Winter Meeting 2001
Columbus, OH

Winter Meeting 2001, to be held in Columbus, Ohio January 28 to February 1, will feature a variety of technical, business, cultural and social experiences for members and students and their companions and children. This first Winter Meeting of the new millennium, incorporating the theme, "Turning The Century," will focus on Market Strategy and Concepts, Ancillary Services, New Operating and Equipment Concepts and Internet Applications

Technical Program

The technical portion of the program's panel sessions and papers will cover a variety of subjects of interest to engineers. They will include the following:

• Reliability
• Power quality
• Adaptive protection
• FACTS
• SVC
• Distributed generation
• Life extension
• Congestion management
• Advanced metering
• Superconductivity

Tutorials

Several informative and timely tutorial courses will be offered. Each course will last one day. Tutorial topics, which have been confirmed to date, are:

• Voltage and Lamp Flicker
• Use of EMTP in Power System Protection
• Power System Analysis Fundamentals

Plenary Session: "Energy and Information"

The Public Affairs Council's Plenary Session Committee will present the plenary session which will discuss future uses of information technology (IT) and expansion of power system communications capabilities to maintain reliable service while improving system operational aspects and efficiencies. The program will also include discussions on the use of power system communications bandwidth to facilitate energy and other trading opportunities. A panel of speakers with broad knowledge in these areas is being selected.


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Tours and Inspections

A variety of exciting technical tours is also planned. They include a visit to The Ohio State University High Voltage Laboratory. The lab has DC (up to 150 kV) and AC sources (up to 250 kV), a 1MV surge generator and a Tesla transformer (up to 2.5 MV). Withstand, corona and breakdown tests and gaseous, liquid and solid dielectrics, EMF tests, reduced-scale model tests, fog chamber tests and shielding and attenuation experiments can be performed. The laboratory is used for education, research and independent testing.

Also of interest is the inspection of the AEP Headquarters System Control Center and Telecommunications Network Management Center (NMC). Visitors will be able to view the impressive Control Center from the upper gallery. A description of the AEP Systems Operations, including the real time dynamic display board of the AEP electrical system will be provided. The NMC and adjacent telecom equipment room are the hub of all AEP voice, data and SCADA networks. The system includes microwave, fiber and dedicated leased lines. It is one of the largest private telecom networks in the country.

Participants can also tour Battelle Memorial Institute. Established in 1929, Battelle is a leader in developing new technologies and products for industry and government. Battelle has a worldwide staff of 7,500 working on thousands of projects for 2,000 companies and government agencies. Typically, this work results in between 50 and 100 patented inventions each year.

Conference attendees can observe the INEZ Station Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) -- the world's first and most advanced group of Flexible AC Transmission devices used to control the transmission system voltage and power flow. It is comprised of two 160 MVA voltage-sourced GTO-thyristor based inverters. It allows real-time control and dynamic compensation of the transmission system. The technology provides control of the transmission voltage, phase angle and line impedance.

AEP's Dolan Technology Center is another interesting tour. The facility's electrical laboratory includes high voltage bays, an 1100 kV yard, a new windmill project and more. Some AEP projects to be viewed include LTraX (GIS base time lightning tracking program), the DataPult energy management system and more.

In addition, the conference will feature tours of Honda of America's East Liberty Auto Plant - the most technically advanced auto plant in the world.

Attendees are also invited to tour the United States Air Force Museum near Dayton, Ohio. One of the oldest and largest aviation museums in the world, this museum features more than 300 aircrafts and missiles in six main galleries. The tour will include displays of the advanced missiles and bombs used during the Persian Gulf War as well as the aircrafts of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson .

Student Program

One of the highlights of industry meetings is the involvement of undergraduate and graduate students from around the world in conference activities. The interaction between industry leaders, professionals, faculty and students creates relationships that spur future collaboration, industry advancements, and more successful career opportunities. Such are the expectations of the Winter Power Meeting 2001, where students are expected to account for more than 10 percent of the registered participants.

The theme of the conference, "Turning The Century," will be incorporated into a focused Student Program that will be an integral part of the overall student experience. This program will include a student paper/poster competition, a student/faculty/industry luncheon, a Student Professional Awareness Conference including a panel addressing career issues, technical tours including tours of The Ohio State University High Voltage Lab and AEP's Dolan Technology Center, as well as social opportunities. In addition, students will participate in the overall conference program.

Students will not be charged a registration fee. A limited number of travel grants will be available to cover certain expenses of registered student participants. If students or faculty have specific questions, they may e-mail Tom Jones, Student Program Chair, at:tljones@aep.com.

Companion and Family Activities

The conference will include a number of Central Ohio's major attractions. These will include shopping excursions to the Easton Town Center and Jeffersonville Outlet Malls. A "Taste of Columbus" tour will feature a visit to the Anthony-Thomas Candy Shoppes chocolate factory, Graeter's Ice Cream and Cheryl's Cookies.

Companions are also invited to tour the Jeffrey Mansion and the Franklin Park Conservatory, enjoy a floral arranging session and go to lunch at the Columbus Country Club. More information on companion activities will be highlighted in the next issue of the IEEE Power Engineering Review.

Sunday Informal Reception

All registrants and their guests are cordially invited to attend an informal reception starting Sunday, January 28 at 4 p.m. This two-hour informal reception will include hors d'ouevres and a cash bar.

Conference Banquet

A complimentary gala banquet for all conference registrants and registered spouses will be held on Monday, January 29 in the Hyatt Regency Grand Ballroom. A social hour will precede the banquet dinner, which will be followed by entertainment.

Social Event

Tickets can be purchased for a social event on Wednesday, January 31. This event will be held at Columbus's fascination destination, the new Center of Science and Industry (COSI). At COSI, attendees will be dazzled, amazed and delighted as they explore one incredible world after another. Visitors can travel through time in the fictional town of PROGRESS, as they experience the years 1898 and 1962 and discover the hopes and fears surrounding the invention of electric light, the horseless carriage as well as the age of nuclear power and space travel. The LIFE exhibit tells the story of the human body - so that visitors can explore the workings of the mind, body and spirit through powerful, interactive exhibits. In GADGETS, participants can tinker around in a fascinating world full of fun and funky devices, explore lasers, gears, pulleys, giant propellers and more. Attendees can also explore SPACE, and celebrate humanity's unending quest into the cosmos in COSI's newest exhibition area.

Food and drink will be plentiful, featuring a sumptuous buffet which partiers can enjoy as you stroll through COSI's exhibit areas. No one should miss this opportunity to see one of the newest and largest interactive science museums in the world!

Presenters' Breakfasts

By invitation, the presenters, authors, panelists and session chairs will meet at a breakfast on the day of their sessions. This will enable them to become acquainted, discuss their session arrangements, confirm visual aid equipment and agree on session details.

Attendees' Breakfasts

All meeting participants are invited to enjoy a complimentary breakfast before each day's events.

Registration Information

Registration fees for IEEE members are $295 prepaid in advance if received by January 5, 2001, and $345 for members registering at the meeting. Nonmember registration fees are $425 prepaid or $475 at the meeting. You are invited to join IEEE and PES at the meeting; if you do, the $130 differential between member and nonmember fees can be applied toward your first year membership dues. Member and nonmember spouse/companion fees are $30 for advance and $35 for on-site registration. There is no fee for students with proper I.D. cards and no fee for Life Members and their spouses. Members of the press will also receive free admission. However, there will be a charge for the Awards Luncheon and other special activities shown on the registration form. All attendees are required to pay the appropriate fees. All registration and event fees must be paid in U.S. dollars.

Prepaid advance registration must be received by no later than January 5, 2001. Registration requests received after this date will be processed at the conference at the higher on-site rate. Badges and tickets for those who register in advance will be available in the Registration Area at the Advanced Registration pick-up desk after noon on Sunday, January 28th. Refunds will be issued for advance registration fees only if a written request is received by January 5th, 2001. There is a service charge of $30 for processing refunds.

On-site meeting Registration will take place on Sunday, January 28 from noon till 6 PM. Registration hours, Monday through Thursday, will be from 7:30 am until 4:30 PM. Registration will be at on the third floor of the Greater Columbus Convention Center, near the entrance of Battelle Hall, near the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Registration badges must be displayed for admission to all technical, panel, special and tutorial sessions, inspection trips and spouse/companion activities.

The Advance Registration form is available (PDF: 13kB, 1pp) in Portable Document Format (PDF).

The Author Registration form is available (PDF: 17kB, 1pp).

The Hotel Reservation form is available (PDF: 11kB, 1pp). In addition, housing requests may be made on-line.

The exhibitor insert is available (PDF: 36kB, 2pp).

A brochure detailing the meeting is also available (PDF: 543kB, 12pp).

Accesses since 4 October, 2000.