A Look at the Complexities of Energy Load Forecasting

Dianoush Emami has a background in electrical engineering, including extensive experience in the design and implementation of safety protocols and programs at power plants. Over the course of his career, Dianoush Emami has guided diverse geotechnical and structural elements for projects spanning power and water facilities, including the measurement and forecasting of electricity loads. 

The complexity of electricity load forecasting reflects the variety of generating units and their associated production capacities. Because it is difficult to store electricity, generation must meet consumption demands in real time to be profitable. “Electricity load” describes the direct relationship between electricity demand and electricity generation costs. 

Owners of generated electricity assets require an accurate forecast of expected load demands within specific markets. This is undertaken across forecast horizons ranging from as little as a single hour to a week or more. Factors taken into consideration include weather, season, day of week, and time. Accurate load forecasts require complex, nonlinear modeling of load-weather and other relationships.

Construction at Vogtle Power Plant Brings Jobs and Power

The recipient of a bachelor of science in electrical engineering (BSEE) from the University of Southern California, Dianoush Emami has led dozens of engineering projects for companies such as Bechtel Power Corporation over his long career. Among other notable projects, Dianoush Emami worked on specification administration for transformers, inverters, and other contracts at the Alvin F. Vogtle nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Georgia.

Construction on the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant began in 1974, with the first unit coming online in 1987 and a second unit opening in 1989. After nearly 20 years of service, officials determined that the plant was no longer adequate for the state’s power needs and approved a two-unit expansion in 2006. Construction on the two new units, which represented the first new nuclear construction in nearly thirty years, began in 2013 and is expected to be completed by 2020.

The new units will provide much-needed capacity to the plant and, once finished, will generate enough energy to power a half-million homes and businesses in the state. In addition to increased power production, the new construction at the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant will bring multiple benefits to the community. For example, the construction process has added more than 6,000 jobs in the area, with 800 of these positions transitioning into permanent roles once construction is completed.

An Overview of Standards Development at the IEC

Accomplished safety professional and engineer Dianoush Emami holds a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California (USC) in addition to professional certificates and credentials. A former director at WESCON, Dianoush Emami also has been engaged with several working groups responsible for moving substation automation specifications into the IEC standard for substation and distribution management systems.

IEC refers to the International Electrotechnical Commission, an international standards development organization founded in 1906. In addition to managing an educational academy and providing tools and expert resources, the IEC develops consensus-based electrical systems standards. The organization focuses its efforts on conformity systems for electrotechnology, which encompasses electronic products and systems.

The IEC employs a management structure headed by its Standardization Management Board (SMB). Meanwhile, technical advisory committees ensure coordination across workgroups, strategic groups focus on market needs, and systems workgroups collaborate with the technical community. In addition, technical committees and subcommittees reporting to the SMB are formed with a specific scope on an as-needed basis.

Vogtle Nuclear Plant Powers Georgians’ Lives for Three Decades

Since graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in electrical engineering, Dianoush Emami has amassed a range of professional certifications in his field. Over the past almost 40 years, the electrical engineer has brought an emphasis on safety, quality, and compliance to multiple projects for the utility industry. Among Dianoush Emami’s largest-scale efforts is his work on the Alvin W. Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant.

Mr. Emami handled the administration of technical specifications for this project, located in Waynesboro, Georgia, close to the state’s border with South Carolina. The plant was named for a prominent executive in the electrical industry.

The initial construction activity on the original two-unit Vogtle plant began in 1974, with its first unit becoming operational in 1987. The second of the units followed two years later. The Westinghouse Electric Company manufactured the plant’s pressurized water reactors.

Today, the combined power of the Vogtle plant is able to generate more than 2,400 megawatts, enough power to support half a million homes and businesses. The plant employs some 900 people.

Situated in a rural area that is home to a wide range of flora and fauna, the Vogtle plant has been certified as a Wildlife Habitat Council site for 25 years. Hundreds of acres in the plant’s vicinity have been replanted with native evergreen species, and its management has participated in local programs designed to educate the public about environmental issues.

In 2009, the plant received a 20-year extension to its operating license.

Previewing the 2018 IEEE Switchgear Committee Fall Meeting

Dianoush Emami is an electrical engineer with over 35 years of experience in the areas of electrical distribution and high-voltage transmission. In addition, Dianoush Emami serves as a member of several professional organizations, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Switchgear Committee. 

The IEEE Switchgear Committee will host its annual fall meeting between October 14 and October 18 at Marriott Downtown in Kansas City, Missouri. A valuable networking opportunity for individuals and businesses in the electrical engineering industry, the meeting will open with a Sunday-evening reception that allows guests to catch up with peers and meet first-time attendees. The gathering will also include a social event at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. 

Moving to the more technical offerings at the 2018 Switchgear Committee meeting, Monday proceedings will revolve around an afternoon training session, IEEE MS Word Template for Standards Development. The session is open to all attendees, but will be especially useful for active group officers. For more information about training sessions at the upcoming meeting, as well as materials regarding the 2018 Switchgear Committee Spring Meeting, please visit www.ewh.ieee.org.

IEEE Switchgear Committee Offers Reliable Power System Infrastructure

Electrical engineer Dianoush Emami received his BS from the University of Southern California. After his academic training, he worked for Bechtel Power Corporation, where he was in charge of the overhead and underground electrical engineering team. Moreover, Dianoush Emami is a member of the IEEE Switchgear Committee.

One of the Standards Developing Technical Committees of the IEEE Power & Energy Society, the Switchgear Committee consists of technical professionals and managers representing manufacturers, consultants, vendors, and consumers of electrical switchgear.

The Switchgear Committee recognizes and works toward the Society’s need to develop and maintain a safe and reliable power system infrastructure. Its scope of responsibilities includes dealing with matters related to the design, construction, and device operation that affect electric circuit connections. The treatment covers the automatic reclosers and sectionalizers, fuses and cutouts, gas-insulated switchgear, power circuit breakers, and other switchgear devices.

The Switchgear Committee also sponsors and develops standards, practices, guidelines and policies related to the various aspects within its scope. With over 200 members, it gathers twice annually at different North American locations.

RTUs and IEDs - Essential Components of a SCADA System

With almost four decades of experience as an electrical distribution and transmission high-voltage engineer, Dianoush Emami has enhanced the efficiency and performance of high-voltage electrical transmission equipment, components, and systems. During his career, Dianoush Emami created four task forces, one of which addressed remote terminal unit (RTU) and intelligent electronic device (IED) data exchange. 

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems collect data and control large-scale systems by monitoring network functions at the supervisory level. They can regulate a process, or control machinery. RTUs and IEDs are two components of a SCADA system that perform monitoring and controlling functions. 

An RTU is most often used in industrial environments for remote monitoring and control of automated devices and systems. A self-contained computer, an RTU has a processor, memory, and storage. It is intelligent enough to control multiple processes without user intervention or a master controller. This allows an RTU to send telemetry data to distributed control systems (DCS) and SCADA systems. RTUs monitor equipment within the SCADA system, including IEDs.

An IED creates communication between remote sensors and controllers and a communications network. It can control many parts of a piece of equipment so the equipment works in accord with the rest of a system. It also gathers information from power equipment within the SCADA system. For example, if an IED senses a certain level, such as voltage, is too high or low, it can initiate a control function to correct the level back within normal limits.

IEEE’s Power and Energy Society Switchgear Committee

An electrical engineer with more than three decades of experience as a safety and quality management professional, Dianoush Emami is responsible for the development and implementation of safety, health, and environmental programs. Dianoush Emami also belongs to multiple committees for the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), such as the IEEE Power and Energy Society (PES) Switchgear Committee. 

The committee produces and maintains documents for the IEEE C37 Standard Collection and keeps a record of important matters involving the electrical engineering practice, such as environmental effects and statistics for increased employment. Standards outlined by the committee support the need for continuing development, and an efficient power system infrastructure maintained through safety and reliability. Members of the committee consist of managerial and technical representatives from end-users, vendors, consultants, and manufacturers of electrical switchgear components.

Committee members oversee sponsorship and development for a number of operational points, including standards, policies, and recommended practices. They also handle matters regarding the design, construction, and operation of assembled gear and devices for electric circuits. The scope of these devices range from fuses and cutouts to gas-insulated switchgears and power circuit breakers. 

Committee meetings take place twice a year and focus on technical discussions with a strict non-commercial policy.

A Look at the California ISO’s Market Processes and Products

Dianoush Emami is a graduate of the University of Southern California and has served as a safety professional for nearly forty years. The former director of WESCON, Dianoush Emami has emerged as a leader in the safety industry due to the scope and quality of his work.

For example, Mr. Emami completed a technical audit for the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) that involved a review of the generation control systems for the state of California. An independent electrical grid operator, CAISO manages the flow and distribution of electricity across California’s electrical grid.

CAISO also operates a wholesale energy market that includes five core service offerings. In addition to a day-ahead market in which energy is distributed based on a bidding system, the organization manages a real-time market that allows utilities to purchase power to cover electrical shortages not met by bids placed in the day-ahead market.

CAISO also offers ancillary services to maintain grid stability, and financial instruments known as congestion revenue rights (CRRs) that allow utilities to address grid congestion costs. Moreover, participants in the electrical market can engage in convergence bidding through CAISO. Convergence bidding allows energy to be bought in the day-ahead market and sold in the real-time market.