GDS Associates, Inc

Recent technological and economic changes are expected to test and transform the electric utility industry over the next decade. Which opportunities or threats are most likely to cause a paradigm shift among the industry and its stakeholders? How can utilities plan for and...

Overvoltage protection, often called lightning protection, plays an important role in the design and operation of an electric system. Power distribution systems are asked to perform flawlessly in some of the most hostile weather environments. For many areas in North...

Recently, physical security of the electrical power grid was thrust into the national limelight largely due to news media reports about the April 16, 2013 sniper attack on Pacific Gas & Electric’s Metcalf Substation in San Jose, California. This well-orchestrated,...

DOWNLOAD PDF On June 2, 2014, the EPA released its highly anticipated, “Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units,” its preliminary regulations for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing power plants....

Many of us working in the electric industry can remember the days where the tinkerers would add solar to their roof tops to save on their power bills. We roll our eyes and scoff that the pay back is forever, even with tax incentives. Well, times have changed because...

Distributed generation (“DG”) is going to be a major influence in the future of the electric industry in the United States. The blend of existing opportunities and challenges has created an environment for electric utilities to consider integrating DG technologies into...

Proven shale gas reserves and fracking technology have dramatically changed the production capability for natural gas and the anticipated utilization of natural gas. Energy Tomorrow touts the U.S. as a world power in natural gas, supported by the largest energy...

For the past several years and notwithstanding the economic woes, growth in residential household load usage has been subdued by the impact of increased efficiencies in electric appliances. Government regulations in the past have called for more efficient HVAC systems,...

Agriculture is a vital industry in the United States, representing approximately $180 billion in the U.S. economy. Rising energy costs threaten the economic viability of farms and have rippling effects throughout the entire economy due to increased food costs and decreased...

Transmission dependent utilities (TDUs) have to sort through a myriad of ancillary service schedules that are contained within the open access transmission tariffs (OATT) of their electric transmission service providers. What are these “ancillary” services? Which ones need...