Event Profile

Engineering Webinar Series: All 12 Webinars

Date(s):
January 14 — December 9, 2025
Venue:
Online
Description:

Who Should Attend: 

Engineering personnel and others who would benefit from an understanding of current electric utility engineering principles and practices. 

Overview: 

The engineering webinar series is comprised of 12 webinars offered each month from January through December 2025. Descriptions for each webinar can be found below. Webinars can be taken individually or as an entire series; by registering for the full series, you will receive all 12 webinars at a discounted price. Group pricing is also available. 

January 14 – Motor Starting 

Mitigation of power quality issues due to motor starting on the power system can be one of the most difficult challenges faced by electric utility personnel. In this presentation, you will learn how to prepare a motor starting analysis for various types of motor starters, the impact of various motor starters on the starting current and starting torque, and mitigation techniques. 

February 11 - Stray Voltage Investigations 

Stray voltage complaints to electric utilities often occur at bodies of water, including boat docks and swimming pools. In this webinar, you will learn about the concept of stray voltage, methods of investigation used to search for the root cause, tools typically employed, and how to interpret information gathered. You will hear about common problems along with possible solutions. 

March 18 - Methods for Projecting Loads for Distribution Planning  

In this webinar, you will explore several methods commonly used to project loads for distribution systems. Designing for the future starts with projecting the electrical needs of the community. This includes evaluating both the type and location of new loads. Additionally, analysis of loads via computer modeling is necessary to develop cost-effective solutions. 

April 8 - Modeling Solar Distributed Energy Resources and Load-Flow Programs  

Interconnection of small, residential solar resources often involves a screening process to verify the distributed energy resource can be safely interconnected with the utility grid. But what happens when the resource proposed for distribution fails the screening process? In this webinar, you will learn how solar resources are modeled using commercial load flow programs, how to interpret the results, and how smart inverters can be used to solve issues to allow interconnection. You will also explore specific models/simulations for solar resources. 

May 20 - Understanding Transmission Wheeling 

Power from a private generation resource can be sold to customers by transporting—wheeling—the energy through the transmission grid. Several regional transmission organizations and independent system operators manage the U.S. electric power grid. During this webinar, you will learn about the rates providers charge for electricity to flow through these grids and ancillary services that may be included in the cost of wheeling energy. This session is ideal for anyone who is new to transmission wheeling and pricing models. 

June 10 - Battery Energy Storage Systems Applications for Electric Utilities 

There are multiple use cases for battery energy storage systems on electric utility systems. These include ancillary services, excess solar energy storage, delay of infrastructure upgrades, and reserve power. In this webinar, you will learn what battery energy storage systems are, how and why these systems are being deployed by utilities, and the limitations of the technology. 

July 8 - Engineering Economics for Utility Projects  

Engineers need to be able to justify their decisions on system upgrades based on economic analysis. In this webinar, you will learn how to conduct an engineering economic analysis of project options. Topics covered will include the methods used to determine carrying cost factors, discount rates, and present worth analysis. 

August 12 - Application of Fiberglass Arms  

Utility designers have more options available for support arms than ever before. In this webinar, you will learn about the different types of support arms, materials used, mounting techniques, and braces. To aid in the selection of arms, you will explore the application-based pros and cons of different crossarms and the National Electrical Safety Code requirements. 

September 8 - Multi-Circuit Design Considerations 

Designing a double-circuit line is similar to designing a single-circuit line but with an added degree of complexity. In this webinar, you will explore the challenges of designing a double-circuit line, including large-angle poles, equipment poles, circuit spacing, and guying and anchoring. 

October 14 - Underground Cable Installation Guide  

Underground power is common in new subdivisions and in conversions from overhead distribution to underground distribution. In this webinar, you will explore installation techniques for underground cable systems, including sizing conduit and pulling tension limits. Beyond engineering, cable handling issues such as bending radius, use of rollers, and cable accessories will be addressed. 

November 4 - Utility Easement Rights and Obligations  

The best-designed power line is useless without land to build it on. Acquiring easements from property owners to cross over their land and potentially cut their trees may be the hardest part of distribution line staking. In this webinar, you will learn best practices for obtaining easements and review pitfalls to avoid. 

December 9 - Sizing Three-Phase Transformers  

Three-phase pad-mounted transformers can be expensive items for an electric utility. In this webinar, you will gain a better understanding of industry standards that apply to three-phase pad-mounted transformers, as well as the different options available in the marketplace. The presentation will also include the specification and application of these units. 

Recordings: 

Recordings of each webinar are provided to registrants after the live webinar. 

Instructor: 

Hi-Line Engineering 

Schedule: 

All webinars in this series will be held from 8-9:30 a.m. Pacific Time. Attendees will be admitted 15 minutes before the webinar begins. 

How to Participate: 

Instructions will be emailed to attendees within 12 hours of the webinar, and we recommend that you test the link to the meeting as soon as you get the instructions. The webinar is best viewed using Chrome as your browser. We recommend that you use a landline for both your phone and your internet connections. 

If you are registered individually, that registration is for one person to attend. We manage our webinars on an honor-system basis; if more than one person from a utility wishes to attend, the utility should register for unlimited attendee registration.

Fees: 

Please visit the event pages for individual webinar pricing. 

Individual Attendee Registration (all 12 webinars): 

Utility Member Rate: $1,260 
Associate Member Rate: $1,890 
Non-Member Rate: $2,520 

Unlimited Attendee Registration* (all 12 webinars): 

Utility Member Rate: $3,150 
Associate Member Rate: $4,725 
Non-Member Rate: $6,300 

Canadian utility members, please contact registration@nwppa.org for pricing and to register.
 
*If your organization would like to send multiple attendees to this webinar or the full series, please contact Annie Wittenberg at (360) 816-1443 or annie@nwppa.org for further details. 

Cancellation Policies: 

For webinars, virtual classes, and section meetings: cancellation at least five days prior to the event, full refund; within 1-4 days or no show, 100% of the registration fee. 

When possible, please send a substitute instead of canceling; NWPPA does not charge a fee for substitutions. To request a refund, please contact  registration@nwppa.org, or call (360) 254-0109. 

Continuing Hours: 

Certificates are issued by Hi-Line Engineering upon completion of the webinar. Please contact Melanie Ward at melanie.ward@hi-line-engineering.com. 

For More Information:

To find out more about this event, or to learn about other events, view the Training and Event Catalog.