Grid Automation
Actalent delivers a full range of telecommunication services for electric utilities and their commercial carrier partners.
Whether it’s grid modernization, increasing grid resiliency and/or obtaining real-time operational data, we support a multitude of client programs. This includes everything from new construction for both wired and wireless technologies to legacy asset replacement involving generation, transmission and distribution.
Actalent provides customized solutions designed to meet your operational and procurement needs.
Our team, composed of diverse technical talent with proven experience, combines a wealth of utilities industry knowledge and expertise with the application of modern telecom technology and protocols.
Who We Are
Actalent’s grid automation team offers diverse, multidisciplinary engineering consulting services in telecom, transmission and distribution. The breadth and depth of our expertise allows us to integrate and implement technology while seamlessly bridging assets across your various functional boundaries.
Our team is composed of:
- Certified Networking Professionals: CCNA, CCNP, CompTIA, AWS, ITIL and others
- Professional Engineers — Civil and Electrical
- PMI PMP Certified Project Managers
Problems We've Solved
We developed the following solutions for our clients in support of modernizing the electric grid, bridging technology implementation and upgrading infrastructure:
- Transmission telecom modernization planning to replace aging equipment, implement diverse connectivity to 138 kV stations, and reduce costs by moving from leased circuits and cellular connections.
- Rural broadband project planning that involved scope of work, time and cost estimates, strategy, feasibility studies, as well as conceptual, functional and detailed deliverables. The projects ranged from 200–400 miles in length and $10–60 million in cost.
- Telecom network engineering and design work for utility service centers and crew offices. We engineered and designed the LAN network, WAN circuitry and connectivity, power for the equipment, and the grounding. We also ordered and configured equipment, determined connectivity needs and identified best carrier option.
- Mountain top tower project with terrain challenges requiring civil, tower structure, electrical and telecom deliverables, including telecom design that provided 800Mhz and microwave network coverage.
- Fiber installations involving route evaluation to identify potential issues, creation of issue-for-construction design packages, materials specifications and permitting services.
- Station-to-station fiber engineering and design (underground and aerial) to enable improved security and monitoring.
- Post-construction visual inspection of aerial fiber route. This project required recruiting and training inspectors experienced in fiber deployments, pole construction and inspection practices. Actalent worked with the client to develop the necessary forms for tracking routes, recording issues and reporting issues and status.
- Projects in urban, suburban and rural environments.
Our Expertise
- Network studies and feasibility: network architecture, diversity strategy, equipment, end-of-life evaluation, projected cost
- Cost analysis and comparison
- Forecasting: network plan, budgetary plan, deployment strategy, asset renewal, bandwidth
- Scoping, estimating and scheduling
- Overhead and underground fiber design services
- Fiber route planning and detailed design
- Route assessment/constructability analysis
- Permitting and Right-of-Way (ROW)
- Pole Loading Analysis (PoleForeman®/ikeGPS®, PLS CADD®, SPIDAcalc®, etc.)
- Network design, development, testing, installation, commissioning and support
- Inbuilding and service center telecom networks
- Device configuration and commissioning, scripts creation and device testing/audits
- Vulnerability analysis
- SCADA interfaces and implementation
- Field area networks (DA, AMI, SmartGrid)
- Ethernet/DWDM/optical networks
- ICON/SONET networks
- Rural broadband/middle mile design
- Radio/mobile broadband networks
- Microwave networks
- Microwave pole/tower and ancillary equipment
- Tower sites and facilities (new or upgraded)
- Site layout and design
- Fiber construction management and engineering support
- Fiber construction inspection
- Asset inspection/verification and condition assessment (and improvement recommendations)
- Post construction verification
- Project life cycle development and management
- Scoping, estimating and scheduling of capital projects
- Budget and cost management
- Coordination and management of various stakeholders, vendors, subvendors from concept to commission
- Portfolio and resource management
- Outage planning
- Electric utilities capital projects and programs
Industries We Support
Utilities
and Construction
Delivery Centers
Our engineering centers support the important work of utility companies across North America.
Standards
We utilize industry standards that include, but are not limited to:
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
- Telecom Industry Association Standards (TIA)/American Nation Standards Institute (ANSI)
- The American Society of Engineers (ASCE/ASCE 7)
- International CADD
- National Electric Code (NEC)
- National Electric Safety Code (NESC)
- National Electric Reliability Council (NERC)
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