PCCA Journal|2
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dent of electric operations asset manage-
ment. The group shared best practices
and discussed opportunities to work with
the DOE on strategies for more climate-
resilient U.S. energy infrastructure.
“California is feeling the impacts of
extreme weather from severe storms to
extended drought conditions, which is
why our efforts are focused on building
strong systems and testing our emer-
gency preparedness to help get commu-
nities back on their feet quickly when
a natural disaster occurs,” said Geisha
Williams, executive vice president of
electric operations for PG&E.
ComEd Installs One Millionth Smart Meter
C
omEd announced in April that it had installed
its one-millionth smart meter in its service
territory. The mission of installing nearly four
million smart meters began in 2013 and, on
an accelerated timeline path, is expected to be
complete in 2018—three years ahead of schedule. A smart
meter is a digital electric meter that uses two-way radio
communications to collect usage information and securely
transmit it to ComEd through a wireless connection.
“One million smart meters means one million customers
now have access to tools and information that will help them
better control and manage their energy use,” said Michael
McMahan, Vice President of Automated Metering Infrastruc-
ture Implementation for ComEd.
Smart meters provide customers with access to more infor-
mation about energy use through online energy-management
tools. Additionally, because smart meters automatically send
meter readings to ComEd, they also help eliminate estimated
bills and reduce operating costs that become savings on cus-
tomers’ electric bills.
Recently, ComEd reported out to the Illinois Commerce
Commission for the first time on performance metrics for
smart meters. The company reported that it had surpassed
in 2014 targets in several categories including reduction of
estimated bills, uncollected expenses, and consumption on
inactive meters. The positive performance results help to
lower operational costs, which are passed directly to custom-
ers as rate savings.
In addition, smart grid investments have helped to
strengthen reliability of the electric system by helping to
avoid more than 3.3 million customer interruptions since
2012, including 1.2 million in 2014 due largely to increased
investments in distribution automation or digital “smart
switches” that automatically route power around potential
problem areas. Outage avoidance has saved customers an
estimated $175 million.
Working with Silver Spring Networks, ComEd is building a
wireless communications network that allows smart meters
to communicate customer electricity usage with ComEd.
Already, however, the company is looking for additional op-
portunities to use the communications network to bring new
technologies and benefits to its service territory.
Earlier this year, ComEd introduced a pilot program to deploy
smart, energy-efficient LED streetlights in Lombard and Bensen-
ville. Via a web portal, municipalities will be able to control
the dimming and daily scheduling of the lights, and receive
immediate notification if a lamp is in need of maintenance.
Additionally, control can be given to first responders to manage
streetlights on-demand during emergency situations. The LED
streetlights, which consume as little as one-third of the energy,
last up to one and a half times as long and offer better quality of
light compared with the fixtures they replace.
Power News
Continued from page 26
High Levels of Transmission
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A
n updated report by the
Edison Electric Insti-
tute (EEI) finds that
investor-owned electric
utilities are continuing
to make significant investments to build
needed and beneficial transmission infra-
structure and to enhance the nation’s
electric power grid to meet 21st-century
energy needs. The report, “Transmission
Projects: At A Glance,” finds that EEI
members’ total transmission investment
in 2013 reached $16.9 billion.
“The high level of investment in our
nation’s transmission infrastructure