S&C opens smart-grid demo center in Chicago

What’s it like to see smart-grid technology in action? A new demonstration center in Chicago features a variety of interactive exhibits showing how everything from self-healing technology to grid-integrated energy storage works.

S&C Electric Company launched the Smart Grid Solutions Demonstration Center at its global headquarters as part of the celebration for its 100th anniversary. The facility is aimed at showing how smart-grid technologies respond to infrastructure issues and optimize power delivery systems.

“Smart-grid technology is essential for managing the increasingly complex power delivery problems that utilities around the world face today,” said Mike Edmonds, vice president of strategic solutions for S&C. “The demonstration center makes it easy to see how smart-grid technology is contributing to the development of a more stable and reliable grid.”

The center features some of the latest developments from S&C, including its IntelliRupter PulseCloser, its PureWave CES Community Energy Storage, and the IntelliTeam SG Automatic Restoration System.

S&C began in 1911 when two engineers from Chicago-based Commonwealth Edison founded the company with the development of a breakthrough new product for power grids, the Liquid Power Fuse. The innovative technology helped to improve reliability at utility substations, which were prone to frequent and damaging flashovers during short circuits.

The company today has operations across the US and internationally, including in the UK, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and China.