10 years florida lineman competition 14 | summer...

10 Years – Flor ida L ineman Compet i t ion 14 | Summer Conference Highl ights 18

ww

w.p

ub

lic

po

we

r.c

om

Volume 45, Issue 1

RELAYRELAYRELAYFLORIDA’S ENERGY AND ELECTRIC UTILITY MAGAZINEFLORIDA’S ENERGY AND ELECTRIC UTILITY MAGAZINE

The Smart Grid: Policy-Makers’ Views

(page 10)


(page 10)

Contents2010 | Volume 45 | Issue 1

ContentSCOVER STORY

The Smart Grid: Policy-Makers’ Views Mayor John Marks, City Commissioner Sanna

Henderson, and City Council President Kent Guinn discuss policy-making for a smarter grid.

FEATURES 2010 Florida Lineman Competition –

A History of Honor, Excellence, Safety and Competition

In 2001 the first Florida Lineman Competition was held in Lakeland, Florida. It was a coordinated effort

between Lakeland and FMEA staff that resulted in an annual tradition highlighting the principles of

electric utility work – honor, excellence, skill, and above all else, safety.

Florida Lineman Inducted into Hall of FameLongtime FMEA member and Lineworker, Tommy

Buchanon will be inducted into the International Linemans Museum Hall of fame in 2011.

Summer Conference Highlights Security, Renewables & An Aging Workforce

Latest security threats to the distribution grid and NERC counter measure standards are discussed.

Biomass and natural gas grab the spotlight on renewable energy and the aging utility workforce

is probably older than you think.

COLUMNS Ohm Page – A Measure of Success

Hometown Connections – Small Utility Uses SCADA and Technology Integration for

Smart Grid Advances Washington Report – CREBs and Comparability

On the Move Advertisers Index Events Calendar

Where in the World is Relay?

10

14

18

724

2628

3131


10

Summer Conference Highlights

20

20

30

Florida Lineman Competition – A History of Honor, Excellence, Safety and Competition

14

Florida Lineman Inducted into Hall of Fame

18

2010 • Volume 45, Issue 1

RELAYFlorida’s Energy and Electric Utility Magazine

www.publicpower.com/relay • [email protected]

FMEA Board of Directors

President Paul Kalv, Leesburg

President-Elect Howard McKinnon, Havana

Vice President Arthur J. Lacerte, Jr., Kissimmee

Secretary/Treasurer Barbara Quiñones, Homestead

Immediate Past President

Edward J. Regan, Gainesville

Directors

Jan Aspuru, Orlando Robert C. Brewer, Fort Pierce

Matthew J. Brower, Ocala Marcus Collins, Williston

Zoila P. Easterling, Orlando Rick Fernandez, Tallahassee

George D. Forbes, Jacksonville Beach Elmon Lee Garner, Chattahoochee

Richard Giroux, Wauchula Gregg R. Griffin, Green Cove Springs

Guadalupe Hernandez, Key West Bruce Hickle, Bushnell

Fred Hilliard, Fort Meade Rick Horst, Ocala

Wendy Lobos, Homestead Rebecca Mattey, Lake Worth

Kevin McCarthy, Clewiston Teala A. Milton, Jacksonville

Mike New, Alachua H.H. Ogletree, Moore Haven

Don Ouchley, Jacksonville Beach P.G. Para, Jacksonville

James L. Pittman, Clewiston William L. Polk, Leesburg

Charles F. Revell, Mount Dora Thomas W. Richards, P.E., Fort Pierce

Vicente R. Ruano, Bushnell James Stanfield, Lakeland

Blaine Suggs, Newberry Lynne Tejeda, Key West

Frank Thomas, Moore Haven Ricky Thompson, Starke

Mike Wade, Quincy Gerald E. Warren, Winter Park James C. Welsh, Kissimmee

James A. Woods, Blountstown

FMEA Executive DirectorBarry Moline, Tallahassee

PuBLISHED OCTOBER 2010

Relay is a publication of the Florida Municipal Electric Association417 East College Avenue Tallahassee, FL 32301.

For permission to reprint articles, contact [email protected] Editor-in-ChiefGarnie Holmes [email protected]

Associate EditorArt Carlson [email protected]

Contributing EditorNicole C. Easley

Contributing Writers Barry Moline Robert Varela Susan Ryba

Circulation Brenda Thompson [email protected]

For advertising information, contact:Brian Brophy Advertising & Marketing Specialist850-224-3314 ext. [email protected]

Page Layout & Graphic Design Garnie Holmes [email protected]

Printed byBoyd Brothers, Inc.425 East 15th StreetPanama City, Florida 32405 800-677-2693www.boyd-printing.com

For Relay information contactRelayPO Box 10114Tallahassee, FL 32302-2114Phone: 850-224-3314, ext. 4E-mail: [email protected]

For questions regarding mailing list additions or address changes, please call Brenda Thompson at 850-224-3314, ext. 3.

© 2010 Florida Municipal Electric Association. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

www.publicpower.com

www.publicpower.com | Issue 4 | 2009 | RELAY 7

“”

And then I relearned an old lesson: Minds are like

parachutes – they work best when open.

Ohm Page

A Measure of Success

IBarry Moline, FMEA Executive Director

I have a degree in teaching. In college I not only learned my subject area – Vocation-al and Technical Education and Special Education – but also passed with flying colors courses focusing on teaching methods: Curriculum De-ve lopme nt ; Educational Theory; and B e h a v i o r a l Modification. As a first-year high school teacher looking more like a fresh-man than an experienced educator, it turns out that I knew just enough to fool my students into thinking that I actually knew what I was doing. Eventually, however, I seemed to catch on. Naturally, I was deeply of-

I figured from the article I read about Teach for America they are giving extra special training to education majors – recent graduates with teach-ing degrees. On the contrary, they are mostly hiring gradu-ates with degrees in subjects

like biology or m at he m at ic s , with no teaching experience at all.No teaching ex-perience? What? How could these non-education majors claim to know anything about the intri-cacies of filling

young minds with knowledge? Or better said, why did I waste four years learning about the theory and practices of educa-tional principles, while these kids were learning the same

fended to learn about “Teach for America,” a non-profit or-ganization that recruits col-lege graduates to spend two years teaching in low-income schools across the United States. They take these gradu-ates and put them through an

intensive two-month teacher training boot camp, then un-leash them into troubled com-munities. And by the way, they achieve phenomenal results in academic achievement.

8 RELAY | 2010 | Issue 1 | Volume 45 | www.publicpower.com

Ohm Page continuedstuff in two months and doing phenomenally well? Then one day I was trav-eling on an airplane next to

someone using an iPad, about two weeks after they came out. Naturally, I asked to see the thing. After playing with it

for a minute I noticed he was studying some educational theory and asked what he was studying for. This 20-some-

thing young man was seeking a Ph.D. in edu-cation after serving in – you guessed it – Teach for America. Engaging in conver-sation with my new education buddy, I cau-tiously expressed my indignation at Teach for America. How could this company achieve such impressive results without using universi-ty-trained teachers? And then I relearned an old lesson: Minds are like parachutes – they work best when open. As I listened, I slowly recognized that the suc-cess of Teach for Ameri-ca could be translated to the utility industry, or frankly, to any organi-zation or person. Their success had little to do with education, for that matter, or knowing a subject to teach. Rather, it had everything to do with successful potential teachers, seeking them out and hiring Teach for America recruits with those special traits. There are four basic characteristics Teach

www.publicpower.com | Volume 45 | Issue 1 | 2010 | RELAY 9

for America rigorously looks for and weeds out applicants to find:

1) They patiently involve every student and parent/guardian;

2) They focus on results;

3) They plan exhaustively – for the next day, week and year and work backward from the desired outcome; and

4) They refuse to accept failure, no matter how long it takes.

Interestingly, where pro-spective teachers went to school (Ivy League or junior college), the level of education achieved (bachelor’s, master’s or Ph.D.), and the years of ex-perience don’t matter at all in

determining success. If we think about hiring and engaging our employees – for that matter, yourself in-cluded – these are the same characteristics required for success any-where. When hir-ing new em-ployees (aside from manda-tory certifi-cations like engineering), it’s more im-portant to hire or promote in-dividuals who have these per-sonality char-acteristics. The secrets to success: Pa-tiently involve all employees

and communicate well with them, focus on results, plan exhaustively, and exhibit un-deniable persistence. It works everywhere.


T

The Smart Grid: Policy-Makers’ ViewsNicole Carlson Easley, Contributing Editor

Technology product companies, Internet service providers and large and small utilities across the country and across the grid are moving to define the concept of the smart grid. In the past few years, the idea of smart grid has moved beyond a collection of futuristic concepts, to a still somewhat nebulous goal of creating a more intelligent electrical grid and empowering cus-tomers to make choices about their usage and the types of energy they want fueling their lives. The idea is so new that, although the word is ever-present in conversations about technology, energy, conservation and climate change, it has yet to be defined by any print dictionary. It is generaly defined by Wikipedia as “a grid that delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology to save energy, reduce cost and increase reliability.” However it’s defined, it continues to emerge as a forefront issue for energy conservation, en-vironmental and financial goals in Florida and nationwide. There is a joke about smart grid that begins with a man sitting in his living room enjoying a quiet evening alone when he hears a knock on the door. He opens the door, and after look-ing around, sees only a small snail sitting on his doormat peering up at him. The man reaches down, scoops up the snail, rears back his hand and throws the snail as hard as he can away

from his door. He then walks back inside and returns to his living room and his evening of leisure. Years later, that same man hears a knock on his door. He opens the door and finds that the snail he tossed away years earlier has found its way back and is once again sitting on his door-mat. The man stares at the snail in disbelief. The snail looks up at the man and says, “What was up with that?” The snail in this scenario is, of course, the idea of smart grid and the lesson is that no mat-ter how much distance you put between your utility and the idea of a smart grid, it’s going to make its way back to your front door. As utility professionals and communities, we have moved away from debating the usefulness and worthi-ness of smart grid as a budget line item and be-gun to see it as the ever unraveling evolution of energy use that will improve customer service, streamline utility operation, save money and staff time and work toward a cleaner environ-ment. As technologies compete for footholds and utility directors weigh options against capi-tal investments and customer choices, policy-makers are making decisions that will shape the future of the smart grid and how utilities and customers will navigate its capricious cur-rents. We talked with three policy-makers from utilities making significant investments in the smart grid.


Tallahassee Mayor John Marks, a strong supporter of embracing smart grid technolo-gies, served eight years on the Florida Public Service Commission and is a faculty member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ utility rate school. “This is technology that gives consumers more choices in how they use the energy that’s provided to them. The smart grid will allow the consumer the ability to control their usage of appliances and allow for pricing options.” “It will allow the utility to determine its de-mand on the system and hopefully reduce de-mand, which will reduce the need to build ca-pacity in the future.” Marks says electric utility systems are one of the last businesses that do not enable consum-ers to control how they use their service. “The one thing you always hear as a former utility regulator, and now a mayor of a city that operates a utility, is ‘you are not reading my me-ter right,’” said Marks. “If we give the customer the ability to see how they are using the electricity, we won’t have those kinds of complaints.” Marks says customer control is the key to a successful smart grid program. He hopes that customer control will help to conserve resourc-es and help utility directors efficiently and ef-fectively utilize the electric utility system. The technology, he says, is an investment of taxpayer money and to most taxpayers that means more than gadgets, more than information about us-age and rates, and more than control over their usage. It means actual money saved on their utility bills. In addition to lowering taxpayers utility bills, he says, solutions need to effectively deter-mine and reduce demand on the system, lower-ing the need to build capacity in the future. The return on investment needs to be a total pack-age; financial, customer satisfaction and being a part of the environmental solution. The challenges moving forward, says Marks, are a lack of understanding among utility cus-tomers, and a lack of funding. The City of Tal-lahassee, says Marks, is ahead of the game with 99.7 percent deployed Smart Meters that will allow the city to operate the first electric and gas smart metering network in the nation by the end of the year. Tallahassee will operate the first

Hon. John Marks, Mayor, City of Tallahassee

networked electric, water and gas in the nation by the end of the 2010. The other challenge, says Marks, is a market-ing challenge. You can have the best technology in the world, but unless customers understand the benefits of the program and how it will im-pact them positively over the years, it’s not go-ing to have the desired impact. People need to believe that money is being well spent. We need to educate taxpayers that invest-ing in smart grid technologies will increase en-ergy efficiency, decrease energy demand, create “green collar” jobs, reduce greenhouse gas ef-fects and lower electricity costs. “All of those things are going to happen,” says Marks. “I think once people see the effects of it they will see how it is going to benefit them,” said Marks. “It is such new technology. It will require behavior changes of end users. “There will be some concerns by citizens about whether or not this has any value. I am in favor of allowing as many choices as possible. We intend to do a large-scale marketing pro-gram to let our customers know. If they don’t want the control they don’t have to use it.”


Ocala City Council President Kent Guinn is a partner in the firm of Guinn Shields & Co. and a member of the State Board of Directors of the Children’s Home Society of Florida, as well as past chairman and current board member of the Mid-Florida Division of the Children’s Home Society, which covers 15 counties. Guinn says smart grid technologies should en-hance consumers’ quality-of-life. He lists provid-ing customers with consumption and historical trending data as important in encouraging con-sumers to make energy decisions concerning their homes and businesses. This ability, he says, coupled with time-of-use rates, will help customers save money and energy and lower overall energy-demand costs. He says customers in Ocala are very positive about devel-oping a smarter grid including having fewer onsite visits from meter readers and the desire to partici-pate more in how their energy is used. He adds, however, that the financial responsibil-ity to taxpayers is a large and looming issue. It’s

important that customers have a quantifiable return on invest-ment for the initial investment.For Ocala he says, it’s about 20 years. “The bottom line is we wel-come any entity or technology that will provide the best oppor-tunities for our customers. This arena of new technologies and ideas can only lead to greater so-lutions for us and future genera-tions,” said Guinn. “Hopefully, we first do a good job of listening to what our customers are saying and then try to find the solution that will most efficiently meet or exceed their expectations, says Guinn. “Fear of change and false perceptions can also become detriments to success.”

Kent Guinn, City Council President, City of Ocala


Leesburg City Commissioner Sanna Henderson is a retired middle school social studies teacher. She has been on the City Commission for 15 years, from 1981 to 1995, and then again in 2004 ending in 2012. She represents Leesburg on the Policy-Makers Li-aison Committee for the FMPA. Commissioner Henderson defines smart grid as “Technologies that will allow people the ability to lower their electric bills through efficiency by offering consumers more control over their usage. Henderson says policy-makers largely de-pend on utility directors to advise them about the technologies and the benefits and draw-backs. The return on investment for taxpayers is that customers are more in control of what they do and that they will save money if that is what they want to do. “Most people don’t really think about elec-tricity beyond it going on when the switch is flipped,” said Henderson. Educating people is important. I hope they think we are making the right decisions.” Commissioner Henderson believes that investing in smart grid technologies is a con-tinuation of the high level of customer service municipal utilities offer customers. “We get so many compliments that our customer service is so much better than other types of utilities,” said Henderson. “It’s im-

Sanna Henderson, CityCommissioner, City of Leesburg

portant to stay close to our customers. Electric utilities have grown and changed through the years and will continue to do so, she added “smart grid is coming and we all have to adjust and learn about it and do what we can.”


O

2010 Florida Lineman Competition – A History of Honor, Excellence,

Safety and CompetitionNicole Carlson Easley, Contributing Editor

On March 13 in Ocala, Florida, more than 100 lineworkers stepped out of utility trucks and trail-ers into the crisp spring air and onto the field of the West Ocala Operations Center, making FMEA history as competitors in the 10th Annual Florida Lineman Competition. For some, the rows of meticulously planned and placed utility poles sticking out of fresh earth was their first glimpse of a Lineman Competition field. For others, it was a familiar terrain, one they have seen on fields owned by OUC, KUA, Lakeland Electric and the City of Tallahassee – a sight evoking the principles of electric utility work – honor, excellence, skill, and above all else, safety.

The first Florida Lineman Competition was held in 2001, just 95 miles away in Lake-land. In the late 1990’s, Flori-da linemen were competing in linemen “rodeos,” including the Southern Company Line-man’s Rodeo in Georgia and the International Lineman’s Rodeo in Kansas City. Cheryl

Anderson, FMEA Director of Training & Member Services and Gainesville Regional Utility Training Supervisor Tommy Buchanan decided Florida needed a “rodeo” of its own. The members of the FMEA Safety and Training Committee agreed. “We thought it would bring

the utilities closer together,” said Buchanan, who chaired the Committee. “At the time, the only time a lineman from GRU got to see a lineman from Orlando was when they were providing mutual aid during a storm.” The challenge was finding a place to hold the event. Then


to be set at the same tightness. All the poles had to be set at the same length. “I didn’t want competi-tors complaining that their pole was taller than some-one else’s,” said Padgett. “Six inches lower or higher can translate into seconds during judging.” Nineteen linemen teams from 11 Florida utilities com-peted that first year before about 465 spectators. The lineworkers, many of whom had competed in other line-men competitions around the country, gathered on the field amid high humidity and rain showers to practice the bal-ance, speed and accuracy in-trinsic to safe linework in an atmosphere of camaraderie and good will. That first year, judges watched intently as com-petitors squared off in the 15kV Transformer Re-placement, 12 kV Switch Replacement, Hurt Man Rescue, Pole Climb and a mystery event that was revealed the day of the competition. At the end

Assistant Managing Director and Director of Energy De-livery for Lakeland Electric, Ron Tomlin, was impressed with the spirit of camaraderie of the lineman competitions being held throughout the country. “Watching the guys com-pete taught me a lot about how they worked,” said Tom-lin. “And more importantly, it showed me the benefits of the opportunity to see how other utilities designed and built their systems.” Lakeland offered its land for the competition site. Elec-tric Lineman Robert Padgett, who had competed in Line-man competitions in Georgia and Kansas City, served as the liaison between the FMEA and Lakeland staff in plan-ning all aspects of the compe-tition. Padgett worked with the Committee to plan events that could be staged quickly, that mimicked the type of chal-lenges linemen were facing in their everyday work and that would be entertaining to spec-tators. Planners tried to keep the costs down by using ma-terials that could be put back into service after the competi-tion. “It was really important to us to keep things simple and costs low,” said Padgett. “We wanted to make sure that costs were such that utilities would want to participate, but also create events that would be exciting for competitors.” One of Padgett’s greatest challenges was making sure the field setup was fair for competitors. All the bolts had

of the day, linemen from Lake-land Electric, Withlacoochee River Electric Coop, Orlando Utilities Commission, KUA, JEA, Ocala Electric Utility, City of Bartow, GRU, City of Tallahassee, City of Key West and the Fort Pierce Utilities Authority had come together to hone their skills and jour-neymen from Lakeland Elec-tric, Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, and OUC emerged as winners. “That rodeo brought the utilities in Florida together,”

(Above) Competitors climb in the Hurt Man Rescue event during the inaugural Florida Lineman Competition in Ocala, 2001 (Middle) Cheryl Anderson, FMEA, and Robert Padgett, Lakeland Electric, announce the results of the 2001 Competition (Top) Aerial View of the Hurt Man Rescue Event.


said Tomlin. “And, I think, forged some strong alliances that have paid dividends dur-ing mutual aid situations and in general cooperation.” A year later, 28 teams and

22 apprentices from the City of Bartow, Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, GRU, Glades Electric Coop-erative, City of Homestead, JEA, Keys Energy Services, KUA, OUC, Lakeland Elec-tric, Ocala Electric Utility, Peace River Electric Coop-erative, City of Tallahassee, and Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative gath-ered in Kissimmee. Line-men competed in the Pole Climb, the Hurt Man Rescue and three mystery events, Cross-arm, Arrestor and In-sulator Replacements. Ap-prentices competed in Pole Climb, Hurt Man Rescue and one mystery event, Fuse Replacement. Since then, the competi-tion has been held in Jack-sonville (2003), Ocala (2004, 2006, 2010) Tallahassee (2005), Kissimmee (2006), Lakeland (2008) and Or-lando (2009). The competi-tion fields, events and com-petitors have changed as have the top-scoring electric utilities. But the spirit of the Florida Lineman Competi-tion remains one of cama-raderie, shared experiences and competition for the good of the lineworkers, the utilities and the communi-ties they serve. “These competitions open lines of communications that make things better for

utility customers on a daily basis,” said Padgett. “Line-men now have contacts in ev-ery municipal utility in the state to help solve each other’s problems.”

In 2010, 15 journeyman teams competed in the 100 AMP Cutout Replacement, 600 AMP Switch, Cross-Arm Change Out, Insulator Change Out, and the Verti-cal Hurt Man Rescue. Thirty apprentices competed in the Cross Arm Brace Change, Obstacle Course, Refuse and Close Outs, Street Light Head Change Out and the Vertical Hurt Man Rescue. Kissimmee Utility Au-thority’s Aaron Haderle, Chris Ketner, David Wolfe and Logan Murphy won over-all for the journeyman. OUC’s Richard Boley, Victor Men-doza and Jason Drayton took second place and Lakeland Electric’s Dwayne Goostree, James McBride and Matt Thomas placed third. In the 100 AMP Cutout Replacement, KUA team Aar-on Haderle, Chris Ketner, Da-vid Wolfe and Logan Murphy placed first. OUC team Rich-ard Boley, Victor Mendoza, and Jason Drayton placed sec-ond. KUA team Dustin Kel-ley, Steve Bray and Bob Viele placed third. In the 600 AMP Switch, Lakeland Electric’s Dwayne Goostree, James McBride and Matt Thomas took first place. OUC’s Richard Boley, Victor Mendoza and Jason Drayton place second. KUA’s Aaron Haderle, Chris Ketner, Da-vid Wolfe and Logan Murphy placed third. In the Cross-Arm Change Out Beaches Energy’s Zeus Roberts, Nick Currie, Tighe Schloss and Scott Murchison took first place. KUA’s Aaron Haderle, Chris Ketner, Da-


vid Wolfe and Logan Murphy placed second. City of Tal-lahassee’s Terry Cobb, Ran-dall Crum, Mike Rainey and Adam Harrison placed third. In the Insulator Change Out, OUC’s Richard Boley, Victor Mendoza and Jason Drayton took first place. City of Ocala Electric’s Billy Caru-thers, Tim Beard and Steve Nice placed second. GRU’s Gary McKenzie, Darren Briscoe and Chris Beckham placed third. In the Vertical Hurt Man Rescue, OUC’s James Alex-ander, Hector Ramos, Roger Hull and Chris Wohlfart took first place. OUC’s Chris Hosi-er, Richard McCoy and Dewey Harvey placed second place. KUA’s Aaron Haderle, Chris Ketner, David Wolfe and Lo-gan Murphy placed third. Lakeland Electric Appren-tices won first, second and third overall. Steven Grimes took first place, Tim Richard-son placed second and Cody Allen placed third. In the Cross Arm Brace Change, Lakeland Electric’s Steven Grimes took first place. City of Tallahassee’s Brad Lovel placed second. Lake-land Electric’s Richard Burris placed third. In the Obstacle Course, KUA’s Brent Davis took first place. City of Ocala Electric’s Earl Fullbright placed sec-ond. GRU’s Timothy (Kyle) Fagan placed third. In the Re-fuse and Close Out, Lakeland Electric’s Cody Allen, Steven Grimes and Tim Richardson took first, second and third place respectively.

In the Street Light Head Change Out, KUA’s Robert Diaz took first place. City of Ocala Electric’s Earl Full-bright placed second. Lake-land Electric’s Tim Richard-son placed third. In the Vertical Hurt Man Rescue, OUC’s Nelson Rodri-guez took first place. KUA’s Brent Davis placed second. Lakeland Electric’s Tim Rich-ardson placed third. “The Florida Lineman Competition continues to pro-mote safe work practices and develops camaraderie,” said Buchanan. “Florida Linemen are friends and col le ag ue s who share cha l lenges and solutions with each other and when a city is in need of mutual aid, they are

ready and willing to help in any way they can.”


I Nicole Carlson Easley, Contributing Editor

Florida Lineman Joins Ranks of International

Linemans Museum Hall of Fame

“I came from a lineman family,” said Buch-anan. “I knew all of my life I wanted to be a lineman.” In 1968, Bu-chanan joined the United States Navy in the hopes of con-tinuing to work with the Navy Sea Bee’s as a lineman. The Navy had other plans for Buchanan. He was trained as a diesel mechanic. He was assigned to the USS Repose, a hospital ship sta-tioned in DeNang, South Vietnam. The crew provided medical care to wounded Army, Marine, and South Vietnamese Army personnel. As a die-sel engine mechanic, Buchanan was responsible for maintaining the emergency generator sys-tem, air conditioning systems and small craft power plants. After leaving the Navy, Buchanan worked several different jobs making use of both his me-

chanical training and electrical skills, including working as a draw bridge electrician with Flor-

ida Department of Transportation in Broward and Palm Beach counties. After obtaining an enrollment sponsor, Buchanan attended a Lineman appren-ticeship program in the Fort Lauder-dale IBEW. Laid off in 1974, he vis-ited a Navy buddy in Gainesville who encouraged him to contact Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) for utility work. Soon after, he joined GRU as a groundman. After 32 years and numerous posi-

tions, including apprentice lineman, lineman, line crew foreman, apprentice instructor and safety and training supervisor, Buchanan re-tired from GRU on April 1, 2007, having faith-fully served Gainesville Regional Utilities and its electric customers for more than three de-

In 1967, Tommy Buchanan was a high school student living in Hollywood, Florida. He spent his summers working with his father, second generation lineman, James Buchanan. After high school, the two travelled together as linemen and groundmen for various International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEA) unions, spending time in Los Angles, California, Detroit, Michigan and Miami, Florida.


cades. A third generation lineman, in 2006, he donated his father James T. Buchanan’s linework memorabilia to the In-ternational Linemans Museum and purchased a commemorative brick in his honor. Buchanan served on the FMEA Safety and Training Committee for more than twenty years, chairing the committee for three of those years. He was instrumental in the development of one of the most impor-tant training events in Florida, the Florida Lineman Competition. He served as the event’s Master Judge for three consecutive years and worked tirelessly on the Lineman Competition Planning Committee for seven years. He served as Safe-ty and Support liaison for GRU’s mutual aid crews during hurricane-recovery efforts across Florida. A leader and educator, he dedicated his career to the betterment of generations of

lineman, spending countless hours developing extensive training and safety educational pro-

grams and enthusiasti-cally promoting careers in the electric industry through Alachua County schools and community and civic groups. During his tenure with GRU, Buchanan contributed to the devel-opment of the Apprentice Linemans Training Pro-gram still in use today. He was the lead instruc-tor for the program from 1983-1985. He also devel-oped and taught many other safety and educa-tional courses, including the Transmission and Distribution Hot-Stick Training Program. Buchanan will be inducted into the Line-mans Hall of fame in 2011.

“Linework is all I ever wanted to do,” said Buchanan. “I love the work and the people who do it. I like the camaraderie the work brings. It is family.”

In 2006, the International Linemans Museum, a museum dedicated to the preservation of the heritage of lineman both past and present, established the Linemans Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame pays tribute to exemplary utility lineworkers. Hall of Fame members are announced every year at the APPA International Lineworkers Competition. The inductee’s names are engraved in a black granite monument on the International Linemans Museum Walk of Fame.


S

Summer Conference Highlights Security, Renewables &

An Aging WorkforceFrom Staff Reports

Security, renewable energy and concern about consumer costs were among the issues front and center at the FMEA-FMPA Annual Conference in Naples this past July.

Bob Hunzinger, General Manager for the Gainesville Regional Utilities, pointed out that while utilities are doing all they can to keep costs low, there are only two ways of offering immediate assistance to customers: support from social agencies and helping customers use less electricity. Costs can be reduced through direct rebates for Energy Star homes, HVAC upgrades and maintenance and solar photovol-taic, all relatively new, to the traditional offer-ings on home insulation and duct leak repair. Hunzinger noted measurement and verification are vitally important when assessing program results, reminding everyone it’s a specific bud-get item that must be included in any program

cost. Customers are pleased, he added, because rebates have boosted economic activity through-out the local market, benefitting contractors happy to have the work and retailers delighted with the higher sales. Of particular interest is Gainesville’s target-ed demand-side management program, which is saving the utility considerable money by reduc-ing its peak by 30 MW and postponing the need for new power plant construction by slowing its rate of growth by 60%. The biomass, farm-to-fuel movement was updated by Jay Levenstein, Florida’s Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture. Biomass as a


and Ocala A s s i s -tant City Manager for Utili-ties, Matt B r o w e r , out l i ne d how CABs are a great way to get represen-tation for customers living outside city limits as well as the business communi-ty. Presently, about 10 FMEA members have such commit-tees. The trio ex-plained how Citizen Advisory Boards benefit the utility by allowing expla-nations of complex issues for elected officials who of-ten have little time for detailed back-ground. Likewise, controversial issues, public discussion and feedback can occur in a more re-laxed environment. Depending upon the size of the utility and the preferences of the board mem-bers, CAB meetings can take place as in-frequently as every quarter to twice per month. With secu-rity prominent in the minds of most Americans and up-

means of energy production has been steadily growing across Florida and currently represents about 30% of the available renewable energy in the state. Levenstein reminded the crowd that sustainability and certainty are important con-siderations when supplying fuel to a biomass power plant, but also pointed out the numer-ous sources and benefits of farm to fuel: value added for crops and livestock, along with new agricultural markets and jobs. Logging and ag-ricultural residue, dedicated energy crops, ani-mal wastes, timber mill residues and even algae for energy production rounded out the list of benefits. And, for anyone doubting biomass as a viable source of renewable energy, Levenstein pointed out the total available biomass in Florida for electricity production is estimated to be as high as 1,359 MW. The issue of managing fuel costs was tackled head-on by Edwin Norse, Principal at Norse & Associates. Considering the rapidly increasing demand for fuel by China and India, the United States’ continued dependence on oil, supply re-strictions and the recession and struggling re-covery, Norse predicted markets will continue their volatility. Factor in wars and political im-balances and volatility seems all but certain. The U.S. Energy Information Administra-tion predicts the price of natural gas will be $6.17 per million BTU in 2012, but Norse of-fered several means for utilities struggling with controlling costs: have a large reserve fund, practice on-site fuel storage (physical hedging) fuel diversification, negotiating in the fuel pro-curement process and improving the efficiency of existing generating resources. Norse emphasized the vital need to educate the utility’s governing board and report fre-quently on your efforts’ results. The board must be part of the strategic plan, must conduct an-nual program reviews, support difficult deci-sions and firmly own the solutions. Because municipal utilities are traditionally closer to their customers, the session on Citi-zen Advisory Boards (CABs) explored practi-cal, hands-on processes for interacting with the community. FMEA’s Executive Director, Barry Moline, Lakeland City Manager Doug Thomas

Bob Hunzinger, GM for Gainesville Regional Utilities

Jay Levenstein, Florida’s Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture

Edwin Norse, Principal at Norse & Associates

(L-R) Matt Brower, Assistant City Manager for Utilities, Ocala, Doug Thomas, City Manager, Lakeland, Barry Moline, Executive Director, Florida Municipal Electric Association


permost among many in the utility industry, Peter Vickery’s offering on Cyber Security for the smart grid was especially relevant. Vickery, from N-Di-mension Solutions, noted a long list of security standards had just been adopted by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation – standards rang-ing from compliance require-ments for sabotage reporting and cyber asset identification to

systems security manage-ment and response plan-ning. Despite our best ef-forts, Vickery explained, a range of vulnerabilities remain in utility opera-tional systems: computer worms and viruses, un-authorized access and applications, acciden-tal configurations, un-patched systems, legacy applications, improperly secured devices and even password management problems, just to name a few. According to Vickery, the most likely attacks might be from malware impair-ing operations, malware exploited for extortion, dormant malware, hack-ing attempts and insiders. In spite of all this, there are protective and de-fensive measures readily available: firewalls, IPS, VPN, AV, Host AV and DMZ and interior securi-ty along with continuous monitoring and vigilant management. Like any one of us, a utility benefits from a periodic check-up. That’s

the analogy Hometown Con-nections’ Steve Vandermeer likes to use when guiding utili-ties toward stronger positions. The occasional check-up allows management to compare them-selves with other like-sized or-ganizations for comparison and benchmarking. A comprehen-sive review of reliability, cus-tomer and employee satisfac-tion, bond rating, purchasing

Teala Johnson, Chief Public Affairs Officer, JEA, was presented with FMEA Honorary Member-ship

Bud Para, Director of Legislative Affairs, JEA, was honored as FMEA’s Member of the Year

(L-R) Terry Weaver, Lex Greer and Harold Ad-ams accept FMEA’s 2010 Associate Member of the Year for Downes Associates, Inc.

practices and even CEO review often leads to stronger strategic thinking. For a new manager, it’s a quick and comprehensive snapshot. For the organization at large, it’s a means of priori-tizing limited resources while emphasizing the utility’s stron-ger elements. Strengths, weak-nesses, opportunities and even threats are all integral parts of the evaluation and each serve their purpose – just like an an-nual physical exam. Bill May, Senior Proj-ect Manager for R.W. Beck, Inc. spoke to the conference on a subject the general pub-lic doesn’t usually hear much about; excess capacity in a buy-er’s market and the advantages for buyers and sellers. Explaining that excess ca-pacity can occur for a variety of reasons; growing into a new power supply, an unplanned de-mand decline or even planned excess through conservation or customer generation, May emphasized the key factor in such a transaction is ensuring the revenue from such a sale exceeds the increase in the cost to produce the power. He also demonstrated how the revenue from a sale can reduce a util-ity’s variable or fixed costs, and sometimes both. Another con-sideration: total system costs must be factored in to deter-mine benefits and costs to buy-ers and sellers. Looking ahead, Harold Ad-ams, Senior Planning Engineer for Downes Associates identi-fied five issues utilities need to consider and plan for. Sup-ply and its changing landscape topped his list. Adams urged


his audience to ensure their buy vs. build decision process accounts not only for need, timing and duration, but also includes renewable energy, finance, construction and op-eration. He also emphasized the need to consider how CO2 regulation might affect future costs and strongly urged ev-eryone to consider fuel diver-sity. Although the buzz contin-ues to grow around the devel-oping smart grid technology, Adams advised a strategy of watching and waiting. Decide whether gradual investment or immediate action is called for. Evaluate the myriad ap-plications coming online, he counseled, and learn from the grid projects of others. When you’re comfortable with the subject, educate your custom-

ers for they will be the driving force with any smart grid ap-plication, whether alternative energy or simple program-mable thermostats. Adams sees the advent of high-capacity energy stor-age and plug-in vehicles as the perfect combination for changing the usual generation profile from frequent peaks to a more leveled-out consump-tion profile. He urged utilities to purchase electric and hy-brid vehicles, gain experience with them and share ideas with the community. Another recommendation: consider in-stalling public charging sta-tions and other electric infra-structure. The newly-adopted Reli-ability Regulations from the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC)

are real, as are the enforce-ment and fines being issued for violation of the standards. Make sure you have a NERC compliance program, Adams said, and maintain your com-pliance while reviewing and implementing cyber-security requirements, including staff training for best practices. Like the rest of American society, the electric utility workforce is aging with 45% of all utility engineers eligible for retirement by 2013, mak-ing staff training in technical, management and leadership skills critical. Participants were urged to ramp up their engagement with local schools, community colleges and uni-versities and offer internships as means of recruitment.


Small Utility Uses SCADA and TechnologyIntegration for Smart Grid Advances

Susan Ryba

IIn the not-so-distant past, the only available outage management system for small-er utilities was a customer with a telephone. For years, the Clinton Utilities Board (CUB) in Tennessee relied solely on customers to report when their power was off. Eager to begin automating monitoring and restoration on the distribution system, CUB in 2002 invested in a SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system from Survalent Technology.

Hometown Connections

Today, the utility is integrating its SCA-DA system with its outage management sys-tem (OMS), advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system, and other technologies, form-ing a smart grid system that is improving utility response time and customer service. “We selected Survalent as our SCADA supplier for two primary reasons,” said Todd Loggins, technical opera-tions supervisor. “We wanted a Windows-based system, and we view Survalent as sharing our for-ward-looking per-spective on technology.” CUB’s initial SCADA deployments focused on monitoring and control of substations. Subsequently, the utility invested in distribution automation and outage manage-ment, along with advanced metering solutions. But the key to success would be the ability to integrate these systems. “In terms of improving response time and energy restoration, the big-gest advance came when our technology vendors

adopted the MultiSpeak interface standards,” Loggins said. MultiSpeak standardizes the interfaces among software applications commonly used by

electric utilities. The MultiSpeak specification helps vendors develop a single common in-terface so software products from dif-ferent suppliers can interoperate without having to develop extensive custom interfaces. “In addition to our Survalent SCADA system, we use the DisSPatch out-age management system and Wind-Mil engineering analysis software

packages from Milsoft Utility Solutions,” Log-gins said. “Because Survalent and Milsoft have written interfaces to the MultiSpeak specs, we were able to have our OMS and EA packages up and communicating with our SCADA sys-tem in a matter of hours, eliminating the time and expense of each vendor writing a custom interface for us. More importantly, by integrat-ing the Survalent and Milsoft systems, our dis-


AMI and will soon integrate SCADA and AMI to optimize voltage control as a method of demand response. Accord-ing to Todd Loggins, “This AMI/SCADA integration will enable us to monitor voltage levels all the way to the me-ter and automatically increase or decrease voltage levels in ways that maximize utility ef-ficiency and reduce customer costs while insuring the volt-age levels for all customers are kept within ANSI standards.” Loggins and his colleagues at CUB do not focus smart grid discussions or planning on certain technologies or ap-plications. “To us, rather, the smart grid is all about inte-grating emerging technolo-gies in order to deliver better and faster service to our cus-tomers. Already, our investments in MultiSpeak-capable SCA-DA, OMS, and AMI systems have achieved vast improve-ments in our reliability in-dices.” CUB staff and utility board members share a clear vision about the value of tech-nology investments. “At CUB, we believe the failure to invest wisely in technologies pro-moting energy efficiency and enabling demand response programming would be a disservice to utility custom-ers,” said Assistant General Manager Ernie Bowles. “The sting of large investments is softened largely by a justifi-

patchers can get crews on the road and information out to customers more quickly than ever before.” According to Loggins, inte-grating Milsoft’s OMS and EA packages involved little more than typing in the IP address for the Survalent interface. Along with improving utility response times and customer communications, Survalent’s SCADA system enables CUB to implement automated com-mand sequencing for service restoration. “We use the term ‘auto sectionalizing’ for our ability to program our SCA-DA system to automatically isolate problems and launch a restoration sequence of in-structions on the distribution system without waiting for an employee to react manually,” Loggins said. As a distributor of electric-ity produced by the Tennessee Valley Authority, CUB ex-changes grid operations data with TVA via the Inter-Con-trol Center Communications Protocol (ICCP). Through its ICCP-enabled SCADA system, CUB allows TVA to make load management deci-sions based on real-time data. In addition, the utility knows instantly if a problem relates to TVA’s generation and trans-mission system and can in-form customers accordingly. After investing in SCADA and OMS, the Clinton Utili-ties Board recently deployed

able payback period. With the continued momentum of the smart grid, utility engineers would be short-sighted for failing to specify and promote technology-friendly solutions. We have favorably positioned and equipped our utility to aid our customers during this dynamic and exciting era of technological advancement.” Susan Ryba handles marketing for Hometown Connections, which provides the products and services from Survalent Technology and Milsoft Utility Solutions to APPA members at national discount pric-ing.


IIn the Energy Policy Act of 1992, Congress included two provisions designed to promote investment in new renewable energy facilities. One was designed for investor-owned utili-ties and the other for nonprofit, consumer-owned utilities. They were intended to provide comparable incentives; they haven’t.

One, the renewable energy production tax credit, has been a big and demonstra-ble success, fueling the huge growth in the wind indus-try in the United States. The value of the production tax credit was proven when Congress al-lowed it to lapse in 1999, 2001 and 2003—construction of new renewable power resources virtually ceased in those years. The other pro-vision in the 1992 act, the Renewable Energy Produc-tion Incentive pro-gram (REPI), has languished like a neglected orphan. REPI was intended to provide nonprofit utilities with an in-centive comparable to the production tax credit. The major prob-lem with REPI has not been a lack of interest

on the part of consumer-owned utilities but the failure of Congress to appropriate suf-ficient funds. APPA has found itself cast in the role of Oli-ver Twist, asking, “Please, sir, can I have some more?” Annual funding for REPI has never topped $5 million and the Obama ad-ministration is now proposing to zero out the program. With REPI clearly nowhere near com-parable to the pro-duction tax credit and the Oliver Twist role growing old quickly, consumer-owned utilities con-vinced Congress to enact an alterna-tive. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 provided public power utilities, ru-

ral electric cooperatives, governmental bodies and tribes with the ability to issue Clean Re-

Robert Varela, Editor, Public Power Weekly

Washington ReportCREBs and Comparability


newable Energy Bonds. CREBs are tax-credit bonds; the fed-eral government provides a tax credit to the bondholder in lieu of the issuer paying interest to the bondholder. CREBs of-fer some clear advantages over REPI, particularly since, at the behest of APPA and others, Congress reserved one-third of the CREBs volume cap for pub-lic power utilities. However, CREBs have been tough to market, particularly since the current economic downturn has diminished the value of tax credits in general. That prompted APPA and oth-ers to urge Congress to give issuers the option to issue CREBs as direct-pay bonds, similar to the Build America Bond model. Build America Bonds have been popular with investors since their creation in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. That effort paid off when President Obama in March signed into law a jobs bill (H.R. 2847) that gives issuers the option to issue CREBs as tax-credit bonds or as direct-pay bonds. But comparability to the production tax credit remains a work in progress. In contrast to CREBs and REPI (both of which are capped), there is no maxi-mum limit for credits claimed through the production tax

credit. APPA strongly sup-ports lifting the volume cap on CREBs. In addition, private compa-nies—but not public power or other nonprofit utilities—can opt to receive a grant worth 30 percent of a renewable project’s cost of construction in lieu of the production tax credit. Con-gress established the temporary grant program in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The grant program is intended to incent private companies to build renewable energy projects during the cur-rent economic downturn, when many companies are unable to make a profit and cannot take advantage of the production tax credit. With the aim of remedying that, APPA’s Legislative & Res-olutions Committee this year approved a policy resolution in support of expanding the grant program to public power utili-ties. The resolution also urges Congress to enact the Renew-able Energy Incentive Act (S. 2899), which would, among other things, extend the grant program for two years and ex-pand it to public power utili-ties. With limits on carbon emis-sions and renewable electric-ity standards looming, utilities will need all the help they can get.

On The Move

Members of the Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) re-elected Vince R. Ruano, City Manager of Bushnell, as Chairman of the Board of Di-rectors for 2010-2011 at FMEA-FMPA’s Annual Conference held in Naples, Fla. This is Ruano’s second consecutive term as Chairman of FMPA’s Board of Directors. Ruano has served as a member of FMPA’s Board of Directors since 1985. Previously, he served five years as FMPA’s Vice Chairman, nine years as FMPA’s Secretary and four years as FMPA’s AssistantSecretary-Treasurer. Members also re-elected Thomas W. Richards, P.E., Director of Elec-tric & Gas Systems for Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, as FMPA’s Executive Committee Chairman. This is Richards’ third term as Executive Committee Chairman. Richards previously served as Chairman of FMPA’s All-Require-ments Project from 2000 to 2003 and has served as an Alternate to the Board of Directors since 1991. He also serves on FMPA’s Audit and Risk Oversight Committee, of which he is a founding member.

FMPA Re-Elects Ruano as Board Chairman, 2010-2011 Officers Elected, Richards Re-Elected Executive Committee Chairman

Florida Municipal Power Agency (FMPA) and Kissimmee Utility Au-thority (KUA) today paid tribute to former KUA board member Nancy Gem-skie by naming the fourth generating unit at the Cane Island Power Park in her honor. After 10 years of service, Gemskie resigned from the KUA utility board July 14 to run for a seat on the Osceola County School Board. Her decade of service has been highlighted by notable contributions to KUA, FMPA, the Florida Municipal Electric Association and the American Public Power Association.

Generating Unit Honors Gemskie

Kissimmee Utility Authority vice president of corporate communications Chris M. Gent has earned his Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) cre-dential. The announcement was made August 27 by the Universal Accreditation Board, a consortium of nine professional communication organizations, in-cluding the Public Relations Society of America, which directs the compe-tency certification program. The APR is a voluntary and rigorous certification program for public re-lations professionals and is the profession’s only national post-graduate cer-tification program. The certification aims to improve the practice of public relations by assessing competence in 60 areas of knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the profession. Profession-als earning the APR must maintain their credentials through continued professional development, leadership to the profession and service in their local communities.

Chris Gent Earns APR Credential

Vince R. Ruano, Bushnell

Thomas W. Richards, P.E., Fort Pierce

Nancy Gemskie, Kissimmee

Chris M. Gent, Kissimmee


The Florida Municipal Electric Association (FMEA) recently honored 14 municipal electric utilities with its 2010 Community Service Award, recognizing each utility for its commitment to en-hancing the quality of life in the community. Presented with the awards during presentations at FMEA’s an-nual Utility Education Days, September 14 and 15, winners were selected for community improvement programs that included: vol-unteering activities, science fairs, community festivals, tree-plant-ing programs, charitable support of local health and human service agencies, energy efficiency customer rebate programs and electric safety expos. “Being a part of the community is about more than making sure the lights are on,” said FMEA Executive Director Barry Moline. “The recipients of the 2010 FMEA Community Service Awards excel in not only taking an interest in seeing their communities succeed, but also actively work toward making them better places to live.” Recipients of the 2010 FMEA Community Service Award were: City of Bartow, Beaches Energy Services, City of Bushnell, City of Chattahoochee, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, Gainesville Re-gional Utilities, Town of Havana, Keys Energy Services, Kissim-mee Utility Authority, Lakeland Electric, Ocala Utility Services, Orlando Utilities Commission, City of Tallahassee and the Utilities Commission of New Smyrna Beach.

FMEA Presents Community Service Awards

(L-R) Craig Brewer, FPUA, Michelle Scharfenberg, KUA, Faye Tarpley, Lakeland Electric, Barry Moline, FMEA

(L-R) Kenneth Strong, Tallahassee, Paul Bert, Havana, Shelley Barnes, Bushnell, Sam Thomas, Jacksonville Beach, Jean Henning, Ocala, Jimmy Cain, Chattahoochee, Mary-Alice Brown, Gainesville, Steve Langley, Orlando, Danielle Woods, New Smyrna Beach

Index to AdvertisersElectrical Distribution & Control Equipment

Ampco Electric ... ... 30 GAI Consultants ..... 06 CE Power Solutions ........... 09

Engineering Consultants

GAI Consultants ..... 06

Line Clearance

Asplundh Tree Expert Company ........... 09

Lighting

LED Distributors of Florida .......... 29

Management Consultants

Downes Associates . 12

Meter Seals & Locks

Engineering Unlimited ......... 27

Pole Maintenance Services

Osmose Utilities Services .............. 17

Power Generation Equipment

Ring Power Corporation ............. 03

Transformer Repairs/ Remanufacture

Ampco Electric ....... 30


Transmission & Distribution

Ampco Electric ....... 30


Tana Wire Markers . 25

Tree Maintenance

Asplundh Tree Expert Company ........... 09

Trees, Inc. ................ 09

Utility Management Services

Sherman & Reilly, Inc .......... 08

Precast Specialties . 23

The Energy Authority ........... 06

Elster ......................... 02

2010-2011 FMEA CalendarOctober 201019-20 Line Design and Staking Certification Program, Level III, Orlrando

April 20111-2 Florida Lineman Competition, Ocala

July 201119-21 FMEA-FMPA Annual Conference, Palm Beach

Trason Gabriel Lamar Finklea was born on Wednesday, August 25th at 10:34 a.m. in Tallahassee, Florida to proud parents

Sena and Jody, FMPA-FMEA Legal Counsel. He weighed 8 lbs 14 ounces and is 21 3/4 inches long.

Ken Konkol, Homestead Energy Services, stands 4,700 feet above sea level with his copy of Relay

on the Continental divide in Monteverde, Costa Rica WHere in THe

WOrLd iS ?reLay

Send us pictures of your travels with Relay magazine to [email protected] and you could be included in a future “Where in the world is Relay.”

10 years florida lineman competition 14 | summer...

Documents