IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - March/April 2020 - 23

Using Innovative Technologies to
Create a More Efficient Power System

U

UTILITIES TODAY ARE FACING UNPRECEDENTED
challenges due to more stringent regulations, environmental concerns, and a growing demand for reliable electricity.
Meanwhile, according to U.S. Department of Energy's statistics, 70% of the grid's transmission lines and power transformers are more than 25 years old. Without upgrades and
enhancements, the grid will continue to age, increasing the
risk of service interruptions and limiting the integration of
renewable resources. It will also be severely challenged by
the intermittency of supply and the uncertainty in load.
Fortunately, many innovative and powerful new digital technologies, some of which were developed by other
industries, have the potential to drastically improve the way
electric power systems are designed and operated. Driven
by these dynamics, utilities, technology vendors, and governmental organizations have created a
vision of the next "smarter" generation
of energy delivery systems. The key drivers of smart grid implementation include
the need to prepare the grid for the challenges of a changing energy transmission and distribution landscape, accommodating increasing levels of renewable
generation, improving system efficiency,
reducing grid operation costs, boosting
reliability/resiliency, and enhancing system security.
New York Power Authority (NYPA)
is the largest state-owned utility in the
United States and owns and operates close
to 6,000 MW of generation, mostly hydroelectric, and 1,400 circuit miles (roughly
2,300 km) of bulk power transmission
from 765 to 115 kV throughout New York
State, as displayed in Figure 1. NYPA
began a series of strategic initiatives in
2014 aimed at addressing the challenges that electric utilities face at multiple

levels, developing a Vision 2020 Strategic Plan for the next six
years, and defining the optimal transformation path for adapting to this dynamic environment. In New York, these efforts
support the state's Reforming the Energy Vision strategy for
building a cleaner and more resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers.
A vital part of this effort was the introduction of the Infrastructure Modernization Strategic Initiative, which centers on
two areas: smart generation and transmission (smart G&T) and
asset management. Smart G&T focuses on deploying innovative technologies, e.g., advanced sensors, high-speed communication systems, monitoring systems, and digital control
schemes, which could increase situational awareness as well as
the operational effectiveness, efficiency, and reliability of assets.
The asset management initiative seeks to develop appropriate
processes and procedures that improve the way the utility utilizes its assets, resulting in enhanced decision making for its dayto-day operations as well as future investments. This, in turn,
would result in improved operational efficiencies and thus the
creation of value for the utility and its customers. In a sense,
the smart G&T initiative focuses more on the implementation
of the foundational technical aspects, which would enable the
asset management initiative to achieve its objectives.
These two complementary initiatives are expected to pave
the way for increased benefits to customers by providing a
market-leading platform for future technologies and services
by developing capabilities in the following six areas:
✔ increased reliability and resiliency
* advanced transmission monitoring, control, and protection systems that decrease the likelihood of cascading failures and wide-area blackouts
* robust security measures that reduce the likelihood
of catastrophic bulk system failures from humancaused and natural disasters.
✔ enhanced situational awareness
* advanced analytical tools used for converting data
from grid sensors into insight, leading to wide-area
situational awareness and control capabilities

By Bruce Fardanesh, Adam Shapiro,
Philip Saglimbene, Ricardo DaSilva,
George Stefopoulos, and Ahad Esmaeilian
march/april 2020

ieee power & energy magazine

23
IEEE Power & Energy Magazine - March/April 2020

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