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Progress Report on the 2016-2018 Study of Protective Relays

This week the staff at Newton-Evans Research is in the midst of conducting pre-testing of our 2016 survey design with our panel of leading utility contributors. After reviewing the results and feedback from our panel, we will finalize the North American version of the survey and begin requesting participation from utilities, ISO/RTO organizations, industrial firms and rail transport organizations. The pre-testing process will then be undertaken with our international utility panel.

This periodic study was last undertaken in 2012, with guidance provided in the four volume set of reports for the P&C community through 2014. The report series has been relied upon by relay manufacturers, substation automation developers and control systems integrators around the world for more than three decades. The reports are referenced by standards organizations and the operational consulting community looks to the series for guidance on protection and control status, learning where the “real world” of utilities is today and understanding the technical drivers and operational trends that will impact utility and supplier planning over the next few years.

We are hoping to receive participation from more than 100 key electric utilities in this year’s study. Typically we do obtain cooperation from 100 or more utilities. It is more difficult to obtain high levels of cooperation today, with concerns about security and competitive activities. We are trying not to be intrusive in our questioning, so would-be participants can safely and securely provide information without having to be concerned with cyber security policy issues.

The richly illustrated Executive Summary from this new study will be about 40 pages in length and will enable participants to “benchmark” the findings relative to their own P&C activities and plans and compare with other utilities within their size range and utility type.

For interested parties, keep in mind that the pre-publication price offer for the four volume set of report is $5,500.00 through May, 2016. Once the study is published, the report series price will be $5,950.00.

A brochure with order form for the 2016-2018 series is available here.

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Electric Utility Spending on Relay Testing, Use of WANs for Remote Access

Here are some excerpts from previous Protection and Control studies; some of these topics will be revisited in our 2016 survey.

Overall, do you plan to increase, decrease or maintain current levels of capital investment for relay testing equipment, software and training?
The overwhelming majority of the 2012 sample indicated that they plan to maintain their current CapEx levels for these activities. Sixteen percent said they would increase expenditures, and only one respondent indicated a decrease in CapEx. The 2009 findings had indicated that 70% of the respondents would maintain their 2009 level of investment in relay test equipment. Fifteen percent planned to increase such investment, while only eight percent planned a decrease.

Do you plan to rely more on third party services for relay testing?
PlannedCapexRelayTestingIn 2012, 20% of responding utilities said they plan to rely more in the coming three year period (2012-2014) on third party relay commissioning and testing services. One person mentioned that due to manpower shortages, they do not have enough personnel available to do testing as well as regular line work.

In 2009, only twelve percent had planned to use third party relay testing services. Nearly 25% of the 2006 survey sample indicated that they would be likely to rely more heavily on third party relay testing services. The 2009 cutback in spending for third party services may well have been due to the impact of the recession, and the significant erosion of CAPEX and OPEX spending in that year.

Do you operate a Wide Area Network (WAN) for remote access to relays?
Fifty-three percent of utility respondents overall said they operate a WAN for remote relay access. Surprisingly, 71% of investor owned utilities said they do not operate a WAN for remote access.

How do you operate a Wide Area Network (WAN) for remote access to relays?
Of the 42 utilities in the sample that operate a WAN, 71% operate the WAN via serial port terminal servers or data concentrators, and 62% indicated they operate the WAN through firewalls. Almost all utilities had a multi-pronged approach to operating their WANs.

For more information on the forthcoming update to the worldwide study of the protective relay marketplace, call 1 410 465 7316 or send an email inquiry to info@newton-evans.com

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Role of Electric Power Utility Operational Technology Consulting Firms

There are a large number of consulting services providers to Operations and Engineering staffs in the electric power industry. In North America, Tier One providers include the Structure Group business unit within Accenture, KEMA DNV GL, QUANTA-Technology, PE (Power Engineers), PSC, SISCO, UISOL and others. Several of these firms have their origins as T&D engineering consultants, somewhat akin to the expertise found at the very large firms such as Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, Bechtel and others.

Since the turn of the century and the development of grid modernization studies extending to OT/IT integration, and to enterprise-wide consulting services, a number of additional consulting specialists such as Enernex, Nexant, Bridge Energy, Navigant are highly visible and competing with the more “traditional” OT consulting community.

Additional firms are also active in related segments of grid modernization activities including telecommunications specialist firms (UTCG, PWI, Boreas, Telcordia (part of Ericsson), PSI, and carriers); Cyber consulting specialists (Tripwire, Industrial Defender (now owned by Lockheed Martin), Waterfall Security Solutions, IPKeys, Network & Security Technologies, N-Dimension and Securicon) and market management specialists (OATI, PA, Scott-Madden).

The survey conducted during the fourth quarter of 2015 was concerned in part with the perceived changes taking place among the consulting community that serves operational technology needs of electric utilities.

Some of the summary highlights of one study include these observations
Three of five key integrators of control systems look upon OT specialist consultants as “fair and impartial” while two suggested that consultants have their favorites among the systems provider community.

Integrator officials also provided their thoughts on the future role for OT consultants as follows:

  • Niche players will increase due to that the DER penetration will drive new regulation and requirement for ADMS (distribution)
  • Difficult to say with certainty, but I don’t think the consultant roles will change much.
  • I believe consultants will be supporting more and more project implementation for the end customer as the key internal knowledgeable resources are become less available.
  • To be a trusted partner to a utility to help guide them, but not make decisions on their behalf or to further benefit from those decisions. The role of being part of a procurement (RFP/RFI) process and then to provide system integration services for the selected bidder is raising major ethics concerns.
  • I don’t think much will change over the next 4 years.
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Asset Management of T&D Equipment and Integration of Renewables Needs Advanced Field Testing Methodology

Guest Article contributed by Paul Leufkens
We read with much interest “T&D Testing Topics” about the role and importance of lab and field testing to the electrical power industry. When Chuck published this recently as part of reviewing 2015 activities he described many different test activities by various organizations with very diverse purposes. From there now we want to look ahead to the testing areas in which we expect significant change and rapid development in 2016.

Utilities need remaining life assessment methods and better targeted maintenance programs based on testing experience. Considering integration of renewables, local testing of an integrated system has to be addressed. Another challenge is how to transform Big Data provided by new Smart Grid applications to good use and better Asset Management.

Manufacturer’s intentions with testing
First, let’s clarify that the “testing” examined in this context is budgeted testing on equipment for Transmission and Distribution (T&D) grids, rather than the routine tests that are part of a regular manufacturing process. There are many reasons to undertake and invest into these programs: safety, reliability, liability, performance, compliance to standards and regulations, life expectancy of assets, functionality and more.

Traditionally manufacturers of switchgear, transformers, cables etc. need certification. Type-test certificates show compliance with IEEE ANSI or other internationally recognized standards. This is desirable for market introductions and subsequently may be required for larger international tendered projects. Certificates can cover risk and liability, although that’s considered more outside than inside the US.

Vendors can have many intentions with testing. First there is the verification of new designs and functioning of prototypes at the end stage of product development. When there is a significant change in standards, type tests must be renewed, as was the case recently when requirements for Internal Arc resistance became stricter. Safety testing is fundamental and, together with its traditional UL listing, has become essential for commerce: the demand chain ceases to function without it.

Modern development of newer technologies faces banks or other investors who want independent evaluation and proof of reliable and expected performance for instance of solar PV modules or BESS. It is remarkable that sometimes a manufacturer pushes more severe requirements for a test program than the standard demands, but it happens. We saw that for instance a few years ago with such a seemingly end-of-development product as glass chain insulators: in this instance a manufacturer created a competitive edge by distinguishing itself from the competition. Continue reading Asset Management of T&D Equipment and Integration of Renewables Needs Advanced Field Testing Methodology

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2015 Newton-Evans Survey Respondent Donations to Charitable Organizations

Participants in various Newton-Evans research studies are often asked if they would like us to make a donation on their behalf (in amounts of $25 or $50 dollars a piece) to one of several pre-selected charitable organizations including UNICEF, the Wounded Warrior Project, the Canadian and the American Red Cross.

In 2015, Newton-Evans Research Company’s contributions – made on behalf of survey participants around the world – add up to $1,725:  Over the past decade, our survey respondents have selected donations to charities with payments by Newton-Evans amounting to more than $35,000.  We are grateful to our survey participants from around the world for donating their honorarium to these and other charitable organizations.  During 2016, Newton-Evans will be conducting three major international studies, so the donations to UNICEF will likely be substantially higher than in 2015.

 

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The Year in Summary (2015)

2015 was another busy year for Newton-Evans Research. Some of the studies conducted this past year covered new research topics. While our work was focused on client-commissioned studies, we obtained many insights from operational and engineering perspectives that will assist our research programs in 2016 as we once again conduct our flagship multiclient studies of protection and control, substation modernization, and operational control systems with utilities around the world. For over 30 years Newton-Evans has observed and reported on the fundamental shifts in operational systems and electric power infrastructure technology developments and usage patterns. In 2016, there will be additional changes in usage patterns, plans and outlooks among operational end engineering officials to note, both in North America and internationally.

Continue reading The Year in Summary (2015)

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Worldwide Study of the Protective Relay Marketplace in Electric Utilities: 2016-2018

Newton-Evans is in the planning stages of updating one of its flagship report series on the Worldwide Protective Relay Marketplace, slated for completion in the second quarter of 2016.

If you are a supplier of protective relays, relay testing or integration services, or if you are interested in following technology trends, we invite you to contact us to let us know what questions, comments or concerns you have about this $2.5 billion world market.

Send us an email to relaymarket@newton-evans.com with any ideas you have, or if you are interested in pre-subscribing to this report series. Pre-subscribers are encouraged to help us design the survey/questionnaire which goes out to hundreds of electric utility decision makers and planners around the world by submitting from 2-5 questions for consideration.

Overview
Newton-Evans’ Worldwide Study of the Protective Relay Marketplace: 2016-2018 is planned to be a multi-client study which encompasses the world market for protective relays in the electric utility industry. This four volume report series will be the seventh worldwide study of protective relays which Newton-Evans has undertaken. Participants in this market study will include utility engineers and managers from investor-owned utilities, municipal and provincial utilities, cooperative utilities within the United States and Canada, together with national power systems throughout the world. The study will measure current market sizes and contains projections on a world region basis for the next several years. The entire research program will define the product and market requirements which suppliers must meet in order to successfully participate in one or more of these diverse world market regions.

Newton-Evans Research Company estimates from an earlier 2012 relay market study indicate that the North American protective relay market stood at almost $600 million for both utility and industrial applications. It will be interesting to see how changes in the world market since completion of the 2012-2014 study will affect the outlook for 2016-2018.

Methodology
Field survey work is conducted using a mix of primary research methods including personal interviews, mail surveys, faxes, e-mail and follow-up telephone interviews by Newton-Evans Research Company staff. In addition to discussions with utility managers and influencers, Newton-Evans conducts interviews with protective relay industry officials to gather management impressions about the size, scope, direction and trends in the relay business. Discussions and information exchanges with international suppliers provide additional market insight. Over the past 15 years Newton-Evans has received thousands of completed surveys from utility personnel.

Topics
The survey-based findings in Volumes 1 (North American Market) and 2 (International Market) will discuss the following:

  • Number of relays to be purchased over the 2016-2018 period
  • Percentage of digital/microprocessor relays in installed base and planned for new and retrofit applications purchases
  • Estimates of annual budgets for protective relay hardware purchases
  • Level of testing for new digital relays
  • Communications approaches for wide area networks
  • Relay communications protocol requirements
  • Types of relay scheme redundancy used for microprocessor-based relaying terminals
  • Third party services for relay testing
  • Level of implementation of IEC 61850
  • Uses of IEC 61850 within substation, for protection, control, and SCADA
  • Use fiber optics to connect substations
  • Outsourcing trends for testing, engineering, integration
  • Use of condition based maintenance to reduce maintenance testing time of technicians

Volume 3 will provide a market forecast for the relay market through 2018. The survey sample from volumes 1 and 2 will be analyzed by world percentage of distribution line miles, transmission line miles, number of substations, nameplate capacity (as it applies to generator protection), and number of medium to large transformers included in the sample. This data is then used to estimate factory shipments according to type of relay (electromechanical vs. solid state), market segment (North American utilities, International utilities, and IPP/Industrial/OEMs), relay application (substation equipment, generators/motors, transmission lines, or distribution feeders), and market share by relay manufacturer.

Volume 4 profiles several of the major relay manufacturers and related equipment providers such as ABB, Alstom Grid, Basler, Beckwith, Cooper, Cutler Hammer, FKI, GE Multilin, Nari, RFL, Schneider, SEL, Siemens, and ZIV. Product descriptions and key contacts are provided, as well as reported 2014 and 2015 revenues where available.

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Bumps in the Road to Grid Modernization – Caution Ahead?

The T&D Industry and Grid Modernization Efforts in the second half of 2015 – A Middling Performance – So What Lies Ahead for 2016?

While a number of energy industry pundits suggest that the T&D markets for infrastructure equipment and control systems always go up, I will revert to what another Newton stated a few centuries ago in his Third Law of Motion (“What goes up must come down”).

An informal survey of marketing/product managers being undertaken concurrently with the development of this article strongly suggests that we are in a “down” or at best, a “flat” year for much of T&D infrastructure and for the systems that monitor and control distribution networks. There are some exceptions as noted below.

A more formal study of CAPEX and OPEX plans among the world’s utilities will follow in the fourth quarter. The findings from this scheduled study will enable suppliers of equipment, systems and services to plan more appropriately for the coming two years. This will be the sixth edition of the Newton-Evans CAPEX/OPEX report that began with the financial crisis of 2008 and continued through 2013. Now that low load growth and low capital investments have again hampered the bumpy road to grid modernization, the timing for this study will be helpful.

In preliminary discussions with U.S.-based manufacturers, integrators and industry observers, it is clear that we have entered into a period of further uncertainty and limited investment capabilities for utilities, with some major infrastructure and grid modernization projects being delayed or deferred for months or even years. The significant industrial consumers of electric infrastructure products and smart grid equipment and systems are, in some cases, in a more difficult position than are electric utilities. With falling commodity prices, and the widening spread of corporate bond costs versus Treasury bond costs, the ability of many companies and utilities to source capital for investment is not as “low-cost” as current interest rates would have it. Continue reading Bumps in the Road to Grid Modernization – Caution Ahead?

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EMMOS Conference Sep. 21-23

Just a reminder for those planning to attend the 22nd annual EMMOS (Energy Management and Market Operations Systems) user group conference on September 21-23 at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel in Carmel, Indiana can make hotel reservations at a discounted rate until August 27th.

This year’s conference agenda will feature topical speakers and roundtable sessions, technical training classes and a vendor exhibition.

Featured conference and training topics at the 2015 gathering of North American and international control and market systems operations management and staff include:

  • Cyber Security Perspectives in Light of CIPS V5
  • Overview of MISO Market and System Reliability Operations
  • North American Developments in DMS and DA Usage
  • Visualization
  • Situational Awareness
  • Communications Standards
  • Renewables Integration and Management
  • Network Security Applications
  • Next Generation Systems
  • The Future of Energy – Smart Grid and Beyond, and several additional control systems related topics.

The 2015 conference will include tours of the Midwest ISO (MISO) control center on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. The vendor exhibition will include a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception on Monday evening.

The annual EMMOS conference attendees include electric power operations officials involved with transmission, distribution and generation, as well as IT managers, planning engineers, consultants, ISO staffs, and related systems personnel involved with control systems and substation modernization, distribution automation, outage management and geographic information systems.

Further information on the upcoming 2015 EMMOS conference, including registration information and hotel booking arrangements can be found on the EMMOS website at www.emmos.org. Exhibitor opportunity information is available from Ms. Erika Ferguson at EFerguson@osisoft.com

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The Role of ADMS/SCADA in Building a Resilient & Reliable Distribution Grid: Part 1

This is part one of a four part series on ADMS and Distribution Automation. Part one discusses Advanced DA, differences between Distribution SCADA and ADMS, market participants, usage patterns, challenges, priorities, and comments from users.

What utilities have said
Based on a mid-2014 study of the market for Distribution Automation (along with multiple earlier studies), increasing numbers of large utilities have indicated the following:

  • Integrated systems are becoming more desirable
  • Entrenched suppliers of large control systems (EMS primarily) have an “in” but often cannot provide the required component systems for an integrated approach to DMS-OMS-GIS.
  • Many mid-size utilities consider their DSCADA systems (primarily the ACS, OSI and Telvent communities) as suitable platforms for DMS/DA.
  • A high proportion of all respondents do not yet see a need for a separate DMS. This is especially true among the mid-tier utilities.
  • DMS systems can be (and most often are) implemented in a single control center that cuts across state lines in the United States.
  • Typically, operating companies under a large holding corporation operate their own DMS or DSCADA installations.

10 attributes of advanced DA
Here are the 10 attributes of an advanced distribution automation capability based on Intelligrid’s definition:

  1. Real-time Distribution Operation Model and Analysis (DOMA)
  2. Fault Location, Isolation and Service Restoration (FLISR/FDIR)
  3. Voltage/var Control (VVC/VVO)
  4. Distribution Contingency Analysis (DCA)
  5. Multi-level Feeder Reconfiguration (MFR)
  6. Relay Protection Re-coordination (RPRC)
  7. Pre-arming of Remedial Action Schemes (PRAS)
  8. Coordination of Emergency Actions (CEmA)
  9. Coordination of Restorative Actions (CRA)
  10. Intelligent Alarm Processing (IAP)

While ADMS platforms are increasingly used by Tier One utilities, many other utilities continue to rely on their DSCADA system to manage a growing portfolio of ADA functions.

Use of DMS as of Mid-2014 (Participants in Newton-Evans’ Study)

  • Just over 40% of all respondents indicated use of a DMS as of June 2014.
  • IOUs were more likely to indicate having a DMS installation than were respondents from other utility types.
  • All of the surveyed utilities have a DSCADA capability and are likely to be applying SCADA control over basic DA functions such as capacitor bank control and recloser control.

ADMS and DSCADA market participants
The total North American DMS market is made up of ADMS and DSCADA, with some overlapping providers and some different market participants in each category. Among this North America sample of large utilities, GE and ABB/Ventyx led in mentions of current ADMS installations. OSI is also a major supplier of DSCADA and ADMS installations, but their clients tend to be mid-size utilities. All of the mentions for both GE and ABB/Ventyx were made by IOU respondents.

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North American Market for Single Phase Reclosers

During the first quarter of 2015 Newton-Evans Research Company studied the North American market for single phase reclosers. This survey based report addressed questions pertaining to purchasing volume by type (kV rating and insulation type), protection for 1-phase laterals, brands used, types of connections for recloser communications, importance of various recloser features, and other topics.

Newton-Evans found that out of 46 electric utilities who responded to the survey, 72% currently use single phase reclosers on their system and 4% plan to use them in the future. The total number of installed single phase reclosers among the survey sample included about 18,000 units, with the vast majority of those being oil insulated (as opposed to other insulation types like solid dielectric.)

Some key findings from this report suggest the following:
(1) Electric utilities predominantly use fuse protection on single phase taps rather than use a single phase recloser.
(2) While the bulk of survey respondents indicated a greater installed base of oil insulated single phase reclosers, on an average annual basis some utilities indicated they purchase many more solid dielectric reclosers than oil insulated.
(3) Nearly one-half of the respondents said that over 70% of future recloser purchases will be for new units and not for replacements.

Question: Over the next 3 years, please estimate the percentage % of 1-phase reclosers your utility will install on 1-phase laterals vs. feeder main applications.
Only a minority of new purchases of 1-phase reclosers will be installed on single phase laterals, although four utilities plan to use more than one-half of their 15kv purchases to protect single phase laterals. Three utilities plan the same (50%+) for 26kV units, none replied with any indication of any plans to use single phase reclosers of 38kV laterals.

Question: What types of connections are required for recloser communications?
Ethernet ranked as the type of connection required for DA communications, with rs-232, fiber and wireless connections also very important to this group.
RecloserComms1

Question: How are the 15kV 1-phase laterals on your system protected?
For 15kV laterals, most utilities indicated the vast majority of laterals are protected, but are protected by and large, via the use of fuses. Few 1-phase laterals are protected by reclosers and even fewer by electronic sectionalizers.

Question: What are your preferred protocol for recloser communications?
Clearly, the US utilities are still tightly aligned with DNP 3 as the most critical DA protocol, and the protocol that all manufacturers of DA devices do provide.

For more information about the market for reclosers or other research topics, give us a call: 1 800 222 2856.

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Excerpts from Newton-Evans’ North American Distribution Automation Market Assessment & Outlook: 2015-2017

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Below are some excerpts from this recent survey of 75 North American electric transmission & distribution companies.

Where are the controls located for FDIR/FLISR on your distribution system?
As had been observed and reported din earlier Newton-Evans studies of distribution automation, respondents continue to provide a mix of replies to this question. Among the 42% of utility officials indicating some implementation of FDIR/FLISR on their distribution system, many have controls implemented at two or three locations. Among the 31 utilities identified as current FDIR/FLISR user utilities, controls were listed as being located at the control center (58%), in the substation (45%) and in the field (52%).

Location of controls for 31 respondents who have feeder automation and/or FLISR
DA1June1

In the future, where do you anticipate the controls to be located for FDIR/FLISR?
Interestingly, control placement for FDIR/FLISR in the future is anticipated to be primarily in the control center, as cited by 67% of all respondents. Nearly 40% indicated future control location in the field, while 29% cited plans for substation-based controls. Eighteen percent of all respondents indicated no plans (at year-end 2014) for feeder automation.

Importantly, regardless of type or size of responding utility, the majority of participating utilities plan to use the control center based systems to manage field equipment.

Location of controls for 59 respondents who have plans for feeder automation and/or FLISR
DA2June1

Continue reading Excerpts from Newton-Evans’ North American Distribution Automation Market Assessment & Outlook: 2015-2017

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Substation Automation 2015-2017 Market Overview Series Now Available

Newton-Evans Research has just finished updating a series of U.S. market overview briefs on fourteen different substation automation market topics, including: Remote Terminal Units, Programmable Logic controllers, Substation Automation Platforms, Multifunction Meters and Recorders, Inter-Utility Revenue Meters, Digital Relays, Digital Fault Recorders, Sequence of Events Recorders, Power Quality Recorders, Substation Reclosers, Substation Automation Integration Specialists, Substation Communications, Substation Voltage Regulators, and Substation Precision Timing Clocks.

Each report provides a list of major market participants and their year-end 2014 revenues and market shares, as well as estimates of product pricing and a U.S. market forecast through 2017. See the sample brochure for more detail.

This series of reports is available for purchase on our reports page

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First Quarter 2015 Projects Underway at Newton-Evans Research:

Study for CIGRE WG D2.38 – Operational Readiness for Cyber Threats. The Newton-Evans staff is conducting an international survey of electric utility IT and OT organizations to learn about the current status of preparations and readiness to minimize the impact of cyber threats. Utilities that participate with us in this “pro bono” study for CIGRE will be entitled to share in the findings and recommendations from the survey and from the guidance to be set forth in a 2016 CIGRE technical brochure.

2015-2017 Substation Automation U.S. Market Overview Series: Newton-Evans is in the process of releasing a new series of market synopses concerning 14 components of electric power substation modernization in the United States. Fourteen report summaries are available individually or as a complete series. Taken together the fourteen components reported in the series accounted for an estimated $1.7 Billion in 2014 shipments to U.S. utility and industrial customers. Growing at an average rate of about six percent, Newton-Evans expects 2017 shipment values to reach nearly $2 Billion.

Included in the series are these individual topics: SA01 – Remote Terminal Units; SA02 – Programmable Logic controllers; SA03 – Substation Automation Platforms; SA04 – Multifunction Meters and Recorders; SA05 – Inter-Utility Revenue Meters; SA06 – Digital Relays; SA07 – Digital Fault Recorders; SA08 – Sequence of Events Recorders; SA09 – Power Quality Recorders; SA10 – Substation Reclosers; SA11 – Substation Automation Integration Specialists; SA12 – Substation Communications; SA13 – Substation Voltage Regulators; SA14- Substation Precision Timing Clocks. The report summaries are available individually at $150 per report, or the group of 14 report summaries is available for only $975.00.

2015-2017 Protective Relay U.S. Market Overview Series: Newton-Evans is now underway with work to update the 2012 series on protection and control. A total of ten market summaries will become available on April 10. The P&C series will include the following topical summaries:
PR01 – Feeder Relays; PR02 – Transmission (Distance, Overcurrent, Line Differential) Relays; PR03 – Generator Relays’ PR04 – Bus and Busbar Relays; PR05 Transformer Protection Relays; PR06 – Motor Control Relays; PR07 – Electro-Mechanical Relays; PR08 – Drop-In Control Houses; PR09 – Synchrophasors (PDUs/PDCs); PR10 – Teleprotection. The report summaries will be available individually at $150 per report, or the group of 10 report summaries will be available for $875.00.

Worldwide Study of the Protective Relay Marketplace In Electric Utilities (2015-2017). Newton-Evans staff is preparing to undertake a major update to the four volume flagship study of protective relay use in utilities around the world. We need to hear back from interested parties as to whether this study should be scheduled for a spring kick-off or whether we should defer work on this massive study until autumn 2015. Early commitments will mean lower subscription prices and earlier reports availability. Please provide your thoughts and information requirements on the study’s timing and desired content to us.

Commissioned Studies:  Privately funded studies this first quarter include North American assessment of the recloser market; cyber security topics; ADMS market overview; software module pricing for AMI-OMS related systems; new compilation of North American EHV/HV and MV substations, transmission and distribution line mileage totals. (By state and by type and size of utility).

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New Utility Insights on Adoption of Advanced Distribution Automation Applications

Findings from the Newton-Evans Research Company study completed in February 2015 indicate that a substantial number of electric utilities are using distribution automation technologies such as FDIR/FLISR and VVC/VVO/CVR, but the number of operating feeders currently configured with these features is still relatively low. These observations are based on a survey of 75 electric T&D utilities in the U.S. and Canada providing electric power service to 32 million customers (approximately 20% of North America’s electricity end users, according to Newton-Evans estimates.)

Percentage of all feeders that have Fault Detection Isolation Restoration (FDIR) or Fault Location Isolation Service Restoration (FLISR) Capabilities
On a summary basis, nearly one-third of the responding utilities (32%) cited their operation of one or more primary distribution feeders configured with FDIR/FLISR capabilities. However, the overall installed base of feeders with FDIR/FLISR capabilities was quite small, standing at about five percent of the total number of feeders operated by these utilities. According to the survey sample, six percent of 13-15kV feeders and seven percent of 22-26kV feeders are configured to provide FDIR/FLISR functionality.

FLISRpie1

Percentage of feeders that support integrated Volt/VAR control (VVC), Volt Var Optimization (VVO), or Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR)
Just over half of all respondents reported having at least some feeders supporting Integrated Volt/Var Control, Volt/Var Optimization (VVC/VVO) or Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR). The 75 respondents indicated an installed base of 34,122 feeders across 4 voltage levels: 4kV (5,094 feeders), 13kV/15kV (22,831 feeders), 22kV/26kV (4,214 feeders), and 33kV/38kV (1,983 feeders). Overall, respondents indicated that 32% of all feeders currently support VVC, VVO or CVR, but out of 4,214 feeders at the 22/24kV level about 59% support these capabilities.

VVOpie1

Percentage of utilities integrating VVC, VVO or CVR by year end 2017
Overall, 68% of the utilities replying to this question indicated that at least some feeders will support integrated IVV control/VVO and/or CVR by year-end 2017.

Decision factors for implementing VVC/VVO
Respondents indicated that “cost savings effected by reducing the need for infrastructure enhancements” was the single most-cited driver for volt-Var optimization (VVO) implementation, as reported by 38% of respondents. Additional cost savings brought about by “reducing the need for additional generation” was second in importance, at 33%. About 1 in 5 respondents also cited “regulatory compliance” as a significant driver for implementing VVO.

Other reasons mentioned for implementing include peak shaving to reduce demand costs, reducing losses, and maintaining power factor. A few utilities mentioned that VVO is either not a requirement for them or that they do not want to implement additional technology simply to raise revenue.

To see a table of contents and pricing information for the “North American Distribution Automation Market Assessment and Outlook: 2015-2017” visit our reports page

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Utility Plans Call for Continuation of Substantial Investment in North American Distribution Grid Automation Programs

Findings Corroborate Earlier Newton-Evans Studies Regarding “Mixed” Placement of Controls of Field Devices

The Newton-Evans Research Company today released key findings from its newly published study of electric utility plans for distribution automation. Entitled “North American Distribution Automation Market Assessment and Outlook: 2015-2017” the 89-page report includes coverage of more than 35 DA-related issues.

Progress Being Made with Distribution Automation Programs:
North American utilities are making good progress in developing and implementing new DA applications and telecommunications network upgrades. The overall DA market among North American utilities is approaching one billion dollars and will continue to grow each year for the foreseeable future.

DA Controls Placement:
The placement of DA controls for field devices remains mixed. While some see controls being distributed to field locations, others are placing controls on substation automation platforms, while an even larger group is using control center systems-based approaches (centered on SCADA-DMS systems).

The outlook for controls placement in the future shows that utilities are bringing more controls for fault detection, isolation and service restoration (FDIR/FLISR) and for volt/var control (VVC) into the control center as shown in these charts.

FLISRcontrols VVCcontrols

Automatic Fault Sensing:
Devices providing information such as hot line status and fault indications are becoming a mainstay in many utility DA programs. IOUs and Canadian utilities were more likely to be using automatic fault sensing devices than were their counterparts at electric cooperatives or public power utilities. Usage patterns and plans for AFS devices were strongest among the respondent subgroup of very large utilities (those serving more than 500,000 customers). Of the subgroup using AFS devices, about one-third actively utilize the status of such devices in their DA schemes.

Integration of Communications and Controls for Distributed Generation into DA System Architecture:
By year-end 2014, only about 16% of utilities indicated some use of DA-related communications/controls while another 14% plan to integrate these for DG purposes by year-end 2017. In a related question, well over one third of the respondents indicated that they have a trial deployment to manage distributed energy resources within the DA system either underway or planned.

More than 30 additional topics are covered in the 2015-2017 Newton-Evans DA report. Seventy five major and mid-size utilities were surveyed and interviewed to gather the information for the report. This group provides a substantial sample, accounting for 20% of served customers and 19% of primary feeders across North America.

A supplemental North American DA market outlook synopsis for the years 2015 through 2020 will be released in March. The outlook supplement will provide DA market outlook information based on type, size and regional location of utilities.

Additional information on the North American Distribution Automation Market Assessment and Outlook: 2015-2017 report is available from Newton-Evans Research Company, 10176 Baltimore National Pike, Suite 204, Ellicott City, Maryland 21042. Phone 1-410-465-7316 or write to info@newton-evans.com

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Through January 31, 2015, Newton-Evans Research is offering a 25% discount on all currently available 2014 and earlier reports. Click on the “Order Here” button and use the discount code “2014sale” at checkout to take advantage of this limited time offer, or give us a call at 410-465-7316 and mention this announcement when placing your order with us over the phone.

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See our Reports Page for a complete listing of report topics and prices.

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Use of FDIR, Integrated Volt/Var Control, and Sensors on Distribution Feeders

The following information was excerpted from a Newton-Evans survey conducted in September 2010. A total of 47 utility officials from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific regions responded to the survey participation request. For the majority of U.S.-based respondents, there was a good mix of utility representation by size and by type of utility.

Approximately what percentage of your feeders (existing & new) will include FDIR, Integrated Volt/VAR Control, or Medium Voltage/Low Voltage Sensors?

Importantly, utility responses indicate that the percentages of feeders to include any of the three applications will continue to increase over the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 periods.

Integrated volt and VAR control was the most likely application to have been implemented to date. However, the budget percentages allocated for FDIR are expected to more than double over the 2010-2012 periods (from 7% to 15%). The already substantial portion allocated for IVVC will likely grow from 19% to 28%.

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Distribution Automation: Communications for Feeder Automation

The following information was excerpted from a Newton-Evans survey conducted in September 2010. A total of 47 utility officials from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia-Pacific regions responded to the survey participation request. For the majority of U.S.-based respondents, there was a good mix of utility representation by size and by type of utility.

Do you plan to migrate (or have you already migrated) the existing feeder automation communications network to a newer wireless technology that allows for functionality like higher bandwidth, IP enabled radios and WiMAX?
Fifty-six percent of respondents had no plans to undertake any migration to newer wireless technology approaches. Sixteen percent of survey respondents had already migrated their existing feeder automation communications network to a newer wireless technology, while 30% were planning to do so.

If you are adding wireless technologies for feeder automation communications, which wireless technology are you planning to migrate to?
Three specific technologies were listed on the survey form (WiMAX, LTE and 4G) along with “other.” Forty-one percent cited WiMAX, 18% mentioned 4G and 6% listed LTE. More than three quarters of the group listed other wireless technologies as shown below.

Other Mentions

  • NetCom 900MHz packet radio
  • IP radio system
  • 700mHz Arcadian
  • CDMA 450 Mhz
  • Owned licensed spectrum
  • not sure; investigating
  • RFP stage
  • Low bandwidth/IP enabled IDEN
  • Higher speed 900 mHz supporting IP
  • Under investigation; not decided yet
  • unlicensed spread spectrum
  • Wimax, 802.11 technology, 900 mHz spread spectrum