Safety Training is Everyone's Responsibility
by Dave White, Executive Director
As recent events in Florida and Puerto Rico demonstrate, public power employees are often called upon to perform dangerous work. That is why it is especially important to reinforce the message that safety training is everyone's responsibility. The goal of this training is to ensure that employees are introduced to the procedures necessary to safely perform their duties. NEPPA is your safety training partner and we are here to assist you with classroom and hands-on learning.
NEPPA's
2018 NEPPA Training Catalog is
now available on our website (registration will be open ASAP). This is also a great opportunity to familiarize yourself with the applicable safety laws and regulations. Our electric cooperative and affiliate members fall squarely under
OSHA. For our municipal members, it depends on whether you are in
Connecticut,
Maine,
Massachusetts,
New Hampshire,
Rhode Island, or
Vermont, though most of these states directly or indirectly reference the OSHA standards.
Please take the time to review our catalog and think critically about the courses you select for 2018. We are also always looking to improve our programs; if you have any requests or suggestions, please feel free to contact us at (978) 540-2200.
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Upcoming Training & Events
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Only two weeks away, register today!
Only two weeks away, register today!
Only two weeks away, register today!
Protection & Control Commissioning of Substations
, October 19 (Waltham, MA)
Free Workshop offered by OMICRON. Advanced registration required.
Free workshop including on-site visit of Sterling Municipal's Energy Storage Project.
Only two weeks away! Register now!
Registration Now Open!
Lunch & Learn - Salesforce,
October 30 (Littleton, MA) *
Path to Modernization
Registration Now Open!
New Dates!
Registration still open!
Registration Now Open!
SAVE THE DATE
Engineering & Operations Conference and Expo, May 2 - 3, 2018 (Worcester, MA) *
Annual Conference, August 19 - 22, 2018 (Falmouth, MA) *
* Registration Not Yet Open.
If you're interested in attending any of the above events, please
email Sarah Klingler, Director of Programs & Services at sklingler@neppa.org to be notified as soon as registration becomes available.
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Training & Events Highlight
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Earn CEU's at NEPPA with APPA's Public Utility Accounting Courses:
Members: $695 | Non-Members: $1,290
Members: $495 | Non-Members: $945
Members: $695 | Non-Members: $1,290
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2016 General Foremen's Roundtable
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General Foremen's Roundtable
October 25, 2017
NEPPA's Training Center
Littleton, MA
Join your colleagues to discuss current best practices, challenges, and opportunities or suggest new discussion topics for the roundtable.
Registration Fees
Members: $50 | Non-Members: $75
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Community Solar Farms
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony a Success |
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Photo by Deborah Damm
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Groton, CT
- From the sounds of
the national anthem sung by the Fitch High School chamber choir to the ceremonial cutting of the red ribbon, the celebration of the completion of the three solar farms in the Greater Groton (CT) Community was a resounding success.
The ceremony at Polaris Park, the site of the largest of the solar farm sites, was marked by a positive response of representatives of the community team that constructed these renewable energy facilities.
The three solar facilities are expected to produce nearly eight (8) million kilowatt-hours of electric energy annually, including the following approximated lifetime benefits:
- 833 homes served 100 percent annually by solar energy;
- 94,000 tons of carbon eliminated;
- 1,137 cars removed from the road;
- 9,600,000 of gasoline avoided;
- 140,000 tree cleansing properties annually.
The site also contains electric storage capacity. When this storage is used in conjunction with the solar, it provides critical resiliency during the duration of the power outages.
The storage is large enough to extend electric supply for the equivalent of 100 homes for a 24-hour period.
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Washington Electric Co-op Joins Vermont Utilities to Sponsor
Electric Grid Innovation and Business Development Accelerator
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East Montpelier, VT -
Washington Electric Co-op and all 19 other Vermont utilities are sponsoring Accel-VT, a new climate economy business accelerator, offered free to entrepreneurs throughout North America. The program combines the twin goals of adapting the electric grid for a future powered by renewable energy, and drawing business and innovation to Vermont.
"Vermonters have a long history of leading the way rather than waiting for others," said Patty Richards, WEC General Manager. "We're creating an opportunity for some fresh thinkers to put their good ideas into action with the goal to stabilize our grid and preserve our natural resources while growing jobs in our communities."
The program, which takes place both in Vermont and virtually over three months, gives participants access to and support from Vermont's already strong climate industry. Additionally, participants will have the chance to win one of two $25,000 prizes and pitch their businesses to investors.
All Vermont utilities are uniting to sponsor this program because "we win as an industry if there's some new tool we can use to manage load, in software development, or to better communicate with the grid," said Richards.
The Accel-VT deadline is Oct. 6. Details and application are at
accel-vt.com.
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| Northern Reliability (NRI) Relocates to Larger Facility as Energy Storage Booms |
Vermont
- Northern Reliability, Inc. (NRI) has announced its plans to relocate the company's main headquarters and production facility from its founding location in Waitsfield, Vermont to a larger property located in Waterbury, VT in order to meet the company's recent growth and business needs.
Since being awarded a contract by Xcel Energy (Public Service Company of Colorado) to design, build, and commission a first of its kind modular distributed fleet energy storage system for the Stapleton Battery Pilot Project and that project's subsequent publication in T&D World Magazine in February of 2017, interest in NRI's already growing business has accelerated dramatically.
According to Jay Bellows NRI's President and CEO, "NRI's energy storage engineering group is one of the most experienced in the industry and with that experience has come an influx of requests for our customized energy storage solutions..."
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Free Social Media Kit Available for
National Cyber Security Awareness Month
SEDC has put together a
free Social Media Kit for utilities to use during the month of October, which is
National Cyber Security Awareness Month
.
It's a collection of suggested posts, graphics, and videos that utilities can use on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn platforms.
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Welcome to Our Newest Affiliate Members!
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Energy Policy: FERC Nominees Advance, "Powering Americ" hearings continue...
Tax Reform: Draft outline preserves exemption for municipal bonds...
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APPA Wireless Pole Attachment Webinar Series
Starts October 19!
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Series Overview:
The American Public Power Association's Academy is offering a
series of two webinars
on wireless pole attachments. Hear from industry experts about growing requests for attachments of small cell facilities or distributed antenna systems. Receive updates and insights into the main issues confronting utilities in managing wireless attachments.
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This webinar will address the facts and myths surrounding Small Cell Wireless, 5G, and other next-generation wireless technologies, as well as the challenges and opportunities that these developments create for public power utilities. This webinar will also explore current efforts to streamline the make-ready process, including One-Touch-Make-Ready.
More than two dozen state legislatures have considered bills aimed at removing supposed local government barriers to wireless broadband deployment in the public rights-of-way, mandating access to public power utility poles and streetlight poles under regulated rates, terms, and conditions. At the same time, the FCC has launched three proceedings that could result in new regulations governing wireless access to public power utility poles. This webinar will provide an overview and update of these developments and will analyze how they could potentially impact public power utilities.
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