The Public Power News Team
May 2012
“There never has existed greater need than at this time for … a well-established central bureau of information; means of distributing printed matter relating to such experiences and, particularly, to methods of procedure in our relations with federal authorities; methods of securing priorities in the interests of defense production; and in furtherance of the natural welfare,” said APPA Vice President E.F. Scattergood in the second issue of Public Power newsletter, dated March 11, 1942.
The Right Software Applications Integrate Core Utility Functions
May 2012
Through investments in utility software applications provided by a single vendor, the Clinton Utilities Board in Tennessee has taken a step-by-step approach to reaching a maximum level of customer support and operational efficiency.
Learning to Serve
May 2012
When it was time to re-organize the utility’s customer service department for the city of Georgetown, Texas, Kathy Ragsdale drew on her years of experience and
the strategies she learned in the American Public Power Association’s Customer Service Management certificate program.
From Ash to Assets
May 2012
Ever challenged to find ways of making energy that is more economical and environmentally friendly, Platte River Power Authority investigated how fly ash from its coal-fired Rawhide Energy Station could be transformed into tiles for the exterior of houses.
Doing More with Less
May 2012
Because of its proximity to an expanding airport, College Park, Ga., has had to deal with losing customers and revenue. Yet the resolve for reliability and excellent service has never diminished.
The Future for Fuel Cells
May 2012
A conversation with Robert Remick, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Creating the Green Neighborhood
May 2012
For a good part of 2010, Orlando Utilities Commission in Florida, in partnership with the city of Orlando, provided homeowners in some of the least-efficient homes in Orlando with free energy-efficient upgrades and repairs.
Solar Storms and the Grid
May 2012
When most people think of the term “solar power,” they think of how the sun’s energy can add generation to the grid. However, there is another kind of “solar power”—one that some think could shut down the grid possibly for months.
The Reliable Grid
May 2012
Compliance with NERC reliability standards—and proof of that compliance—costs many public utilities a lot of time and money. Does it make a difference?
Knowledge, Experience, Commitment 
March-April 2012
Fourteen public power engineers, safety managers, and environmental experts draw upon 289 total years of experience to serve as APPA Engineering and Operations Section officers.
Keys to a Culture of Safety
March-April 2012
In 2011, 104 APPA members received APPA Safety Awards. Winners from last year Greenville Utilities Commission in North Carolina, Dover Public Utilities in Delaware, and Salt River Project in Arizona share the ways they have improved safety.
A Smarter Path to the Smart Grid
March-April 2012
A wealth of experience and lessons are available from past technology investments, actions, and developed intellectual capital. Based on these, different approaches to smart grid are considered as opposed to the traditional asset ownership and deployment.
Mutual Aid Comes of Age
March-April 2012
In decades past, most public power utilities called on friends in nearby utilities for assistance when they were recovering from storm damage. While the concept worked to a degree, it was far from maximally effective and comprehensive.
Santa Ana Tempest
March-April 2012
With help from other public power utilities, Pasadena Water & Power worked around the clock to restore power after a devastating windstorm.
Blowing Back Against Canyon Winds
March-April 2012
Fierce winds knocked out power to more than 50,000 customers in Bountiful and Kaysville, Utah, last December. But public power utilities in the state joined forces to repair the damage.
Testing the Waters of Advanced Metering Infrastructure
March-April 2012
The potential advantages of advanced metering transcend traditional roles of customer meters. Several municipal utilities are trying out the technology.
Charge It: Smoothing the Road for Electric Vehicles
March-April 2012
Public utilities around the country are helping to develop charging networks that will support the wider use of electric vehicles.
What Gets Measured, Gets Done
March-April 2012
The case for organization-wide commitment to electric utility safety best practices
Where Great Minds Reside
March-April 2012
Idaho Falls, home to a prominent national energy research facility, has been fostering new ideas for more than a century.
A Classic Existence
March-April 2012
A small city in northern Idaho has owned its own electric utility since 1921. Ninety-one years later, pride of ownership is undiminished.
Perspective
Defending the Role of Federal Power Marketing Agencies
by Mark Crisson, APPA President & CEO
May 1, 2012
In mid-March Energy Secretary Stephen Chu called on the administrators of the four federal power marketing agencies to lead the modernization of the electric utility industry.
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Public Power is published eight times a year by the American Public Power Association. Opinions expressed in single articles are not necessarily policies of the association.
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Editor
David L. Blaylock
202.467.2946
dblaylock@PublicPower.org
Senior Vice President, Publishing
Jeanne Wickline LaBella
202.467.2948
jlabella@PublicPower.org
Art Director
Robert Thomas III
202.467.2983
rthomas@PublicPower.org
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