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The Advanced Security Acceleration Project for Smart Grid (ASAP-SG) was a collaborative effort led by EnerNex and involved multiple major North American utilities, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the United States Department of Energy (DOE), including resources from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. The…

(via BusinessWire) Knoxville, Tenn., USA, July 18, 2023 —EnerNex, a CESI company, a leading electric power engineering, consulting, and research firm, celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. Co-founded in 2003 in Knoxville, Tennessee, by Erich Gunther, Jeff Lamoree, and Bob Zavadil, EnerNex offers a cross-cutting blend of expertise in grid modernization planning and implementation; renewable energy…

David Mueller, Jens Schoene, Chandra Pallem, and Mariana Kamel will present at the 2023 IEEE PES General Meeting next week. We are excited to present on the following topics and look forward to engaging in conversations with our colleagues in the industry. Tuesday, July 18, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Mariana Kamel will speak on…

[A Publication From Our CESI Partner] Infrastructure and Environment: Are We Investing in Prevention? In this issue, we turn our attention to concerns that affect not only the energy sector but a multitude of industries. Our Group has plenty of experience regarding hydrogeological instability and the solutions that can be implemented to prevent it. Italy…

Longtime EnerNex employee Sandy Smith retired from EnerNex after 19 years with the company. Previously, he worked for Electrotek Concepts and SAIC. He served as a project manager for organizations such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory, EPRI, and the Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG). He also supported marketing and business development efforts at EnerNex. EnerNex’s…

Operational Technology (OT) Implications of the Recent SolarWinds Compromise Brian Smith bsmith@enernex.com 865-770-4853     The recent SolarWinds Orion compromise is a wakeup call to the very real threat that supply chain attacks present. While much of the attention and discussion about this compromise has focused on traditional IT environments, the implications of supply chain…

What is the Best Way to Manage Distributed Energy Resources? Kay Stefferud kay@enernex.com 865-770-4867   Kay Stefferud, EnerNex Director of Implementation Services, is a TOGAF® 9 certified enterprise architect with over thirty-five years of experience in systems engineering, cyber security, architecture, program management, product development, renewable energy projects, commercial communications devices, software applications, real-time sensor…

Utilizing Dynamic Line Ratings (DLR) in Operations and Markets: FERC Panel Remarks Sean Morash, EnerNex Senior Consultant, was a panelist at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Technical Conference on Managing Transmission Line Ratings in Washington, DC held in September 2019. smorash@enernex.com 865-770-4879   His prepared remarks – originally published via the FERC website Hello,…

Wi-SUN Alliance Blog: Addressing Utility Field Area Network Interoperability Jeremy Laundergan, Vice President of Consulting Services jlaundergan@enernex.com 865-770-4866   Originally published via Wi-SUN Alliance We take it for granted. Being able to connect our devices, computers and gadgets to a Wi-Fi network is fairly straightforward and routine. We have a new device or we are traveling,…

Architecture Plays a Key Role in NERC CIP Compliance Brian Smith bsmith@enernex.com 865-770-4853     If you have been involved with a utility’s compliance efforts associated with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) standards, you understand that documentation is everywhere. Nearly every aspect of the NERC CIP standards starts with…

Wind Plant Transient Evaluation Studies Power system apparatus, such as transformers, switchgear, and cables may be exposed to various types of transients. High-frequency transients and very steep overvoltages may cause problems for electrical equipment because they can cause local overstressing of the insulation system. Wind plant collector circuit breaker opening-and-closing operations and lightning surge events…

Electric Power Systems Flicker Analysis By: Bikash Poudel, Senior Consultant bpoudel@enernex.com 865-218-4600 x6168     Electric power systems flicker is a human perception of change in brightness level of lighting. The intensity of flicker is dependent on both the frequency and the magnitude of voltage fluctuations. There had been studies that showed the variations of…

Breaker Switching Analysis for Wind Power Plants By: Bikash Poudel, Senior Consultant bpoudel@enernex.com 865-218-4600 x6168     Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) switching for protection and control operations in electric power systems may cause high frequency transients overvoltage that can affect the transformers nearby. These transients exhibit phenomenon such as current chopping, pre-strike and re-strike. Studies…

Fault Induced Delayed Voltage Recovery (FIDVR) Phenomenon: Modeling and Guidelines By: Sarina Adhikari, Senior Consultant sadhikari@enernex.com 865-218-4600 x6177     Broadly speaking, voltage sensitive loads are classified into two different categories: static or steady state, and dynamic loads. Accurate modeling of loads in the simulation environment that can closely mimic the behavior of the real-world…

Do Team Building Exercises Work? By: Ron Chebra, VP of Grid Modernization rchebra@enernex.com 865-218-4600 x8108     A few years ago, I had the opportunity to participate in an off-site team building exercise in Belgium.  Upon reflecting on the particular challenge presented, I made the link to the meaningfulness of that very activity and the workplace….