Public Power Magazine - March/April 2015

Public
Power
On the Hill
page 14
Why Energy
Storage
Is Such a Big Deal page 20
American Public Power Association • MARCH/APRIL 2015
Make Solar
Work forYou
page 26
We Want You
to Be a Lineworker

Nathan Bingham
Senior Project Manager
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©2014Thomas&BettsCorporation.AllRightsReserved.
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EDITORIAL TEAM
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COLUMNS
4 Public Power Lines
34 Washington Report
35 Engineering
36 Security
37 Innovation
38 Hometown Connections
40 100 Years of Pride in Public Power
6 We Want You to Be a
Lineworker
Still a viable career, a new era of electrical
work is luring the next generation of
professionals.
14 Public Power on the Hill
Elected representatives don’t have much time
to spare; read how to make the most of a Hill
visit.
20 Why Is Energy Storage
Suddenly Such a Big
Deal?
Batteries are leading the way in a new wave
of energy storage technologies and utilities
are ready to give the field the jolt it needs.
26 Make Solar Work for You
Customers want solar and no matter how
they access it, they will turn to their utility
for help.
FEATURES
CONT ENT S
Cover illustration by Scott Mattern

Lineworkers: The Public Power Cover Story
By Sue Kelly • President & CEO, American Public Power Association
Public Power Lines
@CEOPublicPower • blog.publicpower.org
4 Public Power / March-April 2015
Time magazine recognized “The Ebola Fighters” as its 2014 Person of
the Year — “for being willing to stand and fight so the rest of the world
could sleep at night; for tireless acts of courage and mercy…; for risking,
for persisting, for sacrificing and saving,” as described by Nancy Gibbs in
a December 2014 article.
Business and citizen associations and other volunteer organizations in
every community organize events to honor their first responders. In the
aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the firefighters and police officers
who saved lives were rightly honored as heroes.
The healthcare and aid workers who fought Ebola and the first re-
sponders who save lives every day — all at tremendous risk to them-
selves — are richly deserving of our gratitude and appreciation. But so
are the electric utility lineworkers who often work in the most hazardous
conditions to ensure that the lights stay on and that our lives are safe and
comfortable.
Public power lineworkers in particular distinguish themselves with
the deepest commitment to the communities they live and work in. Their
story is the story of public power.
But lineworkers may never make it to the cover of Time. Or be the
subject of a Hollywood blockbuster. Or, on a more modest scale, even be
recognized by their local newspapers — or have customers and neighbors
stop to thank them for all they do.
If lineworkers are not celebrated as the heroes they are, perhaps we
— the utilities that employ them and associations that represent them —
need to do more to tell their stories of courage and commitment.
I’m glad that many public power utilities organize a Lineworker Ap-
preciation Day. It’s wonderful that we actually have an International Line-
man Museum and Hall of Fame, in Shelby, North Carolina. And I have to
give a shout-out to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association,
which has a magnificent bronze statue of a lineworker in its lobby.
The article “We Want You to Be a Lineworker” in this issue of Public
Power magazine (see page 6) describes the skills of lineworkers and empha-
sizes a focus on safety. The American Public Power Association’s annual
Public Power Lineworkers Rodeo, which the Sacramento Municipal
Utility District will host in May, is in its 15th year. The rodeo allows
lineworkers from across the country to showcase their skills in a safe
environment and engage in friendly competition.
Public power needs to emphasize the skills and strengths of
our lineworkers. We need to tell their story, and recruit new hires
reflective of their communities to step into the shoes of those line-
workers who will soon be retiring. We have a more important, and
unique, story to tell about public power lineworkers. It’s the story of
their inherent values and commitment to the community. In fact, the
lineworkers’ values represent the essence of public power.
Public power lineworkers are typically part of the community they
work in. They’ve often gone to school right in the community. They
worship in the community, they coach baseball, they shop at the local
grocery store, and they attend the PTA and citizens’ association meet-
ings. Some even pass on the love for the profession down through the
generations.
All of which means the lineworkers know the community better than
Google Maps ever will — especially useful in case of outages — and care
about the people in a way that no contract worker or outsider can.
Every public power utility should introduce their lineworker superhe-
roes to customers. Tell their everyday stories of courage, hard work, and
love for community in bill stuffers and newsletters; pitches to the local
newspaper and TV station; and on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Doing so will make customers more aware of the benefits of being served
by a public power utility.
In 2014, APPA introduced Captain Public Power, a comic-book-style,
tongue-in-cheek mascot to help recognize and share the heroism of our
lineworkers, and as proof that it does not take an expensive campaign or a
Super Bowl commercial to make public power better known. It just takes
telling our story, in creative and engaging ways.
And maybe one day, public power lineworkers
will be a major cover story, and not just in Public
Power magazine. n

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New Era of Electrical Work Lures Next Generation of Professionals
By Anthony J. Rivera

What it Takes
Seasoned professionals in the trade say linework
attracts a special type of person with a unique
mixtureofcharacterandvalues.It’sacombination
of wanting to help others and a willingness to
commit to the craft and more.
“Linework is a chess game,” said Max Fuent-
es, line supervisor for the Sacramento Municipal
Utility District in California. “You’re trying to see
five, six steps ahead before you even make that
first move. Because the one thing you don’t want
in linework is unexpected events.”
Accidents on the job were once common and,
as a result, lineworker labor came at great cost.
These days, the trade is much safer thanks to con-
stantly evolving safety best practices and proce-
dures in coordination with regulations from the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Mike Hennesey, senior vice president of North-
west Lineman College in Meridian, Idaho, said
somewhere around 50 percent of lineworkers
were killed on the job until sometime around the
1940s when safety standards began to improve.
“Safety is paramount,” Hyland said. “Safety is
an especially important part of the public power
culture. APPA’s Safety Manual, in its 15th
edition,
has been the go-to resource for public power
utilities since 1955.” The association and its safe-
ty manual review task force will begin updating
“Lineworkers risk
their lives on the
job every day, as
much as firefighters,
construction
workers or security
professionals,” said
Mike Hyland, senior
vice president of
engineering services
at the American
Public Power
Association. Hyland
also serves as chair of
the National Electric
Safety Code. “Public
power utilities and
national standard-
setting entities are
vested in protecting
lineworkers’ safety.”
MORE ONLINE: View this article
on publicpower.org to watch a video
interview with Westerville’s Cody
Leitner, an apprentice lineman who won
third place in the Alley Arm Insulator
Change Out apprentice challenge at
APPA’s Lineworkers Rodeo in 2014.
the manual in late 2015 to keep pace with recent
OSHA changes.
All in the Family
Regulations alone, however, haven’t made the
profession safer over the decades. Many utilities
say they foster a family-like atmosphere and a
culture of safety. Without a doubt, this culture
has made it a very safe trade. As they say in
Westerville, Ohio, “I am my brother’s keeper.”
“Whether you’re in the bucket or on the pole,
you got to watch out for each other,” said Bob
Rumbaugh, manager of technical training at
American Municipal Power in Columbus, Ohio.
It is clear lineworkers from coast to coast
stress these same values. Their aim is not just to
keep each other safe but to help each other be the
best lineworker they can be.
Working with high-voltage electricity is a dangerous job.
“It has a certain characteristic with it,” said Luke Burgess, a 49-year-old crew
supervisor at Santee Cooper’s Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, distribution
area.
The men and women who build and maintain power lines throughout the
United States sustain a way of life many Americans take for granted. It’s a
unique job. Few professions are as underappreciated.
“Lineworkers risk their lives on the job every day, as much as firefighters,
construction workers or security professionals,” said Mike Hyland, senior
vice president of engineering services at the American Public Power
Association. Hyland also serves as chair of the National Electric Safety
Code. “Public power utilities and national standard-setting entities are
vested in protecting lineworkers’ safety.”

“And that’s the good thing about being a line-
worker or a line technician,” Burgess said. “You
have a support system where people are always
wanting you to strive to be your best.”
There is one distinctive — even iconic — part
this job is known for: climbing electrical poles.
For most, it’s a wake-up call about the physical
burdens of the job. For some, taking up the skill
of “climbing trees” comes naturally.
One of those naturals is Burgess. He said the
skill came quite easily to him. He credits his
background in heavy construction in West Vir-
ginia’s coal mining country for the quick adapta-
tion to linework. When it came to pole-climbing
training, he said things just seemed to flow.
Shifting Focus
As national policy and politics shift focus to the
power industry’s vulnerabilities and security,
someutilitiesarepushedintoastateoftransition.
“We’re moving into, I believe, a new era as far
as a new type of lineworker,” Burgess said. “Tech-
nology is really taking over in the thing that we
do everyday.”
The grid isn’t the only thing aging. The work-
force among the utilities is aging as well. Many
say the need to employ new workers has arrived.
The question, they say, is whether enough people
are being brought in.
“You’re seeing a lot of hiring throughout the
nation right now,” Hennesey said.
Companies are casting a wider net than ever
SAFETY: In April 2014, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration updated safety guidelines that impact
power generation transmission and distribution. The American Public Power Association is offering several safety
courses at the upcoming Public Power Lineworkers Rodeo and Engineering and Operations Technical Conference
in May in Sacramento, including a day-long seminar on the new OSHA regulations. For more information visit
publicpower.org/EandO. Read more about safety on page 35.
before. While fewer women are seen in the trade
than men, organizations are eager to bring on
anyone who can meet the requirements of the
trade.
“I know utilities right now would love to hire a
lot more [women] and we average about one every
other term at the campuses right now,” Hennesey
said. “And they do very well in the industry. It
would be nice to attract more people in the trade
that’s for sure.”
All Walks of Life
Those considering a career in the industry
will find some of the lineworkers at municipal
utilities have a range of experiences. Many find
that public power utility life turns anyone into a

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jack-of-all-trades.
Many lineworkers in the industry
share a particular set of characteristics. The pro-
fession attracts those who seek a blue-collar job
with an aspect of selflessness.
For some, the path to linework started when
they were young. John McMillan, 51, is the elec-
tric distribution manager for the city of Manassas,
Virginia, whose son works in the public power
business his father’s worked in for over 30 years.
Others, like Fuentes, say they had to begin from
square one in their passage from apprentice to
journeyman.
“I had no idea what linework was about,”
said Fuentes.
Fuentes, 54, said he actually got his start after
a friend offered to mentor him. In his spare time,
the two of them practiced climbing, hanging cross
arms and tying knots. Fuentes applied and then
passed the written and skills exams.
Despite the extra practice, he said he
was lucky to be picked with the first group. From
there, the career continued to open up for him.
“I was barely 30 years old and all of the sud-
den I’m leading crews,” Fuentes said.
Even though he seemed to excel in it, he em-
phasizes the path through the trade is challeng-
ing and not for some.
“Working on wood poles, overcoming the fear
of heights, being able to work in an elevated posi-
tion for hours at a time in all kinds of different
weather; that may be the toughest initial part of
becoming a lineman”, Fuentes said. n
MORE ONLINE: View this
article on publicpower.org to
watch a video interview with
Manassas’s John McMillan.
WOMEN IN LINEWORK
Read more about the history of women in the field of
linework at publicpower.org/womenlineworkers.
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Number of Lineworkers
per 1,000 Customers:
Journeyman.......................0.806492
Apprentice.........................0.222189
Contracted.........................0.053414
Total Lineworkers................1.082095
Average Number of Lineworkers
Per Square Mile:
Journeyman...................... 0.433044
Apprentice........................ 0.107796
Contracted........................ 0.029042
Total Lineworkers............... 0.569882
Source: Data gathered from public power utilities through the American
Public Power Association’s Distribution System Reliability Operations
Survey. For more information, visit publicpower.org/reliability

Follow
@PublicPowerOrg
and use
#PublicPower to
join #LineWorkers
online
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The Atmosphere
Sacramento Municipal Utility District, California:
“You’re engaged in fellowship with other people in the
trade… the people that go there are conservative with
good family values.”
Max Fuentes
American Municipal Power, Ohio: “You see a lot
of camaraderie between the teams and the guys
competing.”
Bob Rumbaugh
Santee Cooper, South Carolina: “The family doesn’t
see what [lineworkers] do so they get to experience first
hand… So you know they get to see sometimes it’s not
an ordinary day at the office.”
Luke Burgess
The Competition
“You’re an athlete… You’ve got three sets of eyes
watching you for the littlest mistake or misstep.”
Max Fuentes
“You have to practice it and you practice it many
different ways to see what works best for yourself and
your team to get this thing done the most expeditiously
and the safest and within all the rules, too.”
Bob Rumbaugh
“It’s exciting because you got guys coming in there
wanting to show you their skills.”
Luke Burgess
The American Public Power Association’s Lineworkers
Rodeo is celebrating its 15th anniversary. The Public Power
Lineworkers Rodeo is where public power lineworkers come
together from all over the United States and U.S. territories
to demonstrate their skill and knowledge in the craft of
linework. For more information, visit publicpower.org/rodeo.
Here’s what lineworkers rodeo pros are saying.
718344_National.indd 1 1/26/15 6:37 PM

Electric power is a heavily regulated indus-
try. That means advocacy in Washington, D.C.,
is one of the most important priorities for public
power’s national trade association. Relationships
with lawmakers and regulators are vital for pub-
lic power’s business.
Public power visits Capitol Hill en masse
each spring for the American Public Power As-
sociation’s Legislative Rally, but members make
visits in small groups or individually throughout
the year. When you make your visit, will you be
prepared? APPA is here to make sure you have
all the tools you need.
The association’s 2015 advocacy work will
focus on environmental regulations, grid reli-
ability, grid security, financial tools, wholesale
electricity markets, community broadband and
the quadrennial energy review. But having a
successful visit to the Hill means more than just
being informed on these issues.
In-person visits from constituents are the
most influential way to communicate with
members of Congress, according to a survey
performed by the Congressional Management
Foundation. Legislators also consider keeping
in touch with constituents the most important
part of their job, the foundation said.
But legislators and their aides are swamped
with information. Representatives work an av-
erage of 70 hours per week when the House is
in session with about 13 meetings per day, the
foundation’s survey found. Thus, interacting
with legislators can be a challenge due to their
PublicPowerontheHillPublic power visits Capitol Hill en masse each spring for the
American Public Power Association’s Legislative Rally, but members
make visits in small groups or individually throughout the year.
When you make your visit, will you be prepared?
By Amy Thomas
Be Prepared:
Research the
issues you want
to cover and
the member of
Congress with
whom you are
meeting.
Top 5 Tips for an
Effective Hill Visit
Legislators and their aides handle many issue
areas. They’re incredibly busy. You need to
make a lasting impression in the short time you
have their attention. Here’s the formula.
Bring it
home: Make
the connection
between policy
decisions on the
Hill and your
customers at
home.
Make your voice stand out Tell compelling stories • Use expert knowledge • Bring a community perspective

hectic schedules. Making a lasting impression
is key.
If even getting a meeting is a challenge, House
schedulers told the Congressional Management
Foundation that having a constituent in the
group is the trick. Groups with constituents from
a member’s district will take priority over any
other type of request. But the group should be a
manageable size, a chief of staff told the founda-
tion, four at most. Rooms are small and it’s easier
for fewer people to get the message across.
When conducting the meeting, a little eti-
quette can go a long way. Be punctual to re-
spect the legislator’s schedule and flexible as
needed if his or her schedule changes. Make
your discussion pointed, but avoid politics.
Leave some information behind, like an APPA
issue brief, to serve as a reminder. Find issue
briefs at publicpower.org under Legislation.
Finally, be sure to follow up. Answer ques-
tions if the office reaches out for information —
it’s better to be reliable and trustworthy rather
than evasive or silent, the foundation said. And
if the office does not reach out, reach out and
follow up with the staffer you met with. Touch
base if new information on important issues
becomes available — such communication can
go a long way in helping the legislator keep the
issue front-of-mind. It is also helpful to copy
APPA staff on these communications to help
congressional staff make the connection be-
tween constituents and the national group.
Be specific: Bring
forth the top two or
three issues that your
customers are most
concerned about rather
than trying to discuss
every issue you follow.
Follow up: Thank legislators
and their aides for their
time and offer yourself as
a resource when they have
questions; invite them to see
what you’re working on the
next time they visit home.
Grassroots: Empowering the people
Trade associations like APPA are important, but ultimately legislators are motivated by people who
vote for them. Constituents need to voice their opinions on policies.
Rally with
@PublicPowerOrg
for #PublicPower
at 2015 Legislative
Rally March 9-11 in
Washington
Keep it simple and
relevant: Focus your
discussion on the issues
relevant to your interests;
don’t waste time on
tangential topics.

Policy
Makers
Council
advocates
on top
priorities
for public
power
The American Public Power Association’s Policy Makers Council is a group of elected and appointed
officials who gather to support public power’s priorities in Washington.
In addition to serving in their elected or appointed positions at home, PMC members serve public
power on their own time and are not compensated. Chairman Bill Slaton, for example, is a board member
at Sacramento Public Utility District. And when PMC members are here in D.C., they’re busy, Slaton said.
At their summer fly-in last year, PMC members had more than 100 meetings on Capitol Hill.
PMC members also visit the Hill with other APPA members during the Legislative Rally in the spring.
While visiting the nation’s capital, PMC members host receptions for members of Congress and their staff.
When they’re not in D.C., PMC members join together virtually for monthly conference calls during their
three-year terms.
While the PMC supports all of APPA’s priorities, members focus on select issues. In a recent interview,
Chairman Slaton shared the group’s focus for 2015 as well as what he’s gained from his participation.
If you had to pick one, what is the PMC’s top priority for 2015?
I would say it probably has to be the EPA [111d] regulations [for existing plants]. I think that has significant potential
impact to our members — although the impact varies widely, depending on the individual utility’s portfolio — but
everyone can agree we need to make sure we have flexibility in the solutions for reducing carbon-dioxide emissions,
while making sure our customers are not overly burdened.
What other issues will the group be working on?
Obviously cybersecurity — to make sure we get the right information when we need it, when it’s important, and
not overly burden us with a structure that creates either delays or extra workload that don’t directly affect our ability
to protect ourselves. It’s all about protecting ourselves. Tax-exempt financing, of course, as Congress moves toward
potential tax reform. We know that is high on the list for folks who want to restructure our tax code. And lastly, the
regional transmission organizations, or RTOs. I think our view as an organization is that we want to make sure that
our participation makes business sense for us and that our customers are not burdened with cost without benefit.
As always, the devil is in the details.
What benefits does the PMC provide to public power?
The PMC doesn’t have different priorities than APPA, we’re just a more focused group and I think that’s really the
benefit to public power. By gathering elected officials who really are the ultimate decision makers for these utilities
all over the country, our ability to step into a Congressperson’s office and to be able to articulate what would best
serve our constituents I think is powerful — we’re serving as they are serving. And it’s great to have staff there and
it’s great to have general managers there and technical staff who really have the in-depth knowledge, but to hear it
from us because we’re directly accountable to the voting citizens, is really powerful.
What are the benefits of being a part of the PMC?
I’m on the board of SMUD, so we’re just intensely involved in the policy issues for SMUD all the time. And so to
be able to step back from that and to be able to have those conversations with people who are in similar positions
as I am in, and be able to talk about what they face with their customers and their stakeholders is just extremely
valuable. That to me is the biggest value personally — to understand what other people are doing and getting ideas
from them and taking them back to our utility.
We each set our own appointments. And really the one thing that’s particularly interesting is to be able to have
the chance to go on visits to members of Congress where it’s not your territory. You get a chance to meet elected
members who are from other parts of the country that you normally would never be in the room with. So you have
a chance to see how other people are operating on the Hill and then of course the PMC gets very focused also on
the regulatory side. We actually are able to — again, because we’re elected and appointed officials — have some
appointments on the administration side that you wouldn’t normally get.
Would you recommend the experience to others?
I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone who both is interested in broadening their horizons and
willing to be an advocate. And plus we have a good time. It’s a small enough group, we know each other, we have
fun together, we enjoy the time we spend with each other. It’s very focused. It’s a lot of work, there’s no question
that when we’re there we’re working.
Q&A

Energy
StorageIs Suddenly Such a Big Deal
By Elisa Wood
Why
By
Elisa
Wood
A wave of energy storage is coming,
with batteries leading way. The
cell phone kick-started the trend.
But now utilities, especially public
power utilities, seem about to give
it a real jolt.
Energy storage — the holy grail of electric power — has been too expensive or too location-specific
for broad use. As a result, electric power has been mired in unfortunate use-it-or-lose-it economics. But lithium ion
batteries promise to change all that.

Big Storage Play
As prices drop, batteries look increasingly appealing for use on
the grid.
“The utilities are riding that wave to use this technology in their
own application,” said Haresh Kamath, program manager for
energy storage and distributed generation at the Electric Power
Research.
Late 2014 and early 2015 brought a wave of energy storage an-
nouncements from investor-owned utilities.
Oncor floated the idea of bringing 5 GW of storage to the Texas
grid. Southern California Edison secured 261 MW of energy
storage. Exelon and Total made a $27 million equity invest-
ment in a California storage company, Stem.
Big moves on the investor-owned side have created a
great deal of hoopla. But in truth, public power compa-
nies have been more quietly advancing battery storage
for quite some time.
“Historically, the public power companies have been
much more aggressive in researching and implement-
ing these technologies than even some of the investor-
owned utilities,” Kamath said.
Not hindered by lengthy rate cases, public power com-
panies “are able to look at this investment from a purely
technical and economic standpoint and say, ‘Yeah, this
makes sense,’” he said.
Imperial Irrigation District, a municipal water and power
utility in California, announced plans to install a $68.2 mil-
lion battery to help integrate 50 MW of solar power. The
utility agreed to have the battery installed by December
2016, as part of a settlement it reached with FERC over
a blackout that left 5 million people without power in the
Southwest in 2011.
IID was one of the several parties to reach similar settle-
ments with FERC over the 2011 blackout.
As early as 2003 the Golden Valley Electric Association,
a cooperative utility in Alaska, made the Guinness World
Record with the world’s largest battery, a 27-MW nickel-
cadmium installation that can provide power for 15 min-
utes. In 2013 alone, the $35 million battery prevented 60
outages. The utility expects it to last 20 to 30 years.
It’s Not for Everyone
Meanwhile, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District has been
conducting research and analysis into a wide range of energy
storage technologies. The results underscore that no one size
fits all when it comes to energy storage.
California is requiring that investor-owned utilities secure 1.3
GW of energy storage by 2020. After the study, SMUD decid-
ed it would not join the program. Because the municipal util-
ity’s avoided costs are relatively low, many
forms of energy storage remain too
expensive to justify, Li-ion batter-
ies among them.
However, that is not to say
the utility is forsaking energy
storage — far from it.
“Even though we chose not
to adopt the [California] en-
ergy storage target at this
time, we are still very en-
gaged in energy storage,
from the utility system level
to the customer side,” said
Mark Rawson, SMUD en-
ergy research technology
officer.
SMUD has a goal to reduce
carbon dioxide emissions
90 percent by 2050. So re-
newable energy develop-
ment plays a large role in
its portfolio planning. The
utility needs energy storage
to smooth the variability of
wind and solar, he said.
To that end, SMUD is in-
vestigating development of
a 400-MW pumped stor-
age facility, known as Iowa
Hills, about three miles from
Camino, California.
Thank you, cell phone. The little palm-of-our-hand device that transformed
the way we communicate is inadvertently revolutionizing the power industry.
BATTERIES
Demand for the batteries is driving
their advancement. Everyone
wants a cell phone that retains a
longer charge. Companies have
accelerated R&D, ramped up
manufacturing and driven down
prices. As a result, Li-ions also
are the choice among electric
vehicle manufacturers, which puts
further downward pressure on
prices. Tesla now makes a $274/
kWh battery and expects its mass
manufacturing to cut the price
another 30 percent to $196/kWh,
according to Lux Research.

What kinds of energy storage
do you see emerging as most
important for the North American
grid?
Corrigan: People have been using thermal
storage, pumping storage for years. But for the
kind of scale we envision for storage, it is going
to have to be electron storage.
Pate: Batteries are the predominant electron-
type storage and there is a lot of progress being
made on batteries. Lithium-ion technology is
getting a lot of focus right now.
I think you will have other types of storage
evolve over the 25-year horizon. Energy-to-gas is
an interesting technology, with hydrogen storage
starting to gain ground in Europe. Hydrogen
burns cleanly, and of the gases used for storage,
probably has the highest energy content per unit
of volume. And it can be used in fuel cells.
How quickly do you see advanced
energy storage playing more than
a pilot-project role?
Corrigan: It is going to take somebody who
believes in it and then demonstrates it to the rest
of the market. I can envision a bandwagon effect
because there is a pent-up need for storage.
This is an opportunity for public power
utilities to build their brands. There is a real
opportunity for the towns and cities to get out
in front on this and offer perhaps aggregated
renewable energy, perhaps aggregated PV,
alongside storage — even perhaps helping
consumers do it themselves.
Pate: In California and in areas where renew-
ables are a focus, this energy storage topic is
front-of-mind. I think in the next five years, you
will start to see more wide-scale commercial
application.
What are the biggest obstacles
to greater use of energy storage?
Market, regulatory, technical?
Corrigan: The predominant one now is the
economics, getting costs down for bulk storage.
Engineers are making rapid progress on that
front.
Pate: Technology breakthroughs will enable
the economics. We need to find the right busi-
ness case to validate payback to remove the
risk. In parallel with that, policy and regula-
tions will evolve.
What is the importance of
smart grid intelligence, sensors,
metering in a system that includes
energy storage. How do they
enhance energy storage?
Corrigan: The vision coming out of New
York, California, is that renewable energy
sources and storage finally enable the energy
consumer to be a direct participant in the
energy market. Ultimately financial markets
and consumers need to have confidence in the
technologies. So revenue-grade metering is
critical for the financial markets.
Pate: When we talk about revenue grade, it
means it has one percent or less error. If it’s
not precise, it means lost money. n
Advances in Energy Storage
This is an opportunity
for public power
utilities to build their
brands. There is a real
opportunity for the towns
and cities to get out in
front on this and offer
perhaps aggregated
renewable energy,
perhaps aggregated
PV, alongside storage
— even perhaps
helping consumers do it
themselves.
Q&A
Advanced energy storage brings new complexity to energy markets, so it creates
need for better data. Hence, companies like Elster, which manufacture meters,
sensors and other measurement devices, are keeping a careful eye on this emerging
market. Here’s what we learned from Pat Corrigan, Elster’s vice president of
markets and channels, and Ron Pate, vice president of smart grid solutions.
Pat Corrigan Ron Pate

Energy Storage 101
Energy storage is not one technology,
but many. Pumped storage has been a
standby for years, but utilities need to
have ample water resources to make it
work. Batteries are the new buzz; they
are energy dense, scalable, portable,
falling in price and can be installed just
about anywhere.
Batteries
storage systems create ice at night (when
energy is cheaper) to cool buildings by
day.
Fly Wheels
A fly wheel uses high-speed rotation
to create energy, often using magnetic
bearings and vacuums. Fly wheel
companies have positioned themselves as
valuable providers of grid services. So far,
though, the technology has been slow to
take off in the U.S., hampered somewhat
when a pioneering company fell into
financial difficulty. n
Lithium batteries are the energy storage
up-and-comer. They are rechargeable
and used commonly in consumer
electronics. Dating back to 1991, these
solid-state batteries are known for
packing a lot of power into a small space.
Other solid-state batteries include the
ultracapacitor, also growing quickly for
grid use, and the older, more traditional
nickel cadmium.
Pumped Hydro-Power
Nearly a century old, pumped storage
uses fixed or variable pumps to create
a pool of water that can be released
quickly down into a turbine to create
electricity. The U.S. has 40 pumped
hydro stations that provide about 20
GW.
Compressed Storage: Operating
somewhat like pumped storage,
compressed storage instead uses
air that is stored in an underground
cavern and then heated to create
pressure. Compressed storage can
be used to displace natural gas. It
has been used for several decades in
limited applications, but is gaining
new attention as a way to smooth
intermittent renewables.
Thermal Storage
Using heat or cold to store energy,
thermal storage comes in many forms,
and tends to be useful in specific rather
than broad applications. There are
systems that rely on steady underground
temperatures and cement to store energy
for heating and cooling buildings. Solar
power plants sometimes use molten salts
to store heat that is later discharged. Ice
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The Snohomish County Public Utility District in Everett, Washington, is embark-
ing on a new energy storage project, the first-ever built using the Modular Energy
Storage Architecture. The PUD said its MESA project, located at a substation in
Everett, aims to accelerate the growth of the energy storage industry, improve
Snohomish PUD and Washington Governor
Announce Energy Storage Project
By Jeannine Anderson
PUMPED
HYDRO-
POWER
While batteries are out for now,
they are likely to be in SMUD’s
future, as prices continue to
fall, Rawson said. The utility has
been involved in demonstration
projects that use batteries,
including a 34-home net zero
development in midtown
Sacramento. The project
incorporates Li-ion batteries to
store solar PV.
How soon will Li-ion come down
in price enough to be cost-
effective for SMUD? Rawson
estimates it could be three to
five years. Meanwhile, work
needs to be done on making
standard connections between
components, a stumbling
block right now for storage
technology, Rawson said. SMUD
is one of nine founding members
of the Modular Energy Storage
Alliance, which is working on
standardization.
726400_IFD.indd 1 12/18/14 5:41 PM

reliability, and help utilities better inte-
grate renewable energy sources.
The utility’s project will include two
large-scale lithium-ion batteries at the
Everett site, each rated at 1 average-
megawatt. The first of these giant bat-
teries — housed in a modified shipping
container — has been installed, said
PUD spokesman Neil Neroutsos.
Later this year, a second project
will be added that will use advanced
vanadium flow battery technology.
That system will be rated at 2.2
average-megawatts, he said.
The project, made possible in part
by a $7.3 million investment from the
Washington Clean Energy Fund, is the
first of several MESA energy storage
projects the Washington utility is pur-
suing this year.
“The electrical grid needs to change
to take on more renewable power,
and standards-based storage and
software will play major roles in that
change,” said PUD General Manager
Steve Klein. “MESA provides standard
interfaces to bring more choices for
utilities, reduces projects’ complexity
and promises to lower costs.”
1Energy Systems, the principal PUD
partner in this effort, is the architect
of the MESA software controls.
To support the Snohomish PUD
project and the other Clean Energy
Fund projects, the U.S. Department
of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory is working with partici-
pants to develop use cases, or detailed
descriptions of the many ways en-
ergy storage can increase renewable
energy use and improve grid efficiency
and resiliency. The PUD and the other
utilities will consult these use cases
as they implement and evaluate their
projects.
“This project demonstrates how
MESA technology standards, pio-
neered in Washington, will accelerate
global innovation in energy storage,”
said Darcy Wheeles, program direc-
tor of the MESA Standards Alliance.
“Standards-based products make it
easier and less expensive for utilities
to control and optimize energy stor-
age and integrate renewable power
sources with the grid.” n
Read “Making Hay Even While the Sun Doesn’t Shine” on page 37
PhotocourtesyofSnohomishPublicUtilityDistrict

Making
Work forYou
The Best Business Models for Public Power
By Michele Suddleson
Solar

Purchasing
Power
Power purchase agreements are a utility-level
solution to adding solar generation that can
avoid the high upfront cost that the technol-
ogy requires despite declining equipment
prices.
Sterling Municipal Light Department in
Sterling, Massachusetts, secured lower-than-
market pricing on a power purchase agreement
for solar energy that helped land it SEPA’s
designation as No. 1 utility for solar integration
on a watts-per-customer basis in 2013.
Sterling’s utility maintains a portfolio
with 30 percent of its power from renewable
sources on its own accord. Municipalities in
Massachusetts are exempt from the state’s
400-MW solar carve-out, but those like
Sterling choose to participate.
The utility leveraged relationships with
large customers to create public-private
partnerships so that it can participate in solar
generation projects without owning them. As
a municipality, the utility solicited bids and
selected vendors who were required to pro-
vide the lowest fixed purchase price-per-kWh
for the solar power. While Sterling electric
customers were guaranteed a low rate, project
partners benefited, too. The municipality
made the project easy to build for the private
partners who took advantage of solar tax
incentives and renewable energy credits.
Owning Your
Power
Tax credits for renewable power project de-
velopment are mechanisms that public power
utilities, as tax-exempt entities, cannot take
THE
DECLINING
COST OF
SOLAR
Hardware
Customer Acquisition
Permitting, Inspection, Interconnection
Installation Labor
Other Soft Costs (Profit, Overhead)
2010 2013 2014 2015
$7.00
$6.00
$5.00
$4.00
$3.00
$2.00
$1.00
$0.00
$/wattdc
Fact: Customers
want solar. And no
matter how they
access it, they
will turn to their
utility for help. The
technology may not
be for everyone,
but utilities that
prepare proactively
can better respond
if customer interest
does arise.
The United States
added 4 gigawatts of
solar generation to
its grid in 2013. Public
power contributed
200 megawatts to
that total, bringing its
own solar generation
capacity quota to
900 MW.
As public power
utilities, working with
the community
we’re a part of is
our No. 1 priority.
Utilities are
uniquely positioned
to maximize the
customer benefits
of solar, and public
power utilities
in particular are
poised to support
innovation and
effective integration
through customer
relationships.
Public power
utilities are already
employing a variety
of business models
to facilitate solar
build-out. Some
models suit public
power better than
others, according to
research produced
by the American
Public Power
Association’s
Demonstration of
Energy & Efficiency
Developments
research and grants
program and the
Solar Electric Power
Association.
advantage of on their own. So while genera-
tion projects offer economies of scale that can
lead to cost savings for utility customers, they
may be challenging for public power utilities.
But in those challenges, public power finds
creative opportunities.
Joining forces is one way public power
has been making generation ownership more
affordable since the 1950s. To finance a 3.54-
MW solar facility in Napoleon, Ohio, Ameri-
can Municipal Power, Inc., worked with
three of its member communities and the
Solar by Soldiers program and located the
project on a brownfield site. Solar by Soldiers
puts military veterans to work constructing
renewable power projects.
AMP is a wholesale power supplier and
service provider for 130 public power utilities
in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Virginia,
Kentucky, West Virginia, Delaware and Indi-
ana. Three Ohio members own the Napoleon
project: Napoleon, St. Marys and Waynes-
field. The project is connected to Napoleon’s
electric system, which saves AMP money on
transmission costs.
Engaging the
Community
While utilities who own solar generation
can control transmission and interconnec-
tion, managing customer-owned or cus-
tomer–leased assets is a separate challenge,
but one in which many options exist for
engaging those customers. Utilities in mu-
nicipalities may choose to employ financing
mechanisms such as net metering or feed-in
tariffs to make solar economically feasible
for customers.

Gainesville Regional Utilities in Gaines-
ville, Florida, began using a feed-in-tariff in
2009 with approval from its city commis-
sion. The feed-in-tariff paid as much as 32
cents-per-kWh with a 20-year contract for
solar systems constructed in 2009 and 2010.
The utility recalculated rates in 2011 and or-
ganized generation into three classes, prices
for which ranged from 15 cents-per-kWh to
21 cents-per-kWh.
Residential solar installations are typi-
cally small in comparison to utility-scale
projects, so the utility capped capacity for
the program at 4 MW per calendar year. The
program was overly successful, receiving
eight years’ worth of applications within its
first few months of operation. In 2013 a total
of nearly 4 MW was installed through the
program.
Sharing Assets
It can be easier for utilities to manage one
centrally located solar generation system
rather than find ways to interconnect and
integrate separate distributed installations,
which is why community solar projects are
an attractive alternative. Community solar
projects, sometimes called solar gardens,
involve customer ownership through shares
of the project’s cost. Depending on the
financing mechanism in place, a customer’s
participation may mean an offset to their
electric bills.
Community solar projects may be spon-
sored by the utility, a group of consumers
or a third party. Colorado Springs Utilities
took the latter option when it added com-
munity solar garden rules to its renewable
energy standard in 2012. The utility offered
a bill credit program for customers and the
gardens are constructed and owned by the
developer. The third party is also responsible
for customer participation.
The Colorado Springs city council in
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2013 extended the rebates for the commu-
nity solar garden program’s initial run and
directed the utility to roll its lessons learned
into a new program. The utility launched a
2-MW program later that year with monthly
bill credits for each rate class between .04
and .06 cents-per-kWh. Developers for the
projects are chosen through a request for
proposals process and customers can either
purchase or lease a share of the garden. De-
velopers receive payment from customers for
their purchase or lease of the share and also
receive payments based on the solar garden’s
performance. n
©Elster2014
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30 Public Power / March-April 2015729946_Orrick.indd 1 15/01/15 5:56 PM
Public power utilities may
encounter solar not on their
own accord but because of their
customers — why are customers
so interested in solar? Why should
utilities follow their lead?
Solar has always appealed to a small group of
customers who valued self-reliance or wanted
to demonstrate environmental stewardship. As
solar has become more affordable — the price
of a solar PV panel has dropped by about 80
percent over the past 10 years — a growing
segment of customers see solar as an economic
choice. A 2013 survey by The Solar Foundation
revealed that 74 percent of people who chose
to invest in solar did so because they perceived
that solar would save them money or that solar
was competitive with utility rates. As the cost
of solar continues to drop, more customers will
seek out solar for economic reasons.
Since all utilities are different,
the right model for solar can
vary from place to place. Some
business models are better than
others — any favorites for small,
locally owned utilities? What’s
your advice for public power
utilities approaching solar?
We believe that public power utilities across the
country would be wise to look first at com-
munity solar. It is proving to be a popular and
successful way for non-profit, community-based
utilities in particular — public power and
electric co-ops — to actively engage customers
in solar. A utility-managed community solar
project allows the utility to provide customers a
voluntary means to access solar. The utility can
control the location and the size of the system
to meet customer demand. One electric co-op
CEO recently told me, “In my 35 years in the
Solar business models
Solar is a fast-rising area of interest for consumers and utilities alike with
burgeoning popularity and declining costs.
Julia Hamm is the president and CEO of the Solar Electric Power As-
sociation, a non-profit organization focused on helping utilities integrate
solar into their portfolio. Hamm recently answered some questions about
solar and public power utilities.

PublicPower.org / @PublicPowerOrg 31728495_Exceleron.indd 1 1/21/15 4:03 PM
utility business, I have never seen anything
close to the positive reaction we received for
launching our first community solar project.”
The impact of distributed
generation on the utility business
model is a big question facing the
industry. Where do you see the
utility business model in 5 years
and 10 years and how is solar a
part of that?
There is an undeniable trend to a more de-
centralized grid, and solar is just one element
driving this change. While baseload, central
station power will continue to be the back-
bone, the rise of distributed energy sources is
going to command a lot of attention as it puts
pressure on the utility to manage the grid dif-
ferently. Utilities are the key to the successful
integration of distributed energy, just as they
are to serving new customer loads such as elec-
tric vehicles. We believe that utilities can make
the management of resources like solar, wind
and energy storage a viable part of the business
model of the utility in the very near future.
Solar is clearly all the rage right
now. As a result, some folks have
said it’s just a flash in the pan
trend. What’s your take on that
and how should utilities proceed?
It is always wise to be cautious about the ‘next
big thing.’ In the case of solar, we do not
see a retreat from the fundamental progress
that has been made in reducing the cost of
manufacturing a photovoltaic module from
north of $5-a-watt to well less than $1-a-watt.
The scale, sophistication and efficiency of
manufacturing is well-established and mar-
kets are expanding around the globe. Solar
PV is a relatively simple, straightforward
technology with very low operating costs and
proven reliability. It cannot “do it all” as it is
inherently a variable resource, limited by the
availability of sunshine. Utilities are in the
perfect position to capture the highest value
of solar by integrating it with other resourc-
es. At SEPA, our mission is to help utilities
work through these changes and discover
how solar can become a positive asset to the
utility and its customers. n
“A utility-managed community
solar project allows the utility to
provide customers a voluntary
means to access solar. “

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Why Community Broadband Makes Sense
By Desmarie Waterhouse
WASHINGTON REPORT
Cedar Falls Utilities provides electricity to approximately 18,000
customers in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The utility recently made national head-
lines, thanks to a visit from President Obama who applauded the city
for building its own broadband network two decades ago. And it’s no
ordinary broadband network — it’s 100 times faster than the national
average.
Cedar Falls is just one of our nation’s not-for-profit, community-
owned electric utilities that power homes, businesses and streets in
nearly 2,000 towns and cities, serving 47 million Americans. More
than 100 public power utilities (and this number is growing) provide
some kind of advanced communication service — high-speed Inter-
net access, cable television, local and long-distance telephone, and
voice-over-Internet-protocol. Since 1996, the number of public power
utilities providing or planning to provide communication services
has increased ten-fold and continues to grow. A recent White House
report highlights successful community broadband initiatives in the
public power communities of Lafayette, Louisiana; Chattanooga, Ten-
nessee; and Wilson, North Carolina.
Approximately 70 percent of public power utilities serve cities with
less than 10,000 residents. Many of these utilities were established be-
cause private utilities failed to provide affordable electricity to smaller
communities. Today, these public power utilities are meeting the new
needs in their communities by providing broadband services where
no other providers will and by facilitating competition where service
is inadequate or too expensive.
Now, as the President himself pointed out, community broadband
may not be for everyone. However the success stories in Cedar Falls,
Lafayette, Chattanooga, and Wilson point to the value of a communi-
ty-owned model for Internet connectivity, a service that’s becoming as
essential to our lives as electricity and water. It’s the model that public
power electric utilities have followed for more than 100 years.
When a city or county decides to invest in municipal broadband,
the public power business model offers three key advantages.
First, the fact that public power utilities are locally grown and
locally owned means they are part of the community and understand
its needs and challenges as no outside corporation can. As American
Public Power Association President and CEO Sue Kelly said, “Our
guys live in the same towns as their customers. They go to church
with them. They go to Rotary with them. When we say it’s community
power, we mean it.”
Second, public power utilities are owned by the community, not
by shareholders. With no obligation to deliver a profit, they can keep
costs affordable for customers, while providing reliable service.
Third, the ability to finance capital projects through the issuance
of tax-exempt municipal bonds has allowed public power utilities to
innovate and remain responsive to changing customer needs.
In 2015, Congress plans to examine and update federal communi-
cations laws and to spur broadband deployment and adoption. APPA
urges Congress to continue to recognize the important role that local
governments, including those that own their electric utility, can play
in stimulating local economies and accelerating universal broadband
deployment. As some state actions limit or prohibit public power
utilities from providing advanced communications services, Congress
must adopt legislation that affirms the right of units of local govern-
ment to decide how best to serve their residents. n
From the White House
Affordable, reliable access to high-speed broadband is criti-
cal to U.S. economic growth and competitiveness. President
Obama believes that there should be a level playing field for
community-based solutions.
- Community-Based Broadband Solutions, released by the
Executive Office of the President, January 2015
Read more at whitehouse.gov
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Thomas & Betts....................................................1, 9............................www.tnb.com/stormhardening
Thomas & Betts....................................................1, 9....................................www.tnb.com/switchgear
Utilismart Corporation............................................10......................................www.utilismartcorp.com

Brush Up on Best Practices
Through Reliability Training
By Alex Hofmann
ENGINEERING
Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers show that utilities across the
board are upping their game when it comes to safety. Nonfatal illnesses
and injuries in the utility sector fell in 2013 from 2.8 to 2.1 incidents per
100 workers.
The American Public Power Association has seen the trend of declin-
ing illness and injury, too, steadily for more than 20 years. Incidents are
defined as injuries or illnesses arising out of and in the course of employ-
ment, which results in death, days away from work, restricted work
activity or medical treatment.
Safety standards are getting better. The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers both produce standards that focus on the safety of electrical
workers and the publics they serve. The standards are dynamic, meaning
they are constantly reviewed and revised periodically to reflect changes
in best practices and the deployment of new technology.
Building off evolving OSHA and IEEE standards such as the National
Electrical Safety Code, APPA’s safety manual — established in 1955 and
now in its fifteenth iteration — serves as the premier source for safety
compliance information for all utility employees.
Among other events, APPA offers its Safety Awards of Excellence to
honor utilities with low incident rates, which will be announced at the
2015 Engineering and Operations Technical Conference in May. The
program began more than 50 years ago and has compiled a good amount
of safety data allowing utilities to track their yearly performance as well
as compare themselves to similarly sized utilities.
Utilities have been creating and improving upon a culture of safety for
decades. National standards trickle down to utility-specific protocols. It’s
a system that works, and the proof is in the numbers.
As advances continue in the field in areas
such as fire-retardant clothing and lineworker
fall prevention, we expect the numbers to
improve too.
When you see your local utility personnel
out in the field, be sure to thank them for con-
tributing to a culture of safety that protects the
community at-large. n
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Safety:
A Top-Down Approach
By Mike Hyland
Providing reliable service is one of the cornerstones of a public power
utility’s business model. Utilities that participate in the American Public
Power Association’s Reliable Public Power Provider program become bet-
ter providers for their communities and receive recognition through their
national trade association. The program itself helps utilities in the public
power sector develop best practices and benchmarking for engineering
and operations while providing an opportunity for designees to promote
their utilities.
APPA is offering an RP3 webinar series beginning March 20 to walk
members through the program’s requirements and grading process
and provide an opportunity to answer questions about the applica-
tion process. For more information and to register for the series, visit
publicpower.org/RP3.
For a deeper dive, APPA is offering a two-day course on the pro-
gram’s best practices at the annual Spring Education Institute in
Colorado Springs. The course, scheduled for May 6 and 7, details the
application process and reviews benchmarking data. To register, visit
publicpower.org/SpringInstitute. n

The U.S. Department of Energy in January released guidelines to assess and manage cyberse-
curity risk through a national cybersecurity framework set forth in 2014.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology released the voluntary Framework for
Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity in February 2014 in response to an executive
order on improving cybersecurity.
DOE worked with stakeholders through the electricity, oil and natural gas subsector coor-
dinating councils to help make the framework relevant for energy sector owners and operators
and tailored toward their needs to evaluate cybersecurity risks.
The guidance discusses in detail how DOE’s cybersecurity capabilities maturity models
work within the framework while recognizing that industry players may be employing other
practices that work well within the framework, too.
DOE encouraged utilities interested in establishing new risk management programs to
contact the agency via email at cyber.framework@hq.doe.gov with questions or to request
assistance. The agency’s guidelines and information on its maturity models are available on its
website, www.energy.gov. n
DOE Provides Guidance for Cybersecurity
Framework Implementation
By Nathan Mitchell
SECURITY
710491_Alber.indd 1 21/11/14 5:31 pm

City Utilities of Springfield in
Missouri designed, built and com-
missioned an energy storage proj-
ect connecting four solar-powered
homes. The project was carried
out with significant funding from
the American Public Power As-
sociation’s Demonstration of En-
ergy & Efficiency Developments
program.
The project demonstrated the
feasibility of small-scale, com-
munity level energy storage and
load management for sites with
renewable generation or critical
needs, including hospitals and
first responders.
The Missouri University of
Science and Technology is home
to a village of four solar pow-
ered houses built throughout a
decade of university competitions
under the U.S. Department of
Energy’s Solar Decathlon. The
utility set out to integrate the four
solar houses into a community
energy storage system. The util-
ity installed a system to support
solar generation and allow for
the monitored sharing of energy
between the four houses while
exporting excess energy to energy
storage battery racks for use in
load shedding, load shifting and
temporary islanding.
Before the energy storage proj-
ect, three of the solar houses had
negligible lead acid battery stor-
age and the fourth had no storage
capabilities. The houses were
built to connect to the grid but
were not connected to each other
and had little to no monitoring
capabilities except for municipal
metering. The combined solar
energy output of the four houses
was 23 kW.
City Utilities started with
remedial actions to update and
Making Hay Even While the Sun Doesn’t Shine
Project demonstrates communication is key in energy storage success
By Michele Suddleson
INNOVATION
ensure electrical code compliance
of the solar systems in the four
houses. All the lead acid bat-
tery systems were removed and
exchanged for fully grid-tied AC
Fronius brand inverters designed
for the size of the array for each
house. All the physical solar
installations and wiring were
checked and remedied for com-
pliance, and individual systems
were commissioned to working
levels.
The two A123 lithium ion
battery racks — with 960 VDC
nominal voltage, and roughly a
30 kWh storage — used in this
project as the main source of
storage capacity were donated to
the university. The batteries were
used for peak shedding, shift-
ing through distributed storage,
as well as forced and voluntary
islanding.
The project demonstrated
that communication between the
generation, storage and load is
key to success. Further, external
communication to decision mak-
ers through the use of an online
real time energy portal is crucial.
The switchgear, the Milbank
Manufacturing Synaps6, is the
brain and control method for
the community energy project.
Its monitoring and switching
capabilities augment the flow of
generation and load. For example,
if the solar arrays are generating
and the battery is depleted, the
system will choose to charge, but
if the battery is full, the switch
can feed the grid. The Synaps6
also has a web portal for external
communication, which hosts an
up-to-the-minute graph of the
energy sources, loads, and battery
storage levels.
A few elements of the system
had to be designed to interact
R
717604_Sterling.indd 1 22/10/14 2:07 PM
with the donated batteries. This
forced the system’s energy storage
voltages to be at 960 VDC, which
was considerably high for this
level of residential storage. The
project advisory board decided
that a single-phase grid would be
the most compatible for this level
of work. The high voltage battery
and single-phase setup made
the design and procurement
of the Bi-directional inverter
challenging.
Rolla Municipal Utilities,
the public power provider for
the area, was involved with the
project design since inception,
and approved the final testing.
This testing included
both the anti-islanding
test to ensure that if
the grid was down the
community energy
storage project would
not energize the grid,
and the interconnec-
tion test to ensure
that the solar and
battery systems were
in working order and
would not damage the
municipal grid.
The project is fully
installed and contin-
ues to power the four
homes from a solar-
battery-grid combina-
tion and will continue
to make intelligent
decisions based on
economic, social, or
municipal commands.
This project has the
capability to expand to
include other sources
of energy within the
facility, including a
combined heat and
power natural gas-
hydrogen fuel cell.
Members of APPA’s Demon-
stration of Energy & Efficiency
Developments program can access
the full project report online at
publicpower.org/DEED. n

Converting an entire streetlight system
to LED fixtures is a once-in-a-career project.
Whether a system has 300 fixtures or 3,000,
full-scale conversion is a project that presents
a unique set of challenges that will be under-
taken in full view of the community. With the
right leadership and technology, a successful
LED conversion can deliver to the commu-
nity substantial energy and cost savings, as
well as significantly improved light quality.
After years of technological advance-
ment, there are abundant LED roadway
lighting choices that meet the two critical
performance criteria when evaluating project
feasibility: illumination and economics. In
addition, state-of-the-art control systems
enhance savings by enabling the remote ac-
tivation and dimming of the streetlights and
by automating the collection of maintenance
data, eliminating the need for drive-by
inspections.
But LED streetlight conversion proj-
ects require more than just a one-for-one
replacement of existing street lighting
infrastructure. Audits, photometric analysis
and system design are complex processes
that require expertise. Fixture selection must
extend beyond reduction of baseline energy
usage to optimize service life and optical
performance. Installation can be challeng-
ing, as crews encounter unknown and un-
predictable field and mounting conditions.
It may be unrealistic for the busy per-
sonnel of small to mid-size public power
electric departments to learn all there is to
know to about important LED conversion
issues. Manufacturers of LED streetlights and
controls systems may offer to provide consult-
ing services, but they require the purchase of
their proprietary fixtures, and they provide no
assistance in installing or integrating the fixtures
Tackling the LED Streetlight Challenge
By Joe Walsh
HOMETOWN CONNECTIONS
and controls.
To provide maximum flexibility to public
power systems, PowerSecure worked with
the staff of Hometown Connections to
design a unique LED streetlight conversion
option that is non-proprietary and turnkey.
PowerSecure International, Inc. is a leading
provider of utility and energy technologies
to electric utilities, and their industrial,
institutional and commercial custom-
ers. Hometown Connections is the utility
services subsidiary of the American Public
Power Association.
PowerSecure and Hometown Con-
nections have launched a vendor-neutral
program integrating engineering and design
services with project construction and
installation. PowerSecure will help APPA
member utilities choose among the high
quality products from the top manufacturers
in the global LED market. Whether a utility
purchases LED fixtures from PowerSecure
or from another manufacturer, PowerSecure
will provide full lifecycle turnkey services:
design and engineering, construction, labor,
commissioning, control systems, and opera-
tions & maintenance services. There may be
lease or finance options available that reduce
the financial contribution from the city or
electric department. n
Joe Walsh is Director of Energy Effi-
ciency Services at PowerSecure, Inc. In
affiliation with Hometown Connections,
PowerSecure provides LED outdoor
lighting, distributed generation, and solar
products and services to public power
systems.
Turnkey LED
Streetlight Conversion
PowerSecure is providing a one-stop solution for
municipal utilities that may be financed through
energy savings.
• Provides a free, no obligation audit of
infrastructure and develops a preliminary
scope, cost and savings analysis.
• Serves as an independent solutions provider,
with a catalog of turnkey options such as
lamps, ballasts, and controls from all the
leading manufacturers to ensure public power
systems may access cutting-edge technology
with a strong record of performance.
• Conducts an in-depth analysis of photometrics,
run hours and dimming schedules.
• Works closely with all city departments to
ensure compliance, safety and affordability.
• Offers best of breed technology and warranties
from a preselected catalogue of fixture and
controls manufacturers.
• Installs and programs controls systems,
commissioned during installation, to ensure
optimal lighting and savings levels.
• Delivers utility-grade equipment and trained
personnel available only from a well-
established utility contractor.
• Provides O&M services, communication and
training to keep utility staff and end use
customers fully informed.
Six Questions to Ask First
What is the right
product and
manufacturer for our
community?
How do we ensure
that the new roadway
light levels are safe for
travel?
How do we capture
the greatest total
savings?
What will the revenue
impact be and how do
we develop a plan to
reassess fees where
necessary?
Do we have the right
resources available to
design and install a
project?
How do we evaluate
the project’s total
economic impact and
are finance options
available?
21 43 65

Industry Leading
Client Satisfaction Ratings of 95%
417-682-5531
fecinc.com
From ini�al planning to execu�on, Finley Engineering listens to your
needs and works with you to implement cost eﬀec�ve engineering
solu�ons. Because at Finley, our clients aren’t just another project.
It’s personal. Your success is our success.
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Denison
Denison, Iowa, sits between two rivers in the north-
western quadrant of the Midwestern state. Electricity
has been flowing in the town of less than 9,000 since
1894 but Denison Municipal Utilities was not incor-
porated until 1914. Shortly thereafter the first power
plant and related facilities were built. Since then,
the utility has delivered electricity at low rates, even
through severe flooding. Recently, Denison transi-
tioned to an automated metering system and is in the
process of replacing its streetlights with LEDs.
Obstacles
Due to its location between the East Boyer and North
Boyer rivers, Denison has suffered two severe floods.
In 1990, both the utility’s 69-kilovolt substations were
flooded, interrupting all electric services. Employ-
ees worked tirelessly to bring the electricity back.
Denison has mitigated the obstacle by installing levies
surrounding critical infrastructure and relocating
some major equipment.
Continuing the Fight
Denison Municipal Utilities delivers some of the
lowest electricity rates in the nation thanks to its
Western Area Power Administration hydropower al-
location and its participation in Missouri River Energy
Services, the region’s joint action agency of which
Denison was a founding member. Keeping rates low
is what Denison strives for, because in public power,
customers are a utility’s stakeholders.
Working cooperatively is not only something Deni-
son applies with other utilities, but in its community
as well. Operating a public power utility takes the
cooperation and coordination of an entire community.
Nothing gets done without working together. n
- Mark Ramthun, General Manager

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