Electric utilities have vast numbers of protective relays in their fleets, including generation, transmission, and distribution systems. It is very important to maintain an accurate database that stores the actual in-service settings for each and every relay. Off-the-shelf software already exists for storing and keeping track of all relay settings (Figure 1). It is vital to download the relay settings …
If it’s possible to sum up Ron Widup with a single word, it might be: Driven. Widup, who is Senior Advisor, Technical Services, and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at Shermco Industries, is the 2020 recipient of NETA’s Outstanding Achievement Award. The 2020 NETA Outstanding Achievement Award recipient holds a passion for the industry, and his participation in …
When the presentation for this year’s Alliance Recognition Award began, Dr. Nick Perjanik thought the award was going to anyone but him. “At first, I thought it was someone else since there were many people in the room with similar backgrounds and contributions to NETA. Once the reference was made to my dissertation, I was surprised I was the one …
The best and brightest in electrical testing and maintenance lit up PowerTest 2020, the premier electrical power systems event. The annual five-day conference hosted over 500 attendees from February 24–28, 2020, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. PowerTest is the largest gathering of NETA Accredited Company representatives and industry professionals each year and is supported by companies committed to safety, reliability, …
Capitol Area Testing, Inc. was born in 2006 from the perception that the data center Industry in Northern Virginia needed a more dedicated, service-oriented testing organization than what was being provided at the time. Since that time, Capitol Area Testing Inc. has been 70% dedicated to new data center acceptance testing, including medium-voltage distribution equipment, medium-voltage redundant power systems, low-voltage …
The behavioral components of incidents, injuries, and fatalities must be studied and understood to change the safety culture. This element of study has been missing from the data available to assist in improving workplace safety. Often, this type of information has never been compiled and reviewed. Figure 1 shows the relationship between incidents, injuries, and fatalities. As shown in Figure …
As energy storage systems (ESS) become more integrated into our society, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) provides resources to ensure they are installed safely and that our firefighters are prepared to respond to the safety issues they present. Even though batteries have been around for hundreds of years, new innovations allow us to do more with them than ever …
Established in 1982, Hood Patterson & Dewar (HP&D) provides testing services in mission-critical facilities across the country and around the world. A full-service testing firm with offices in Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, HP&D offers engineering expertise and industry experience in complex mechanical and electrical power systems analysis, testing, and commissioning. A 100% employee-owned company, HP&D’s staff includes professional and …
Not all equipment is created equal when it comes to production objectives versus safety objectives in an electrical power system. Certain devices should be tested and maintained to ensure uptime; others should be inspected to ensure they perform properly to protect workers in an arc flash event. When considering arc flash safety and selecting the associated PPE, the condition of …
NETA has announced that PowerSouth Testing is the latest to achieve the respected NETA Accredited Company (NAC) status. Located in Cedartown, Georgia, PowerSouth’s workload is currently concentrated in the southeastern United States. The company’s story began when three previously accredited technicians decided to come together and open PowerSouth’s doors to provide electrical testing services to the public. The PowerSouth team …