Welcome to the January/February 2009 issue of Electric Energy T&D magazine! And, with the beginning of this new year comes lots of new developments and both regular and special features for you, our valued readers.

First of all, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve assumed the role of editor-in-chief, effective January 1st. It is both an honor and a privilege to accept the expanded set of responsibilities that go along with providing editorial guidance for such a widely subscribed and universally respected publication. Please know that in my view, the most important of those broader responsibilities is to continue to deliver the high quality content, clear focus and readability you have come to expect from  EET&D over the years.

As 2009 progresses, you’ll be seeing several other changes that I feel certain will deliver an even greater value as both an educational vehicle as well as a way to stay abreast of the latest in electric energy products, systems and services and the companies that provide them. In each issue, we will strive to keep you current regarding the latest business and technological developments while informing you about the various elements that are the foundations and the future of our industry.

So, without going into all of the nuances here, I’ll just mention a few of the most pertinent ones, some of which you’ll see in the pages of this issue and others that will become more pronounced as the year rolls on…

As we face the simultaneous challenges of an aging workforce and a declining infrastructure, we believe that automation/IT solutions will become more vital than ever and can deliver many of the tools needed to make the ‘Smart Grid Initiative’ a reality. Therefore, you’ll notice that every issue – starting with this one – has a new Smart Grid feature that is broad enough to address the ongoing grid transformation from top to bottom from both business and technological perspectives.

Today and for the foreseeable future, electric utilities are facing what may prove to be the biggest engineering challenge of the 21st century, just as it was at the beginning of the last one. It is undeniably the most onerous task this industry has seen since the initial creation of the power grid roughly a century ago.

With unprecedented demands being placed upon an increasingly outdated, outmoded design, compounded by a substantially ‘under-invested’ set of assets and equipment, grid transformation really IS a big deal – that much is clear. But how we get there is an entirely different matter – one that will require innovation, initiative, imagination and, of course, lots of time, money and other resources. As things progress, be assured that you can count on EET&D to help point the way forward.

In this issue, we jump start our Smart Grid focus with articles about such pertinent, top of mind issues as Security (Part 2 of our 2-part series, initiated in the Nov/Dec 2008 issue); Interoperability & Advanced Network Management; Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs), leading the way toward vastly improved state estimation and grid stability; and an eye-opening piece on how to avoid communications violations, which can result in hefty fines if FCC licensing rules are not followed properly and precisely.

Another new dimension of EET&D for 2009 is the LightsOn™ feature, which focuses on companies and technologies that are making tangible contributions to improving reliability and sustainability – the things that are truly instrumental in keeping the lights on! We have some other things planned for this feature in 2009 and beyond that will be introduced in the coming months, so please stay tuned. Meanwhile, an article on Advanced Metering Infrastructure and Demand Response headlines this first installment of LightsOn™.

We are also embarking on the third year of our popular Automation/IT Leadership Series. My interview in this issue is with SAP and has a rather interesting twist that sets it apart from all of our prior interviews – check it out; it may surprise you.

This issue also contains the second installment of our Executive Directions series, which spotlights the various professional associations serving the electric utility industry. Wanda Reder, President of the IEEE Power & Energy Society, is featured in an interview that among other things, provides insights about the recent name change from “Power Engineering Society” to “Power & Energy Society”; how PES is helping to deal with aging workforce issues and the role of IEEE-PES in the transformation to a smart grid, plus a whole lot more. I think that PES members and non-members alike will gain valuable insights about the Society from Wanda – clearly one of the most dynamic, knowledgeable and dedicated power engineering executives of our time.

I’d also like to mention that EET&D sets the benchmark for editorial content, devoting more space to individual editorial features than any other publication serving the electric energy T&D marketplace. That means that when you read a story in EET&D, you can be assured that you’re not just getting an abbreviated version that leaves out important details due to space limitations. Instead, you’ll always get an in depth treatment of the subject matter at a level that is easy to read and comprehend and augmented by eye-catching visuals designed to support and enhance the written word.

Finally, we have also completely redesigned our online eNewsletter. If you’re not already among the 50,000+ readers that receive their cutting-edge news, job information and key industry events from ElectricEnergyOnline.com twice weekly (Monday & Wednesday), you can quickly and easily gain access by setting your browser to www.electricenergyonline.com.

I’ll save some other exciting announcements for our next issue, but you can be sure there’s a lot more in store. As always we welcome your comments, ideas and suggestions. Have a great year!  – Mike Marullo