Transmission market booming, continued growth expected

Increased investments in transmission improvement focus on smart grid technologies and renewable power.

By Max Burkhalter
December 12, 2013

Increased construction of power lines and grid development is expected to continue in 2014, marking significant progress in enhancing North America's power distribution capabilities. According to Smart Grid News, nearly $163 billion is being dedicated to transmission projects in the U.S. and Canada in 2014, with much of it focused on the installment of 345-kV and 500-kV DC and AC lines. The majority of projects are set in the U.S. West, British Columbia and Alberta, as well as the Northeast.

Beyond 2014, significant increases in this market are expected to continue, spurned on by renewability demands and official mandates on sustainable power. California, for example has a series of proposals coming focused on renewable energy delivery, with over a dozen projects expected to cost $1.7 billion.

The key for many of these new projects and deployments is the integration of new technologies, smart grid solutions and high-quality technologies with legacy systems in order to get new grids and improved tech online sooner. According to Smart Grid News, smart meters and intelligent electronic devices are on the cutting edge of these investments, driving progress and improvements in substations and for the end user.

When IEDs are deployed, utility firms have to ensure that they integrate and align with legacy systems properly, otherwise many of the advantages to investing in these new technologies will be lost. This requires companies to invest in high-quality serial to Ethernet converter solutions in order to ensure the transmission of data and power from new systems into old seamlessly, with minimal latency. These efforts will boost overall system optimization and deliver improved service across the board.

Without new technologies in place to streamline power management and transmission, firms will see a sharp decline in service and profits. This makes investing in smart grid solutions and the related hardware to marry new systems to old ones essential not just to improve service, but survive as consumers come to expect support for new trends such as sustainable, renewable and cleaner energy.

Perle offers a range of cost effective serial-to-Ethernet converters to help meet NERC-CIP compliance for the protection of critical cyberassets in substations. The IOLAN SDS HV/LDC Terminal Server is designed to meet harsh environments associated with Power Substations with attributes such as support for substation AC and DC voltage ranges, extended operating temperatures and meeting emission, immunity and safety approvals associated with substation IT equipment.

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