Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
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UtILItY WeeK | 14th - 20th November 2014 | 25 Operations & Assets uses Sigma Seven's GeoField product and was designed to support tablet-friendly drop down menus that allow incident notes and damage photos to be taken quickly at the scene of the damage. Nearby asset informa- tion is automatically attached along with the position of the assessor, and the package is sent electronically to Con Edison's systems where it is available to review in real time. Con Edison's asset maps and databases are loaded securely on to tablet devices where they are available to field assessors with or without a network connection. This enables them to access any location in the entire Con Edison utility network without having to prepare the device in advance, meaning a quicker response in an emergency situation. With tougher penalties and a new storm season on the horizon, network operators cannot afford to ignore the lessons from last year. While storm management will always be a challenge for utilities faced with manag- ing the unpredictable, they need to continue to review their plans and processes for deal- ing and responding to storms before they hit. Collaboration and integration of systems is crucial to stepping up customer service responses and in producing timely and accu- rate reporting for customer communications, but it must be united in a cohesive solution that is managed and controlled in getting power back up and running. Without technology to support assessors in the field, utilities run the risk of a less than adequate response when the next big storm hits. Paul Reid, director, Sigma Seven If field workers can assess damage on the fly and input the results into an electronic storm managment system, repair crews can be dispatched more quickly and customers can be kept abrest of both the problem and the time it will take to fix it Water UU finishes 11-month £7m sewer upgrade United Utilities will complete its £7 million Lancashire sewer upgrade by the end of the month, aer 11 months of disruptive work. The upgrade work at Rawenstall in the Rossendale Valley began in January this year and was carried out in five separate phases, requiring temporary road closures and traffic management. GeNeratIoN Ecotricity's wave project completes first stage testing Ecotricity's Searaser wave power prototype has passed first stage testing. Ecotricity and marine energy consultant DNV GL Group have spent the past 18 months optimising the design and modelling outputs of the device in real world conditions around Britain's coast before testing at Plymouth Univer- sity's CoastLAB wave tank. Water Northumbrian uses 'porcupines' against blockages Northumbrian Water has deployed sewer "porcupines" to help trap items that could block the drains. The porcupines are heavy metal blocks, fitted with an array of angled spikes and an attachment eye, which are lowered into the sewers through manhole covers. Wipes and other items flushed down toilets are snagged on the porcupine spikes. The porcupine is then removed, along with the trapped items, to prevent a blockage build up. Going to plan