Oil and gas companies and their associated utilities require strategic geospatial solutions to enhance oversight of electrical infrastructure. Integrating geographic information systems (GIS) with power system analysis software enables real-time asset visibility, improves operational safety, and supports data-driven planning. Industry studies and field implementations have demonstrated significant operational benefits, including reduced data retrieval times, improved maintenance efficiency, and enhanced system …

Within the commercial and industrial renewable energy sector, few terms have garnered more attention lately than the system label “microgrid.” This article provides an overview of microgrid fundamentals: what a microgrid is and what it can do. WHAT IS A MICROGRID? The answer depends on who is asking and answering. From our experiences, we’ll stipulate that most microgrids share these …

The energy grid is becoming more connected, intelligent, and operationally dependent on digital systems every year. As utilities modernize infrastructure, integrate distributed assets, expand remote operations, and adopt data-driven tools, cybersecurity is no longer a support function on the sidelines of grid reliability; it’s part of the reliability mission itself. In my work around operational technology (OT) cybersecurity, one thing …

With the fast-tracked planned installations of utility-scale inverter-based resource (IBR) power plants to the bulk power system, utilities, consultants, EPC contractors, and developers are all seeking methods to standardize protection and control (P&C) designs to hasten project execution. Many of these power plant designs incorporate a high-voltage (HV) section or sections, a pooling bus (PLB) section or sections, and collector bus …