#DigitalUtilities

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Exploring the World of Online Free Freelancers Tools: A Comprehensive Review

In the dynamic realm of freelancing, efficiency and productivity are paramount. As a seasoned freelancer, I have recently delved into the plethora of online free tools available to enhance my workflow. This review aims to shed light on my experience with these tools and their impact on my freelance journey.

Project Management Made Seamless: Trello and Asana

In my quest for streamlined project management, Trello and Asana have emerged as invaluable allies. Trello’s intuitive Kanban boards allow for seamless task organization, while Asana’s robust features facilitate collaboration with clients and team members. Both platforms have significantly improved my ability to track project progress and meet deadlines.

Enhancing Creativity with Canva and GIMP

Visual appeal is crucial in the freelance world, whether it’s designing a striking logo or creating engaging social media posts. Canva’s user-friendly interface and vast template library make graphic design a breeze, while GIMP’s powerful image editing capabilities provide a free alternative to industry-standard software. These tools have undoubtedly elevated the quality of my creative deliverables.

Safeguarding Time and Finances: Clockify and Wave

Keeping track of billable hours and managing finances are common challenges for freelancers. Clockify’s straightforward time tracking feature ensures accurate invoicing, while Wave simplifies accounting tasks with its user-friendly interface. Incorporating these tools into my routine has not only saved time but has also contributed to a more organized financial management system.

Communication Simplified: Slack and Zoom

Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful freelancing. Slack’s real-time messaging and channel-based organization have revolutionized team collaboration, while Zoom’s seamless video conferencing capabilities facilitate virtual meetings with clients. These tools have become indispensable in fostering clear and efficient communication throughout my projects. 

Ensuring Cybersecurity: LastPass and ProtonMail

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Technical SEO should be a top priority for any website owner or online business. Technical SEO involves optimizing the technical aspects of a website to ensure that search engines can crawl and index the site efficiently, and that the site is free from technical errors that could negatively impact its search engine rankings.

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Collaborating for Connectivity: NYPA’s Digital Worker Connect Initiative Expands Wireless Access at Clark Energy Center

Consistent and reliable internet access is becoming increasingly important as the New York Power Authority (NYPA) expands its adoption of mobile technology. That’s why NYPA is implementing the Digital Worker Connect initiative, which is installing more wireless access points throughout all NYPA facilities to improve network access where connectivity is currently limited. The new access points will proactively address the “last mile” of connectivity — allowing NYPA workers to access useful operational data NYPA-issued mobile devices, regardless of work location.

Rollout of the new wireless access points started with NYPA’s Frederick R. Clark Energy Center (CEC). In January, a site inspection identified key locations in the main administrative building at CEC and determined the equipment needed to expand network access. The process involved close collaboration between the Digital Utility Worker program, the NYPA network team in White Plains and personnel at the site.  

Following the initial site inspection, sophisticated network surveying equipment was used to develop a detailed “heat map," which visually displays bandwidth and connectivity overlaid onto the facility’s floor plan. This additional information allowed the NYPA network team to refine their plan and ensure that the wireless access points were deployed to maximize coverage across the facility. In May, 13 new wireless access points were installed throughout the facility, immediately improving network availability throughout the building.

“The ultimate goal is to get connectivity virtually everywhere,” said Kedaar Raman, manager of the Digital Utility Worker program. “The NYPA network team is working with each site, staying cognizant of outage commitments and labor constraints, to roll this out on a time frame that works best for the sites.”

Following the initial deployment at CEC, the NYPA network team will perform site inspections, develop plans and procure the necessary telecommunications equipment for each major site by the end of 2019. Preliminary site inspections have already occurred at the Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project.

Technology deployment across all locations will continue through 2020, with plans to complete equipment installations in early 2021. After installations are complete, ongoing collaboration and continuous improvement will ensure that coverage keeps pace with evolving wireless technology and service demands.

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Governor Advances Bold Agenda for Building the Green Economy in New York State

This week as part of Governor Andrew Cuomo's State of the State Address, it was announced that New York's Green Energy Program will produce 12,400 megawatts of green energy...enough to power six million homes, create 50,000+ jobs and spur $29 billion in private investment across New York State.

Highlights of the new program include the largest off-shore wind program in the U.S., anchored by the two biggest offshore wind projects. An additional initiative was also introduced to make New York State a global wind energy manufacturing hub, with upgrades to create five dedicated port facilities in Albany, Coeymans, Brooklyn, Port Jefferson and Montauk.

The construction of a Green Energy Transmission Superhighway was also announced by Governor Cuomo, to bring energy generated upstate to needed areas downstate, with multiple new projects in Western New York, the Mid-Hudson and Capital Region.

Governor Cuomo commented, "We are proposing the largest wind programs in the nation and advancing our green manufacturing capacity and the jobs that go with it. Our new energy superhighway will be optimized by state-of-the-art battery storage facilities, so we can store renewable energy to be used when needed. These projects will not only create power but bring needed economic opportunity to struggling parts of our state, create green jobs, and make New York State a global wind energy manufacturing powerhouse."

Full video of Part 3 of the Governor's State of the State Address can be viewed here, and further additional details can be found here.

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Governor Cuomo Announces Initiatives to Electrify Transit Buses, Boosting Access to Clean Transportation and Building Healthier Communities

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced last week several initiatives increasing the number of electric buses in New York State as part of efforts to mitigate climate change, create healthier communities, improve air quality, and boost access to clean transportation in underserved communities.

This includes $16.4 million in incentives for the expansion of electric bus usage amongst public transportation authorities, as well as $2.5 million for school bus operators to acquire cleaner forms of transportation with lower emissions.

This will help take polluting vehicles out of service across New York, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality. These initiatives also support Governor Cuomo's nation-leading clean energy and climate goals in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

"Electrifying transit and school buses at scale is an important step in our fight against climate change and is essential in helping us reach our ambitious goals to create a greener New York State," said the Governor.

"Through these initiatives, bus operators will now have the support and resources they need to modernize their fleets, reduce emissions and ensure underserved communities have cleaner public transit options as we work to further reduce our carbon footprint."  

Gil C. Quinones, President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York Power Authority further commented, "Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation will require a full court press and electrifying public transportation is a key part of our offense. Bus transportation offers a prime opportunity to help lower greenhouse gas emissions, especially in underserved communities across our state. NYPA is pleased to collaborate with its sister agency NYSERDA and our other partners to evaluate the best ways to cost effectively transition more municipal bus fleets to low to zero carbon emission technologies."

Read more about these initiatives in the press release here.

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EVolve NY's First High-Speed EV Charging Hub

Last week in Lagrangeville, NY, NYPA President & CEO Gil Quiniones and Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled four new fast chargers for shoppers at a local supermarket. 

The new chargers work in as little as 20 minutes to get an EV to full charge, and are part of the EVolve NY charging network that NYPA is installing along highways and in cities to encourage the use of electric vehicles.

This will help New York State reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and by the end of 2021, the fast charging network will stretch from Buffalo to New York City. They’ll be part of some 10,000 or more charging stations that the state is aiming for installation by the close of next year.

President Quiniones outlined these plans in remarks at the unveiling of the Lagrangeville fast-charging hub, further noting that NYPA’s goal is to have 800 new fast chargers installed throughout the state under EVolve NY by 2025.

Lieutenant Governor Hochul arrived at the event in one of NYPA’s Chevy Bolt EVs. She shared remarks on the state’s commitment to a decarbonized future, as well as the importance of charging infrastructure for helping realize this ambition. You can read further details in Governor Cuomo’s press release here.

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NYPA Staff Now Training on LiDAR Equipped Drones

NYPA's use of drones moves forward with the recent acquisition of one craft equipped with light detection and ranging technology (LiDAR).

Over the summer at a small airfield near NYPA's Clark facility,  several of our drone pilots underwent training at a complex operated by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services in the use of the LiDAR-equipped, multi-rotor drone. The LiDAR project is an initiative of our Research and Technology Development group to demonstrate the use of LiDAR technology.

LiDAR uses lasers projected at the Earth’s surface to measure surrounding areas, which are then used to generate 3D renderings of the object being surveyed. NYPA has used this aerial-mapping technology together with periodic low-level helicopter flights for evaluating vegetation growth along the rights of way of its  transmission lines.

The training over the summer was particularly unique because it was done remotely. Ordinarily the LiDAR equipment provider would have led the lessons in person, but COVID put a halt on in-person evaluations for now.

NYPA currently owns 22 drones operated by a crew of roughly two dozen staff who are FAA-certified to use the equipment within a visual line-of-sight. The drones are comprised of roughly 10 different models. The American Public Power Association (APPA) also provided a $125k grant to offset a part of the cost of the LiDAR-equipped drone, showing the promising value of the technology for the energy industry.

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Analog to Digital: Telemetry Upgrades Improve Operations at Clark Energy Center

At the New York Power Authority (NYPA), monitoring and operating our statewide generation and transmission system is an important and challenging task that relies on having the right data exactly when it is needed. That’s why system operators at our Frederick R. Clark Energy Center (CEC) use both a primary and backup telemetry system for redundancy when retrieving operational data like voltages, power outputs, line flows and more from NYPA facilities and other key points across the grid.

In order to sustain and improve the efficiency of our operations, we recently upgraded our backup telemetry system at CEC to be more reliable, compact, modular and upgradable while also being easier to maintain and operate.

CEC’s primary source of information, the energy management system (EMS), enables system operators to receive and visualize a wealth of information from critical assets across the state. A backup telemetry system retains visibility of these assets in the event of an EMS shutdown. This secondary system runs concurrently with the EMS, meaning system operators also use it to validate information — offering a high degree of confidence in key measurements being used to operate the system.

Until recently, the backup system used what is known as a patch panel to allow technicians to access data streams, obtain measurements and perform maintenance on the system. The design was prone to dust buildup that often resulted in signal drift and inaccurate readings being displayed in the control room, and technicians would frequently need to perform the laborious task of cleaning the contacts to bring signals back within tolerance.

“Bad data is worse than losing the signal because it makes checking our primary system more difficult,” said Christopher Powers, electrical engineer. “The design of the new system essentially eliminated that risk.”

NYPA’s project to revamp the secondary system at CEC completely replaced the patch panel with a smaller, simpler and more consolidated platform. Although the signals coming to the backup telemetry system are still analog, digital processors perform analog-to-digital conversions that enable technicians to use new telemetry software to easily patch in and perform maintenance on the system. The new hardware also includes status indication lights, translating to greater situational awareness of the signals going to and from the equipment.

“The new hardware and software made maintenance and troubleshooting much easier,” said Mike Parisi, senior director of system operations and planning. “The whole process is more efficient.”

The new hardware is modular, which means it can be easily upgraded to accommodate more data in the future. Furthermore, the new telemetry software makes all data immediately viewable within the control room at CEC, which has an immediate impact on the overall accuracy of NYPA’s operations. With a significantly more flexible and reliable system in place, CEC now has a reliable set of signals that it can maintain for the long term.

“Since we made the switch, we haven’t had any signal drift,” Parisi said. “None of this would have been possible without support from the technical services team and technicians here in Marcy.”

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Working Smarter, Not Harder: Intelligent Alarms Help System Operators Maintain a Healthy Grid

Keeping the New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) statewide power system up and running is no easy task. So, system operators at the Energy Control Center (ECC) in Marcy, New York, use intelligent alarms to gain insight into potential large scale system issues, allowing them to maintain a consistent and reliable source of electricity across the state.

When a piece of equipment on the grid experiences abnormal conditions, like a circuit breaker tripping, it generates an alarm.Alarm processors receive these notifications from several sources and assemble a list that shows ECC system operators the status of important equipment across the grid as they oversee NYPA’s bulk power system.

When large system level issues arise, such as multiple transmission assets tripping out of service, many alarms will go off at once, making it difficult to discern which one takes priority. To make things easier, the Situational Awareness Alarm(SAA) processor is programmed with rules that interpret vast amounts of raw data to create short, simple summaries of system issues that allow system operators to act more efficiently.

“Instead of seeing 15 or 20 separate alarms, the processor explains the bigger picture in just a couple lines of text,”explained Mike Parisi, senior director of system operations and planning. “If something happens that generates an alarm, the alarm list will identify the scenario and tell the operators to do X, Y and Z.”

The ECC has used intelligent alarming since the late ’90s, when its first Intelligent Alarm Processor (IAP) was installed. But the IAP’s processing power was limited, and the software was closed source – meaning NYPA relied on the vendor to implement any changes. In 2015, NYPA upgraded to the new SAA processor, which offered several benefits over the aging IAP.

Because the SAA is programmed using Java, NYPA engineers can make changes to the software in house. “It’s customizable to our needs, which means we operate more effectively and save on both time and cost,” explained Chris Powers, real-time electrical engineer.

The SAA processor also has better processing power than the IAP, which means it can check for more alarms more often, and it allows NYPA to include analog annunciators, which had previously only provided onsite audible warnings for certain equipment. “We have a lot more useful information for the processor to consider when diagnosing complicated system issues,” explained Derrick Piper, manager of technical services at NYPA.

The SAA upgrade at the Energy Control Center is an example of NYPA’s dedication to implementing new technology that improves its operations. The SAA processor is a key piece of NYPA’s Smart Generation and Transmission strategic initiative and supports NYPA’s goal to become the nation’s first end to end digital utility.

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Eyes in the Sky: Pairing Drones with Advanced Imaging and Sensing Technologies

NYPA continues to explore new applications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) with a particular focus on finding ways to improve personnel safety and operational efficiency. Teams are investigating the potential applications for advanced imaging technologies such as high‑resolution and high‑zoom cameras, infrared sensors, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and corona cameras to support a wide spectrum of utility operations.

The drones NYPA currently deploys are already outfitted with high‑resolution/high‑zoom cameras and infrared sensors, which have critical applications for safety and efficiency. While visual cameras can be used to navigate difficult‑to‑access areas, the infrared sensors allow pilots to examine temperature contrasts to identify potential equipment issues or thermal insulation loss.

“We can survey switchyards and transmission lines for hot spots, look for insulation loss in buildings or steam generators and even detect oil circulation issues within transformers,” said Dan Drennan, system operator at Marcy and FAA‑certified drone pilot. “These cameras provide us with the resolution to see minute details without putting someone next to energized equipment.”

Additionally, NYPA’s UAS program is working on use cases for advanced sensing technology such as LiDAR and corona. LiDAR technology helps to gather data that can be used to generate 3D models of the objects scanned. Corona cameras detect trails of electrons that signal electrical leakage, and are being investigated for their ability to help identify efficiency losses before they become faults that impact operation of the electric system. They are currently used in handheld form across NYPA, but mounting corona cameras on drones may provide greater detail and offer a new perspective on facilities and equipment.

The UAS Program is making rapid progress in identifying and testing applications for drone technologies, advancing NYPA ever closer toward becoming the nation’s first end‑to‑end digital utility.

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PI Day: A New Meaning at NYPA

March 14 is widely recognized as PI Day, with pie‑filled celebrations of the favorite mathematical constant starting with 3.14. At NYPA, PI Day takes on added importance due to the ongoing work to implement a standardized Process Integration (PI) system across all facilities. The PI system will allow employees from operators to engineers to business leaders to quickly find and view near real‑time information on asset performance via interactive displays, computers or mobile devices, enabling data‑driven decision‑making. Here is a snapshot of NYPA’s PI journey to date:

Phase II, underway now, focuses on expanding the current PI system to NYPA’s facilities in Southeastern New York (SENY). Adam Shapiro, smart grid solution architect and project lead for Phase II, will partner with site operations teams to identify and address specific SENY needs. Additionally, during Phase II, training will continue across the organization to help familiarize staff with the PI system.

Implementing a standardized PI system across all of NYPA’s facilities will support collaboration and learning, making it easier for each site to identify opportunities for improvement driven by data trends in asset performance. According to digital utility worker program manager Kedaar Raman, “This is a major undertaking, and it’s only possible through close collaboration among our teams at all of our sites.”

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Asset Savvy Spotlight: The PMU Project Team @ CEC

The increasing number of distributed energy systems being added to New York’s power grid is making an already dynamic system even more complex. To ensure that New York residents have reliable electric service, Bob Glur, NYPA E&R technician, and Jason Nasto, NYPA I&C supervisor, along with journeymen electricians Greg Crane, Trevor Paddock, Peter Przelski and Ray Scanio, led a project at Clark Energy Center that continues NYPA’s longtime investment in phasor measurement unit (PMU) technology. PMUs are devices that collect voltage and current data at high resolution and with precise time stamping.  

By replacing aging assets with new PMUs, the team is helping NYPA to collect more information about its system than ever before, enabling real‑time power grid management, asset management and problem detection. The immediate access to this information allows grid operators to better manage the system and take early action to prevent widespread issues – like blackouts – before they occur. The PMU program fulfills two key goals for NYPA: real‑time wide‑area monitoring and generator model validation – helping NYPA take another significant step toward becoming the nation’s first end‑to‑end digital utility.

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Learn how we’ve joined forces with GE Power to revolutionize the electric utility industry with our Integrated Smart Operations Center.

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NYPA’s asset information tool allows us to monitor, review and summarize asset data quality across all of our facilities and entire asset classes, or drill down to specific individual assets.

Learn more: https://www.nypa.gov/news/press-releases/2018/20181108-STL-Tool-Elevates-Data-Quality

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Governor Cuomo Unveils New Utica Museum Dedicated to the Past, Present and Future of Energy in New York State as Part of Earth Week

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the completion of a new 15,000-square-foot New York State museum of energy in Utica. Located next to the Utica Zoo, the newly constructed, admission-free John S. Dyson New York Energy Zone, designed and financed by the New York Power Authority (NYPA), will open to the public on May 10. The facility’s dedication rounded out a number of events statewide recognizing Earth Day 2021.

Gil Quiniones, NYPA President and CEO, remarked, "The Utica area is home to many of NYPA's dedicated and talented employees and today we recognize them and invite them to share this crown jewel of energy and electricity education and interactive, hands-on exhibits with their friends and families. I'm honored to dedicate this building in honor of John S. Dyson, a distinguished former chairman and trustee of the Power Authority. This New York Energy Zone is the embodiment of John's legacy of public service and his record of improvements to New York's energy system. We at NYPA hope that people of all ages will visit the Energy Zone to learn the fascinating history of power in New York State and will look with promise toward the future as we continue to move toward a clean energy economy."

Anthony J. Picente Jr., NYPA trustee and Oneida County Executive, commented, "Utica is a natural location for this museum of energy because it complements the work of our Frederick R. Clark Energy Center, NYPA's system-wide energy transmission complex in Marcy. I am grateful to my colleagues at the Power Authority for their vision in conceiving and developing this magnificent facility in Oneida County that will inspire our next generation of energy leaders and benefit all New Yorkers for decades to come."

All visits to the new John S. Dyson New York Energy Zone will follow New York Forward COVID-19 safety precautions. For more information or to schedule a time to visit after May 10, please visit NYPA's New York Energy Zone webpage. More details can be found here.