New system modernizes operations, reduces costs, and further enhances reliable power supply for the utility’s broadly distributed service area
BRAMPTON, ON — May 30, 2018 — Survalent, a leading provider of advanced distribution management system (ADMS) software, today announced that Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative (“Bluebonnet”) has successfully completed its implementation of SurvalentONE SCADA, FLISR, and Rotational Load Shedding (RLS). This system modernization enables Bluebonnet to improve load forecasting to meet demand more cost-effectively, adhere to regulatory requirements, and more quickly restore power to its members, all with an outstanding total cost of ownership.
Bluebonnet is one of the largest electric cooperatives in central Texas serving 96,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in 14 counties across 3,800 square miles. Their broad service territory created challenges for the basic SCADA system Bluebonnet deployed in 1983. Five years ago, Bluebonnet undertook to modernize its systems, adding cellular reception to network devices to improve its communication network. The utility also began evaluating options to upgrade its SCADA system with a focus on distribution management and self-healing systems to be able to restore power more quickly in critical areas, including the densely populated Austin suburbs and important commercial and industrial areas. Unfortunately, the chosen system failed to meet expectations which forced Bluebonnet to make the difficult decision to replace it with SurvalentONE after only two years.
“Survalent has more than lived up to our high expectations for usability, performance, and support,” said Ronnie Bludau, IT manager for Bluebonnet. “We received positive references from Survalent customers during the selection process and our experience to date has mirrored the information that we were provided. We went live with SCADA, FLISR, and RLS in just six months, and the support we’ve received since implementing the system has been outstanding. We’re extremely pleased with our decision to switch to Survalent.”
Bluebonnet has already noticed an improvement in operational efficiencies and expense reduction. Right away, they were able to reduce their hardware requirements by six servers. Control room operators have expressed great satisfaction with the new system, noting the ease of use of the SmartVU interface, the photo-realistic device templates, and the ability to review switch orders before operating FLISR. In addition, WebSurv and SurvCentral were also installed, giving Bluebonnet’s technical services personnel web and mobile access, respectively, to the ADMS for the first time ever.
“We have far more insight into our networked devices and substations than with the basic SCADA we used in the past,” continued Bludau. “We now have the ability to see devices downstream, do better load forecasting, pinpoint fault locations more precisely, and remotely reconfigure the network. On top of that, we see our investment in FLISR as a game-changer for restoring power faster in critical areas.”
Bluebonnet continues to evaluate solutions that will help minimize downtime for their members. The utility recently completed a pilot of SurvalentONE Dynamic Voltage Regulation (DVR) and has identified Power Factor Control as a solution for its 2019 roadmap.
“We recognize the risk Bluebonnet took in switching to Survalent so soon after investing in a competing system,” said Steve Mueller, president and chief executive officer of Survalent. “We couldn’t be happier that they made the decision to standardize on the SurvalentONE ADMS platform and that our solutions have delivered tangible benefits so soon in the process. We’re extremely pleased to be working with such a progressive utility.”
About Survalent
Survalent is the most trusted provider of advanced distribution management systems (ADMS) for electric, gas, transit, and water/wastewater utilities across the globe. Over 600 customers in 30 countries rely on the SurvalentONE platform to effectively operate, monitor, analyze, restore, and optimize operations. By supporting critical utility operations with a fully integrated solution, our customers have significantly improved operational efficiencies, customer satisfaction and network reliability. The company’s comprehensive substation automation solution, Survalent StationCentral, delivers advanced control and monitoring for enhanced network performance and protection. To learn more, visit us at www.survalent.com. Follow us on Twitter @Survalent and LinkedIn.
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