Welcome to the final issue of 2018. Throughout this past year, the team at EET&D had several meaningful discussions with industry influencers, which made our 20th Anniversary celebration that much better! To those readers who sent emails, texts and cards to congratulate us on this significant milestone, thank you.
Between events and meetings, we have benefitted from the insights and expertise of our industry partners, letting us know about any new topics they would like us to cover, along with those on which the magazine should continue to focus. This feedback is essential. If we are going to fulfill our mission to be the “go-to resource” for the latest on the transmission and distribution side of the global electric energy industry,” we must remain a conduit for open communication. That means we also must pay attention when someone provides negative feedback or points out gaps in our content. Such was the case with one of our articles in our September/October 2018 issue.
In response to the article titled “The Importance of 5G for Utilities,” Robert Landman with H&L Instruments emailed us to explain that while 5G may be heralded as a huge advancement in global connectivity, the vision is flawed. According to Landman, “It is flawed because users will not value the higher data rates that are promised and will not need the higher capacity forecast. It is flawed because technological advances are insuf¬ficient to realize the vision and because mobile operators are insufficiently profitable to afford it.” We appreciate it when readers like Mr. Landman take the time to weigh in. Going forward, we will continue to explore the topic of 5G and what the future holds for its emergence, along with the advancement of additional technology in the utility space.
Contributed content is one of the most valuable channels for the EET&D staff to share what is happening in the world of energy. Participating in user conferences and other events also allows us to meet those who are moving the power sector forward. In September, I attended a press tour hosted by Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Array Technologies. A solar tracking solutions and services provider for utility-scale projects, Array has been testing its bifacial technology with solar trackers. In addition to the manufacturing plant and one of their test sites, Array also took us to visit a local utility site that uses the company’s solar trackers.
One of the most rewarding learning experiences for me this year was sitting on the jury for the Bentley 2018 Year in Infrastructure Awards. In total, 57 finalists were selected from 420 nominations in 18 categories. My category was Advancements in Utilities Transmission and Distribution, where my fellow jurors and I narrowed down the top three finalists to the following:
- Northeast Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. of China Power Engineering Consulting Group: New project of a 750 kV substation in the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture – Bortala Mongol, Xinjiang Uyghur, China
- Pestech International Berhad: Substation Design & Automation for Olak Lempit Substation Project – Banting, Selangor, Malaysia
- POWERCHINA Hubei Electric Engineering Corporation Limited: Cha'anling-Xiaojiazhou 220 kV Electric Transmission Line Project – Xianning, Hubei, China
While each of the finalists was resourceful in how they approached their projects, Pestech International’s submission was the most comprehensive and innovative. The team’s presentation at the Year in Infrastructure conference addressed the challenges Pestech faced and how it went about solving them. Few questions were left unanswered as they presented their award-winning project, and those they did not cover during the presentation were answered in detail during the Q&A session. EET&D looks forward to sharing a case study on the Pestech International project in 2019.
Another user conference I am scheduled to attend before the end of the year is Schneider Electric’s Innovation Summit in Atlanta. Product FAQs or white papers that cover the latest problems that companies face are helpful marketing tools, but when I get to meet engineers who help develop the solutions to address complex issues or watch product demonstrations of these solutions in action, I come away from these events with a much better appreciation of the intelligence and work that goes into advancing energy.
In 2019, we are changing our distribution from bi-monthly to quarterly. Our media kit is available to download, so if you would like to see what topics we will be covering in the New Year check it out at www.electricenergyonline.com.
If you would like to contribute an article or if you have an idea about interesting technology, solutions, or suggestions, please email me at Elisabeth@ElectricEnergyOnline.com.
Elisabeth
