The fourth annual Utility Products Conf. & Expo (UPCE) features an unusual surprise this year: three Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) robots demonstrating their mad skills onsite.
UPCE has everything a utility worker needs to do his job—from tools to cutting-edge technology to the latest insider information. UPCE is bringing a lot of hands-on expertise to Texas this Jan. 24-26 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio
Robots Galore
By far, the biggest UPCE buzz this year centers around that trio of robots. EPRI has generously agreed to show off two of their cutting edge power industry research robots, Ti and Scotty, at the show. The third robot will have its grand unveiling at the event and is a hush-hush secret until the reveal on Tuesday, Jan. 24 on the exhibit floor.
The first robot is nicknamed “Ti,” which is short for “transmission inspection.” Shaped a bit like a giant’s breadbox, Ti can be permanently installed and cover about 80 miles of power line a couple of times each year as it “crawls” along the line identifying numerous issues from grass and trees too close to the right-of-way to just how components along the line are weathering the wilds.
The second robot, Scotty, looks a bit like the classic NASA lunar lander. Scotty will demonstrate his lighting measurement skills in a roving display on the Utility Products Conference & Exposition's outdoor exhibit floor.
The third robot is still a secret, but it’s rumored to be an exciting advancement in inspecting tricky bits of equipment. More will be revealed at the show.
Session Details
Robots aren’t the only reason to attend UPCE, however. The show will offer a number of informative conference sessions.
UPCE officially kicks off with an opening keynote session on this Tuesday morning, Jan. 24, 2012. After the keynote, the conference itself is open for business with a bevy of learning opportunities.
Experts from the Electrical Industry Training Institute (EITI) will present a number of sessions during the conference, including a two-part session on managing electrical operations. This industry overview will provide utility management personnel with an orientation to T&D hardware and equipment, including underground distribution and substations. Session participants will leave with an enhanced knowledge of an electrical utility operations system.
Speaker Gerry Bramhill will helm both parts. Part 1 will cover maintenance, best work practices and field management. Part 2 will cover hazards, safety training, bonding and auditing.
Arkansas State University’s Dr. Duane Doyle will speak on developing occupation programs at local community colleges during the conference. Today, occupational options and certification courses can be found popping up in regional colleges all over the country. This session will look into creating and growing those programs in your community to educate the work force of the future.
UPCE will also present a two-part session on occupational grounding. Matt Dell with Hi-Line Utility Supply Co. will run the first part, giving an overview of best practices and standards. Steve Gordon with Hubbell Power Systems/AB Chance takes over the second hour with an insider’s look at equi-potential grounding including its history, the effects of current on man and the use of mats, among other topics.
Our EITI experts return with a session on understanding switching best practices. Tim Lollar will show the best ways to use switching for maintenance, fault clearing and reliability.
Bill Neiles with the National Utility Industry Training Fund (NUITF) will discuss crafting training and development for line workers during UPCE. This session will draw on the expertise of NUITF’s partnership between utilities and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to give attendees a peek into their hands-on utility boot camps to screen newbies.
Finally, local utility CPS Energy discusses adopting lessons from local smart grid work. This session will offer first-hand experience and lessons from a utility’s actual and on-going advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and distribution automation (DA) implementation.
Additionally, EITI will offer some precourses on qualifying employees to work near high voltage substation equipment and high voltage substation grounding and bonding on Monday, Jan. 23, 2012, before the show begins. More information on those precourses can be found online at http://eiti.us/upce.html.
Other Informational Options
Outside the hour-long conference sessions, UPCE will include half-hour robot demonstrations multiple times daily Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Jan. 24-26.
Bulli Ray will present thirty-minute attack prevention courses to teach field workers to fend off an aggressive dog. Those demonstrations, which will include live dogs, will be ongoing in the outdoor exhibit area twice daily Tuesday, Wednesday and Thurday during the show.
Omicron will bring the company’s product bus to the show, offering show ten-minute courses on testing reclosers, sectionalizers and power quality meters, setting up a protection test library, understanding transformer diagnostics, and utilizing IEC 61850.
Also, each UPCE exhibitor will set aside 15 minutes during the show to offer a product demonstration, showcasing the company’s product or service to conference attendees.
All of these demonstrations, along with times and locations, will be listed in the show guide available onsite.
Just for Fun
All UPCE attendees should plan to kick up their heels at the Round ‘Em Up Networking Party on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. Pack your cowboy boots. It’s time to party western style. This year’s even will include the Texas Unlimited band, food, drinks and bucking a mechanical bull.
The UPCE exhibit floor offers other options for fun as well, including an opening reception with drinks on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, and the “It’s 5 O’ Clock Somewhere” happy hour with exhibitors on Wed., Jan. 25, 2012, right before attendees rush to the boot-scootin’ network party.
As you walk the floor, watch carefully for a few Hooters girls. A handful of the local beauties will be available for snapshots and autographs, along with their duties as hostesses at the cash prize giveaway.
The cash prize giveaway will be featured on the UPCE exhibit floor all week. All attendees are eligible to enter the contest. Just get your passport stamped by all the sponsors, and your name may be called to get a few minutes in our money machine. The Hooters girls will escort your trip in and out of the booth. You may go in broke and come out ready to buy the next round.
So join us for UPCE 2012 Jan. 24-26, 2012, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. I look forward to seeing you there. (I'll be the girl in the cactus-design cowboy boots.)
More information on the show can be found at http://utilityproductsexpo.com.
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