This lesson will introduce you to the term project and the siting criteria we will use for the project. The project will use what you have learned in the two Esri courses and apply that knowledge to siting a transmission line, using GIS.
Utilities have historically sited transmission lines through a process of selecting transmission line corridors, narrowing the corridors to an optimum corridor, and then selecting the most appropriate route through the corridor for the new transmission line. This process has evolved from a subjective, table-top exercise in the early days of siting, to a more transparent, objective analysis using GIS. The utility industry recognized the need to make the process more efficient and objective because of growing siting difficulties created by increased costs to site and build transmissions lines, increased regulatory oversight, and mounting opposition from the people and communities these new lines would pass by or through.
In this lesson, you will utilize the knowledge you have gained so far to begin a final project. The end result of the project will be a presentation explaining your best-selected route for a proposed transmission line.
By the end of this lesson, and using Sample GIS data, students will be able to do the following:
This lesson will take us one week to complete. Please refer to the Calendar for specific time frames and due dates. Specific directions for the assignment below can be found in this lesson.
If you have any questions, please post them to our Questions? discussion forum. I will check that discussion forum daily to respond. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses if you, too, are able to help out a classmate.
The final term project will involve using GIS to select the most appropriate transmission line corridor given three competing corridors (Lesson 9). Public opposition to the siting of transmission lines is a critical factor that must be addressed. In Lesson 10, you will have the opportunity to develop plans to address this opposition. The final aspect of siting a new transmission line is how the utility presents the final route selection to the public. Normally, this is conducted through a series of public meetings held in the area where the proposed transmission line will be constructed. In Lesson 11, you will have the opportunity to develop a presentation that will be used for these public meetings. Lesson 12 will have you acting as a "Corporate Transmission Line Siting Committee Executive" reviewing and commenting on the public presentation of one of your classmates. Finally, during Lesson 13, you will incorporate any suggestions from Lesson 12 and submit your final project for grading.
The term project will encompass Lessons 9-13. Each lesson will address a specific aspect of the siting process and will use the information you learned through the first 8 lessons of the course.
I will be treating this project as close to a real-world scenario as possible, with all the pitfalls, decisions and outcomes that are typically encountered in these types of projects. Because of this, I expect you to meet all deadlines, no exceptions…..as many of you know, that is the way it works in the real world with projects of this magnitude…..tight timelines, heavy workloads, etc.…..time is money and any internal or external delay escalates the final cost and prolongs implementation of the project.
You will be the project manager for this project and you will be reporting to me. I expect you to complete each segment of the project on time and in a professional manner. All materials created should be created by you and presented in a form that shows your understanding of the issues and reflects your professionalism. Presentations should be prepared and delivered with the intent that you are selling your final routing decision before the Champlain Power Transmission and Distribution Siting Committee. Your final presentation will help determine the amount of money Champlain Power will allocate to this multi-million dollar project, so your presentation skills will be on display. In Lesson 12, you will reverse roles and be a member of the T&D Siting Committee, where you will select a presentation of a fellow student and provide constructive, positive feedback on his or her presentation highlighting the positive aspects of the presentation and recommending improvements where help may be needed. Lesson 13 will have you refine and resubmit your final presentation, based on the feedback you receive from Lesson 12.
The term project will consist of the following parts:
Champlain Power, Inc. has submitted a request to the Georgia State Public Service Commission (GSPSC) to construct, operate, and maintain an overhead 345 kV High Voltage Direct Current transmission line named the "Nebo-Baskins Road Interconnect."The line would begin near Nebo just northeast of Dallas Nebo Road (Start Point) and run southwest to an existing substation southwest of Baskin Road (End Point) (Figure 9.2). The proposed transmission line will be approximately 3.5 miles in length, depending on the final siting decision for the line route. The public outreach and GSPSC reviews should be finalized by April 1, 2019. Construct on the new transmission line is expected to start in January, 2020.
This interconnect is needed to meet the projected demand for new residential, commercial, and light industrial service in the area. The United States Census, the Georgia Economic Development Agency, and local government data all point to increasing current and future needs for infrastructure additions to meet this growing demand. Internal projections made by Champlain Power also suggest the need to increase electric capacity to the area to meet future projected needs. Currently, the area serviced by Champlain Power serves approximately 150,000 residential customers; 7,500 commercial customers; and 1,200 light-industrial customers. Future demand projections (2020-2050) suggest the electric services will increase to 300,000 residential; 18,000 commercial; and 1,500 light-industrial customers. This demand cannot be met by the existing electric service, and a major expansion is required to meet this anticipated increase.
Champlain Power has selected three potential corridors for the planned overhead line interconnect. From these three corridors, a preferred corridor will be selected. Additional siting analysis will then be conducted to select the most appropriate route based on optimum natural environment, built environment and engineering environment criteria. This final route will be submitted to the GSPSC for review and approval. Initial construction will commence within 60 days of final GSPSC approval.
For the term project, you have been assigned as the project manager for siting the Nebo-Baskins Road Interconnect Transmission Line.You will be responsible for leading a team that will have full responsibility for selecting a preferred corridor, conducting the additional siting analysis, and selecting the most appropriate route for review and approval by the GSPSC. In addition, you will responsible for managing all community information outreach programs to keep the general public informed of the siting process and progress. The following two videos will give you a brief introduction to the project:
Most utility companies now use GIS to site new transmission lines, either using in-house developed siting methodology or relying on outside consultants to develop the GIS siting framework. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), a private R&D company closely tied to the utility industry, recognized the need to standardize the process of siting to bring even more objectivity, transparency, and creditability to the siting process. In 2002, EPRI joined forces with the Georgia Transmission Corporation (GTC) to study transmission line siting and develop a process to make siting decisions more quantifiable, consistent, and defensible.
We will use an abbreviated EPRI-GTC Overhead Electric Transmission Line Siting Methodology for the term project. The graphic below shows a generalized flow line of how this methodology works. Click on the graphic below for a brief explanation.
As the project manager, your first task will be to develop a background document outlining your understanding of the siting process and the assigned task. Specifically, you will need to answer the questions below from the Siting Transmission Lines Using the EPRI-GTC Siting Methodology document found in the Term Project Materials module. You will also conduct the siting analysis to determine the most appropriate location for the transmission line. Before the selected route can be made public, the actual location must be approved by our Transmission Line Siting Oversight Committee. In preparation for your meeting with the Committee, you will need to develop a background document including the items identified under ACTIVITIES>2. Activity>Part 2 below. REMEMBER: YOU ARE THE PROJECT MANAGER... TREAT THIS LIKE A REAL WORLD PROJECT... MEET DEADLINES, DELIVER A QUALITY PRODUCT, ETC... YOU WILL BE GRADED ACCORDINGLY.
Note: This assignment has two parts.
Caution! This exercise requires you to pay close attention to detail and follow the instructions completely. Failure to do so can result in completion delays, model run failures, and an unresponsive ArcMap.
PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS VERY CAREFULLY FROM START TO FINISH BEFORE STARTING THE LESSON 9 ArcGIS PROJECT.
I want you to be successful and have fun with the project…not become frustrated! So, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of following the instructions in Lesson 9 step-by-step! Failure to do so has resulted in students having problems. I would suggest you go so far as printing them off and checking off each step as they are completed. I would also highly suggest you run it from start to finish in one sitting.
I would suggest you run the model on your local computer. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions [1] for Lesson 9. If you do not find answers there, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Using a Word document or Google Docs, create a background document that includes the following elements:
If you are having problems, please consult the FAQ [1]for answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. If you don't see the answers you need there, post your questions to the Lesson 9 General Questions and Comments Discussion Forum.
Upload your paper to the "Lesson 9 Term Project: Project Background" drop box by the due date indicated on our course calendar.
I will grade your work using the Term Project Background Document Rubric [2]
Category | Weight | 40 - 31 points | 30 - 21 Points | 20 - 11 Points | 10 - 1 Points | 0 Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Title Page | 3% | Included project title, student’s name, course number and date |
Included only 3 of the 4 required elements | Included only 2 of the 4 required elements | Included only 1 of the 4 required elements | No title page or none of the required elements were included |
Brief description of the project | 10% | Brief, two-page, objective, technically written; description of the project; including the following topics: 1. Background Information 2. Location of project 3. Need for project 4. Projected outcome |
Brief two-page, objective, technically written description including topics 1-4 | Brief one-page, objective, technically written description but not including background and needs discussion. | A non-objective, nontechnical one-page description incorporating topics 1-4. | No project description presented |
Base map showing the study area in question | 37% | Complete base map showing the following elements: 1. Starting and ending points 2. North Arrow 3. Scale Bar 4. Legend 5. Buildings 6. Floodplains 7. Wetlands 8. Landuse 9. Project Boundary 10. Completed route map showing the selected route and the two alternative routes. |
1. Elements 1-4 plus 4 of the remaining elements. 2. Completed route map showing the selected route and one alternative route. |
1. Elements 1-4 plus 3 of the remaining elements. 2. Completed route map showing the selected route and no alternative routes. |
1. Elements 1-4 not displayed, but 2 of the remaining elements displayed. 2. Completed map showing all three routes, but no selected route. |
1. No base map presented, or no elements displayed on the base map. 2. Map showing no selected route or alternative routes. |
Route Evaluation Spreadsheet | 10% | Route statistics have been entered into each route category (9 numeric values total). | Route statistics have been entered for 2 of 3 route categories. | Route statistics have been entered for 1 of 3 route categories. | - | No route statistics have been entered into the spreadsheet. |
Conclusions and opinions about the best route identified in the Combined Rank Chart | 40% | Conclusion & opinions based on information gathered from 1) Background data, 2) Base map, 3) Selected route map and 4) Combined Rank Chart. | Conclusions & opinions based on information gathered from 3 of 4 criteria listed in 4 Point Column. | Conclusions & opinions based on information gathered from 2 of 4 criteria listed in 4 Point Column. | Conclusions & opinions based on information gathered from 1 of 4 criteria listed in 4 Point Column. | No conclusions or opinion presented. |
The grade for each category is calculated by multiplying the weight for the category times the number of points awarded for that category to arrive at the weighted score for each category. The final grade is the sum of all category-weighted scores. See the following example.
Category | Weight | Points Earned | Weighted Score |
---|---|---|---|
Title Page | 3% | 40 | 1.2 |
Project Description | 10% | 20 | 2.0 |
Base Map | 37% | 30 | 11.1 |
Route Evaluation Spreadsheet |
10% | 30 | 3.0 |
Conclusions | 40% | 30 | 12.0 |
Total Score | - | - | 27.3 out of 40 = 68% |
In this lesson, you learned how to use the EPRI-GTC siting document and answered the critical questions for understanding how the siting process works. You also completed the siting of the a new transmission line using GIS and presented the information in the form of a background paper for management review and approval prior to the public meetings.
You have finished Lesson 9. Double-check the list of requirements on the first page of this lesson to make sure you have completed all of the activities listed there before beginning the next lesson.
If you have anything you'd like to comment on, or add to, the lesson materials, feel free to post your thoughts in the Questions? Discussion Forum.