Who Should Attend:
Engineering personnel and others who would benefit from an understanding of current electric utility engineering principles and practices.
Series Overview:
The engineering webinar series is comprised of 12 webinars from January through December 2022. 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.
Specifying and Placing Lightning Arresters, January 11, 2022
Did
you know that lightning can cause 20% of the outages on overhead power lines?
Therefore, in this webinar you will review the types of arresters currently on
the market for distribution lines. In addition, you will also learn about
common basic impulse insulation level (BIL) with emphasis on a new method to
prevent flashovers referred to as critical impulse flashover voltage (CFO);
however, the combined BIL of equipment is not additive as once thought. The CFO
technique for overvoltage protection will be discussed with explanations for
adequately protecting overhead lines based on ground flash density, shielding,
and earth resistivity.
Overhead to Underground Conversions, February 8, 2022
Trends are emerging where
existing overhead distribution facilities are being converted to underground;
this could be streetscaping or could be part of a reliability/resiliency
program. Join this webinar to discuss these trends for undergrounding, as well as
the design complexity of an overhead to underground conversion. You will learn
about the challenges, which can include overhead weatherheads, 120/240 volt
three-phase services, loop feed designs, space limitations, easements,
joint-use attachments, and other unique situations.
Aging Infrastructure - Plan of Action, March 8, 2022
The electric grid in the United
States is aging and needs to be replaced to maintain high levels of system
reliability. However, with negative trends in electrical demand and potentially
shrinking revenue, it is becoming even more difficult to reinvest in the system
infrastructure. In this webinar you will learn the methods for the evaluation
of the aging components of the utility’s system, prioritization of the
necessary replacements, and planning for the logistics of maintaining and
replacing system components.
Advanced Car Chargers , April 12, 2022
There are essentially three
levels of electric vehicle chargers: Level 1 (120 volts), Level 2 (240 volts),
and Level 3 fast chargers. The advanced Level 3 fast chargers can have demands
of 1 MW for just four charging stalls. The growth in EV cars and other larger
vehicles, such as buses, will have a significant impact on the distribution
grid. Attend this webinar to learn the three common charging dispensers, the
inverters to power the dispensers, and the demand cycle when charging EV
batteries.
Electric Service for the Electric Vehicle Fleet, May 10, 2022
Public and private fleet
operators are switching to electric vehicles to reduce costs, cut emissions,
and to lower their carbon footprint. However, depot fleet charging can have
many EV vehicles connected to chargers which can spike demand on the electric
grid. In this webinar you will explore EV charging strategies that help limit
kW demand and optimize charging times. You will also receive information on
commercial charging and energy-as-a-service models for charging fleets.
Interconnection of Battery and Solar Systems, June 14, 2022
More rooftop solar and commercial solar are being installed by consumers to defray their energy bills, and batteries such as the Tesla Powerwalls are gaining in popularity. In this webinar, which will focus on residential scale interconnection, you will review the application of IEEE Standard 1547 for interconnection of inverter-based systems including solar and batteries.
2023 NESC Sneak Peek, July 19, 2022
The 2023 NESC is available in
August 2022 and becomes effective in January 2023. There were over 500 change
proposals submitted in this code cycle: new sets of rules are expected for
utility-controlled PV plants and utility batteries as well as numerous changes
throughout the NESC. Attend this webinar for a quick overview of the NESC
updates.
The Do's and Don'ts of Easement Acquisition, August 9, 2022
The best-designed power line is
useless without land to build it on. Acquiring easements from property owners
to cross over their land and possibly cut their trees may be the hardest part
of distribution line staking. In this webinar you will learn tips to obtain
easements and what pitfalls to avoid.
Stray Voltage and Swimming Pools , September 13, 2022
Electric utilities receive stray voltage complaints that often occur at bodies of water,
such as boat docks and swimming pools. Join this webinar to discuss methods of
investigation, cause analysis, and options for corrective action. You will also
review the concepts of stray currents as well as common problems and possible
solutions.
Understanding Microgrids , October 11, 2022
Microgrids are small power grids
operating either within a larger power grid or independently, and they are
increasingly becoming advantageous to customers such as college campuses,
industrial complexes, and military bases. Attend this webinar to learn about
the various microgrid scenarios, development of a microgrid system, and the
technologies to integrate a microgrid system.
Pole Buckling Prevention, November 15, 2022
In this webinar you will learn
the primary causes and effects of pole buckling, including insufficient pole
class and short guy leads; the methods to design a wood pole distribution
structure to prevent pole buckling; the calculations and variables involved to
perform a structural analysis; the variables necessary to perform the
structural analysis; and how to determine the appropriate values for those
variables.
Strength of Pole Top Assemblies, December 13, 2022
When
designing a distribution line, it is necessary to select the proper pole top
assembly for each pole, including crossarms (wood and fiberglass), pins, and
insulators (polymer and ceramic), because the attachment methods for these
components affects their strength to support maximum conductor tensions and
transverse loading from ice and wind. Your focus will be on RUS assemblies, but
the methods provided can be used for many unique pole top assemblies.
Webinar Recordings:
Webinar recordings can be made available to registrants who are unable to attend live.
Webinar Instructor:
Hi-Line Engineering
Webinar 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.
This 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, each is to register separately.
Webinar Fees:
Please visit the event pages for individual webinar pricing.
Individual Attendee Registration (all 12 webinars):
Utility Member Rate: $1,140
Associate Member Rate: $1,710
Non-Member Rate: $3,420
Unlimited Attendee Registration* (all 12 webinars):
Utility Member Rate: $2,850
Associate Member Rate: $4,275
*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 Policy:
Cancellations are accepted with a full refund as follows:
For webinars and virtual classes, if the request is made at least five days prior to the course, then 100% of the registration fee will be refunded.
For in-person events, the following fee structure applies: cancellation at least 30 days prior to the event, full refund; within 15-29 days, $100 fee; and within 1-14 days or no show, 100% of the registration fee. When possible, please send a substitute instead of canceling because NWPPA does not charge a fee for substitutions.