Like STD Transmission operator? Standard Transmission Operator?
Professionals thread (work related)
- Thread starter Oswego
- Start date
PSU Taco85
Well-Known Member
Not familiar with that term, maybe ERCOT uses that to describe their operators? But I needed to pass this test to be able to operate any transmission equipment above 100kV within the PJM region.
Silverback
Lima Gulf Bravo Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
They put the STD in STUD. 
Ah, I do not know anyone/anything about operations at that level. The only thing I know about ERCOT is they are fighting to defend the Reliable in their name.
Silverback
Lima Gulf Bravo Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
If you pay attention you will see that the PUC dictates how Natural gas is distributed.. and NG was the issue. ERCOT was dealing with the power it had left.. thank your NG supplier. Wind was a fraction of the power to be used so when Abbot said that was the reason he was wrong.
Silverback
Lima Gulf Bravo Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
And tell the politicians to stop telling people to move here.. tell them to build some fucking power plants and something for water. Cause we will run out of both with the amount of immigrants coming in.
I saw where Abbott was quick to hammer ERCOT (a lot of us were) but in later digging the Texas Railroad Commission really dropped the ball. Even now in the after action reviews the Railroad Commission has not enforced the proper and necessary winterization of the NG distribution lines. ERCOT is an easy target and the Railroad Commission is happy to stay out of the spotlight.
I tell everyone I talk to that Texas is a flat, stupid hot, desert wasteland. Or Houston - which is worse.
Silverback
Lima Gulf Bravo Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
Yeah, and in reality IIRC a NG supplier can submit a form with like a $125 fee and it will get you out of winterizing your equipment at a site. So yeah, when they say that 95% of them have winterized... I don't really believe that.
Local guy in my neighborhood is one of the inspectors for the NG plants around my area. He was explaining how they have winterized from their lines back. The joke is that the lines to their plants have not been winterized.
PSU Taco85
Well-Known Member
Yes, in a cold weather emergency I believe NG suppliers will priority redirect flows to residential folks first for life safety vs. power plants. We are fortunate that up this way we have a decent portfolio of generation so lack of NG to combustion turbines wouldn't hurt us nearly as bad as it did down there during those type of emergencies.
PSU Taco85
Well-Known Member
ERCOT could probably increase their reliability if they so choose to by connecting to some of the other ISO/RTOs via AC power lines vs high voltage DC. The HVDC is good for tie flows but does not offer frequency support for the grid in the event of generation plants coming offline or unable to be started in an emergency. Will be interesting if they change how they interconnect with the rest of the "grid" in the coming years.
The state needs to start adding power plants. In the last 5 years I know of three power plants in my area alone that have either completely shutdown or moth-balled operations. @Silverback is right - the drastic rise in commercial and residential demand has way out paced the state's ability to provide power. Because we are in such a temperate climate (overall) there really is not a huge movement towards efficient construction at this time. Slowly that is changing but not fast enough to offset the growth difference.
PSU Taco85
Well-Known Member
That will definitely help too, whoever is in charge of their capacity planning down there is doing a shitty job! I'm amazed with how fast this country is expanding as far as homes and businesses go, that the number of larger power plants aren't going up to keep with the demand. Alot of larger baseload nuclear units have shutdown over the last 10 years, you need alot of wind turbines or solar panels to make up for one of them that shut down. Everyone assumed the answer to the power deficiency is just keep putting solar panels in and the government subsidizes those entities to entice people to put up the solar farms. What nobody realizes is that the amount of panels needed to offset a shutdown larger power plant is ridiculous and unrealistic. Solar is good to supplement but not replace. Even the larger wind turbines are maybe 5-10 MW best.
The local nuclear plant near me is supposed to be doubling from 2 to 4 reactors. That will be done just as soon as the energy prices and Sierra Club make it worth the $$$$$$ investment.
PSU Taco85
Well-Known Member
That would be good, Vogtle 3&4 are about to go into commercial operation in Georgia and TVA put Watts Barr U2 online in 2016. Nuclear still has a ways to go, this article just posted the other day and bad news for FP&L and Constellation Energy. Everyone wants carbon free energy and somehow nuclear always gets screwed while providing it
. I personally wouldn't hang my hat on too many more nuclear units being built in the next decade, which was one of my reasons for getting out of nuclear and into the regulated utilities side of the power industry.
Feds rescind license extension for Florida nuclear plant
Federal officials have reversed a decision to allow a South Florida nuclear power plant to continue running for another 30 years by ordering a new review of potential environmental risks, including those posed by climate change
abcnews.go.com
PSU Taco85
Well-Known Member
Got through the PJM Generation exam today, one more NERC certification and hopefully these types of tests are done for a while!
Silverback
Lima Gulf Bravo Foxtrot Juliet Bravo
A friend of mine got one of these, basically it eliminates a business card. Pretty damn slick. It has your info on it.. you hold it up to someones phone that you want to give them your contact information... and through the magic of the Chinese it transmits your contact info as a new contact on that persons phone. No app required. I'm gonna get one for the spouse. I don't need one.
dotcards.net
dot. cards - The Future of Networking
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dotcards.net
I think Samsung has this built in on their phones. You just tap your phone and it shares your contact info.A friend of mine got one of these, basically it eliminates a business card. Pretty damn slick. It has your info on it.. you hold it up to someones phone that you want to give them your contact information... and through the magic of the Chinese it transmits your contact info as a new contact on that persons phone. No app required. I'm gonna get one for the spouse. I don't need one.
dot. cards - The Future of Networking
Share your contact Info. Networking Made to last. There is No app required. The smart business card you are looking for. Best on the market
PSU Taco85
Well-Known Member
NERC finally sent me my TO certificate in the mail the other day, done with this blasted tests forever as long as my company keeps up with filing the CEUs 
