Minnesota Power Deploys Smart Wires to Optimize Its Grid and Save Customers Money
September 27 2016 - 6:30AM
Business Wire
Minnesota Power and Smart Wires announced today their
partnership to deploy an innovative solution for optimizing the
flow of power on the grid. Smart Wires is a leading provider of
power flow control technology for transmission systems.
This first deployment of Smart Wires at Minnesota Power is
intended to be completed by the end of 2016 and will utilize Smart
Wires PowerLine Guardian® technology. PowerLine Guardians are
devices that are installed directly on existing power lines and
essentially act as valves for electricity. They can be implemented
to relieve heavily loaded power lines by pushing power onto other,
underutilized lines in the grid. The devices can be controlled
remotely by the grid operator or programmed to activate
automatically, responding to real-time line conditions.
“With Smart Wires we are able to optimize the use of our
existing infrastructure, enabling us to improve the overall
utilization of our assets and to save our customers money by
deferring the need for costly transmission upgrades. These
innovative solutions fit seamlessly into our Energy Forward
strategy to create a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future while
efficiently delivering the safe and reliable power our customers
rely upon,” said Al Hodnik, Chairman, CEO and President of
ALLETE.
The installation at Minnesota Power represents the first stage
of what is potentially a multi-stage deployment. The modular nature
of Smart Wires is uniquely advantageous, providing Minnesota Power
valuable flexibility in a time of increasing uncertainty around
future network needs. As the grid evolves, the Smart Wires solution
can be easily scaled to accommodate changing conditions on the
network. The technology is also easily re-deployable and can be
moved from one location to another to address emerging issues
elsewhere on the grid.
“The Minnesota Power deployment represents a great opportunity
for our team at Smart Wires to partner with an innovative leader in
the utility industry,” says Jim Davis, CEO of Smart Wires. “As
Minnesota Power continues to transition to a clean and dynamic
grid, our flexible and modular solutions are critical new additions
to their toolkit for solving challenges.”
By deploying Smart Wires, Minnesota Power joins a group of
leading utilities leveraging these solutions to solve a host of
unique challenges. Smart Wires’ unique modular approach to grid
infrastructure has several advantages over traditional power flow
control solutions that typically require long-lead times, are
highly complex, demand significant capital investment, and
ultimately represent single points of failure. Additionally, Smart
Wires solutions are typically more cost effective than conventional
system upgrades like reconductoring or building new lines. Utility
crews can typically complete PowerLine Guardian installations in
only a few days, dramatically reducing the amount of construction
activities that can disturb the environment and customer
communities.
“We believe this is a great first project for Minnesota Power,”
says Smart Wires Chairman Tom Voss. “We are excited to work with
this innovative industry leader and look forward to continuing our
collaboration by creatively delivering high-value solutions as part
of a cleaner, more modern and efficient grid for Minnesota Power
and its customers.”
About Smart WiresSmart Wires solutions are deployed at
leading utilities such as PG&E, Southern Company, TVA and
EirGrid. Our modular approach to grid infrastructure is unique and
has several advantages over traditional power flow control
solutions that typically require long-lead times, are highly
complex, demand significant capital investment, and ultimately
represent single points of failure. Smart Wires solutions can be
deployed incrementally and reconfigured as needs evolve, thereby
reducing investment risk, shortening lead times, and providing
flexibility in an era of increasing operational uncertainty. Smart
Wires is located in the San Francisco Bay Area with offices in the
United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland. More
information can be found at www.smartwires.com.
About Minnesota PowerMinnesota Power provides electric
service within a 26,000-square-mile area in northeastern Minnesota,
supporting comfort, security and quality of life for 144,000
customers, 16 municipalities and some of the largest industrial
customers in the United States. More information can be found at
www.mnpower.com.
The statements contained in this release and statements that
ALLETE may make orally in connection with this release that are not
historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Actual results
may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties and investors are directed to the risks discussed in
documents filed by ALLETE with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160927005344/en/
Minnesota Power/ALLETEAmy Rutledge,
218-723-7400Manager-Corporate
Communicationsarutledge@mnpower.comorSmart WiresDeanna Berardi,
775-200-7777Manager-Corporate
Communicationsdeanna.berardi@smartwires.com
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