Con Edison: newsroom - news release - 12 Con Edison Employees Win Prestigious Industry Awards

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Con Edison Media Relations
For Immediate Release: March 26, 2010
10:00 a.m.

In the Edison Tradition

12 CON EDISON EMPLOYEES WIN PRESTIGIOUS INDUSTRY AWARDS

NEW YORK – Twelve Con Edison researchers have earned Technology Transfer Awards from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) for projects that ranged from improving stray voltage detection to allowing utilities to monitor the North American power grid in real time.

The employees worked with EPRI on research in areas Con Edison identifies as vital to public safety and system reliability.

“The awards are a tribute to our employees’ dedication in finding practical solutions to the challenges facing our industry,” said Craig S. Ivey, the president of Con Edison. “The projects EPRI honored will make the streets safer and the delivery of electricity more reliable and economical.”

EPRI is a leader in research and development in the generation and delivery of electricity. The nonprofit organization seeks scientific solutions to make electricity more reliable, efficient, safe and environmentally sound.

The Con Edison honorees included four researchers who helped develop technology to pinpoint the location of stray voltage faster. They are: Stuart Hanebuth, manager in Distribution Engineering; Graciela Varela-Maloney, engineer in Distribution Engineering; John Publik, senior specialist in Distribution Engineering; and Frank Doherty, project manager in Research and Development.

The quartet worked on an application that is being added to the handheld devices carried by stray voltage inspection crews and underground troubleshooters. The technology helps crews determine whether stray voltage is on the neutral or phase conductor. By finding the location sooner, Con Edison can make repairs faster, removing a hazard.

Other Con Edison winners were:

James Haufler, senior engineer in Substation Equipment Engineering, and Matthew Walther, section manager in Substation Operations Planning. They worked with EPRI on a system that collects information about the performance of high-voltage circuit breakers. The information allows the company to overhaul or replace circuit breakers based on their performance rather than age.
Steve Kraemer, senior engineer in Substation Equipment Engineering, worked with EPRI to install a monitoring system at a substation. The system assesses the chances of a “flashover” on insulators and bushings that have been contaminated by ice or salt. A flashover may cause serious damage to electrical equipment and impact the electricity and steam supply.
Jade Wong, project manager in Research and Development. She worked with EPRI, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and other utilities on a visualization system that detects and locates large disturbances in the power flowing through the transmission systems in North America. With this new ability to see a large disturbance, operators may be able to take actions to prevent a cascading outage. This will improve the reliability of our large interconnected power system.
Donald Govel, analyst in Strategic Planning; William Slade, specialist in Environmental and Chemical Management; and Nelson Yip, project specialist in Energy Policy and Regulatory Affairs. They won recognition for analyzing potential greenhouse gas policies.
Ray O’Sullivan, program manager in Research and Development, who earned recognition for his leadership as a member of the Executive Committee for EPRI’s Technology Management Council.

Con Edison is a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. [NYSE: ED], one of the nation’s largest investor-owned energy companies, with approximately $13 billion in annual revenues and $34 billion in assets. The utility provides electric, gas and steam service to more than three million customers in New York City and Westchester County, New York. For additional financial, operations and customer service information, visit Con Edison’s Web site at www.conEd.com.

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