POWER September 2023 - S29

SEPTEMBER 2023 | WWW.POWERMAG.COM
threats " and " human-related threats. "
He suggested many of the natural or
environmental threats, including hurricanes/extreme
winds, tornadoes,
drought, winter storms/ice/snow, extreme
heat/heat waves, and wildfires,
would increase with climate change.
Among the other natural or environmental
threats he cited, Marston said
earthquakes could increase in some
areas due to local activities, such as
fracking, but he saw no reason for increases
in the threat posed by geomagnetic
storms or wildlife and vegetation.
Of human-related threats, Marston predicted
cyberattacks, electromagnetic
sabotage, and equipment failure due
to age could all increase in the future,
while he saw no basis for changes in the
frequency of physical attacks.
The American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE) published a Report Card
for America's Infrastructure in 2021. In
its report, ASCE evaluated 17 categories
of infrastructure, including energy,
as well as items such as bridges, dams,
and roads, using an A-F school-style
rating system. ASCE's comprehensive
assessment of energy infrastructure,
which includes transmission and distribution
as well as pipeline investments,
resulted in a grade of C- at the time.
Notably, the grade was an improvement
compared to ASCE's previous report,
completed in 2017, when energy infrastructure
received a grade of D+.
" Utilities are taking proactive steps
to strengthen the electric grid through
resilience measures. However, weather
remains an increasing threat, " the
ASCE report says. " [D]istribution infrastructure
struggles with reliability,
with 92% of all outages occurring along
these segments. In the coming years,
additional transmission and distribution
infrastructure,
smart
planning,
and improved reliability are needed to
accommodate the changing energy
landscape, as delivery becomes distributed
and renewables grow. "
" The grid of today needs to evolve to
meet the demands of tomorrow. Fortunately,
with
proactive
investment
and careful planning, a more reliable,
resilient, and hardened grid that incorporates
renewable energy sources
is indeed possible, " said S&C Electric's
Chandran.
Chandran predicts the U.S. electric
distribution system will change greatly
in coming years. " A few years from
now, when we look back to 2023, we
will realize the use of the distribution
part of the grid changed dramatically.
It evolved from a one-way power flow
delivery system, to an electrical system
that keeps as much electricity connected
during major weather events,
so that afterwards, repairs are quicker
and targeted. As all consumers rely so
much more on electricity, this reliability
and resiliency is critical, " he said.
Chandran said a systemwide approach
and investment in innovative
technology for power distribution is
necessary to reduce vulnerability.
Among the solutions he recommended
were PulseClosing Technology (Figure
1), lateral automation, and underground
fault detection and restoration.
" Customers such as Florida Power
and Light (FPL), Oncor, and many others
have invested heavily in technologies to
harden the grid and as a result have seen
significant reductions in storm restoration
times, " said Chandran. " These
solutions provide great segmentation
of the 'feeder' from the substation with
lateral automation-underground or
overhead to the end customer. "
To get the most bang for the buck,
companies with limited budgets should
start by implementing lateral automation
technology. " 92% of electric service
disruptions happen on the distribution
portion of grid, and a majority of those
happen on laterals-neighborhood
lines-that are protected by a fuse, "
Chandran explained. " Newer technology
will reduce these disruptions significantly.
By replacing fuses with automation,
they can reduce the frequency and
duration of outage events. One southern
utility saw a 74% reduction in sustained
interruptions on locations where
this technology was deployed. "
Chandran said FPL has been investing
heavily in building a stronger,
smarter grid for decades, and he believes
the benefits have far outweighed
www.re-plus.com
2. The IntelliRupter PulseCloser Fault Interrupter allows
users to locate and isolate faults, and restore
power to customers from an alternate source-with
or without communications-while avoiding voltage
sags. Courtesy: S&C Electric Co.
the costs. While no power grid is hurricane-proof,
detailed assessments
have confirmed the resiliency of FPL's
storm-hardened energy grid. "
Grid-Enhancing Technologies
In April, the WATT Coalition (Working
for Advanced Transmission Technologies),
a coalition of companies interested
in bringing technology solutions
to the U.S. electric transmission system
to improve reliability and efficiency,
published a 30-page paper by The
Brattle Group titled " Building a Better
Grid: How Grid Enhancing Technologies
Complement Transmission Buildouts. "
The research considered three grid-enhancing
technologies (GETs): Dynamic
Line Ratings (DLR), Flexible Alternating
Current Transmission Systems (FACTS),
and Transmission Topology Control.
The paper explains that DLR is a
representative application that tries
to better address the transfer capability
of individual lines. Meanwhile,
FACTS-a common category of power
electronics-based devices that allow
for flexible and dynamic control of
transmission systems-are examples
of hardware solutions focusing on
controlling the flow, and is functionally
similar to phase-shifting transformers,
also known as phase-angle regulators.
Lastly, Transmission Topology Control
is " an elegant software alternative to
these flow control hardware-it controls
the flow by adjusting the system
topology (for example, by opening or
closing circuit breakers) and hence
changing the flow distribution that is
defined by Kirchhoff's Law to achieve
operational objectives. "
-Aaron Larson is POWER's
executive editor.
29
http://WWW.POWERMAG.COM http://www.re-plus.com
POWER September 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER September 2023
