multiple starts and stops and little idle time. SCE measured the idling fuel consumption separately so it can be inserted to match the duty cycle of any particular port. The test cycle was performed with the vehicle both unloaded and loaded to profile the effects of load on system efficiencies. SCE also tested the battery and charger performance of the PHEV, and as a comparison, tested an unmodified yard tractor. In the accelerated testing, SCE found the PHEV fuel savings were as high as 60% (on a per-cycle basis) when compared to a stock diesel Kalmar tractor, and up to 35% fuel savings versus operating the PHEV tractor as a hybrid (i.e, not charging it), In charge sustaining operation, the fuel savings are as high as 40% compared to the stock vehicle. On a daily-operation basis, the projected fuel savings on a duty cycle similar to the SCE test cycle could be as low as 35% but as high as 60% with significant amounts of idling and low speed operation. The field test results show good fuel economy but are complicated by reliability issues that reduced the operational time of the prototype PHEV vehicle. Also, it was difficult to get fleet fuel use data. It was the intention in the project to compare the test vehicle’s results with the fleet average fuel use per unit time. These results will be discussed in the body of the paper. Port operators, in general, appreciated the engineoff mode’s reduced noise and exhaust. The US Hybrid prototype PHEV yard tractor has the potential to significantly reduce fuel consumption, as demonstrated in the SCE tests. Performance issues with the prototype prevented full duty in the field tests. Further testing, with a more reliable vehicle incorporating the key system improvements learned from this project, is worth pursuing to determine if the potential fuel savings can be fully realized in larger scale. Furthermore, the techniques and testing methods described can be used for other alternatively-fueled yard tractors.

US effort on HTS power transformers

Waukesha Electric Systems has been working in HTS power transformers development program under the auspices of US Government Department of Energy since 1994. This presentation will describe various milestones for this program and program history along with the lessons learned along the way. Our motivations for working on this development program based on man benefits offered by HTS power transformers to power delivery systems will be discussed.Based on various issues encountered during execution of many HTS projects, DOE has set up an independent program review process that is lead by team of experts. This team reviews are integral part of all DOE HTS projects. Success of all projects would be greatly enhanced by identifying critical issues early in the program. Requiring appropriate actions to mitigate the issues before processing further will lead to proactive interrogation and incorporation of expert’s ideas in the project plans. Working of this review process will be also described in this presentation.Waukesha Electric Systems team including: Superpower-Inc, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Houston Center for Superconductivity and Southern California Edison company was awarded a cost share grant by US Government in 2010 for development of a fault current limiting HTS power transformer. This multi year’s program will require design, manufacture, installation, and monitoring of a 28MVA tree phase transformer installed at Irvine CA. Smart Grid demonstration site.Transformer specifications along with requirements for fault current limiting and site requirement will be discussed. Design and development of various sub systems in support of this program including: HTS conductor performance specification, Dielectric system design approach, Dewar development for containing phase assemblies, cryo-cooling system design approach, etc. will be described.Finally; overall program schedule, critical milestone events, test plans and progress to date will be reported.

Role of Forward-Pricing Instruments by Industrials vs. Electrics

Natural GasVolume 8, Issue 5 p. 8-10 Article Role of Forward-Pricing Instruments by Industrials vs. Electrics James S. Garces, James S. Garces James S. Garces is a strategic fuels planner for Southern California Edison Company, South El Monte, California. He is also a member of the faculty of the University of Phoenix, at the Los Angeles campusSearch for more papers by this author James S. Garces, James S. Garces James S. Garces is a strategic fuels planner for Southern California Edison Company, South El Monte, California. He is also a member of the faculty of the University of Phoenix, at the Los Angeles campusSearch for more papers by this author First published: December 1991 https://doi.org/10.1002/gas.3410080504 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume8, Issue5December 1991Pages 8-10 RelatedInformation

Heavy Duty Hybrid Vehicle Evaluations in Utility Fleet Applications

Southern California Edison Company (SCE) has shown a commitment to deploying vehicles in its fleet that meet or exceed emissions standards, emit lower greenhouse gases, and reduce use of petroleum. This has been best demonstrated by operating the nation's largest electric vehicle utility fleet to conduct daily business, as well as demonstrations of hydrogen, fuel cell, and hybrid vehicles. SCE has also for many years been evaluating heavy-duty hybrid technology for use in its fleet. Heavy duty vehicles use a large amount of fuel, and thus even a small percentage savings is significant in terms of total amount of fuel displaced. SCE's fleet uses millions of gallons of fuel per year, much of that being used to run trucks. In addition, the purchase price premium associated with hybrid vehicles is potentially much lower on a percentage basis than with light-duty vehicles. Recently, SCE took part in a national consortium to specify and order a limited number of prototype Class 6 hybrid-electric utility trucks. In conjunction, SCE developed extensive test and evaluation procedures using sophisticated methods and equipment. SCE received its truck in December of 2006. This paper will detail SCE's evaluation procedures and philosophies and give some details on preliminary experiences.

Occupational magnetic field exposure and cardiovascular mortality in a cohort of electric utility workers.

In electric utility workers, occupational exposure to magnetic fields has previously been associated with mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and arrhythmia but not from chronic coronary heart disease (CCHD) or atherosclerosis. To investigate these health endpoints further, the authors examined mortality from AMI (n = 407) and CCHD (n = 369) in a cohort of 35,391 male workers at the Southern California Edison Company between 1960 and 1992. Exposure was estimated according to duration of employment in occupations associated with high levels of magnetic field exposure and was calculated as cumulative exposure to magnetic fields expressed in micro-Tesla-years. Adjustment was made for age, calendar time, socioeconomic status, race, and worker status (active or inactive). The authors found that men working longer in high-exposure occupations or working as electricians, linemen, or power plant operators had no increased risk of dying from either AMI or CCHD compared with men who never worked in high-exposure occupations. For cumulative exposure, no association was observed with mortality from AMI (rate ratio per 1 micro T-year = 1.01, 95% confidence interval: 0.99, 1.02) or CCHD (rate ratio per 1 micro T-year = 1.00, 95% confidence interval: 0.99, 1.02). These results, indicating no exposure-related risk increase for AMI mortality, do not confirm previous results.

MARGINAL COST PRICING FOR UTILITIES: A DIGEST OF THE CALIFORNIA EXPERIENCE

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has adopted the policy of using marginal costs as the basis for the pricing of regulated electric services (the “Marginal Cost Pricing Doctrine”). The record of actions taken by the CPUC to translate the doctrine into pragmatic pricing techniques spans 21 years from 1976, when the policy was adopted, to March 1997. Its pricing edicts for regulated electric rates of the three large California utilities—Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG &E), Southern California Edison Company (SCE or Edison), and San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG &E)—are significant incursions into microeconomic price theory. (JEL D6, B4, N7)

Use of the Safety Monitor in operational decision-making at a nuclear generating facility

The utilization of Safety Monitor at a nuclear generating facility in 1994 revolutionized the way US nuclear power plants manage configuration risks. At Southern California Edison (SCE) Company's San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, it transformed probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) from a retrospective tool for understanding past risk into a prospective tool for controlling future risk. Since that time, many other nuclear utilities have taken aggressive steps in using PRA better to understand and manage risks associated with plant operation and maintenance. These utilities have employed a variety of methods ranging from systems similar to San Onofre's Safety Monitor to systems dramatically different in both technology and philosophy. In the development and use of its Safety Monitor, SCE has been guided by two philosophical goals: (1) maximize the objectivity of PRA-informed decision-making relative to managing configuration risks, and (2) ensure that risks are managed conservatively.

The Authors Reply

Health Research and Evaluation Division, Southern California Edison Company, 8631 Rush Street, 4th Floor, Rosemead, CA 91770 (address correspondence to: Jack D. Sahl) Environmental Health Strategies Inc. Palo Alto, CA

Outlook for California's Electric Utility Industry

This article describes how the Southern California Edison Company deals with revolutionary change as the state`s electricity industry reinvents itself. The topics of the article include how competition has make things better for SCEC`s employees, customers, and shareholders, and an outline of the principal features of the electric utility industry in California.

Industrial Injury Cost Analysis by Occupation in an Electric Utility

The objective of this study was to establish a cost base of industrial injuries by occupations at the Southern California Edison Company (SCE). The cost base is a risk management tool to project future costs of current injuries by occupation. It provides an estimation of anticipated cost for use in strategic program development. The SCE workers' compensation database of industrial injuries was used in this study. Cost data from 1980 to 1987 were converted to 1993 dollars. Several years must elapse for the total cost data to accrue for complex medical lost time injury cases. The total average cost per injury for the 46 occupations was $5173. The occupational total average injury cost range was $300-$19 500, a difference in total average injury cost of more than $19 000. The costing model developed included three major cost categories: lost productivity, medical, and indemnity. It is a conservative estimate of the actual cost of an average injury event. Reducing injury rates in high total average injury cost occupations offers the maximum potential for cost savings.

Continuing Advancements in In-Core Power Distribution Measurement Methods Using SIMULATE-3 and CECOR 3.4

A method for the generation of in-core constants from the SIMULATE-3 advanced reactor analysis code is presented. This method builds on prior work at the Southern California Edison Company for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and is now applied to the Combustion Engineering System 80{trademark} units at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS). Power-to-signal ratios, assembly coupling coefficients, pin peaking factors, and Fourier Series analysis are shown to reproduce the SIMULATE-3 solution extremely well. Correction of SIMULATE-3 calculated in-core detector fluxes and cross sections for rhodium shielding and homogeneous-to-heterogeneous geometries are discussed. Calculated and measured detector signals are compared to confirm the ability to calculate the rhodium reaction rates needed for the power-to-signal ratio and are found to be within 2%. Core maximum power peaking factors and a radial assembly power distribution for PVNGS Unit 3 cycle 5 show excellent agreement with differences <2% in maximum power locations. This work is the basis for future improved reactor surveillance methods, with the realization of significant thermal margin gains from reduced uncertainties in the core protection system.

Electric vehicles and the electric utility company

This article describes the probable impacts of electric vehicles on the utilities which will provide their electricity. It draws on the results of a recent case study of the Southern California Edison Company. The impacts on the system if millions of electric vehicles were to appear in southern California over the next 20 years are described, and the conditions under which the findings may be transferred to utilities outside southern California are explained. The paper concludes by discussing the effect of incentives that the utility company or the state of California might provide to promote the sale of electric vehicles.

The Los Angeles Aerosol Characterization and Source Apportionment Study: An Overview

The Los Angeles Aerosol Characterization and Source Apportionment Study (LA-ACSAS) is a decade-long laboratory and field study undertaken by the Southern California Edison Company (SCE) to characterize the chemical composition of fine (d p < 3.5 μm) particles, PM3,5, in the Los Angeles Basin, in terms of sulfate, nitrate, organic compounds and trace metals and apportion their sources. This paper provides an overview of the study results and summarizes the important conclusions regarding the composition and sources of PMJS in the Los Angeles Basin, especially regarding the organic fraction.

Study finds no cancer link to electromagnetic fields

The Southern California Edison Company reports a study of their personnel which looks for an association between exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and deaths due to cancer (emphasis on leukemia, brain cancer and lymphoma). A total of 36,221 employees who had been employed by the company for at least one year were included in the study. The results appear to weaken the argument that EMF is the cause of cancer in the company work environment. The study is said to be an improvement over previous studies in that all personnel from a well-defined work environment were included, complete work histories were included, actual measurements of magnetic fields were performed, and state-of-the-art methods of analysis were used. The relevance of these results to the non-Edison work environment or community exposures is uncertain and to childhood cancers is still more uncertain. The company plans to update these data and perform additional analyses as part of its policy to study and evaluate the occupational implications of EMF.

Generation: a corporate-sponsored retiree health care program.

Generation is a geriatric clinic program sponsored by Southern California Edison Company for the company's retirees and their dependents. This innovative program uses a multidisciplinary team approach, including a comprehensive health and psychosocial assessment, complete medication review, retiree advisors, health promotion programs, and case management services. In its pilot phase, Generation has served more than 175 Edison retirees and dependents aged 53-96. In addition to traditional medical care, participants receive aggressive intervention regarding polypharmacy problems, health education workshops, individual and group counseling, and access to community resources. Ongoing research seeks to evaluate the program's effectiveness in providing high-quality health care services while containing costs.