[en] The ability to survive in a competitive electricity market is a function of the ability of a service provider to deliver superior levels of customer service and develop new and innovative products and services. More and more, the foundation of these new services and products is the customer information system which has the capability to provide vast amounts of usage data and billing information; access to this data enables service providers to introduce new and innovative services and implement targeted marketing initiatives. Recent trend by progressive electricity providers appears to be to outsource specific information technology functions such as customer information systems (CIS) as a way to minimize capital investment, take advantage of leading edge technologies and leverage the expertise of niche service providers. Advantages of outsourcing, and factors important in the selection of an outsourcing partner are discussed

[en] Utilities and other agencies must fully consider the costs, benefits, and strategies required for smart grid implementation. While pilot programs are useful for evaluating the features of utility smart grid applications, they do not provide an accurate account of peak period load savings for utility service areas over time. In addition, many factors are likely to influence peak hour electricity in the future, and may also influence smart grid savings projections. In this study, the market analysis and information system (MAISY) residential agent-based model was used to simulate a smart grid program at the individual customer level by smoothing individual central air conditioner and heating hourly loads over peak hours. The model was developed to reflect utility and customer-sited control technologies as well as reductions in electricity use based on price responsiveness. The model provided a more reliable simulation approach than aggregate elasticity modelling methods as it was able to estimate hourly load reductions based on real end use data. A case study of the Duke Energy Indiana service area was used to demonstrate the model. 3 figs.

[en] A review is presented of the 1992 activities and strategic directions of the major electric utilities in Canada: British Columbia Hydro, Alberta Power, Edmonton Power, TransAlta Utilities, SaskPower, Manitoba Hydro, Ontario Hydro, Hydro-Quebec, and New Brunswick Power. Activities reported include sales, customer growth, exports, training programs, investments, workforce restructuring, energy efficiency programs, cogeneration projects, new power stations and transmission facilities, environmental programs, revisions in rate structures, and modifications to existing facilities. Future plans include increased hiring of aboriginals, aggressive marketing of utility expertise abroad, examining the feasibility of district energy systems, pursuing goals related to sustainable development, cutting back on plans for new installations, and finding ways to save more energy

[en] Development of an of an Ice Storm Management program by Manitoba Hydro to reduce ice storm damage to its 8 kV feeders to 115 kV transmission lines, is discussed. The program consists of the de-icing of overhead lines, either by ice melting, or ice rolling. Ice melting involves the placement of a three-phase short at a calculated point. The term ice rolling denotes a process of mechanically stripping the ice from conductors. The most recent major ice storm experienced by Manitoba Hydro was in the winter of 1997/1998. During the period from February 6 to February 17, 1998, a total of 83 'ice melt' procedures were performed to melt the ice from 2,628 km of overhead line (7,883 km of conductor), in addition to 'ice rolling'. This paper describes Manitoba Hydro's 25-years' experience with ice melting and it also describes the advantages and disadvantages of both ice melting and ice rolling. Although not a panacea to combat the effects of ice storms, ice melting was found to be the most effective way of removing ice from overhead transmission and sub-transmission lines. Ice rolling was also found to be effective. Other tools that have been found to be useful by various utilities in combating ice storm damage include improved structure and line design, system design that provide more redundancies and emergency sources, and standby generators at critical load points

[en] In hearings before the Ontario Energy Board, the Municipal Electric Association (MEA) called for an average 1992 rate increase of 10.3%, lower than Ontario Hydro's revised figure of 10.4%, and a $129 million reduction in its operations, maintenance and administration budget. As it has been noted that Hydro pays considerably higher wages than the surrounding reference community, MEA recommended that the utility reduce and eventually eliminate the premium paid to employees, and also called for staff reductions and layoffs for 1991 and 1992. In the area of transmission reliability, MEA stated that Ontario Hydro's transmission maintenance is suffering at the expense of other priorities, and called for reorganizing its transmission plan to achieve target performance by 1996 rather than 1999. In 1991, only 65-70% of maintenance targets were being achieved. MEA also accused Hydro of deferring operational expenditures into deferment and capitalization, creating a false picture of the utility's financial condition. Also discussed at the hearing were the possible overestimating of the effects of Ontario Hydro's demand management programs, the possibility that a shift to time-of-use rates for industrial customers may increase demand, a downgrading of the province's and the utility's credit rating, and the unpleasant side effects of the non-utility generation program

[en] The City of Calgary, driven by the specter of Year 2000 issues as well as deregulation, decided to replace its 18-year old mainframe with state-of-the-art customer information system for all its utility customers. The system selected is the SCT Banner Customer Information System from Enlogix, headquartered in Toronto. This is the only software developed that was actually in use by other utilities, including Westcoast Energy, Toronto Hydro, Edison Source and PG and E in California. The conversion from an S-390 mainframe system relies on Banner's Oracle database technology. The main server, an IBM-RS 6000, will be stationed at an Enlogix data center, located in Calgary. Desktop workstations using Pentium II processors, with 350 MHz will be used. The major factors in favor of the Banner System were the SCT and Enlogix proven implementation methodologies. The implementation, expected to take about a year, will change about 100 major policies, but the utility is going forward with only nine modifications to match its processes to industry standards. The system has been 'Canadianized' to fulfill unique measurements, regulatory and tax requirements

[en] The Asian Pacific area offers good prospects for Canadian exports of equipment and expertise in the area of hydropower development. Rapidly growing economies in this area have large unsatisfied power demands, and many of these countries have significant undeveloped hydroelectric potential (notably China). Recent Canadian successes in Asia-Pacific hydropower developments are outlined, including the Chamera project in Himachal Pradesh, India; the feasibility study of the Three Gorges project, China; and technical assistance on a 5,000 MW hydroelectric project in Longtan, China. The issues facing Canada for developing and implementing long-term hydro development strategies are discussed. These issues are: establishing Canada's own energy needs; coordination and integration of Canadian hydro resource development; environmental issues and sustainable development; and realizing that energy exports are ethical. Benefits of domestic and international hydro development include environmental friendliness, creation of jobs and markets for Canadian products and expertise, and stimulation of technological and economic development. 1 tab

[en] This article provided an outline of Hydro Ottawa and IBM's smart metering pilot project, which has resulted in high approval ratings from the public. The project features 375 participants broken down into 3 separate groups to look for potential consumption differences between customers charged according to standard time-of-use pricing; time-of-use with critical peak pricing; and time-of-use with critical peak rebates. The Ontario Smart Price Pilot project will be run for 5 months, and is expected to provide detailed energy information about usage. Past projects have indicated that customers respond quickly to smart metering, as they are able to monitor their energy usage and more effectively manage their energy consumption. Ontario plans to have all homes and small businesses using smart meters by 2010, as high seasonal demand has indicated that conservation and balanced resource use are now top priorities for many utility companies. At least 10 states in the United States have conducted smart metering pilot projects. The California Public Utilities Commissions has recently approved a $1.7 billion statewide plan to replace old meters with smart meters. In Ontario, customers have ordered 10,000 electricity monitors that Hydro One is giving away. It was concluded that research results from an earlier Hydro One demonstration project with 500 Ontario homeowners showed that real time electricity monitors can help homeowners reduce their consumption of electricity by up to 15 per cent. 4 figs

[en] An environmental assessment was performed on a power substation built in the early 1980s located in northern Alberta, in a remote area, unmanned and on the banks of a river. This substation consisted of two transformers each containing approximately 70,000 liters of mineral oil. Due to the fact that the transformers on site contained a significant amount of oil and was in close proximity to a river, the site was deemed to be at high risk. Given the remoteness of the location and the low amount of manpower, any secondary oil spill containment system had to effectively work in all weather conditions and require little or no maintenance. This article discussed the selection of a secondary oil containment system by the utility and its selection of the SorbwebPlus system offered by Albarrie Canada Limited. The SorbwebPlus system and its installation was described in detail. This maintenance-free passive system could be installed around existing energized transformers and could function in all-severe weather conditions. It was concluded that the installation of the SorbwebPlus system eliminated the high risk associated with the remote, unmanned substation. 2 figs

[en] In the first half of 1991, electricity production from Canadian utilities improved substantially compared to the first half of 1990. Canada was a net importer of 5332 GWh in January-June 1990 while it was a net exporter of 5250 GWh in January-June 1991. The largest single factor in this reversal is the improved performance of Ontario Hydro's CANDU reactors. Total acid gas emissions by Ontario Hydro for 1991 are expected to total 240,000 tonnes, about the same as 1990, but at much higher capacity factors. A combination of recession, private power generation, and the startup of the Seabrook nuclear station have put a brake on power exports to the USA. New Brunswick Power exports were not only affected by the new capacity at Seabrook but also because of low water conditions at its hydroelectric plants. Hydro-Quebec generated 300 GWh more hydraulic energy in June 1991 than in June 1990 and its Gentilly-2 nuclear station has been operating at 96.7% capacity. The Quebec utility exported 1215 GWh to the USA and 2121 GWh to other Canadian utilities in January-June 1991, compared to 1602 GWh and 2232 GWh resspectively in January-June 1990. 1 tab