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Electric Power Research Institute

Ti: The Transmission Line Inspection Robot

Byline: 

Andrew Phillips

EPRI developed Ti, a robot capable of crawling over conductor shield wires and harvesting power from ambient energy sources to support autonomous, high-fidelity condition assessment.
Image: 
A technician uses a bucket truck as he prepares to attach Ti to a transmission line. The robot’s diagnostic equipment includes high-definition cameras, LIDAR sensors, electromagnetic interference detectors along with data processing, global positioning, and communications systems.
"EPRI developed Ti, a robot capable of crawling over conductor shield wires and harvesting power from ambient energy sources to support autonomous, high-fidelity condition assessment." – Andrew Phillips
Ti traverses an energized transmission line during a mobility and endurance test run.
Author Bio: 

Dr. Andrew Phillips is director of Transmission and Substation Research at the Electric Power Research Institute. Phillips earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in electrical engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Category (Actual): 
Transmission

Managing Overhead Transmission Lines

Multi-pollutant Emissions Control

Byline: 

Kevin Crapsey

Magazine Volume: 
Fortnightly Magazine - December 2012

Conflicting demands for complying with EPA’s MATS rule favor a single control technology to deal with multiple types of power plant emissions.

Category: 
Technology Corridor
Author Bio: 

Kevin Crapsey is vice president of corporate strategy and development at Eco Power Solutions.

Category (Actual): 
Permitting
Environmental
Coal

MATS compliance now, with flexibility for the future.

People (November 2012)

Magazine Volume: 
Fortnightly Magazine - November 2012

Westinghouse Electric names former Progress Energy Executive as president and CEO. FirstEnergy makes numerous executive changes and appointments; Pepco hires new general counsel; plus executive appointments and announcements at AEP, PPL, PG&E, ITC Holdings, Dominion, EPRI, SEIA, and others.

Image: 
Danny Roderick
Mark Crosswhite
Greg Kiraly
Steve Rasmussen
J. Wayne Leonard
Category: 
People
Category (Actual): 
People

Vendor Neutral

Magazine Volume: 
Fortnightly Magazine - October 2012

Constellation completes 16.1 MW PV project in Maryland; Ikea commissions 31st solar project, reaching 38 MW installed; IPL and MidAmerican install $545 million scrubber in Iowa; DTE partners with Enbridge and Spectra on pipeline for Utica shale gas; plus contracts and announcements from Dominion, Sempra, Southern Company, AEP, EPRI, Itron, Landis+Gyr, Opower and others.

Image: 
Spent fuel at AEP’s Cook nuclear plant will move to a recently completed on-site dry-cask storage facility.
IKEA’s Bloomington, Minn., rooftop photovoltaic array—its 31st U.S. solar project.
Suntech says its new utility-scale solar module, the Ve-Series, is certified to withstand extreme winds and snowfalls.
The C.P Crane coal-fired generating plant, one of three Maryland power plants that Exelon will sell to Raven Power Holdings.
Exelon sold its stake in five Constellation power plants in California, including the Chinese Station biomass facility.
Category: 
Vendor Neutral
Category (Actual): 
Generation & Markets
T&D Grid
Finance

People (July 2012)

Magazine Volume: 
Fortnightly Magazine - July 2012

Southern Company announced changes in the company’s management team. Great Plains Energy and Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L) appointed Scott Heidtbrink as executive v.p. and COO of KCP&L and greater Missouri operations. NV Energy announced two senior leadership appointments. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) appointed Jesus Soto Jr. as senior v.p. of gas transmission, operations, engineering, and pipeline integrity. And others...

Category: 
People
Category (Actual): 
People

Vendor Neutral

Magazine Volume: 
Fortnightly Magazine - July 2012

(July 2012) NRC renews Entergy Pilgrim nuclear license. San Francisco selects EnerNOC. Entergy contracts with Comverge. FPL adds Quantum Ford F-150 PHEVs to its fleet. Lincoln Renewable Energy dedicates 12.5-MW NJ Oak solar project.

Image: 
Bella Energy installed 1.65 MW of PV panels on the roof of the Salt Palace convention center in Salt Lake City.
Lincoln Renewable Energy's 12.5-MW NJ Oak solar project covers 100 acres.
After considering Entergy’s application for more than six years, the NRC approved a 20-year license extension at the Pilgrim nuclear station.
Wisconsin Power & Light paid $392 million to acquire the 600-MW Riverside combined-cycle plant from Calpine.
Quantum Fuel Systems delivered a plug-in hybrid Ford F150 to Florida Power & Light for the utility’s electric vehicle fleet pilot program.
Category: 
Vendor Neutral
Category (Actual): 
Generation & Markets
T&D Grid
Finance

EVs and the Smart Grid

Accelerating Progress
Allan Schurr, IBM
Better batteries, renewables and more intelligent electricity networks are converging to deliver efficiency and environmental improvements. Electric vehicle (EV) batteries are both the stumbling block and the catalyst for transformative change.
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