The Innovation Issue. Electricity: The Greatest Innovation of All Time
FEATURES:
-APPA's DEED program brings new ideas to scale
-The Instant Gratification Grid: Today's electricity customers want more and they want it now. Utilities in all sectors are prioritizing new, smart technologies.
-Smart Utilities, Smart Cities
-Career Day
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6. Bill Gates has been talking a lot about energy
innovation lately. In a recent interview with The
Atlantic, he calls for an energy miracle. Gates says
the incentive to invest in energy isn’t there —
compared to glitzy new digital products, most en-
ergy technology is developed more than 20 years
before it is scaled up for widespread use. While
energy innovation creates measurable benefits to
society in the long run, Gates says there’s little
immediate benefit to the innovators themselves.
“R&D amount in energy is surprisingly low com-
pared with medicine or digital stuff, where both
the government spending and the private-sector
spending is huge,” Gates says.
Public power has been able to make a differ-
ence because we can innovate for the public good,
with no further incentive necessary. Whether it be
through an iPhone app for customers, a wind tur-
bine in a suitcase, or modular residential and com-
mercial battery storage — community-owned util-
ities have often been able to meet customers’ needs
with new technologies requiring only modest in-
vestments, before they seek services elsewhere.
Public power has been on the frontlines of in-
novation for a long time.
The American Public Power Association
launched the Demonstration of Energy & Effi-
ciency Developments program in 1980. Today, more than 900 public
power utilities take advantage of the program to pool their resources
and fund innovative projects that help move public power — and the
entire industry — forward. While we cannot match the $2 billion Bill
Gates wants to spend on energy R&D, DEED has done some great work
of which we should all be proud.
As DEED celebrates its 35th birthday, we want to share its impres-
sive track record of more than 400 projects. As you’ll read in this issue
of Public Power magazine, the program is helping public power utilities
get on the cutting edge.
DEED works because of the efforts of its volunteer board members,
who review many grant applications and put together ideas. I met with
the DEED board while they were visiting the APPA office in September.
StrengthThrough Innovation
PUBLIC POWER LINES
I was most impressed with their dedication and
the work they do. They are as motivated and deter-
mined as our staff who keep the program running
like a well-oiled machine: Mike Hyland, senior vice
president of engineering services, Michele Suddle-
son, DEED program director, and Richelle Dodds,
DEED program assistant.
The program also owes its success to the
members who participate, proposing and per-
forming research projects that lead us to the next
frontier. Their work makes a lasting impression.
On page 15, you’ll read about DEED projects that
made a big splash and have gained widespread
use throughout the energy industry.
Innovation is important in any industry, but it
is essential in the electric utility industry — pow-
er is the backbone, not only of our communities
but of many other technologies we use every day.
This is why APPA included Continuing Research
and Development as one of the six priorities in
its strategic plan. DEED’s firm commitment to
research enables us to increase efficiencies, in-
vestigate new technologies, develop new service
offerings, and improve processes and practices to
better serve customers. The long-term strength
of public power demands this commitment to
research, development and demonstration.
But building a better tomorrow is just as much about people as it is
about new technologies and services. You’ll read on page 26 about four
DEED scholarship and internship recipients who have stayed in the en-
ergy industry, some in public power. And two of the four interviewees
are women, though women make up only 14 percent of the engineering
workforce. Public power is helping get women into STEM — the sci-
ence, technology, engineering and math fields. Check out the women
from public power who were featured on Twitter during the “#ILook-
LikeAnEngineer” campaign.
Clearly, joining DEED is an investment in the future. The energy
industry is changing — of that we are certain. But public power’s com-
mitment to research and education remains steadfast through DEED.
To join other public power innovators at the frontlines of the electricity
future, visit PublicPower.org/DEED.
4 Public Power / November-December 2015
8. T O P - N O T C H L E A R N I N G A N D N E T W O
Executive leadership Legal Accounting & finance HR and training Engineering & operations
6 Public Power / November-December 2015
The ONLY Source that Meets
All Your Training & Workforce
Development Needs
POLICY & REGULATION
Joint Action Workshop, Jan 10 – 12, San Diego, California
Come and talk to your peers from joint action agencies across the
country about hot topics. Discuss the impact of the Clean Power Plan
in your state, review distributed generation case studies and consumer
education issues, and explore the implications of a recent FERC ruling on
power supply contracts.
TRAINING: TECHNICAL, ACCOUNTING,
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Winter Education Institute, Feb 8 – 12, Orlando, Florida
Send staff at every level to earn CEUs, PDHs and CPEs, while receiving
hands-on training from experts in accounting, cost of service and retail
rate design, customer service management, distributed generation rate
design, overhead distribution systems, and pole line design.
LEADERSHIP NETWORKING
CEO Roundtable, Feb 21 – 24, Phoenix, Arizona
Join CEOs, general managers, and senior executives from other public
power utilities for peer networking in an exclusive small group setting
— registration is limited to 75 executives. Learn to think outside the
box, gain insight into key challenges facing the industry, and gear up for
success.
6 Public Power / November-December 2015
9. PublicPower.org / #PublicPower 7
POLICY AND ADVOCACY
Legislative Rally, Mar 7 – 9, Washington, D.C.
Come and meet with your members of Congress and brief them
on issues that impact you. Hear from experts on energy legislation,
environmental policy, threats to tax-exempt financing, grid security,
distributed generation, the Power Marketing Administrations,
telecommunications, and more.
LINEWORKER SKILLS
Public Power Lineworkers Rodeo, April 1-2,
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Earn national and local attention by sending your lineworkers to
demonstrate their skill, compete for professional honors, and network
with peers. The Rodeo receives significant social media attention,
motivates participants, and celebrates their hard work. Safety training is
at the top of the agenda.
OPERATIONS
Engineering & Operations Technical Conference,
April 3 – 6, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Learn from the experts and network with your engineering peers to
recharge and refresh your skills. Discover the latest and greatest in
communications and control, environmental, generation and fuels,
safety, supply management, system planning, and transmission and
distribution.
W O R K I N G F O R U T I L I T Y P E R S O N N E L
Customer service Key accounts Energy services PR & communications Economic development
LEADERSHIP, ECONOMY, TECHNOLOGY
National Conference & Public Power Expo,
June 10 – 15, Phoenix, Arizona
Don’t miss public power’s event of the year — the place to see and be
seen. Tune into the political, economic, and technological trends shaping
electric utilities. Connect changes in the global and national energy
landscape to your public power utility and prepare for the challenges and
opportunities ahead.
WEBINARS
Learn without leaving your desk
APPA Can Bring Courses to YOU
Let the best of the APPA Academy come to you. Our in-house training
program can bring any of our popular courses to your facility or
customize training for staff from any of your departments. We cover utility
governance, engineering and operations, safety, accounting, customer
service, and more.
Contact Heidi Lambert at 202-467-2921 or HLambert@PublicPower.org
to plan and book your session today!
Register for all events and webinars at PublicPower.org/Events
Email: EducationInfo@PublicPower.org
Phone: 202-467-2900
11. PublicPower.org / #PublicPower 9
Utilities operate in an increasingly competitive and nuanced industry — customers
and private companies are directly involved in the energy business,and customers are
presented with more choices and control over their energy use.
“Customers interested in reducing their carbon footprint now have the choice
to either install solar panels on their rooftop themselves,lease a solar system
maintained by a third-party company,or participate in a community solar
program offered through their local utility,”said Michele Suddleson,director
of the Demonstration of Energy & Efficiency Developments Program at the
American Public Power Association.“Utilities must provide our customers with
the ways and means to realize their energy-related desires or those desires will be
fulfilled by others,and we will lose relevance with our customers in this new era.”
New technologies that can keep utilities relevant and in the energy-service game are
ones that not only help customers meet their energy-related needs,but also harness
and store clean,reliable energy and integrate systems for cost-effectiveness and
efficiency.Storage and integration,in particular,impact all aspects of delivering
energy,including energy efficiency,demand-side management,renewable energy,and
intelligent use of microgrids,making them the wave of future energy business.
Several new technologies that are a part of that future wave and may be game-changers
for the utility industry have received support from grants by APPA’s DEED Program.
By Laurel Lundstrom,Contributing Writer
Share your #innovation
stories with
@PublicPowerOrg
12. 10 Public Power / November-December 2015
THE GREEN ENERGY TRIFORCE:
ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ENERGY
STORAGE AND SOLAR POWER
The first thing people see when they park their cars at North Carolina State University’s FREEDM
center is a touchscreen monitor. That monitor uses infographics to educate the public about the
benefits of the university’s Vehicle Energy Storage & Solar Demonstration project, which couples a
solar-powered electric vehicle charging station with an energy storage system. “I think it’s almost like
a holy trinity of green energy,” said Allan Oduor, a student who worked on the project. “Owning an
electric vehicle or plug in-hybrid is great. What’s even better is having an electric vehicle that you
don’t have to charge using electricity generated from a coal plant.”
Participants: North Carolina State University
DEED project timeline: June 2013 – May 2014
Total cost: $128,811
Amount covered by DEED: $47,811
Technology: Integrated storage, solar, electric vehicles
Project specs: The integrated system generates up to 43 kilowatt hours of solar
photovoltaics, charges two electric vehicles, stores up to 20 kilowatt hours of power in a
battery, connects to a local microgrid, and educates the public about intelligent energy
management through a visual energy display.
Results: The VESSD achieves operational efficiency by using direct current from a
microgrid and avoiding losses that occur when a grid-supplied alternating current
is converted into direct current. The project helps to demonstrate how small-scale
distributed generation systems, energy storage, and electric vehicles can be intelligently
integrated and controlled to avoid deleterious grid impacts.
Replicability: The VESSD is a simple design. It can be built in any type of parking lot to
improve demand-side response by leveraging solar-powered charging stations.
Lessons: Electric vehicles that charge at unpredictable times and the growth of
photovoltaic generation create challenges to maintaining stability and power quality on the
grid. Having solar-powered charging stations located in parking decks offers a clean, cost-
effective alternative to charging a vehicle at home.
Innovation impact: The proliferation of these integrated systems in the very near future
could provide important efficiency and operational benefits to the grid if they are well
understood and effectively managed.
NEWTECHNOLOGIESCHANGINGTHEENERGYGAME
13. PublicPower.org / #PublicPower 11
TURNING THE KEY TO THE
FUTURE OF RELIABLE WIND
WITH EFFICIENT STORAGE
Wind is unpredictable. Adding wind generation to the energy supply comes with risk, and there is
no guaranteed back-up power supply for when the wind slows down. Lincoln Electric System has
worked on rectifying this problem by designing an efficient system that uses excess wind energy to
store compressed air that can be tapped for power when winds die down or when peak energy use
is highest.
Utility: Lincoln Electric System
DEED project timeline: May 2014 – May 2015
Total cost: $18,105
Amount covered by DEED: $4,288
Technology: Wind, storage
Project specs: The system is designed as a dual function air compressor and motor
directly connected to the wind turbine shaft. This configuration uses excess wind energy
to store compressed air.
Results: When the wind speed is low, the compressed air supplements the wind
energy and allows the wind turbine to produce energy at its maximum potential.
Replicability: Along with an increase in self-sufficiency, this technology could enable
utilities to downsize transmission lines or maintain the size when power demand in
the community increases. It works well in rural areas where abundant wind energy
resources exist and small communities are located far from the generation center.
Lessons: There are multiple control loops associated with optimal operation of the
compressed air system, and the utility discovered the best one: a rotary vane machine
and a variable displacement machine coupled with a continuously variable transmission.
Innovation impact: “Energy storage is the key to the future viability of wind generation
and we are not aware of any other research that utilizes the direct coupled air compressor
and motor configuration,” said Tom Davlin, manager of engineering projects with Lincoln
Electric System. If this technology can be commercialized, it will allow for storage of
off-peak wind energy for delivery during peak periods, solving one of the biggest issues
associated with wind energy: the time-of-day mismatch between wind energy production
and customer peak loads. It could also potentially provide an emergency energy source
during grid outages and “black start” capabilities to a micro-grid system.
NEWTECHNOLOGIESCHANGINGTHEENERGYGAME
14. 12 Public Power / November-December 2015
RENEWABLE POWER IN A
SUITCASE: THE A-PEGASUS
PROJECT
Soon, 5,000 people in Jikawa Province, Papua New Guinea — a country where 90 percent of
people still do not have electricity — will receive power from one of the first portable, airborne
electric-generating systems. The Airborne-Portable Electric Generation and Storage Universal
System, known as A-Pegasus, will harness wind and solar power to establish a micro-utility that
powers the local medical clinic, schools, and community in the rural province of Jikawa.
“I feel very grateful to APPA for helping me to develop a low-cost, high-efficiency, modular
system that could potentially open a new market for utilities to own and operate instantly
deployable renewable energy sources,” said Alexander Anderson, the graduate student
who was supported by Tacoma Power through DEED to work on the project. “Thanks to
the DEED program, I now see my dream taking form as a real-world solution.”
Utility/participants: Tacoma Power
DEED project timeline: December 2013 – May 2014
Total cost: $4,100
Amount covered by DEED: $4,000
Technology: Wind, renewable generation
Project specs: A–Pegasus integrates a wind augmenter and photovoltaic rays into a
tethered airborne platform. Researchers evaluated the feasibility, practicality, and cost-
effectiveness of the system.
Results: Augmented wind turbines operate at higher efficiencies, have lower starting
speeds, and are better for the environment because of reduced noise and fewer bird/
bat strikes — and A-Pegasus is no exception. In addition, the low deployment cost and
portability of A-Pegasus allows it to go from “in-the-box” to fully operational in a few
hours.
Replicability: The system can be scaled to produce a desired power output, making
the technology transferable to a utility of nearly any size as a supplementary generation
system for peak electric consumption periods or as a reliable source of emergency
backup power.
Lessons: Discovering the operating constraints (such as temperature, wind speed
requirements, rotational velocity restriction) and material limitations rendered valuable
lessons for the next prototype design, A-Pegasus II, which will fit in a suitcase and can
be carried and assembled anywhere.
Innovation impact: The system presents a reliable, sustainable alternative to current
off-grid generation techniques and distribution-generation technologies and is cost
competitive with similarly sized commercial wind turbines in regions with low-to-
moderate wind speeds. Designed to be a viable source of renewable energy for any
geographic region, utilities can use these rapidly deployable assets to provide service in
remote areas, where the costs of diesel generation or grid extension are prohibitive.
NEWTECHNOLOGIESCHANGINGTHEENERGYGAME
15. PublicPower.org / #PublicPower 13
COOL, COOL SUMMERS WITH
ICE CUB
Azusa Light & Water has been serving residents of the Los Angeles Basin for 115 years, since
before the first modern electrical air conditioning unit was invented and well before the utility
worried about air conditioners straining the grid on the hottest days. Times have changed, of
course, and with them, the utility has been supporting the innovation of new technologies to
help improve efficiencies and lower the cost of energy — even on sweltering days. The utility
worked with the company Ice Energy to develop a small-scale, refrigerant-based thermal en-
ergy storage system that can be used in the residential sector, called Ice Cub.
Utility: Azusa Light & Water
DEED project timeline: April – December 2014
Total cost: $500,000
Amount covered by DEED: $60,000
Technology: Residential thermal energy storage
Project specs: The project tested two Ice Cub prototypes to determine how they
could be used to realize significant peak demand reduction of up to 50 percent and/or
efficiency improvements in the residential sector. The technology needed to store enough
ice to cool without using a compressor during peak periods using a traditional home
HVAC unit.
Results: Both prototypes met the project’s criteria: they could provide up to 12 to 14
ton-hours of cooling a day and be used as a peak-shifting device for demand reduction.
The Ice Cub can also be used as an air conditioning unit to cool the whole home while
making ice and then used as a storage device by taking the compressor offline for three
to four hours during peak periods.
Replicability: The Ice Cub can be used in all climate zones, nationwide, wherever
refrigerant-based air conditioners are used. When this product is commercialized, it will
be available to essentially all public power systems in the United States and to utilities
worldwide that experience summer peak load constraints due to air conditioning
demand.
Lessons: Field tests allowed the utility to define how long of a period that Ice Cub
needs to reduce air conditioning peak demand, which is typically four hours per day.
Innovation impact: At full capacity, the technology can shift an air conditioning
compressor from on-peak to off-peak, reducing demand by approximately 95 percent.
Ice Cub completely replaces the residential outdoor air conditioner compressor unit,
and can be used to cool the home outside the four-hour peak reduction period. Since
the project’s conclusion, Ice Energy has created five different Ice Cub prototypes. When
commercialized, this technology could have a major impact on curbing demand for
power during peak heat.
“Following successful field testing in Azusa, Ice Energy contracted with University of
California Davis’s Western Cooling Energy Center to test and confirm performance of the
Ice Cub product, which was completed in August of 2015,” said Greg Miller, executive
vice president of market development for Ice Energy. “The first units will be ready for sale
in January 2016.”
NEWTECHNOLOGIESCHANGINGTHEENERGYGAME
16. 14 Public Power / November-December 2015
EVOLVING STUDENTS,
EVOLVING BEHAVIORS
When students leave for study at a university, how they use and save energy is not usually the
first thing on their minds. The Burlington Electric Department, which delivers power to University
of Vermont students, has struggled to curb energy use at student rental properties. By teaching
students more about their energy use, the Burlington Electric Department is trying to understand
if it is possible to encourage energy-saving behaviors among the student population. The innova-
tion being tested requires in-home devices to be paired with smart meters.
Utility/participants: Burlington Electric Department, University of Vermont
DEED project timeline: July 2014 – June 2016
Total cost: $141,450
Amount covered by DEED: $30,000
Technology: Demand-side management, behavior change, smart metering
Project specs: This project involves creating additional educational opportunities for
students living off campus to better understand, as residential customers in Burlington,
how to take advantage of the smart grid. This will take the shape of educational seminars
and outreach on energy efficiency, and include a competition among participants, some
of whom will be using an in-home device to track energy usage.
Results: The study will continue through the spring semester and results should be
available soon after.
Replicability: The utility’s findings about pairing in-home devices with smart meters
and how and if customers use smart meter data to change energy use should be
applicable to other utilities.
Lessons: Pairing in-home devices, or other Zigbee devices, to smart meters is not always
straightforward. Burlington Electric Department meters, for example, have the radios off
so the utility had to develop a process that turns the radio on and a process for pairing
each in-home device to the correct meter.
Innovation impact: Real behavior change with energy usage is an evolving subject.
The Burlington Electric Department, through this project, is seeking to know what
programs might effectively encourage energy-saving behaviors in the future. “This can
be a great learning opportunity,” said Chris Burns, director of energy services at the
Burlington Electric Department. “One of [the utility’s] biggest energy-efficiency challenges
is addressing Burlington’s large portion of rental properties, and student rentals in
particular. In-home devices, coupled with Burlington’s smart metering systems, provide
tremendous potential.”
NEWTECHNOLOGIESCHANGINGTHEENERGYGAME
17. PublicPower.org / #PublicPower 15
35 Years of Innovation: DEED’s Greatest Hits
By Michael Hyland, senior vice president of engineering services, APPA
35 years of DEED resulted in what can be described as extreme innovation in public power. It’s hard to pick the
greatest outcomes that have resulted from DEED projects, but here’s a snapshot of five projects with lasting impact.
Soybean oil for safer transformers
Waverly Light and Power in Iowa, now Waverly Utilities,
had to clean up a costly contaminated transformer oil spill
in 1994. The utility wanted a non-toxic transformer oil and
teamed up with the University of Northern Iowa’s Ag-Based
Industrial Lubricants research program. Initial pilot testing
of the oil began in 1997. In 1999, the oil was patented and
trademarked as BioTrans. A DEED grant supported further
research, which identified BioTrans as an environmentally
friendly alternative to standard transformer oil. In 2002
Cargill bought the patents and trademark rights and began
manufacturing BioTrans. In 2004, Cargill joined forces
with Cooper Power Systems, which had developed its own
vegetable-based transformer oil, to cost-efficiently produce
and distribute Envirotemp FR3 fluid, a revolutionary
insulating product that is safe for the environment and the
public.
Stimulating power flow simulations
PowerWorld Simulator is a graphics-based power system
analysis tool that took the drudgery and mystery out of power
system analysis. It can be used to show power flows on the
transmission system or a utility’s distribution system. It all
started with Thomas Overbye, a professor at the University of
Illinois, who wanted a tool to help students better understand
large-scale power systems. In 1995, DEED joined Power
Systems Engineering Research Center — a consortium of
universities, industries, and government groups conducting
electric industry research — to support the development
of the software. Continued development was supported
by more DEED grants and scholarships. DEED sponsors
included Danville Department of Utilities in Virginia, WPPI
Energy in Wisconsin, Richmond Power & Light in Indiana,
and City Water Light & Power in Illinois. PowerWorld Corp.
was founded in 1996 to make the software commercially
available. Today, PowerWorld’s products are used by more
than 700 customers in 68 countries.
Smarter safety through videos
Educating workers about safety is challenging for many small,
resource-constrained utilities. That’s why DEED awarded a
grant to Peru Utilities in Indiana to develop the SafetySmart
Video Series in 2003. The series consists of eight training
videos that reinforce information from the APPA Safety
Manual and Occupational Safety and Health Administration
standards. The videos were shot at public power utilities and
feature utility personnel and equipment. They discuss safety
at power generation plants, excavation sites, in relation to
electric metering, in confined spaces, with pole climbing and
bucket truck safety and rescue operations, and during lockout/
tagout procedures for electric plants and substations. The
accompanying SafetySmart Instructor’s Manual provides
additional classroom content. The SafetySmart Video Series
filled a marketplace gap for affordable, professional-quality
training materials with a public power focus. It has helped
many public power utilities enhance safety training programs.
The series is being updated under a current DEED grant.
Benchmarking through e-Tracking
In 2001, DEED awarded the Municipal Electric System of
Oklahoma a $3,000 grant to improve an Excel spreadsheet
that a member created to track and log outages and graph
data using reliability indices. A decade later, Reliability
Tracker, a simple tool that DEED distributed to members
via CD-ROM, morphed into the eReliability Tracker™, a
sophisticated, web-based tool that public power utilities
can subscribe to affordably. Today, eReliability Tracker is a
national, web-based application used by more than 200 utilities
to catalog, track, and report outage data. The subscription
rate demonstrates that public power utilities are highly
engaged in capturing and benchmarking reliability data to
perform essential distribution system analyses. A second grant
was awarded in 2013 to improve and enhance eReliability
Tracker’s features and performance. The application gives
large and small utilities an easy-to-use, and cost-effective tool
to track and benchmark distribution system reliability.
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20. 18 Public Power / November-December 2015
The Instant
Gratification Grid
Change the thermostat by tapping the screen of a smart phone. Ask
a utility about an outage through social media. Store power for a
household in a sleek home battery in the garage.Today’s customers
want more, faster, and tomorrow’s customers will have even higher
expectations. Evolving technologies and customer needs are driving
utilities in all sectors to prioritize providing new, integrated smart
technologies.
By Ethan Howland
22. 20 Public Power / November-December 2015
Maturing technologies, evolv-
ing customer expectations and the constant
demand for reliable and affordable power
aredriving electric utilities and their partners
to develop new and innovative services and
approaches.
The last 10 years or so has been a period
of major change as the grid system has grown
more dynamic. Solar capacity in the United
States stood at about 500 megawatts in 2005.
Today it’s about 22,700 MW, with photovol-
taic panels covering rooftops from New Jersey
to California.
The number of so-called smart meters,
which make possible two-way communica-
tion between a utility and its customers, has
jumped from about 7 million in 2007 to about
65 million today.
About 72,300 plug-in electric vehicles
have been sold so far this year, up from about
17,800 in all of 2011. Electric vehicles have
the potential to provide power to the grid
when needed while charging their batteries
at the best times for the overall system.
In part, the evolution toward a more com-
plex grid network parallels changing custom-
er expectations, according to Ed White, vice
president of new energy solutions at National
Grid, a transmission and distribution utility
in the Northeastern U.S. and the U.K. “Our
customers have advanced exponentially in the
last 10 years. Customers are more reliant and
dependent on technology, and there’s more
pressure on utilities to invest in the future.”
The evolving expectations for how con-
sumers interact with and use electricity is
spurring innovation, according to Michael
Howard, the Electric Power Research Insti-
tute’s president and chief executive officer.
At the same time, the costs are falling for
some technologies, such as rooftop solar,
providing more options for customers and
utilities, he said.
“The technical innovation is occurring
in all facets of the power system,” Howard
said. “With more two-way power flow, it’s
even more important to know what’s hap-
pening and also to be able to predict what
may happen.”
Howard sees some key technological
changes that are helping utilities and oth-
ers manage a power system that is growing
more dynamic. Utilities have a real-time
view of what’s happening on the electric
system, enabled by improvements in sen-
sor equipment. Communication technology
can deliver data from the sensors. And the
final piece is improved data analytics, which
helps utilities understand what’s happening
on the grid and potentially getting a jump on
what may be coming in the future, he said.
The integrated grid
In an effort to get the most out of the growth
in distributed resources alongside central
generation, EPRI started its Integrated Grid
initiative last year. “We came to the conclu-
sion that it’s critically important to integrate
it all together,” Howard said, noting that that
may not have been an obvious finding 10
years ago.
As a first step, EPRI developed a cost-ben-
efit framework for assessing various options
that are now available to utilities. The frame-
work, released early this year, can be used
to understand the net benefits distributed
resources like solar PV or energy storage can
provide.
“As we increase the deployment of dis-
tributed energy resources, the questions of
optimal configurations will be happening
every day,” Howard said.
Now EPRI, in cooperation with about a
dozen investor-owned and cooperative utili-
ties, is setting up pilot projects focused on six
key areas: utility-scale solar, with and with-
out storage, distributed energy storage, mi-
crogrids, electric vehicle charging infrastruc-
ture and customer-sided technologies such as
distributed generation, smart thermostats and
energy management systems.
Through the pilot projects, EPRI aims to
better understand the cost and benefits of
various configurations of different resources,
according to Howard.
New York grid reform
Meanwhile, utilities throughout the U.S. have
been pressing ahead with innovative projects
of their own. Echoing some of the issues being
tackled by EPRI, New York’s investor-owned
utilities this summer proposed demonstra-
tion projects through the state’s Reforming
the Energy Vision initiative, which aims to re-
vamp the state’s utility sector, partly by spur-
ring increased distributed resources.
Among the proposals, National Grid
plans to test distributed resources at the
Buffalo-Niagara medical campus while of-
fering community solar in a low- to moder-
ate-income neighborhood near the hospital.
One of the key principles around the REV
initiative is looking at distributed energy re-
sources as a network instead of individual
connections, National Grid’s White said.
READ MORE: Lisa Wood, vice president of
the Edison Foundation and executive direc-
tor of the Institute for Electric Innovation,
talks about the evolving electric grid, cus-
tomers and utility on PublicPower.org under
News>Public Power magazine>Archives
(Sept.-Oct. 2015).
“The technical
innovation is
occurring in all
facets of the
power system.”
23. PublicPower.org / #PublicPower 21
Through a “distributed service platform” the
utility hopes to put together the right mix of
technologies to service seven main institu-
tions plus other organizations on the medical
campus, White said.
The distributed service platform will man-
age the distributed resources on campus us-
ing load and generation forecasts to create a
forward-looking dispatch schedule, the utility
said. National Grid hopes to learn how it can
best connect customer-to-grid assets to mar-
ket mechanisms such as ancillary services, ca-
pacity, and demand response, the utility told
the New York Public Service Commission in
its project application.
National Grid also plans to explore setting
up a microgrid in Potsdam, New York, to re-
duce power outages in an area that has been
hit with multi-day outages. Partly, the util-
ity wants to see to what extent customers are
willing to pay for grid reliability, White said.
“What is the value of knowing the lights will
come on?” he asked.
National Grid is also proposing to give
about 15,000 residential and small commer-
cial customers equipment so they can better
monitor and manage their energy. The proj-
ect will include levelized billing so customers
have predictable electric utility expenses.
New York regulators have approved the
community solar project and White expects
final decisions on the other projects in the
next couple months.
Smart power
Utilities have also been looking at ways to
link energy storage with renewable genera-
tion. Portland General Electric and its part-
ners, for example, launched the Salem Smart
Power project in 2013. The project, seen on
pages 18-19, includes a 5-MW lithium-ion
battery-inverter system, which is used to
provide seamless power delivery to a major
customer with solar panels and also incorpo-
rates demand response.
For us, safety is a way of life and we wouldn’t have
it any other way. We work proactively to maintain a
well-trained staff, instilling safe work practices every
step of the way. At Asplundh, is
the only way to get the job done.
764470_Asplundh.indd 1 28/08/15 10:18 PM
READ MORE: Find energy storage case studies and news coverage on PublicPower.org
under Topics>Energy Storage.
24. 22 Public Power / November-December 2015742011_IFD.indd 1 03/04/15 12:57 AM
Further, the Salem project is at the core of
a microgrid that includes about 500 residen-
tial, commercial and governmental custom-
ers, according to Stan Sittser, a PGE spokes-
man. As part of a microgrid, the project can
tap three standby diesel generators when
needed, with the battery providing about 20
minutes of electricity while the generators
get started.
The roughly $25-million project is still in
use and could be called on to bolster resil-
iency and reliability, according to Sittser.
Hawaiian cooperative unveils plans
for solar plus storage project
While several large IOUs are moving on ener-
gy storage projects, so is a cooperative in Ha-
waii. Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative, with
about 33,000 customers, announced plans in
September for a utility-scale solar plant that
will deliver power in the evening, when elec-
tric demand is at its peak.
SolarCity, which will build the 13-MW
solar array and 52-MWh battery project, will
sell power to the cooperative under a 20-year
power purchase agreement for a fixed price
of $145/MWh, which is less expensive than
the utility’s conventional power supplies.
The cooperative said that the proposed
SolarCity project next to the Kapaia power
plant is believed to be the first utility-scale
system in the U.S. to provide dispatchable
solar energy, meaning that the utility can
count on electricity being available when it is
needed, even hours after the sun goes down.
The cooperative expects to save up to
$52.6 million in reduced fuel use over the life
of the power purchase contract while cutting
its greenhouse gas emissions. n
717604_Sterling.indd 1 22/10/14 2:07 PM
25. PublicPower.org / #PublicPower 23
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29. PublicPower.org / #PublicPower 27
IgnitingtheSparkThrough association-funded grants and
scholarships, public power is building its own
workforce of the future.
With about a quarter of the existing public power workforce ready to retire
within the next five years, there is no time like the present to recruit the
next generation of public power employees.
Working at a public power utility provides a breadth of experience that
isn’t found in many other jobs. For Girish Balachandran, now the general
manager of California’s Riverside Public Utilities, his scholarships in 1989
and 1990 allowed him to continue his education while learning everything
from power purchasing to regulatory issues.
Through scholarships and internships in public power, the industry is
piquing the interest of its future generation of leaders like Balachandran.
Working with a public power utility also allows for a close relationship with
a community, one that many public power utility employees grew up in and
want to continue to serve.
But their advice to those who follow in their footsteps isn’t all that different
from what generations have been passing down for ages: communicate
effectively, be flexible and be curious.
Share your
#workforce stories with
@PublicPowerOrg
By Laura D’Alessandro,integrated media editor,APPA
30. 28 Public Power / November-December 2015
“I will continue my
career in the power
industry because it
touches everything
and everyone. Our
customers depend
on electricity,
and they expect
affordable rates.
Public Power
offers that. I want
to continue to be
a part of such an
important industry.”
Laura Strode, 26, Omaha
Public Power District
Growth in Your Community
As a young girl growing up in Nebraska, Laura Strode recalls the Omaha Public Power District as her family’s electric company. Now, she works there.
Two years into her career in the electricity business, Strode said the power industry is where she sees herself for the foreseeable future.
It was an American Public Power Association grant awarded through the Demonstration of Energy & Efficiency Development program that gave Strode
her start. She was an intern at OPPD in the summer of 2013. She applied after she saw a post on OPPD’s website.
“I felt it was a great opportunity as I was pursuing my bachelor’s degree in marketing,” Strode said. “I was attracted to OPPD because they are a great
company and a pillar in my community.”
As it turned out, the project was quite relevant to Strode’s area of study and she was able to get college credit for her work as she planned, implemented
and developed marketing materials for demand side management programs. But the experience also opened a door.
“During the last few months of my internship I was offered a full-time position at OPPD,” Strode said. “The experiences I had gained during my DEED
internship qualified me for this position. I have been in my current position for two years now and I still work closely with the same program and indi-
viduals as I did as an intern.”
APPA’s DEED program targets $120,000 annually for its scholarships, including $5,000 student research grants and internships, $8,000 technical de-
sign projects, and $2,000 educational scholarships. While the funding is bringing community members to work at their utilities, like Strode, the money
also contributes to work on innovative projects, as is DEED’s core mission.
31. PublicPower.org / #PublicPower 29
An Education in Energy
When Marie LaRiviere started her DEED internship in 2004, she didn’t know about geothermal power. But her job was to educate utilities and the public
about the technology.
“I found it particularly interesting because I had never heard of ground source heat pumps and didn’t know much at all about creating electricity from
geothermal energy,” she said.
In hindsight, LaRiviere said, renewable technologies still had a long way to go at that time, but the first step was education.
“Even if my project didn’t create any incremental demand for geothermal technologies, it would still accomplish its goal by educating people,” she said. “A
lot of changes have taken place in the renewable energy industry since 2004, and much of that change has been driven by educating people and companies
about their options and the existence, viability and benefits of these technologies.”
A lot has changed for LaRiviere, too. The experience created what became many more years of researching and educating in the energy industry. From
there, LaRiviere began working at the Energy Information Administration forecasting biofuels consumption and demand. She moved into renewables and
then forecasting fossil fuel demand and consumption.
“I liked the way that forecasting was extremely difficult because of market interactions that were more pronounced than those in the power space,” she
said.
Her interest prompted her to go back to school and get a masters in business administration at Georgetown University, where she also got her under-
graduate degree. Now she reports the financial results of global transactions, but it all started with an internship with DEED.
“I enjoy working for a
company that is respected
by the customers and that
keeps the customers’ interest
first. I have found it is
more satisfying to work for
a company that makes the
customers their number one
advocate, than working for a
company that is only looking
after the shareholders’
interests.”
Travis Kinney, 31,
Lewis County PUD
32. 30 Public Power / November-December 2015
Seven Hats Right Off the Bat
It is often said that small public power utility managers wear seven hats. In fact, in 1966 the American Public Power Association initiated an award to
recognize utility managers who serve small public power communities and whose responsibilities extend well beyond administration into planning and
design, public relations, field supervision, human resources and community leadership.
For Travis Kinney, it was this ability to do many different things that sparked his interest in staying in public power after an exciting internship at Lewis
County PUD in Chehalis, Washington.
Kinney was an intern during the summer of 2012 and was attracted initially by the location and its proximity to where he lived, 30 minutes away. For
Kinney, the internship would be a test drive, he said.
“I would be able to work for a utility and see if I liked it or not,” he said. “From some of the classes I took, I thought I wanted to work at a utility. The
internship gave me the experience to know if it was a place that I truly wanted to work.”
It goes without saying that it certainly was. As an intern, Kinney got the lay of the land. He learned the PUD’s system so he was better prepared for a
full-time position — one that wasn’t even available but Chief Engineer Dan Kay created for him.
“If I didn’t hire him I knew someone else would,” Kay said. So he went to the utility’s board and made the case. Now Kinney works as an electrical
engineer on system performance and other tasks that arise.
It’s that ability to take on other responsibilities that Kinney enjoyed most as an intern.
“At most public power utilities, engineers are able to work on a wide range of tasks that would cover multiple sub departments at other utilities,” he
said. “At most investor owned utilities, engineers are placed in a sub-department of engineering, like system protection, or substation. Then that engineer
works in that sub department until an opening in a different sub department is available. But I feel that I get to learn and apply my knowledge to a wider
range of tasks.”
And while Kinney was training to be an engineer in school, the experience is unlike anything he could have learned in a classroom, he said. “I was
able to learn things and gain experience that is not, or cannot, be taught in college.”
“Working at DEED was
an important stepping
stone for me because
it piqued my interest in
the energy sector and
energy technologies,
which I then explored
by working across
a broad range of
technologies and
functions while at EIA
and now Chevron.”
Marie LaRiviere, 32, Chevron
33. “Public power is a very
meaningful occupation. We
provide an essential public
good. Our product is changing
to meet society’s expectations
for clean power, renewable
power, more information, more
control.”
Girish Balachandran, 49,
Riverside Public Utilities
Forming Future Leaders
When Girish Balachandran was studying at the University of California Los Angeles in 1989, he didn’t have the money for his next semester’s tuition.
Then he saw a flyer posted in the engineering department for a DEED scholarship. The project was load control and energy efficiency concepts.
“This couldn’t have been more perfect in terms of timing,” he said.
About 25 years later, Balachandran is the general manager of Riverside Public Utilities in Riverside, California. While the scholarship was convenient,
economically, he received a job he was actually interested in, he said. He went back for a second round the following year. Balachandran said in hindsight
the experiences were a tremendous opportunity that led to even more learning.
“In a five- to six-year period I was given an opportunity to be an analyst and work on contract negotiations with many utilities and then be involved in
regulatory proceedings that were happening statewide,” he said. “Many of my friends who finished graduate school and went on to do MBAs — the stuff
I was doing at work was what they were learning about in business school. Contract negotiation, regulatory proceedings, as a muni, you get to deal with
all these things. So it was very satisfying to work in public power.”
The concepts Balachandran worked with during his DEED projects remain relevant, he said. Energy efficiency is being drawn farther into the forefront
as environmental regulations continue to build upon one another, and load control is now called demand response.
Like Kinney, Balachandran applied a wide range of skills to his initial experience with public power. As a result, he said, the future workforce needs
to be prepared to do just the same.
34. ROADMAto a better workforce
Attract and retain
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Build a diverse
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36. 34 Public Power / November-December 2015
APPA LeadsTheWay with Public Power Forward
By Joe Nipper,senior vice president of regulatory affairs and communications,APPA
WASHINGTON REPORT
For public power, innovation is not just a catchphrase — it is a funda-
mental aspect of how our member utilities have been doing business every
day for more than a century.
The wide range of projects detailed in this issue that have received
grants through the American Public Power Association’s Demonstration
of Energy & Efficiency Developments program shows that public power
walks the walk when it comes to pursuing the development of new
technologies.
Whether it is developing an energy storage project, offering customers
the opportunity to participate in a community solar project or deploy-
ing electric vehicle charging infrastructure, municipal utilities across the
country are actively engaged in a number of innovations that illustrate
our commitment to being at the forefront of change.
Recognizing that the power sector is in the midst of a significant tran-
sition as distributed energy resources and technological change pose both
challenges and opportunities for utilities, APPA has committed to help its
members prepare for this evolution by tailoring its core services as part of
the association’s strategic plan for 2016-2018.
APPA’s strategic plan refers to the opportunities and challenges of
the future as Public Power Forward. As the strategic plan notes, new
technologies, evolving markets, increasing amounts of customer-owned
generation, new industry entrants, increasing focus on reliability, and
growing energy efficiency and demand response are coming together to
re-shape relationships between distribution electric utilities and their
retail customers.
“Some policy proposals spawned by these new developments could
pose fundamental challenges to the public power business model and
established relationships with our retail customers and communities,”
the strategic plan states.
As part of Public Power Forward, APPA will focus on helping its mem-
bers to communicate the value of community-owned electric utilities and
explain the implications of technology to public power customers. At the
national level, APPA will work to ensure that proposed changes to the in-
dustry’s structure, regulation, and business models support our members
and allow them to adapt to changing community expectations.
In late October, we convened APPA’s first-ever Public Power Forward
summit where attendees heard from a number of players at the front lines
of the dramatic change underway in the power sector. Sessions included
a discussion of financial and rate implications of new business models,
public power’s reaction to reform proposals and customer engagement
and public communications issues.
The summit provided a lot of useful material that attendees will be
able to use as they work to address new technologies, evolving markets,
increasing amounts of customer-owned generation and new industry
entrants, among other things.
With its history and core values, public power is well positioned to
take on the future and thrive in an ever-changing power industry land-
scape. But the key to achieving success will be for public power utilities
to strategize and prepare now.
With Public Power Forward, APPA’s members can rest assured that
the association will be by their side every step of the way as the pace of
change in the power industry continues to accelerate.
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37. PublicPower.org / #PublicPower 35
ENGINEERING
Skippy or Jif,Time-of-use or Fixed-bill Electricity Rates?
By Bernard Neenan,senior technical executive,and Jennifer Robinson,technical leader,energy utilization,
Electric Power Research Institute
We’ve all been there, standing in the peanut butter aisle, faced with a
myriadchoices—crunchyorsmooth,organicornatural,SkippyorJIF.What
you choose may have little to do with any other factors than emotion, leav-
ing Skippy at a loss for marketing their product over JIF. Instead, researchers
often use experimentation to observe how consumers are making choices.
For electricity customers, the choice may be time-of-use or fixed-bill
electricity service plans. Customers are looking for new ways to use power,
thanks to solar panels, smart thermostats and in-home battery storage.
Before utilities release service plans for these new technologies, they can
assess customer choices through experimentation, too.
New insights about consumer preferences come from an ongoing EPRI
behavioral research initiative. A recently completed study employed discrete
choice experimentation, a popular market and preference research tool that
is just now finding its way into electricity service plan design research.
Evaluating choices
Discreet choice experimentation, or DCE, is a set of experimental protocols
for eliciting directly from consumers their preferences for good and services.
DCE is particularly well-suited for evaluating alternative electricity service
plans because it was designed specifically to measure preferences for ser-
vices that consumers are not familiar with, which is the case for time-of-use
and fixed bill pricing.
A DCE survey asked respondents to consider a series of choice situations
and, in each, indicate which of the alternative service plans they prefer. For
this research, time-of-use and fixed-bill plans were offered as alternatives to
how customers buy electricity — most commonly through a uniform rate of
dollars per kilowatt-hour for all energy consumed. The alternatives in each
set included different levels of features for time-of-use and fixed-bill rates,
always compared to the status quo, a fixed rate. As part of the survey, each
respondent completed several choice situations each with the service plan
attributes configured differently.
Studying preferences
EPRI conducted the study in two stages. First, a DCE survey instrument
was developed and tested, and then administered to customers of the three
sponsoring utilities —Kansas City Power and Light, the Tennessee Valley
Authority and Salt River Project. TVA’s sponsorship was partially paid
for with an APPA DEED grant. A commercial survey panel was used to
administer the surveys.
The second stage applied the same survey instrument to include small-
er, more rural utilities and municipal utilities — local power companies
served by TVA. EPRI used direct mail for the entire DEED study.
EPRI tested alternative ways of delivering, packaging, and messaging
the survey. A variety of delivery alternatives were employed to identify
which works best. In the best, a response rate of over 75 percent was
achieved. More than 600 survey responses were collected through the
DEED survey implementation.
Modeling preferences
The survey responses were used to construct a preference model that
relates service plan attributes and consumer demographics to the likeli-
hood of choosing time-of-use or fixed-bill over a conventional residential
electricity rate.
The linkage between preferences and customer demographics makes
DCE a comprehensive method; it establishes what factors should be used
to segment customers and constructs those segments based on observable
characteristics.
The role of demographics in explaining stated preferences has two im-
portant consequences. Models of service plan preferences must collect suf-
ficient demographic data so that those distinctions are explicit in estimating
preferences. Demographics also provides a means for associating preferences
to customer segments and geographic locations that will facilitate effective
education on and marketing of service plans.
Closing the deal, bulking up the data
As new service plans de-
velop and customers se-
lect them, actual choice
data can be collected,
revealing real preferenc-
es data — who bought
and who did not — that
can be combined with
the stated preferences
data from the survey to
improve the predictions
of which types of cus-
tomers are most likely to
choose which types of
service plans.
Combined with
customer load data,
the results inform how
customer electricity us-
age is likely to change as
respondents choose and
adapt to new service
plans. Combined with
utility supply cost fore-
casts, the results of such
studies contribute to a
utility’s goal of minimiz-
ing the cost of meeting
diverse customer needs.
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38. 36 Public Power / November-December 2015
Reducing Cyber Risk:Where to Start
By Nathan Mitchell,senior director of electric reliability standards and security,APPA
SECURITY
Innovation opens doors for opportunity. But
it also opens new doors to risk. As those who
would like to harm the electric grid find new
and better ways to infiltrate the system, the in-
dustry must step up to the plate to make sure
bad actors don’t get in. APPA recently held a
webinar on cybersecurity challenges — part
of a seven-part series on cybersecurity topics.
Brad Luna senior vice president of sales for n-
Dimension Solutions in Dallas, Texas, laid out
these basic steps to reduce cyber risk.
1. Monitor network for threats It’s essen-
tial to identify a person or a team to be
responsible for monitoring beyond a fire-
wall. Common things to look for include
malicious behavior and misconfigured
systems.
2. Perform vulnerability assessments This
goes beyond monitoring. Your utility has
to systematically seek out “open windows”
through which bad-actors can get to your se-
cure information. This includes threats fac-
ing desktops, servers, and other IT systems.
3. Watch for network configuration errors
This often time comes down to your IT
staff keeping on top of best practices and
system updates (while handling other
company issues).
4. Ensure IT has the necessary knowledge
Your IT professionals either need to be
cybersecurity experts themselves or have
access to experts. This often requires
outside help.
5. Establish policies and procedures In
most cases, this is your first step toward
success. Before you can successfully de-
fend your utility from intrusion, you need
to lay down the cybersecurity ground
rules.
6. Conduct awareness training Once you
have in place policies and procedures
regarding information security, you need
to engage staff and get buy-in by deliver-
ing training
For more information on cyber-
readiness, check out APPA’s series
of seven webinars on cybersecurity
for electric utilities. Learn how to
protect your utility, customers, com-
munity, and the electric grid from
potentially damaging interruptions.
Register online at PublicPower.org.
39. PublicPower.org / #PublicPower 37
100 YEARS OF PRIDE IN PUBLIC POWER
Chambersburg,Pennsylvania
#PublicPower
READ MORE: Read an extended feature about Chambersburg on
PublicPower.org under News>Public Power magazine (Nov.-Dec. 2015).
The 6.5-square-mile Borough of Chambersburg, with a population
of just over 20,000, in Pennsylvania is a typical small-town America
public power community. While it is best known as a significant Civil
War site — home to the “Memorial Square” where General Robert E.
Lee made the fateful decision to move east, resulting in the historic
Battle of Gettysburg — Chambersburg hosts another lesser known
memorial.
This memorial, in front of the borough’s electric operations office,
expresses the appreciation of Chambersburg’s citizens for those who “in
1904, by their unselfish and courageous actions in the face of powerful
opposition and public criticism, prevented the sale of the borough’s
municipal electric light plant and preserved for the community that
which has proven to be its most valuable financial asset.”
Today, the Chambersburg continues the fight — now against rising
costs and market complexities — to provide safe, reliable, competitively
priced, environmentally responsible electricity.
Established in 1893, Chambersburg is the largest municipal electric
utility in Pennsylvania and serves 11,300 meters. It is the state’s only
municipal electric utility to own and operate electric generating units.
Residential, commercial, and industrial sectors each account for
about one-third of the borough’s electricity demand. The borough also
powers streetlights —its first generating station was set up mainly for
streetlighting.
The utility has a “buy all, sell all” arrangement with the PJM
Interconnection to leverage the best market prices and ultimately, the
lowest rates for its customers. According to Electric Superintendent Ron
Pezon, Chambersburg is the only public power system in Pennsylvania
to own and operate its own power plants while also “shopping for the
best wholesale electricity prices for customers.”
Pezon attributes the utility’s accomplishments over the years to the
progressive thinking of the mayor and 10-member city council. “They
encouraged us to shop and diversify our power supply sources,” he says.
The council also supported the utility in building its own generation to
hedge against price volatility in the markets.
In 2013, the utility contracted with a third party to develop and
install a 6.4-MW landfill gas to energy system. The project, designed to
prevent the equivalent of 40,000 tons of emissions each year, won the
2013 project of the year award from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s Landfill Methane Outreach Program.
Pezon has been talking with community farmers to explore the
feasibility of a brown power methane project to generate electricity from
manure.
Chambersburg is also looking for a site to locate up to 8 MW of
community solar.
PhotocourtesyofM.L.“Mike”MarotteIII.
40. 38 Public Power / November-December 2015
Sharing Bright Ideas:DEED’sTop 5 Resources
By Michele Suddleson,DEED program director,American Public Power Association
INNOVATION
The American Public Power Association’s Demonstration of Energy & Efficiency Developments is
the only research and demonstration program funded by and for public power utilities. Established
in 1980, DEED supports and demonstrates research, funding, and education to improve the opera-
tions and services of public power utilities.
One of the best things about DEED is its repository of bright ideas. DEED not only encourages
innovation through project grants and scholarships but also shares the results for replication by
all public power utilities. Detailed reports are available exclusively to DEED members.
The online DEED project database chronicles nearly 500 research and demonstration projects
conducted over 35 years on energy efficiency, community education, demand response, reli-
ability, lighting, renewable resources, smart grid, solar, environment, and other topics. DEED
members can access full reports on any of these projects and contact the project team leads to
learn more and plan their own applications.
DEED grantees frequently share project accomplishments and lessons learned with all public
power utilities through publications, toolkits, webinars, and conference presentations. See my
picks for the DEED-generated resources that every utility should invest in.
Smart Grid Investment Grant Projects:
Public Power Case Studies
The U.S. Department of Energy Smart Grid In-
vestment Grant program, funded by the American
Reinvestment and Recovery Act, is designed to
accelerate the modernization of electric trans-
mission and distribution systems and promote
investments in smart grid technologies, tools, and
techniques. SGIG projects were funded in five
categories — advanced metering infrastructure,
customer systems, electric distribution systems,
electric transmission systems, and equipment
manufacturing.This book profiles the 32 public
power SGIG projects, reviews specific smart grid
technologies, and discusses how public power utili-
ties can benefit.
Smart Grid Customer Engagement Essentials
From health to privacy, electricity customers
have many concerns and unfounded suspicions
about smart meters.This guidebook helps utilities
provide accurate information about smart meters
and other technologies to dispel myths and fears
and engage customers. Case studies describe how
public power utilities use social media and other
technologies for engagement.The guidebook pro-
vides engagement plan checklists, communication
templates, and metrics.
An Introduction to Community Solar
This guidebook explains the process for develop-
ing utility-driven solar projects with multiple par-
ticipants who share ownership, costs, and benefits.
With case studies from different types of utilities,
the publication explains how utilities that take
or share leadership of solar projects can realize
benefits, with limited risk.
Solar Engagement Options for Public Power
Customers want solar — and no matter how they
access it, they will turn to their utility for help.
The Solar Electric Power Association describes
the four ways that public power utilities can offer
solar to customers — purchased power, ownership,
customer engagement, and community solar —
and discusses the benefits and challenges of each.
The book includes public power solar case studies
and discusses costs and financing, utility planning,
solar forecasting, smart inverters, and energy
storage.
Top 5 Innovation Reads
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Solar Engagement Options
FOR PUBLIC POWER
Smart Grid Customer
Engagement Essentials
A P U B L I C P O W E R P R I M E R
SM
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Smart Grid Investment Grant Projects:
PUBLIC POWER CASE STUDIES
An Introduction to Community
Shared Solar Programs for
Public Power Utilities
41. PublicPower.org / #PublicPower 39
Energy Efficiency Benchmarking Made Easy
Public power utilities often lack adequate tools
to measure the effectiveness of energy efficiency
programs and decide how to allocate future
resources. DEED funded a project to help public
power utilities produce quality energy efficiency
data and better access and use information from
the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Infor-
mation Administration-861 survey.The project
produced an interactive online benchmarking
tool, the DSM Benchmarker, to help public power
utilities compare energy efficiency spending and
savings.The tool generates comparison charts
by geography, ownership type, size, year, etc. with
energy savings, potential demand reduction, and
spending indicators. Available to APPA members
at www.PublicPower.org/EERC
this guide on how to build energy efficient homes
without skyrocketing costs.
All resources can be ordered through the online
APPA Product Store at www.PublicPower.org/Store
APPA’s DSM Benchmarker™ helps you evaluate
and benchmark your utility’s demand-side
management/energy efficiency programs and
respond to the U.S. Department of Energy’s EIA
form 861-Schedule 6.
With the DSM Benchmarker™ you can
access reliable data to make apples-to-apples
comparisons and generate customizable charts
on energy savings, potential demand reduction,
spending relative to utility size, and more.
Competing DSM tools use voluntary, unaudited
state reporting, but APPA’s DSM Benchmarker™
uses data collected and vetted by the U.S.
Department of Energy on EIA form 861-Schedule
6 — the mandatory annual reporting vehicle to
capture national utility energy efficiency data.
Best of all, it’s free to you and your staff as
an APPA member.
Get started today at www.PublicPower.org/EERC
or contact DEED@PublicPower.org for more
information.
DSM Benchmarker
™
Evaluate. Compare. Improve.
R
DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT & ENERGY EFFICIENCY
PSE is driven to be your trusted advisor for all of your consulting and
engineering needs.
Our services include:
Communications, IT, and Smart Grid Automation
Economics, Rates, and Business Planning
Electrical Engineering
Planning and Design
Procurement, Contracts, and Deployment
CONSULTANTS
FULL-SERVICE
Visit our website for information on all of our services:
www.powersystem.org or call 866-825-8895
Serving the industry since 1974.
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American Transmission Company............................www.atcllc.com................................................17
Asplundh Tree Expert Co........................................www.asplundh.com.............................................21
Black & Veatch Management Consulting Division.......www.bv.com.....................Outside Back Cover
Burndy Electrical.......................................................www.burndy.com....................Inside Back Cover
CRC..............................................................................www.crc.coop.................................................36
Finley Engineering Co. Inc. (FEC) .............................www.fecinc.com.................................................5
GridLiance...............................................................www.gridliance.com..............................................2
Hendrix Wire & Cable, Inc.....................................www.hendrix-wc.com...........................................23
IFD Corporation...................................................www.ifdcorporation.com.........................................22
Laminated Wood Systems........................................www.lwsinc.com...............................................32
Leidos Corporation.....................................................www.leidos.com...............................................34
PhoneTree®
........................................................phonetree.com/APPA2015.........................................5
Power System Engineering, Inc...........................www.powersystem.org..........................................39
SEL........................................................................selinc.com/dna-ppm11............................................1
Sterling Security Systems.................................www.sterlingpadlocks.com.......................................22
Tana Wire Markers............................................www.tanawiremarker.com.......................................35
TEA - The Energy Authority.......................................www.teainc.org................................................23
Thomas & Betts......................................................tnb.com/capswitches .................Inside Front Cover
Ad Index
42. 40 Public Power / November-December 2015
Email News@PublicPower.org for a PDF version of this comic to share with your customers.
Captain Public Power and Career Day