Project to optimize data acquisition system to monitor facility performance

Knoxville, Tenn., December 6, 2002 -- Electrotek Concepts, a division of WPT, Inc, has been awarded a contract by Sandia National Laboratories to assist in the performance assessment of a large scale energy storage plant being built by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Electrotek will evaluate the data acquisition system for the plant, and will provide management of collected data and technical and economic analysis of the facility's performance.

TVA is building the plant near Columbus Air Force Base, Miss. in partnership with Regenesys Technologies Limited, AMEC Inc., and Day Zimmerman NPS. The plant will store electricity generated during off-peak periods for use when the need for power increases. The plant can store up to 120 megawatt hours of energy and provide power for 10 hours or more to some 7,500 homes. During periods of low demand for electricity, the plant is "charged" by a chemical process using power generated by other plants. The process is then reversed to transmit electricity stored at the plant when the demand for power rises.

According to Erich Gunther, Vice President of Technology and Information System Development for Electrotek Concepts, the project fits well with the company's previous work with integrating dispersed resources with utility power systems: "For a number of years, we have carried out projects to study and demonstrate the feasibility of using energy storage and distributed generation to support utility power systems that are experiencing or will experience constraints in their capacity. We have quite a bit of experience in this arena, and Sandia National Laboratories recognized that as being beneficial to this project."

Gunther will serve as the lead engineer for the project, which will include an assessment of the plant data acquisition system, collection of data on utility system operations and plant performance, and development of a data collection and management plan. The goal is a comprehensive look at how the plant operates and its performance under varying operating and load conditions. Electrotek will apply its expertise and several key software tools, including the Distco SuiteTM power system analysis package and the PQView® power monitoring data management and analysis platform, along with its powermonitoring.comTM control center, to devise methodologies and a system that can effectively assess the plant's performance.

The data collection project is expected to take four months following startup of the plant. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is conducting the performance assessment of the Regenesys Plant as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Storage System Program. The Energy Storage System Program was established to develop advanced energy storage technologies that increase the reliability and performance of the U.S. supply of electricity. Sandia is monitoring the plant's performance to collect, analyze, and distribute data on energy storage applications, systems, and products, helping to increase awareness of the technologies, operations and benefits associated with energy storage systems.

Electrotek Concepts is recognized as one of the world's premier electric power consulting firms. Specializing in utility and industrial power systems engineering, power quality management, renewable energy and distributed generation, Electrotek Concepts is a division of WPT Inc. WPT, headquartered in Edison. N.J., consists of Electrotek Concepts, Dranetz-BMI and Daytronic Corporation, three leading companies in the field of power quality and data acquisition instrumentation and management.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. With main facilities in Albuquerque, N.M., and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has major research and development responsibilities in national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness.

TVA is the USA's largest public power provider, and its power system is self-financed. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve 8.3 million consumers in seven southeastern states.