You know the economy is picking back up when you see people opening new business or existing companies in the commercial sector are are expanding. So with that being said, we are extremely busy! We are still working on the San Bernardino County library in the city of Rialto, and working on two projects for Metro Auto Parts Distributors in San Bernardino, and another for the Burlington Coat Factory distribution center also in San Bernardino.
So as you can see we are picking up work, and we are going to be posting new pictures on our website at www.lwelectrical.com. We are also pleased to announce that we might be opening a shop near the 10 fwy, when and if this happens we will have a grand re-opening and pictures posted of the new building and the grand re-opening.
So check us out at www.lwelectrical.com, follow us on twitter @repairelectric, and like us on face book at Live Wire Electric Company. Thank You.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
updates
Well we started the remodel of the County of San Bernardino library Rialto. All went well and got phase one of the project complete, and the phase two will be started on the 24th of May. The whole project should be done by June 3rd and the library will re-open on the 4th of June. When pictures are available, we will post.
Now we are working on a project in San Bernardino, Metro automotive parts installing 150kw emergency generator. We are getting the engineering for the project this week, and should actually be starting the installation in three weeks. Again as soon as pictures are available we will post.
Well check us out at www.lwelectrical.com, follow us on twitter @repairelectric, and like us on face book at Live Wire Electric Company. thank you
Now we are working on a project in San Bernardino, Metro automotive parts installing 150kw emergency generator. We are getting the engineering for the project this week, and should actually be starting the installation in three weeks. Again as soon as pictures are available we will post.
Well check us out at www.lwelectrical.com, follow us on twitter @repairelectric, and like us on face book at Live Wire Electric Company. thank you
Sunday, May 1, 2011
we will have pics soon
We will have some pictures of the county work that we have been working on very, very soon. I promise. We are working on more county work this month, and we are now contracting work for metro automotive parts, installing a 150 kw emergency generator for them. So we will have some pictures of that as well. So stay tuned. Anyways, check us out at www.lwelectrical.com, follow us on twitter @repairelectric, and like us on face book at Live Wire Electric Company. Thank you
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Live Wire Electric co.
Call Live Wire Electric co. for all your electrical, solar, and green industries needs. There is no job to big or to small. Service calls start at $99.00, which includes up to one hour of electrical diagnoses and trouble-shooting your electrical problem, and fixed if diagnosed within the hour, (does not include any materials, extra charges will apply).
We also give free estimates (within a 30 mile raduis) for all electrical/ solar and green industries project over $500.00.
So give us a call, check out our website at www.lwelectrical.com, like us on face book Live Wire Electric Company, and follow us on twitter at @repairelectric. Thank you
We also give free estimates (within a 30 mile raduis) for all electrical/ solar and green industries project over $500.00.
So give us a call, check out our website at www.lwelectrical.com, like us on face book Live Wire Electric Company, and follow us on twitter at @repairelectric. Thank you
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
this is nice!
Vision InfoSoft’s electrical estimating software suite, Electrical Bid Manager Enterprise, was recently recognized by Contructech Magazine as a 2011 Commercial Top Product!
Each year, Constructech Magazine honors “technology solutions” that have demonstrated the greatest innovations geared toward the construction market. Winners of the top product award are selected based on various criteria, including the product’s overall usefulness and uniqueness to the construction industry. The judges also acknowledge the customer growth rate for the particular product during the past year.
The editorial director of Constructech magazine, Peggy Smedley, stated her positive regards for the 2011 top product winners. She announced last week, “The Constructech Top Products Award winners represent those companies that were able to deliver award-winning solutions regardless of the state-of-the-economy….The companies appearing as part of the 2011 Constructech Top Products have risen to meet the needs of their customers, and they are raising the bar for those around them.”
This award is a true honor to Vision and validates all the hard work we have put into building an electrical estimating software suite that truly conforms to what electrical contractors demand.
That would be nice to have! We do it the old fashion way. Anyways, check us out at www.lwelectrical.com, like us on face book Live Wire Electric Company, and follow us on Twitter @Repairelectric. Thank You.
Each year, Constructech Magazine honors “technology solutions” that have demonstrated the greatest innovations geared toward the construction market. Winners of the top product award are selected based on various criteria, including the product’s overall usefulness and uniqueness to the construction industry. The judges also acknowledge the customer growth rate for the particular product during the past year.
The editorial director of Constructech magazine, Peggy Smedley, stated her positive regards for the 2011 top product winners. She announced last week, “The Constructech Top Products Award winners represent those companies that were able to deliver award-winning solutions regardless of the state-of-the-economy….The companies appearing as part of the 2011 Constructech Top Products have risen to meet the needs of their customers, and they are raising the bar for those around them.”
This award is a true honor to Vision and validates all the hard work we have put into building an electrical estimating software suite that truly conforms to what electrical contractors demand.
That would be nice to have! We do it the old fashion way. Anyways, check us out at www.lwelectrical.com, like us on face book Live Wire Electric Company, and follow us on Twitter @Repairelectric. Thank You.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
spring has sprung!
Well spring has sprung and it is time to have that electrical audit. During the spring and summer months are times when electrical systems fail, breakers stop working, and panels become overloaded. Call Live Wire Electric co and have us come out to your residence or place of business and survey your electrical system. For a small fee, we test and diagnose your electrical system, test breakers, and let you know how during the hot summer months how to save money on your electrical bill. And if there is a problem with your electrical, we will sit down with you show you the problem, and figure a plan to fix your electrical problem on time and on budget. So give us a call, come check us out on face book Live Wire Electric Company, Come follow us on Twitter @Repairelectric, and check us out on the web at www.lwelectrical.com.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
this is the future!
Solar Window Pioneer Announces Pilot Installment Of Solar Windows
by Staff Writers San Mateo CA (SPX) Mar 25, 2011 Pythagoras Solar has announced that it has been chosen by Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower, to collaborate on a pilot project to help deliver on the building's renewable energy and energy efficiency improvement goals. The pilot project, deployed in November last year on the south facing windows of the Willis Tower's 56th floor, uses a building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solution that has the potential to expand to a surface area allowing over two megawatts of solar power generation. Willis Tower provides an example of how sustainable modernization endeavors are about more than reducing carbon emissions but also about re-investing in the local economy.
Willis Tower is exploring innovative solutions that are directly re-investing in Chicago's new green economy. In addition, this project will illustrate one possible best practice for how to decrease the impact of the built environment on climate change, for easy duplication in other similar structures.
"We are excited to launch this pilot with Pythagoras Solar's leading-edge solar window solutions as a test for not only the energy savings that can be achieved, but the potential they represent to actually generate power through the sun," said John Huston, Executive Vice President of American Landmark Properties, one of the ownership partners of Willis Tower.
"We are incredibly proud to be considered to contribute our part for the 'greening' of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, the iconic Willis Tower," said Gonen Fink, Co-founder and CEO Pythagoras Solar.
"It is inspiring to see a team not waver in its dedication to making a true and lasting change through smart investments in the right solutions. With its combined benefits, our technology is set to provide Willis Tower with a valuable tool that will help move it toward its energy efficiency goals."
Leveraging mass-scale solar power window installations has a direct impact on improving the energy efficiency and energy generation potential of a building's exterior envelope and windows.
Pythagoras Solar is the first company to offer a fully integrated photovoltaic glass unit (PVGU) that addresses the need for simultaneous benefits of energy efficiency and high power density, while also offering architectural design benefits to increase real estate value and advance Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZB)
Wouldn't this be something! Well check us out at www.lwelectrical.com, follow us on twitter, and like us on facebook.
 Willis Tower. |
Willis Tower is exploring innovative solutions that are directly re-investing in Chicago's new green economy. In addition, this project will illustrate one possible best practice for how to decrease the impact of the built environment on climate change, for easy duplication in other similar structures.
"We are excited to launch this pilot with Pythagoras Solar's leading-edge solar window solutions as a test for not only the energy savings that can be achieved, but the potential they represent to actually generate power through the sun," said John Huston, Executive Vice President of American Landmark Properties, one of the ownership partners of Willis Tower.
"We are incredibly proud to be considered to contribute our part for the 'greening' of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, the iconic Willis Tower," said Gonen Fink, Co-founder and CEO Pythagoras Solar.
"It is inspiring to see a team not waver in its dedication to making a true and lasting change through smart investments in the right solutions. With its combined benefits, our technology is set to provide Willis Tower with a valuable tool that will help move it toward its energy efficiency goals."
Leveraging mass-scale solar power window installations has a direct impact on improving the energy efficiency and energy generation potential of a building's exterior envelope and windows.
Pythagoras Solar is the first company to offer a fully integrated photovoltaic glass unit (PVGU) that addresses the need for simultaneous benefits of energy efficiency and high power density, while also offering architectural design benefits to increase real estate value and advance Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZB)
Wouldn't this be something! Well check us out at www.lwelectrical.com, follow us on twitter, and like us on facebook.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
new standards
EPA proposes new emission standards |  |
WASHINGTON DC The Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first national standard for emissions of mercury and other pollutants from coal-burning power plants, a rule that could lead to the early closing of a number of older plants and one that is certain to be challenged by the some utilities and Republicans in Congress. Lisa P. Jackson, the agency’s administrator, said control of dozens of poisonous substances emitted by power plants was long overdue and would prevent thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of cases of disease a year. Ms. Jackson pointedly included the head of the American Lung Association and two prominent doctors in her announcement to make the point that the regulations were designed to protect public health and not to penalize the utility industry. She estimated the total annual cost of compliance at about $10 billion, in line with some industry estimates although some are much higher, and the health and environmental benefits at more than $100 billion a year. She said that households could expect to see their electric bills rise by $3 to $4 a month when the regulation was fully in force after 2015. Ms. Jackson was acting under a court-ordered deadline to produce a draft rule by March 16. “Today’s announcement is 20 years in the making and is a significant milestone in the Clean Air Act‘s already unprecedented record of ensuring our children are protected from the damaging effects of toxic air pollution,” she said. Ms. Jackson said that mercury and the other emissions covered by the rule damaged the nervous systems of fetuses and children, aggravated asthma and caused lifelong health damage for hundreds of thousands of Americans. She said that installing and maintaining smokestack scrubbers and other control technology would create 31,000 short-term construction jobs and 9,000 permanent utility sector jobs. Even before the formal unveiling of the rule, some utilities, business groups and Congressional Republicans cast it as the latest salvo in a regulatory war on American industry. They cited a number of recently issued EPA rules, including one on industrial boilers and the first of a series of regulations covering greenhouse gases, which they argue will impose huge costs on businesses and choke off economic recovery. “EPA admits the pending proposal will cost at least $10 billion, making it one of the most expensive rules in the history of the agency,” a group of utilities, the Electric Reliability Coordinating Council, said in a report. “Adaptation to all the proposed rules constitutes an extraordinary threat to the power sector — particularly the half of U.S. electricity derived from coal-fired generation.” The group questioned Ms. Jackson’s assertion that the technology needed to reduce emissions of mercury, lead, arsenic, chromium and other airborne pollutants was readily available and reasonably inexpensive. The need to retrofit scores of plants in the same short period of time will tax resources and lead to delays, it said. A spokesman for the utility industry’s largest trade group, the Edison Electric Institute, said it would be easier for some utilities to comply than others, particularly those that rely more heavily on nuclear power and those that have switched to natural gas for part of their generating capacity. One utility executive said compliance would not be unduly burdensome. “We know from experience that constructing this technology can be done in a reasonable time frame, especially with good advance planning,” said Paul Allen, senior vice president and chief environmental officer of Constellation Energy. “And there is meaningful job creation associated with the projects.” Public health advocates said utilities had delayed the rules for more than two decades with court challenges and lobbying campaigns. “If you think it’s expensive to put a scrubber on a smokestack, you should see how much it costs to treat a child over a lifetime with a birth defect,” said Dr. O. Marion Burton, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, who stood with Ms. Jackson in announcing the rule. Roughly half of the nation’s more than 400 coal-burning plants have some form of control technology installed, and about a third of states have set their own standards for mercury emissions. But the proposed rule is the first national standard and will require all plants to come up to the standard of the cleanest of current plants. The new rules bring to a close a bitter legal and regulatory battle dating back to the passage of the 1970 Clean Air Act, which first directed the EPA to identify and control major industrial sources of hazardous emissions. By 1990, however, federal regulators had still not set standards for toxic emissions from power plants, and Congress, in the face of stiff resistance from utilities and coal interests, passed legislation directing the EPA to study the health effects of mercury and other emissions, and to detail the cost and effectiveness of control technologies. In 1998, the agency finally complied, delivering a comprehensive report to Congress detailing the health impact of numerous pollutants, including mercury, which by then had been linked conclusively in multiple studies to serious cognitive harm to fetuses. In December 2000, in the last days of the Clinton administration, the EPA finally listed power plants as a source of hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. The Bush administration EPA faced its own deadlines to devise and put into effect controls for power plant pollution. But rather than issue emissions standards in line with federal law, in 2005, top agency officials instituted a controversial cap-and-trade program for mercury, despite a warning from agency lawyers that the move would throw the issue back into the courts and almost certainly be reversed. As predicted, a coalition of states and environmentalists sued the agency, arguing that the cap-and-trade program would not limit other toxic emissions like arsenic and would allow the dirtiest power plants to pay for the right to pollute, putting nearby communities at risk. In 2008 a federal judge ruled against the EPA, giving the agency three years to develop standards for mercury and other pollutants. The long delay has meant that emissions of some major pollutants have grown in recent years. The EPA’s most recent data shows that from 1999 to 2005, mercury emissions from power plants increased more than 8 percent, to 53 tons from 49 tons. Arsenic emissions grew even more, rising 31 percent, to 210 tons from 160 tons. The EPA will take public comment on the proposed regulations for the next several months. It anticipates publishing a final rule at the end of this year or early next year. The rule would take effect fully three or four years later. New York Times |
Monday, March 7, 2011
just a quick one
Just a quick note, we would like to thank all the new customers this week that called Live Wire Electric co and received top quality customer service and superior electrical technicians. We are still waiting for the complete remodel of the San Bernardino Library city of Yucaipa before we post the pics of the commercial work and data/ networking work we did for them.
Again call us at 909 528 4444 or contact us at our web site www.lweletrical .com and find out why we are the best electricians with the superior customer service. Let us help you with all your energy needs. don't forget to ask us about solar design and installations.
Again call us at 909 528 4444 or contact us at our web site www.lweletrical .com and find out why we are the best electricians with the superior customer service. Let us help you with all your energy needs. don't forget to ask us about solar design and installations.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
new month
Hello again, we are getting this solar rolling now!! We want to thank Lauren of Yucaipa for giving us a shot and learning the truth about solar electricity (pv). Now You can too!! Give us a call (909) 528-4444 or visit our web site at www.lwelectrical.com and find out the truth for yourselves. We will do a free yea i said free energy analysts and show you from a non-bias showing of your system, its output, and your savings and a complete rebates you'll receive from state and federal rebates. All you have to do is give us a call, and have your electrical bill from the past 12 months on hand, and we can give you an energy analysis. So why wait any longer, why have questions lingering, wouldn't you want to know the truth! Give us a call today.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
commercial work
We have been busy with lots and lots of electrical commercial work. We have been installing new circuits and new outlets and new lighting for the County of San Bernardino library Yucaipa. We also installed new I.T. networking runs as well. We also ran some new networking and data lines for a Burlington Coat Factory this week. So this week has been very busy with upgrading electrical and networking and data installations! When are you going to call to see if your electrical or data/networking system needs an overhaul? Give us a call and we can help with all those needs and more, Always check us out @ www.lwelectrical.com for contacting us or finding out all our services, follows us on twitter @repairelectric, and become our friend on our facebook. Call us and find out why we are the best.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
wow!!!!
We are on a roll!! We would like to thank Frank in Fontana, Summer in Yucaipa, Matt in Irvine, and Matt in Redlands. We are now working on a project for the county of San Bernardino library, city of Yucaipa next week. We Will have some before and after pictures posted on our web site www.lwelectrical.com. So check us out and give us a call and see why so many others have experienced why we are the #1 electricians in Southern California.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
super bowl weekend!!
Just want to give a quick shout out to all our new customers that called us for their electrical needs! Now it is Superbowl weekend and if u need last minute help setting up that large flat screen tv or hooking up all those cables for your surround sound, give us a call! We specialize in installing flat screen tv on the walls and concealing all those wires and moving electrical outlets and cable connections discretely so your home entertainment system looks and sounds its best for the big game!! So give us a call and find out why we are the best electrical specialist in the Inland Empire! Go Packers!!!
For more info on home electrical service click here.
For more info on home electrical service click here.
Monday, January 31, 2011
new customers!!!
we have been busy with all kinds of work!! H&R Block in Fontana for their service work, a Mr. Hawk in San Bernardino for the panel upgrade, (see the pictures posted very soon on our web-site) Mrs Cairrer in Yucaipa for all the lighting on her house (inside lighting and outdoor lighting) and Jim in Yucaipa for some electrical outlets. So lets keep this going and keep that phone ringing for electrical services. Thank you to all those who trust and believe in our superior customer service and top notch training and education in the electrical field.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
new work for the new year!
We have been slowly becoming more busy as the new year keeps coming along. We have been particularly busy here in Yucaipa. Installing lots and lots of outdoor lighting, and doing service work! We are posting some of this outdoor lights on our website, so go and check out our work! Maybe you as well need or want to beef up your outdoor lighting for security reasons, or just to beautify your home. Also been been doing some custom parking lot lighting as well in Redlands, we should be posting that as well. Don't forget we have a boom lift that reaches 50ft and a crane lift that goes 110ft! We can install parking lot lights and electrical store front signs for your business. So keep the hits coming and check out our website at lwelectrical.com for money saving coupons and much more. thank you!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
What is a Smart Meter and Why Use Them?
A smart meter is usually an electrical meter that records consumption in intervals of an hour or less and communicates that information at least daily back to the utility for monitoring and billing purposes. Smart meters enable two-way communication between the meter and the central system. Unlike home energy monitors, smart meters can gather data for remote reporting.
Since the inception of electricity deregulation and market-driven pricing throughout the world, utilities have been looking for a means to match consumption with generation. Traditional electrical meters only measure total consumption and as such, provide no information of when the energy was consumed. Smart meters provide an economical way of measuring this information, allowing price setting agencies to introduce different prices for consumption based on the time of day and the season.
Electricity pricing usually peaks at certain predictable times of the day and the season. In particular, if generation is constrained, prices can rise from other jurisdictions or more costly generation is brought online. It is believed that billing customers by time of day will encourage consumers to adjust their consumption habits to be more responsive to market prices.
Regulatory and market design agencies hope these "price signals" will delay the construction of additional generation or at least the purchase of energy from higher priced sources, thereby controlling the steady and rapid increase of electricity prices.
Since the inception of electricity deregulation and market-driven pricing throughout the world, utilities have been looking for a means to match consumption with generation. Traditional electrical meters only measure total consumption and as such, provide no information of when the energy was consumed. Smart meters provide an economical way of measuring this information, allowing price setting agencies to introduce different prices for consumption based on the time of day and the season.
Electricity pricing usually peaks at certain predictable times of the day and the season. In particular, if generation is constrained, prices can rise from other jurisdictions or more costly generation is brought online. It is believed that billing customers by time of day will encourage consumers to adjust their consumption habits to be more responsive to market prices.
Regulatory and market design agencies hope these "price signals" will delay the construction of additional generation or at least the purchase of energy from higher priced sources, thereby controlling the steady and rapid increase of electricity prices.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
check this out!!
Solar Storm Risks Bring Disaster Plans
By HENRY FOUNTAIN
Published: November 16, 2010
ON a March night 21 years ago, a storm brought Quebec’s electric power grid to its knees.
Multimedia
It wasn’t snow, ice or wind that caused Hydro-Québec‘s high-voltage transmission system to go down, blacking out millions of customers for nine hours or more. It was a solar storm — a blast of electrically charged gas from the sun that disrupted the Earth’s magnetic field and made the grid go haywire.
As bad as this “space weather” was — it even damaged a giant transformer at a nuclear power plant in New Jersey, hundreds of miles from Quebec — scientists and engineers say much more severe storms have occurred in the past, before the development of high-voltage power grids, and are possible in the future.
In a worst case, a major geomagnetic storm “could be perhaps the largest natural disaster this country could face,” said John G. Kappenman, a consultant to the power industry. It could cause regionwide or larger blackouts, potentially for months, and affect grids on other continents as well.
While the electric power industry learned much from the 1989 disturbance, and Hydro-Québec and other utilities took steps to be better able to cope with such events, experts say that no grid anywhere is fully protected from a severe geomagnetic storm. It is difficult even to assess the risks of such events, which are very rare and potentially catastrophic.
“The concern for a utility is for these high-impact, low-probability events,” said Luke van der Zel, a technical executive with the Electric Power Research Institute. “Mitigation becomes challenging.”
What’s more, said Mr. Kappenman, while the power industry has spent billions of dollars to “harden” systems against hurricanes, blizzards and other Earth-based storms, “from the standpoint of space weather, I would argue that we have just not understood the threat.”
While grids in higher latitudes are especially vulnerable, the growth of the transmission network in the United States, which now includes about 200,000 miles of high-voltage lines, has increased the risk that a severe storm here will cause crippling damage. “The larger you make the grid, the larger it acts like an antenna to disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field,” said Mr. Kappenman, who served on a committee that produced a report on the risks for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
Higher-transmission voltages — favored by utilities because they result in lower energy losses — have also made grids more susceptible to damage from solar storms, said Sean Eagleton, a section manager for engineering with Con Edison, the New York-area utility company. “Engineers are involved in tradeoffs,” he said. “In the process of making the system more efficient, they make it more vulnerable.”
But given the social and economic havoc that a blackout of months could wreak, engineers and scientists are starting to look more closely at the threat from a severe geomagnetic storm. Efforts are under way to improve forecasting, to give utilities more precise information about when and where a solar storm will hit and how severe the impact will be, so that grid operators can take defensive measures. And utilities and researchers are working to devise equipment and procedures to better enable transmission systems to ride out a major event.
Economics are a big issue, Mr. van der Zel said, and the costs of retrofitting hundreds or thousands of high-voltage transformers, for example, would need to be analyzed.
“The end goal is to have a risk assessment and a mitigation methodology,” he added. “It’s a complex issue. It’s not like many other risks that utilities deal with.”
A geomagnetic storm begins with an enormous burst of electrically charged gas, or plasma, from the sun. The gas travels very quickly — on the order of a million miles an hour or faster — and if it happens to be aimed at Earth, can reach the planet in as little as a day.
Then, strange things happen to the Earth’s orderly magnetic field. It begins to fluctuate, creating differing electric potentials on the Earth’s surface. From this point, a simple law of electricity follows: If the potential at one end of a transmission line is higher than the potential at the other end, dozens or even hundreds of miles away, a current will flow through the line.
It is these currents that can cause problems. They are so different from the normal currents in high-voltage lines that they interfere with the operation of the transformers — the voltage boosters or reducers — that are an essential part of the grid. Transformers can overheat and become damaged, or develop other problems that can cause switches within the system to trip automatically. Voltage throughout the grid can begin to drop, and unless more power can be quickly brought online — either by starting up more generators or shunting it from another system — the grid can collapse.
That’s what happened in Quebec in 1989, and it took only 92 seconds. Fortunately most of the transformers were not permanently affected. But in a much more severe storm — similar to one that occurred in 1859, when other than telegraphs there was little electrical equipment to be damaged — transformers may be destroyed or become otherwise inoperable. These are not off-the-shelf products: a typical high-voltage transformer can weigh several hundred tons and is designed and built (at a cost of up to $10 million or more) for a particular installation. So it may take months to replace them.
That’s why Mr. Kappenman and others are working on ways to keep geomagnetically induced currents out of transmission lines to begin with. A device called a capacitor could be installed near each vulnerable transformer to effectively block currents from entering the transmission lines.
Capacitors are usually fairly small — the ones on the circuit board inside a typical radio are usually smaller than a fingertip. But in transmission systems, the equipment would be roughly the size of a washing machine, and the capacitors would need to be able to be bypassed in a fraction of a second to allow conventional currents through.
“That makes for an active device, one that looks at what current is flowing and makes decisions in real time,” Mr. van der Zel said. “That’s a lot more expensive than a passive device.”
Mr. Kappenman estimated that in the United States alone, about 5,000 vulnerable transformers would have to be retrofitted, at a cost of perhaps $100,000 each, plus installation. It would make little sense to retrofit only a few transformers; the rogue currents created by an extreme solar storm could flow here and there throughout the grid, damaging unprotected equipment.
Mr. Eagleton said Con Edison had been working with Mr. Kappenman and others and planned to test blocking devices on a few transformers. The utility already has some current-blocking experience, he said: it has to keep the current used in New York’s subways, which is in some ways similar to those created by a solar storm, out of the regular transmission lines.
Mr. Eagleton said Con Edison had also worked with transformer manufacturers on design issues. With the difficulties of transporting and installing equipment in the New York City area, the utility at one time had ordered shorter transformers, so that they would fit under bridges and be otherwise easier to handle. “But now we’ve moved to a design that’s a little taller, and a little less vulnerable to geomagnetic disturbance,” he said.
No one is really certain, however, how a redesigned or retrofitted transformer will perform in a severe storm. “Unfortunately, the only way to know is to experience it,” Mr. Eagleton said.
But more thorough research can help, Mr. van der Zel said. “If we had a very, very large storm, would the entire grid collapse? The answer is we don’t really know, because we don’t have a very accurate complete network analysis. That is something that’s desirable.”
More immediate, and less costly, help can come in the form of better forecasting. At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., Antti Pulkkinen and other researchers are working to do that, running data from sun-sensing satellites in simulations that are more and more sophisticated. The project, called Solar Shield, is still experimental, but as the models are refined, Mr. Pulkkinen said, it should become fully operational within the next few years.
With it, he said, “we can calculate exactly when this thing is going to happen and what is going to happen.” Extremely precise information about a storm that is about to hit would give grid operators time to take measures to add redundancy to their systems — like putting transmission lines that had been shut down for maintenance back on line, or preparing idle generators to start up again.
In the worst case, Mr. Pulkkinen said, operators might even decide to power down their systems completely, thinking that a brief, deliberate shutdown was a far better outcome than a long blackout.
Mr. Pulkkinen said two developments were helping to improve the forecasts: more and better data from satellites, and improved processing ability. “To run these large-scale space simulations, you need a lot of horsepower from your computers,” he said, adding that “we are now for the first time applying physics-based models to forecast the impact of solar activities on the power grid.”
Mr. Eagleton, of Con Edison, said forecasting had something else going for it as well. “One thing about the sun being 93 million miles away,” he said, “it gives you some time.”
Saturday, January 8, 2011
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