From 2-4 August, the 2021 EEA Conference was hosted in Wellington, where PSC was the major sponsor. Our attendees included Peter Brown, Errol Bebbington, Rob Lake and Stephen Butler from PSC, along with Phil Shepard from Harmonic Analytics, representing the recently announced partnership between PSC and Harmonic.

Peter Brown, PSC’s New Zealand General Manager speaking at EEA2021 in Wellington, NZ.

Peter Brown, GM of PSC NZ, presented on “The Changing Networks in a Low Carbon Environment” which took a deeper look at how human interactions and networks have changed over the last few years due to the impact of the pandemic, taking into account the ways we live, work and play. The negative effect of border closures and increased social isolation is causing a reduction in cohesion and connectivity which is already having a detrimental effect on society. We need to re-engage as best we can. Little things make a difference for connecting, for example, turning on your video camera during a call.

Peter also discussed how a good deal of the energy planning we are doing now will have an impact on future generations. For this reason, we need to do our best, and as best we can, be ready to cope with a ‘bit of messy’ i.e., not perfect solutions that may need to be adjusted and changed as things develop. This includes looking for innovative ways to connect with other groups and companies benefiting all, e.g., partnerships, training and knowledge sharing.

PSC Principal Engineer in Studies & Planning Rob Lake presenting at EEA2021.

PSC’s Principal Engineer in Studies and Planning, Rob Lake, also presented at the conference on his paper, “Laser, EMF and camera monitoring of a transmission line span to observe and analyze swing of different conductor types” based on a project undertaken by PSC, Line Vision and AECOM for Transpower. The project combined laser data, line current and weather data to analyze conductor swing on a double circuit line which has different conductor types on each circuit. The project aimed to determine if a double circuit outage may be required for safety reasons when re-stringing lines.

Due to COVID restrictions preventing our Australian colleagues from coming to the conference, coupled with the rescheduling of the conference, attendee numbers were down slightly from previous years, however, the conference was still a great opportunity to reconnect with people from around the industry. Credit to the EEA for putting on a great conference through uncertain times and managing to reschedule the event and secure a venue at short notice.

One of the key takeaways from the conference was the challenge facing New Zealand’s electricity sector of meeting net-zero carbon targets. The workforce panel session highlighted the obstacles we need to overcome as an industry to develop a workforce and work collaboratively to meet the target.

Are you looking for a partner to help you navigate toward net-zero? Contact the experts at PSC to engage in a conversation about how we can help you prepare for the energy transition.