CP&S Ch.1 Flashcards
Which type of utilities have stockholders?
Investor-Owned Utilities (IOU)
Approximately how many IOUs exist today?
100
This type of utility has stocks on public exchanges like the New York Stock Exchange.
Investor-Owned Utilities (IOU)
The name for city owned utilities.
Municipalities
Approximately how many Municipal utilities exist?
2000
What is a unique trait of municipal utilities?
They generally follow city limit boundaries.
Who passed the Rural Electrification Act?
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Who governs rural electric co-ops?
A board of elected officials who live in the service territories of the co-op.
T or F: Rural electric co-ops are for-profit organizations.
False, they are not-for-profit
Approximately how many RECs exist in the United States?
1000
T or F: RECs territory size can vary widely from one to the next.
True
Public Utility Districts (PUD) and Public Power Districts (PPD) are similar to what other power company?
Rural Electric Co-ops
T or F PUDs and PPDs are recognized by the federal government.
False, they are recognized by the state. RECs are recognized by the federal government.
In which states are PPDs and PUDs most common?
California, Washington, Oregon and Nebraska
What type of company delivers bulk power?
Generation and Transmission Companies (G&Ts)
Name the four power marketing administrations?
Bonneville Power Admin, Southeastern Power Admin, Southwestern Power Admin, and Western Area Power Admin
T or F: PUDs, PPDs, and Co-ops sometimes form G&Ts to provide bulk power to themselves.
True
T or F: Irrigation districts provide power as well as water.
True
What type of company is used when other power companies don’t have the time, resources, and/or man power to complete a project?
Line Contractors
What happened in the 1990s regarding line contractors?
Holding companies began purchasing the largest and most skilled line contractors, to that they could bid on the most profitable work.
Name the two largest holding companies?
The MYR Group and Quanta Services
Approximately how many miles of transmission lines are in the US?
160,000
Approximately how much money will be invested into the US transmission system by the year 2025?
$2 Trillion
Which company types of utilities typically serves more than 500,000 customers and has more than 2000 employees?
IOU, Large Municipal, or Federal Utility Structure
What are some characteristics of IOUs, Large Municipal, and Federal Utility Structure Utility Companies?
Serve large loads, have a large number of circuits and substations, own major transmission facilities, distribution circuits are heavily loaded, and has a power supply department which buys, sells and trades power.
Which type of utility company typically serves less than 100,000 customers and has less than 200 employees?
Small Public Power Utilities
What are some characteristics of Small Public Power Utility Structures?
Serve small loads, limited transmission systems, limited or no generation, and circuits will be quite long and have few customers per mile of line.
What are some characteristics of large line contractors?
Work on large utility projects on any level of the grid, employ more than 200 people, access to specialized equipment, may perform communications work, and a work area that could span the nation and beyond.
What are some characteristics of small line contractors?
Employ less than 200 people, limited bidding power on projects, perform small scale projects on any level of the grid, regionalized work area, and may perform communication work.
What are some entry level positions in the utility field?
Utility worker/Groundmen, Equipment Operator, Meter Reader, Meter Tester, Tree Crew Helper, and Warehouse Assistant
Name some positions in the utility field that requires some form of trade school.
Apprentice Lineman and Lineman
Name some supervisory positions.
Line Foreman/Crew Leader, Line Superintendent, Department Manager, Department Vice President, and General Manager
Besides entry-level, lineman, and supervisory positions name some other positions in the utility field.
Staking tech, system operator, inspector, substation tech, wind generation specialist, communications lineworker, manufacturer rep, and power plant tech
