Mar 25
Posted at 09:57 AM by Don Leick
Tags:
The Distributech 2010 conference in Tampa is wrapping up today and it's been all about the SmartGrid. Distributech is the leading conference and exhibition for the operations side of electric utilities, and it's an interesting indicator of how SmartGrid seems to be dominating where the utility industry is headed. SmartGrid, the addition of intelligence into the distribution system, has many aspects. Two that were particularly dominant at Distributech were demand/response and distribution management systems. Telvent's DMS (distribution management system) was a rock star, with overflow crowds at the theatre demonstrations.
Weather will play in a number of different aspects in the SmartGrid - from distributed solar (residential solar panels that can destabilize the network), to more sophisticated outage management, to demand/response, and more. In demand/response, the need for higher resolution forecasts, spatially - such as to the substation level, and temporally - so that very near-term decisions about load shedding can be made based on accurate weather information. Telvent is working in all these areas with utility customers and business partners.
All in all, even in a somewhat depressed economic climate, the excitement at Distributech about SmartGrid was impressive.
Mar 23
Posted at 09:54 AM by Jim Block
Tags: Aviation
Weather is the single factor that most impacts both safety and profitability of helicopter operations. In fact, one large, global, publicly traded helicopter company in its annual report listed weather as the most important financial risk in the company's outlook.Harsh weather including poor visibility, high wind, thunderstorms, and sand storms can reduce flight hours, result in damage to equipment, and all too often may lead to personal injury – or even death.
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Mar 18
Posted at 09:53 AM by Jim Foerster
Tags: Lightning Safety
As temperatures warm up across the country more and more athletes will be heading back onto the baseball and softball diamonds in the coming weeks, with seasons already well underway across the southern portions of the country. Many of these athletes will unfortunately be in the path of dangerous thunderstorms at some point during their season, and those charged with the safety and security of those athletes need to be aware of this very real danger. Unfortunately, much of what many people think they know as facts about lightning are simply false. For example, athletes might be encouraged to "take cover" in a dugout or hospitality tent, however studies have shown those and other similar structures to be no safer than standing under a tree.
If you are one of those charged with providing a safe environment, take a few minutes to ensure you are aware of the basics of lightning safety. When your community has "Lightning Safety Week" take advantage of this opportunity to review what you'd do when the sky turns dark or you hear distant rumbling of thunder. For certain, you'll team will remember "Don't Hide In The Dugout".
Mar 16
Posted at 09:51 AM by Jim Foerster
Tags: Lightning Safety
With lightning season upon us, the importance of having a proactive lightning safety plan is imperative.No example of this is more poignant than that of the Northwest Independent School District (ISD), which is located in the northwest corner of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
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Mar 9
Posted at 09:47 AM by Jeremy Duensing
Tags: Weather
March can be a deceiving time of year as temperatures warm into ranges not seen since last Thanksgiving and, in some locations, grass can be visible for the first time in months.March is also the time of year that winter maintenance personnel know that Mother Nature can still pack quite a wintery punch before warmer weather takes hold across the country.
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