PLTE - Architecture Decisions and Considerations for Successful Deployment

This webinar was originally held on October 24th, 2023, and is now available for on demand viewing.   
Duration: 1 Hour
Sponsor: Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc.

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Summary

The list of utilities deploying or interested in deploying PLTE networks is growing rapidly. This is due to many factors, including the availability of spectrum, better control for overall communications needs, consolidation of multiple communication platforms, etc. But the real driver for this is the wide range of capabilities being enabled by distribution modernization and other grid improvements that now require a multitude of communications resources and a large number of monitoring points. In this panel discussion, we will dive into the decisions that need to be understood when selecting an architecture. We will also explore some of the less-realized controls and improvements that drive these decisions. We will talk with utilities that have ventured into the PLTE world and quickly realized there were many more decision points than expected.

Speakers

Bruce Albright leads Burns & McDonnell’s 4G/5G wireless business line where he is partnering with utilities to help them assess their wireless communication infrastructure. He has more than 30 years of experience in wireless telecommunications systems. His team deployed the first utility owned, private LTE network in the US. Relying on his extensive experience and technical background, he enables his clients to make sound business decisions by providing practical advice on all aspects of projects including total cost of ownership, asset utilization, technology evaluation, throughput for modern utility applications, and long-term operations planning.

J.J. Stutler is the Manager of Wireless Engineering and Operations for Evergy, an Investor-Owned Electrical utility in Kansas and Missouri. Evergy serves over 1.6 million customers and covers an area of 49,000 square miles. J.J.'s team manages all aspects of Evergy's wireless infrastructure including the implementation of private LTE for grid modernization. J.J. has 30 years’ experience in the telecommunications industry with the last 8 years focusing on RF and network design in the electrical utility space.

Jeff Ogden leads the Broadband and Smart Grid Communications department. This consists of a 1,000+ mile network of fiber optics to support the Tampa Electric substations, power plants, and corporate offices. The communication network also consists of 28 towers, monopoles, and a team that supports the Land Mobile Radio system and the AMI/Streetlight backbone communications. He has more than 26 years of experience at Tampa Electric from managing the IT infrastructure networking to managing a team of carrier ethernet/DWDM engineers.He has been on a core team for the past 2 years researching, reviewing, and testing the technologies of a PLTE environment.

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