January Energy Grid Roundup: Everything You Need to Know

Top 12 Grid Optimization Articles of 2014 – Grid improvements and distributed grid are what utilities focus on.

10 energy numbers to remember from 2014 – Renewables, iPhone 6,  pollution, World Cup and efficiency.

Transmission & Distribution World’s 15 Most Notable Articles of 2014 – Distributed energy sources & renewables are this year’s key words.

Nuclear energy sector saw some steady progress in 2014 – India &  Russia are top clients for new nuclear plants

Blast from the past: 2014! – The 12 blog posts that you cannot miss about utilities and asset management

12 Utility Trends For 2015

What was the biggest power breakthrough in the last 100 years? AC-DC & energy storage have changed the grid.

Extreme Weather

Weather Forecasts North America 2015 – Temperatures above normal…which means more snow than usual! Turn your mutual aid agreement on with Veracity http://ow.ly/EucON

A snow storm for lunch! Maximize your mutual aid efforts with Veracity. Emergency response plans are essential to cope with future disasters. http://ow.ly/i/7PPS3

How is the weather like in your area? Are you a utility? Capitalize on mutual aid with Veracity Connect

PJM Seeks To Delay Idling Of 2,500 MW As Hedge Against Winter Shortages – Utilities get ready for the worst of winter.

Managing Restoration of Critical Utility Infrastructure – Our mutual aid and critical spares management platform helps you find critical equipment when the worst occurs: http://ow.ly/GyJB9

Storm Hardening the Grid – Are you ready? We can help you with mutual aid agreements http://ow.ly/E8juF

Cloud-Based Approaches to Disaster Recovery – VeracityConnect helps utilities boost mutual aid:  http://ow.ly/GS8Pe

Beyond NERC: best practices for worst-case scenarios – “Plan for recovery as well as prevention.” This is why we offer utilities Veracity Connect, a platform to source critical spares like transformers in North America http://ow.ly/Ccjlh

U.S. Power Reliability: Are We Kidding Ourselves? – “The average U.S. customer loses power for 214 minutes per year. That compares to 70 in the United Kingdom, 53 in France, 29 in the Netherlands, 6 in Japan, and 2 minutes per year in Singapore.” – IEEE Spectrum

Nuclear

England’s Hinkley Point C nuclear plant to break ground in 2015 – Two Chinese corporations have shares in the project.

Kudankulam nuclear units to be up and running by 2021 – India’s new plant will have a capacity of 1,000 MW.

Areva clinches control systems deal for China nuclear reactors – The French company will provide instrumentation and control systems for two new reactors. The six reactors will start operating in 2018.

Nuclear reactors halted following deadly chemical leak – 3 workers died at the Shingori-3 reactor site, operated by Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co.

Nuclear power key to UAE’s sustainability – A nuclear plant is the answer to limited power generation.

Nuclear plant leaked 2,000 gallons of oil into Lake Michigan for months – The leak is now fixed, not the damages.

Vermont Just Lost 70% of Its Power From This Nuclear Shutdown

Nine local companies place bid for $1 billion hydraulic systems of Akkuyu nuke plant  – Turkey’s first nuclear plant on the coastal province of Mersin.

Coal

U.S. Coal Losing Power Business Dominance but Not Going Away – In 2022, 230 GW will still be generated through coal.

National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to invest P2.22B in Mindanao coal plant’s transmission facility The plant will consists of four 135-MW units and will be operational by 2017-2018.

Electric Cooperatives

NRECA Welcomes New Grid Protections for G&Ts – “NERC’s new Physical Security Grid Reliability Standards provide a framework for co-ops and other utilities to assess physical system risks, identify critical facilities, evaluate physical threats and vulnerabilities and develop an approach to address risks to the nation’s most critical substations and associated control centers,” said NRECA CEO Jo Ann Emerson.

Old FedEx Truck Now Helps Coop Restore Power – The truck now delivers parts to crews in the field.

Connect with other co-ops, OEMs & leading transformer brokers to leverage a pool of critical spares

Regulations

EPA releases coal ash rule – The Environmental Protection Agency will consider coal ash as household waste.

Utility Spending on Energy Efficiency Soars as Supportive State Policies Are Expanded

Utility regulators authorize Xcel generating projects – The company will be able to build more than $500 million in new generating units.

EPA’s rule rigged against nuclear – Climate change requires quick action from regulators and utilities.

The biggest threat to demand response? It may not be the Order 745 ruling.

EPA defines classification of fly ash from coal fired power plants – Can environment and coal coexist?

Decommissioning

Decommissioning Projects – Why it takes so long & costs so much

Westinghouse, Bechtel Announce Alliance for U.S. Decontamination, Decommissioning of nuclear plants

Exelon: Company dismantling Zion nuclear plant is running out of money – Around 40% of the costs are “in shipping and disposing of low level radioactive waste”. $800 million may not be enough for decommissioning.

Fitch Ratings Warns on Early Nuclear Retirements – Is reducing the nuclear percentage in energy sources a bad thing?

Global nuclear decommissioning cost seen underestimated, may spiral – Several companies admit that their decommissioning funds are not sufficient.

 

Renewables

Utilities Should Avoid Over-Investing When Integrating Renewable Energy into their Grid – Renewables require a solid investment plan.

Report: Distributed-Renewables Disruption Will Reduce Utility Revenues By Up To $123 Billion A Year By 2025 – Could utilities change the game?

A huge floating solar farm will be built on a reservoir in Japan – Would solar be the new offshore renewable source of energy?

EDF confirms 400 MW Brazil hydro acquisition – EDF has secured 51% stake of the Sinop hydroelectric project.

2015 OUTLOOK: Brazil gets serious about solar – Climate changes push the grid to its limits, with a need for renewables more than ever.

India Committed to World’s Largest Solar Park – NTPC Limited’s plant has a capacity of 750 MW.

Utility of the future – solar, storage, EVs and micro-grids – Consumers become prosumers and have more influential power than you think.

Grid Improvement

BC Hydro Delivers Power and Progress – The company led the Northwest Transmission 213-mile line project carried out in only 2 years, creating 5,500 direct jobs.

Transmission Line Connects Minnesota and Wisconsin – Building the transmission line involves construction on an island. Construction crews commute by barges and boats.

ITC Great Plains Energizes V-Plan Transmission Line, Substations in Kansas

Kenya Power to invest US$95.9m in 36 new substations around the country – The goal is to improve the grid’s reliability. A total of 5,000 MW of power will be added to the grid by 2017.

How utilities can plan for the future of transmission and distributed generation –  Flexibility and cost-justifiability are the new transmission & distribution keywords.

Greater demands on outage management systems mean more investment coming

FirstEnergy completes $6 million transmission project – The project aims at meeting the demand growth driven by the shale gas industry across its Ohio Edison service area.

$356 bn needed for Arab power projects: study – The projects focus on capacity expansion & distribution network.

NY offers $14.5 million for power plant upgrades – The money comes from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative “a carbon cap-and-trade program that charges fossil fuel-burning power plants for the carbon dioxide they emit.”

Eaton wins contract from Green Mountain Power to upgrade automate electrical system in Vermont

Grid Equipment

Equipment Criticality: What makes your industrial equipment essential to your company

NYPA approves budget that includes $24.5M for transformer and circuit breaker replacement in Massena – Six 765-kV transformers will be installed, each weighing 200 tons.

Transformers: An Essential Link of the Electrical Grid

Smart Grid

Great Progress on Smart Grid and Smart City Predictions for 2020

How to make your smart grid even smarter – Storage, microgrids and software are utilities’ new key tools.

Smart Cities Charlotte May 12 – 13, 2015 – Smart Cities is an Energy Central event designed to educate utilities, solution providers and communities on the steps and paths to collaboratively develop Smart Cities in their region. #SmartCities2015

Company News

We launched our large surplus online catalogue featuring like-new assets from utilities

Veracity Connect: a platform to automate mutual aid – Veracity Connect allows members to work together to strengthen mutual aid and to be better prepared for infrastructure failure and extreme weather events.

Access reports from the U.S. utility industry – Electric Infrastructure, Asset Management and Grid Security

Recovering value from a plant decommissioning? Learn more about some of the projects we carried out.

Are you a Google+ user? Let us add you to our circle!

Here is a new way for utilities to source critical spares: Veracity Connect & LinkedIn. Curious about it? We will be glad to answer all your questions. Contact us at info@veracityamg.com or 1-866-694-1252.

Are you a utility company? Have instant access to mutual aid contact & resources via the online platform Veracity Connect

What we do for our Clients: Critical Spares Management & Investment Recovery

Are you a utility? Have instant access to mutual aid contact & resources with Veracity Connect

Are you a utility company? Maximize the value of surplus equipment with Veracity’s investment recovery.

Join the Investment Recovery Canada LinkedIn group and find opportunities for your Canadian company.

Aging grid assets? Know when to replace them http://ow.ly/GAQvw Get help from Veracity Connect.

Are you paying to get rid of idle assets? Turn them into money back with our Investment Recovery Team.

Get a better idea of our investment recovery & critical spares management services: http://www.veracityamg.com

Through Veracity Connect, connect with other member co-ops, OEMs and leading transformer brokers to leverage a pool of available critical spares: http://ow.ly/BonlR #utilities #electriccooperatives #criticalspares http://ow.ly/i/7jlps

Source assets in no time & save on costs with Veracity Connect: http://ow.ly/Hj4dB #utilities #criticalspares http://ow.ly/i/7jkZw

#Transformers, Mutual Aid & Asset Disposition are components of Veracity Connect: http://ow.ly/Hj95a http://ow.ly/i/7Invt #utilities

Subscribe to our newsletter: Critical Spares Mgmt & Investment Recovery for #Utilities http://eepurl.com/LVtY1 http://ow.ly/i/73Jj2

Finding critical spares was a manual, drawn out & frustrating experience. Not anymore with Veracity Connect! http://ow.ly/Hj6GF

Binder, spreadsheet… as a #utility company, you deserve better to source critical spares: Try Veracity Connect: http://ow.ly/Hj7g6

Are you a #Utility company? Leverage a pool of Critical Spares through the Power of Collaboration – Veracity Connect http://ow.ly/HWz0I

Company Blog

Supply Chain & ISO 14000: Connecting Sustainability and Investment Recovery

Debunking 5 myths of Purchasing Reconditioned Electrical Assets – Infographic

7 ways to dispose of your surplus assets!

Collaborative economy & idle asset – Your surplus equipment can serve your sustainability

Webinars for Utilities: A la carte! We help utilities with mutual aid & asset mgmt services: www.veracityamg.com

Critical Spares Infographic – Do you have critical spares you need to turn into money back to the bottom line? http://ow.ly/i/5VuQV

ISO 55000: Meet Your (New) Friend SAM

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Learn more about our Mutual Aid & Critical Spares Management Solution for Utilities: Make electrical equipment procurement easy and efficient. Locate a matching power transformer before a failure occurs!

Stay updated through our social media platforms and our website:

Subscribe to our Veracity’s monthly newsletter: Critical Spares Management & Investment Recovery for Utilities

State of the Electric Utility 2015 – Numbers to Remember

Here are other numbers that may catch your attention:

32% forecast that their utility will become an energy services company, way different from traditional vertically integrated utilities.

Energy efficiency and demand response are the new business models for 71% of the executives.

For 23%, developing new unregulated business models are the way to mitigate the impact of stagnant load growth.

82% state that the investment into the grid’s security is going up.

53% of the executives are 50 years old or older.

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Alerts for winter storms are increasing. Prepare yourself through our mutual aid platform. Be also able to locate potential equipment replacements through our eMaps tool. Learn more about our Mutual Aid & Critical Spares Management Solution for Utilities:

Stay updated through our social media platforms and our website:

Subscribe to our Veracity’s monthly newsletter: Critical Spares Management & Investment Recovery for Utilities

The Biggest Power Breakthroughs

Original article:

What was the biggest power breakthrough in the last 100 years?

part one

Kathleen Wolf Davis | Dec 13, 2014

A lot of things have changed. It used to be that utilities talked about outages and reliability. Now they talk about branding and social media—and outages and reliability. OK. So maybe we haven’t totally changed. There’s certainly been evolution, but there’s also a solid base underneath all that new growth.

So, we knocked on a few doors and asked about that solid base—the industry a-ha moments that defined the last century. What are the biggest, most powerful elements in the equation? We’ve separated these answers into three parts. This section is part one. Stay tuned for parts two and three in the upcoming weeks into 2015.

Read the first installment of this series from Thanksgiving here.

See if you agree with the answers. (Whether you do or you don’t, tell us all about it on Twitter @IntelUtil using the #powerbreakthru.)

AC VS. DC CHOICE

“I believe the biggest breakthrough/achievement was the development of the automatic secondary alternating current distribution network by the United Electric Light & Power Co. of NY in 1922.

“The first 40 years of utility power distribution to customers was primarily in the form of direct current due to efficiency issues with alternating current in areas of dense concentration of load. The renowned engineer Charles Steinmetz recommended, in 1896, that dc distribution should be installed wherever the customer base was sufficient to amortize the investment in the expensive substations and heavy copper cables that were required for 120/240 volt dc power distribution. Retention of dc also enabled the use of battery reserve/backup in the substations. By the second decade of the 20th century, the cost of dc distribution represented 50% of the total system investment and companies began exploring means to make ac distribution more practical.

“Virtually every city had an alternating current network concept under development by 1920 but all had some deficiency. The United automatic network was the first to resolve all the issues and became the standard; it also introduced the modern 208Y/120 volt three-phase, four-wire system. Six years after introduction it was cited by N Y Edison Co. President Matthew Sloan in his disclosure of the planned conversion of the NYE system to ac—a system which was then the most complex and extensive dc utility distribution in the world. The automatic network enabled continued reduction in the cost of power, simplified the physical requirements of utility system and enabled standardization of electrical products. Prior to that, generation involved both 60 Hz. for ac customers and 25 Hz and substation conversion for dc customers. Consumer products had also involved two separate lines, one for urban dc customers and another for ac customers. The results encouraged greater market expansion with consequent load growth and economies of scale as simpler and more efficient ac devices came on the market. A total of 315 US utilities adopted the automatic network over the next fifty years, today more than 350 cities worldwide employ automatic distribution networks.”

• Joe Cunningham, power historian/author of the book “New York Power”

“At a traditional level, the greatest breakthrough in the last 100 years was the advent of alternating current, which brought electricity to the masses, regardless of location.”

• Karen Joslyn, vice president, energy and manufacturing, SAS

 

“The choice between AC and DC power has been one of the biggest milestones in the industry in the last 100 years. We struggled to choose between AC and DC power and picked the best compromise technology offered 100 years ago. Looking ahead, I believe the biggest breakthrough that will revolutionize the smart grid is just a few steps ahead of us when we combine the equivalent unanswered dilemma of radio frequency (RF) and power line carrier (PLC) communications for the smart grid by changing the game and combining both technologies together.”

 

• Simon Pontin, CTO, Itron

 

“The ability to harness and actually use electricity was the biggest breakthrough.  At that point, we could create a business around electricity, and it changed the world.”

 

• Mike Guyton, senior vice president and chief customer officer, Oncor

 

“The automated secondary network AC system was and is an engineering marvel and was the smart grid of its day. This special network grid is very costly to build and maintain. However, compared to where smart grid solutions have evolved to date, it is still the superior solution.”

 

• Carl Goeckeler, utility engineer, KCP&L

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

“What’s probably most striking about the energy industry over the past 100 years is how little it has changed.  If Thomas Edison were to come back today, he would find an electric system that looks and functions largely as it did 100 years ago.  That is changing with the introduction of digital technology.  Microchips and microprocessors will change the nature of our generation, the way we operate the grid, the service we offer consumers and our communications with consumers.  The digital age marks the third major economic revolution in history.”

• Anne Pramaggiore, president and CEO, ComEd

Many sections on tech advances are interconnected, really.

DEMAND RESPONSE

“For years, the power grid was a one-way network. Utilities could control supply, but they couldn’t adequately or dynamically control demand. The most practical way to deal with an anticipated spike in consumption was to increase supply. Demand response was the first step in transforming the relationship between utilities and consumers into a two-way street. Solar, wind, nuclear power and other innovations have all been about changing the mix of supply: demand response really allowed the industry to examine what they do from the other way around. Over the next 100 years, controlling demand will play a fundamental role in the power industry. It will help reduce emissions, allow utilities to postpone capital upgrades, and help conserve natural resources.

“You’re also going to see a greater awareness among consumers about how to use power and how to reduce their bills that can be traced back to the development of demand response. Demand response will also shift from being about getting large amounts of power from a few customers a few times a year to small amounts of customers across wide territories on a continual basis. The grid will become fluid.

“It’s a clunky name, but a beautiful concept.”

• Amit Narayan, CEO, AutoGrid Systems

BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE

“My personal favorite is battery energy storage because it decouples generation from consumption.”

• Gary Rackliffe, vice president of smart grids, ABB

Now that you know what made the power industry in the last 100 years, what about what’s coming in the next 100? Get a jumpstart with some background into smart cities. Save the date for Energy Central’s Smart Cities 2015 conference March 24-25, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Early bird registration will open soon.

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Learn more about our Mutual Aid & Critical Spares Management Solution for Utilities: Make electrical equipment procurement easy and efficient. Locate a matching power transformer before a failure occurs!

Stay updated through our social media platforms and our website:

Subscribe to our Veracity’s monthly newsletter: Critical Spares Management & Investment Recovery for Utilities

12 Utility Trends For 2015

A New Year always brings its surprise bag of trends and predictions. Based on statistics or just wishes, the electric grid has deeply changed and keeps moving forward. These selected articles and posts will give you the insight you need to better understand the coming year.

Regulations: Coal Cold, Helpless Wind

• Top regulatory trends for 2015 in energy
• Major EPA Regulations Affecting Coal – Fueled Electricity
• EPA’s long-awaited coal ash rule pleases nobody
• Coal gasification: American coal power’s last, best chance?
• 2015 looks grim for wind energy. How will the industry adapt?
• A Natural Gas Future?

 Smart Grids

• The Intelligent Grid Enters a New Dimension

Distributed renewables

Distributed renewables are the spearhead of smart grid, shifting the power from utilities to utilities AND its “prosumers” (professional or proactive consumers). Solar panels, geothermal systems or small windmills enable consumers to have a better control over sources of energy, decreasing their dependency on energy providers.

• Report: Distributed-Renewables Disruption Will Reduce Utility Revenues By Up To $123 Billion A Year By 2025
• Apple, IKEA, Walmart: 12 leaders in on-site renewables

 

A Few Meters Away

Smart meters are the key innovation in the realm of utility consumption. They open the door of big data and allow companies to use the power of analytics, as well as automation. Adjusting demand and supply is not a manual task anymore. Nevertheless the smart meters do not make the world rosier, for the time being.

• Smart meters and smart grids: spearheading the energy revolution
• Smart meters have few benefits for big costs: AG report

 

Social Media

Live tweeting and social media posts have made communication a little bit more easier between customers and utilities. The best example is planned and unplanned outages, when utilities inform customers concerned by a black-out or vice-versa, even though people are encouraged to directly contact utilities by phone to signal an outage in their area.

• 3 ways social media can power up utilities (and their customers)
• Top 10 Utilities Succeeding with Social Media

Solar is the new stellar source of energy

• Global Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Market is Expected to Reach USD 8,674.7 million in 2020
• 10 solar trends set to dawn in the New Year

 

Spare Power: Bid on it

• ‘Storage is here’: Solar-plus-storage market will surpass $1B by 2018
• First UK electricity capacity market auction to guarantee 50GW of spare power, says government

Nuclear or no nuclear

• Nuclear plant predicts $1.24B decommissioning cost
• Nuclear energy sector saw some steady progress in 2014
• Hinkley Point C nuclear plant to break ground in 2015

Cyber Attacks

• If cyberwar erupts, America’s electric grid is a prime target
• Changes needed to insulate nuclear power plants from cyber terrorism: official
• For North Korea’s cyber army, long-term target may be telecoms, utility grids

 

Physical Threats

• Assault on California Power Station Raises Alarm on Potential for Terrorism
• Beyond NERC: best practices for worst-case scenarios

 

Mutual Aid & Emergency Response

• Toronto better prepared to handle emergencies after Ice Storm of 2013
• Mutual Aid, A Program By The American Public Power Association

 

Electric Vehicles

• Utilities support development of Northeastern EV market
• Tony Earley: PG&E supports electric vehicles and a green future
• California extends support for plug-in cars

 2015 should be a very dynamic year for utility companies, industry partners and consumers. The sector’s landscape is changing in a faster way. Technologies have opened new opportunities to make the grid smarter, manage assets more efficiently and ensure a better match between demand and supply.

Go further

For a deeper insight on how technologies are changing the utility sector, we invite you to watch 10 Trends and Technologies to Impact IT Over the Next Five Years, a webinar recently published by the consulting firm Gartner.

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Learn more about our Mutual Aid & Critical Spares Management Solution for Utilities: Make electrical equipment procurement easy and efficient. Locate a matching power transformer before a failure occurs!

Stay updated through our social media platforms and our website:

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2015 Utility Conferences & Trade Shows

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all!

It is hard to believe that 2015 is around the corner, buried in the snow or under the ice (or sand if you live in the South). Conferences and trade shows are great opportunities to meet face-to-face with your clients and partners. We selected the most pertinent events to the electric utility industry taking place next year.

Summary

NET 2015 – Touchstone Energy Annual New and Emerging Technologies – January 26-29, 2015, Tucson, Arizona

Smart Energy Summit – February 16-18, 2015, Austin, Texas

NRECA Annual Meeting & TechAdvantage Expo – February 19-27, 2015, Orlando, Florida

Power Grid Resilience 2015 – March 23-25, 2015, Washington D.C.

IEEE-PES 2016 T&D Conference & Exposition – May 2-5, 2016 – Dallas, TX

National Town Meeting – Demand Response + Smart Grid – May 26-28, 2015, Washington, DC

Southeastern Electric Exchange Annual Conference & Trade Show – June 24-26, 2015 – Hershey, PA

Esri Electric and Gas GIS Conference – October 6-8, 2015, Providence, RI

Utility Supply Chain Management – January 19-21, 2015, Lake Buena Vista, FL

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NET 2015 – Touchstone Energy Annual New and Emerging Technologies

January 26-29, 2015, Tucson, Arizona

NET 2015 is Touchstone Energy’s premiere B2B conference connecting national energy managers and key account personnel from around the nation. Hear and see what new technologies and topics are shaping our industry from national speakers and experts. View new products and services from our valued sponsors and exhibitors and network with beautiful Tucson as your backdrop.

Contact: Kathryn Momot, Program Manager, Kathryn.Momot@nreca.coop, (703) 907-5707

http://net.touchstoneenergy.com/content/net-2015

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Smart Energy Summit

February 16-18, 2015, Austin, Texas

Engaging the consumer

Industry Perspectives

• Electric utility: business model transition – avoiding the death spiral

Perspectives on Smart Products and Services

• Role of energy management in smart home systems and home control platforms
• Modeling energy solutions and integrating them into smart devices
• Big data and analytics: extracting extra value from smart meters and energy services

Working Together

• Partnerships and new business model opportunities for smart home product and service providers
• Leveraging multiple smart products to enhance DR programs
• The impact of smart devices in retail energy markets
• Energy audits: expanding energy efficiency programs to whole-home solutions
• Strategies to speed up the pilot process & keep pace with market innovation
• Standards and interoperability: solutions that bring together the home’s products and services
• Balancing privacy concerns and market regulations with opportunities created by big data
• The role of telecom and cable service providers as energy providers/managers

http://www.parksassociates.com/events/smart-energy-summit

Agenda          #SES2015        sales@parksassociates.com

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NRECA Annual Meeting & TechAdvantage Expo

February 19-27, 2015, Orlando, Florida

TechAdvantage is the technology event for electric co-op professionals. The event is at the forefront of innovation, delivering critical technologies that are transforming the world of engineering, information technology, energy services, operations, supply management and business. Join us for four days of leading-edge strategies and best practices that will benefit Co-op Nation well into the 21st century.

Who comes to TechAdvantage?

• Engineers eager to leverage new applications and existing technologies to do their jobs well and do their jobs right
• Sharp operations professionals wanting to keep pace with new technologies who are ready to execute results and fire on all cylinders
• IT professionals targeting new skills and analyzing practical information to manage infrastructure, security and strategy
• Frontline supply managers attentive to new ideas and innovative products that they can maneuver and apply at their co-ops
• National co-op leaders wanting to hear from technology experts about what they see coming to determine how their co-ops will meet new challenges
• Smart co-op insiders, hungry for what comes next and re-energized by new ideas that will elevate their efforts to new levels

Eric Commodore, NRECA
Telephone: 703.907.5577, Fax: 703.907.5521, eric.commodore@nreca.coop

Mary Novack, Kenworthy Management, Inc., NRECA Show Management
Telephone: 718.578.4658, Fax: 718.848.5095mary@kenworthymanagement.com

http://www.techadvantage.org

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Power Grid Resilience 2015

March 23-25, 2015, Washington D.C.

Topics:

• A More Solidified Regulatory Environment
• Grid Modernization: Costs vs Benefits
• Roundtable Discussions on Comprehensive Security Planning
• Advanced Technologies to Reduce Major Storm Impacts
• Balancing the Risks: Understanding, Preparing for, Enduring and Recovering from Extreme Events
• New Frontiers in Tech Innovations
• Peer-to-Peer Networking

www.powergridresilience.com   –   enquiry@iqpc.com  –  1 800 882 8684

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Emergency Response and Mutual Aid are two of the key elements Veracity Connect, the collaborative platform designed for utilities, focuses on.

Veracity Connect allows members to work together to strengthen mutual aid and to be better prepared for infrastructure failure and extreme weather events. The features of Veracity Connect include:

• Mutual Aid Alerts and Messaging
• Real time information on availability of spares inventories, fleet, line crews and materials across North America
• Centralized emergency management
• Collaborative platform to store, share and manage mutual aid agreements
• Access to Mutual Aid Partners from other State and Provincial Associations
• Provide members with aggregated data on Primary Voltages to enhance spares pooling and joint purchasing.
• Access to third party suppliers of back up equipment and mobile units

Learn more on our website:

Contact us at info@veracityamg.com or 866 694 1252!

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 Southeastern Electric Exchange Annual Conference & Trade Show

June 24-26, 2015 – Hershey, PA

The Southeastern Electric Exchange is a non-profit trade association of investor-owned electric utility companies.

What makes the SEE Annual Conference and Trade Show a popular choice…

—for Utility Members?

• Breakout sessions provide in-depth presentations by industry experts on the latest issues and applications.
• General Sessions highlight different perspectives on global issues that affect our business.
• Roundtable sessions provide feedback and solutions to current technical challenges.
• Breaks and banquet functions present invaluable opportunities for networking with colleagues in an informal setting and “putting a face with a name.”
• Trade show booths provide access to the latest in equipment and technology.

…for Manufacturers, Contractors, Consultants, Specialists and Professionals?

• This three-day event affords many opportunities to meet and network with your customers in both formal business settings and informal business social environments.
• During this event SEE offers further opportunity to increase your company’s customer base, brand awareness and visibility through
  -Trade Show exhibit booths
  -Corporate Sponsorship (more info)

S.E.E. Conference Coordinator: Amy Bekele, phone: 404/233-1188
S.E.E. Trade Show Coordinator: Kendra Cutno, phone: 404/233-1188

http://www.theexchange.org/index.html

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 IEEE-PES 2016 T&D Conference & Exposition

May 2-5, 2016 – Dallas, TX

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers – Power & Energy Society

This event will showcase the technologies, products, companies and minds that will lead our industry through the next fifty years.

http://www.ieeet-d.org/    http://www.ieee-pes.org/

Contact: Thomas Mayne      Email:   mayne25@charter.net

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National Town Meeting – Demand Response + Smart Grid

May 26-28, 2015, Washington, DC

Organized by the Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid (ADS), The National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid^® is the premier event in the US focused on the business and policy aspects of demand response and its enabling technologies and applications. It is unique in that it devotes an entire day to roundtable discussions featuring experts in demand response and smart grid, who discuss with each other and with the audience the latest trends, issues, and business developments. The National Town Meeting also features panel discussions, case studies, and presentations of best practices. Another hallmark is attendee engagement, whether through Q&A sessions with top business leaders and policymakers, through formal electronic voting, or through the National Town Meeting’s reception and other networking sessions.

http://www.demandresponsetownmeeting.com/

ADS Contact: jenny.senff@demandresponsesmartgrid.org

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Esri Electric and Gas GIS Conference

October 6-8, 2015, Providence, RI

• The 2014 Esri Electric and Gas GIS Conference offered over 600 attendees the opportunity to:
• See the latest maps, apps, and solutions for utilities.

• Stretch GIS beyond mapping to secure funding, upgrade infrastructure, and drive marketing.

• Approach new government regulations with knowledge-driven analysis.

• Get ready for emergencies and outages by taking maps to the field and sending data to the cloud.

• Network with peers to learn best practices and receive industry recognition.

• Find out how to use ArcGIS as a platform and increase return on investment.

http://www.esri.com/events/electric-gas

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Utility Supply Chain Management 

January 19-21, 2015, Lake Buena Vista, FL

This first-rate event attracts a variety of procurement, purchasing, sourcing, planning, and inventory management executives of utility supply chains to exchange best practices and gain cutting-edge knowledge on improving supply chain efficiency.

Pre-Conference Workshop — Sunday, January 18, 2015
Industry Leading Performance — How Do You Measure Up?

Leading Industry Experts Tackle Tough Supply Chain Challenges

• Energy industry trends impacting supply chains — Backlash from the Polar Vortex, distributed generation disruptions, fracking impediments, and EPA’s Clean Power Plan
• Material forecasting updates — Natural gas price volatility, king coal’s demise, and metals’ rising production costs
• Veterans in the workforce — Approaches to identifying key talent and the hiring of veterans
• Supplier integration — How to initiate supplier commitment and investment

PLUS PANEL DISCUSSIONS ON:

• Inventory Optimization
• Supplier Risk Management
• Pipeline Construction Challenges

CASE STUDIES! Gain industry knowledge through a variety of notable case studies on the following:

• Identifying the value of investment recovery within the supply chain — Entergy, Pacific Exchange
• Expanding capacity and cost reduction via supplier integration — Southern California Edison
• System rebuilding in alliance with supply chain partners — Empire District Electric Co., Irby Utilities

http://www.platts.com/events/2015/pc501/index

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Learn more about our Mutual Aid & Critical Spares Management Solution for Utilities: Make electrical equipment procurement easy and efficient. Locate a matching power transformer before a failure occurs!

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Veracity Is Part of the CDMN’s Outbound Soft Landing Program

The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN), a federal Centre of Excellence in Commercialization and Research, is dedicated to establishing Canada as a world leader in digital media (ICT + mobile) by creating and enabling connections and collaboration between entrepreneurs, companies, research institutes, government and intermediary organizations across the country. CDMN helps bring more digital media solutions to market to create more companies, jobs and wealth in Canada.

With a worldwide network, CDMN guide startup companies target new markets.

Veracity Asset Management Group (www.veracityamg.com) will participate in the Canadian Digital Media Network’s Outbound Soft-Landing Fall 2014 Program to help forge the partnerships and connections it needs for its expansion across North America.

CDMN Press Release

“Outbound Soft Landing program announces fall cohort, with new support from TD

By Emmett O’Kane on Sep 26, 2014 / Categories: CDMN News, Featured, Soft Landing

Fifteen Canadian companies have been selected to participate in the Canadian Digital Media Network’s outbound Soft Landing program this fall, and they’ll have a new supporter in their corner.TD Bank Group, North America’s sixth largest bank by branches, has partnered with the CDMN to help small- to medium-sized enterprises pursue growth in international markets.“‎TD is very pleased to be supporting the Canadian Digital Media Network Outbound Soft Landing program, which provides funding to promising startups selected by the CDMN, in order to promote their growth opportunities abroad,” said Jeff Martin, SVP & CIO Digital Channels Technology Solutions, TD Bank Group.Companies selected will receive up to $4,000 towards travel costs and a free working space at partnered locations abroad for up to three months, to help them expand into new markets and develop relationships with key contacts in targeted economies.

The Fall 2014 companies are:

Plasticity Labs

Landing: U.S. (Las Vegas)

Plasticity is building the happiest workforces every day, through an integrated mobile and web app that changes how organizations measure, manage and stimulate positive workplace culture. Its mission is to improve the experience of life, and work, for millions of people and the organizations where they work. http://www.plasticitylabs.com/

Maerospace Corp.

Landing: India

Maerospace’s mission is to improve the world through the mastery of data. Working with some of the world’s most advanced companies and nations, Maerospace turns complex data into actionable information to make missions safer, borders more secure, environmental responses more effective and companies more profitable. http://www.maerospace.com/

Slimcut Media

Landing: U.S. (New York City)

Slimcut Media helps digital publishers increase their revenue while engaging their audiences. With offices in Toronto and Paris, their platform combines a reward program, targeted video advertising and a payment system to build a symbiotic relationship between publishers and their audiences. http://www.slimcutmedia.com/

blueRover

Landing: Australia

blueRover provides a unique and advanced technology platform that offers businesses employing machine-to-machine (M2M) applications access to infinite, data-driven intelligence about their assets. With blueRover, customers can monitor, track and react to real-time data about their assets and resources from anywhere around the globe. http://www.bluerover.ca/

Bonfire

Landing: U.S. (Orlando; Dallas; Charlotte)

Bonfire prides itself on making the easiest, simplest and friendliest way for purchasers to accept and evaluate supplier proposals, tenders, quotes as part of RFx (request for information, proposal or quotation), bid projects and more. The Waterloo-based company is already trusted with over $1 billion in procurement projects with much more to come. http://www.gobonfire.com/

I Think Security

Landing: Hong Kong

I Think Security Ltd. is an award-winning R&D security lab that provides secure solutions for data, cloud and mobile. Supported by sophisticated analytics and control, and leveraging existing local infrastructure, I Think Security Ltd. products are backed by a team of security professionals experienced in designing and implementing the highest in advanced security. Its technologies are used in data protection to prevent cyber attacks, corporate espionage and insider threats. http://www.ithinksecurity.com/

Analyze Re Inc.

Landing: London, CTA@UK

Analyze Re provides pricing and risk management software for the reinsurance industry. Their innovative SaaS platform employs high-performance computing and big data analysis to unlock a holistic view of risk, enabling reinsurers to make smarter decisions, minimize their risk and maximize their profits in real time. http://www.analyzere.com/

REfficient Inc.

Landing: Mexico

REfficient.com is a matchmaking site connecting “who has what” and “who is looking for what.” Its online marketplace allows companies to buy quality Telecom, A/V and IT equipment at significant discounts from sustainable sources. REfficient shows customers that they can drive financial results while doing something good for the environment. http://www.refficient.com/

ProjectSpeaker Inc.

Landing: London; Munich; Venice

ProjectSpeaker turns event planners into event heroes. Their platform is a curated event planner resource of the world’s leading speakers, speakers bureaus and event suppliers that allows planners to be more efficient and successful in finding the best speakers for their events. http://www.projectspeaker.com/

MetricAid Inc.

Landing: U.S. (Philadelphia)

MetricAid provides browser-based technology, analysis and consultation services to improve hospital emergency department efficiency. Its goal is to improve the satisfaction of the patient, the experience of the physician and the effectiveness of the emergency department. http://www.metricaid.com/

District M Inc.

Landing: U.S. (New York City; Florida)

District M is a digital technology company that specializes in unique campaign management. Its exclusive and proprietary advertising technology segments data and user profiles, giving clients the ability to reach diverse and specific audiences at the right time. http://www.districtm.ca/

Veracity Asset Management Group

Landing: U.S (Georgia; Florida; Alabama)

Veracity Asset Management Group works with organizations across various industries to develop policies and procedures to maximize asset utilization. Veracity provides software solutions and services that enable its customers to purchase, manage and dispose of surplus assets, allowing organizations to focus on core business issues. http://www.veracityamg.com/

LemonFree.com

Landing: U.S. (California)

LemonFree.com is a fresh and simple approach to shopping for cars online. Launched in 2007 by three Winnipeg entrepreneurs, LemonFree.com is an online automotive shopping and research marketplace with the mission to become the most trusted place to shop for a car. http://www.lemonfree.com/

INETCO Systems Ltd.

Landing: London, CTA@UK

INETCO Systems offers real-time transaction monitoring and analytics software that isolates IT performance issues affecting ATM, POS, Mobile Banking and Internet Banking transactions. In addition to software, INETCO offers consulting in APM, Business Transaction Management analytics reporting, and configuration services. http://www.inetco.com/

Energy Aware Technology Inc.

Landing: U.S. (Silicon Valley)

Founded in 2005, Energy Aware Technology is a leading developer of demand management solutions for utilities and aims to improve awareness of the ways we use energy, enabling us to reduce waste, save money and become more sustainable. By analyzing energy consumption data and displaying it in a concise, useful manner, people more fully understand their energy use and how to save money. This is how Energy Aware is creating smarter, more sustainable homes. http://www.energy-aware.com/

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