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Most people, when they imagine a power plant, picture equipment like smokestacks that stretch hundreds of feet into the sky, massive, spinning turbines and the hum of electric transmission lines […]
The post Unlocking the Benefits of Virtual Power Plants with Digital Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine.
In 1995, Daniel Goleman, a trained psychologist and science journalist at the New York Times, released a book titled “Emotional Intelligence”. Twenty-five years later, his ideas remain as relevant as ever, although still not fully understood.
If you’re wondering what emotional intelligence (EQ) is, why it’s constantly dubbed more important than IQ and technical skills, and how to develop it, this guide will provide you with an exhaustive answer.
Emotional intelligence stands for your ability to appropriately recognize and manage emotions, plus influence the emotions of others. Quoting Daniel Goleman:
Emotional self-awareness is the building block of the next fundamental emotional intelligence: like being able to shake off a bad mood.
Emotionally intelligent people don’t let negative (or positive emotions) overtake the rational mind in personal and professional settings. For example, instead of engaging in a heated public argument with a colleague who thinks they’re better than you, you try to understand where their superiority complex is coming from and try to deal with the situation privately. …
The post Open-Source Technology Benefits Transmission and Distribution Operators appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The term “open source” is well-recognized in the technology world, but may not be as widely understood in other sectors. What open source means is that the software code is publicly available so that anyone can contribute to the code base and create add-on extensions. This enables the growth of a market of providers that can offer hosting and add-on functionalities that can be utilized by all users.
In the energy sector, LF Energy has taken a leading role in facilitating the development of open-source technology. LF Energy is part of The Linux Foundation, which is the umbrella organization for more than 425 open-source projects. Among LF Energy’s projects are platforms that help automate demand response; assist electricity, water, and other utility operators in managing systems; monitor and control microgrids and other distribution assets; and perform dynamic power flow simulations, among other things.
Arjan Stam, director of System Operations with Alliander (a distribution system operator [DSO] in the Netherlands), and Lucian Balea, research and development program director and open-source manager with RTE (a transmission system operator [TSO] in France), were guests on The POWER Podcast and explained how open-source technology is being used by their companies.…
The post The POWER Interview: Financial Benefits of Energy Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine.
Speakers at POWER’s recent Distributed Energy Experience were unanimous in their agreement that energy storage is a game-changing technology for the power generation sector. Storage provides for more reliability and resilience, and already is proving its importance to supporting the growth of solar and wind power.
Utilities are incorporating storage into their generation portfolios. It is often featured as part of microgrid configurations, and the business community has discovered the cost-effectiveness of storage in commercial and industrial distributed generation systems.
Abbot Moffat, Director of Business Development / West for Rubicon Professional Services, provided POWER with his insight into energy storage. Rubicon is a team of experienced design and construction experts that works on projects for several industries, including alternative energy, data centers, health care, telecommunications, and power plants.
POWER: What are the financial benefits for a utility to incorporate energy storage into its project portfolio?…
The post The POWER Interview: Benefits of a Smarter Grid appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The smart grid is transforming the way utilities communicate with their customers. Smart grid technology, including control systems and automation that help new technologies work together, supports a power grid that can respond digitally to quickly changing electricity demand.
The smart grid enables electricity producers to enhance reliability, availability, and efficiency. It can provide cost savings—both for utilities and consumers—and even environmental benefits. It will allow for faster restoration of power after outages, and supports better integration of distributed generation resources, including renewable energy, to the larger grid. It also supports grid integration of large-scale renewable energy resources.
It also is designed to improve the security of the grid, enabling power generators, along with transmission and distribution operators, to recognize and respond more quickly to grid anomalies.
The smart grid will be a focus of POWER’s upcoming Connected Plant Conference, set for February 25-27 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia.…