New Tools for Keeping the Lights On

Now, a decade after the largest blackout in American history, engineers are installing and linking 1,000 of those instruments, called phasor measurement units, to try to prevent another catastrophic power failure. When the work is done, the engineers say, they will have a diagnostic tool that makes the old system seem like taking a patient’s pulse compared with running a continuous electrocardiogram.

Gilbert C. Bindewald III, a program manager at the Energy Department, which has spent about $200 million to encourage their installation, said the instruments were “shedding light on the science that’s occurring behind the scenes, within the grid.”

Phasor measurement units work by measuring the rhythm of current at different points on the power grid. Readings at every point within each of the three North American grids — one covering the eastern two-thirds of North America, one covering the West, and one covering Texas — are supposed to be basically the same. If the measurements differ, it can be a sign of imminent collapse. When the current is flowing properly, phasor measurement units record normal readings — about as exciting as “watching paint dry,” in the words of Peter K. Lemme, a senior electrical engineer at the New York Independent System Operator, which runs New York’s grid. As Mr. Lemme spoke, he looked at a real-time display of phasor measurement units across the state.

But then he replayed New York records from an afternoon three weeks ago when a capacitor, a device that helps maintain voltage, suddenly failed at a substation near Utica. In response, measurements taken at an electrical substation near Rochester registered an enormous shock on a graph. In Leeds, south of Albany, the disruption was considerably milder. The disturbance gradually petered out, like a playground swing that slowly comes to rest.

If that glitch had been large enough to threaten a statewide power failure, the new devices could have alerted the engineers to the impending crisis and given them time to react, for example, by shutting down a part of the system to avoid cascading power failures. Tracy A. Flippo, the vice president for transmission operations at the Tennessee Valley Authority, said the devices could provide “precursor information” before a collapse.

The hope is that they could help prevent or at least limit a large-scale blackout like the one that happened a decade ago.

In 2003, as northern Ohio ran short of generation and transmission because of a combination of neglect, mismanagement and human error, circuit breakers took major transmission lines out of service. The power failure then cascaded across 600 miles, eight states and Canada. New York, Cleveland and Detroit went dark, as did Toronto and sections of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. In New York office buildings were evacuated, thousands of commuters were stranded, and hospitals were flooded with patients suffering in the stifling heat.

“Somebody in Ohio could have recognized that we either need to raise generation or shed load,” said Richard Dewey, senior vice president of the New York Independent System Operator. Or, he said, New York could have seen trouble coming and insulated itself. The two units scrutinized after the blackout, one in Detroit and one in Cleveland, showed the strain.

Other changes to the grid should help, too. The federal government, for example, has given an industry group the authority to set standards. That group, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, has levied substantial fines against companies that failed in tasks like trimming trees or testing equipment. Untrimmed trees and improper procedures for testing equipment have caused widespread power failures in recent years.

Joel deJesus, a former director of compliance enforcement at the corporation, said that in his view the large fines had been effective. “Wrists have been slapped pretty hard,” he said.

The network of phasor measurement units offers a technological advantage.

So far hundreds of phasor measurement units have been installed across the country, including 48 in New York.

Before then, the operators of the New York grid had only scattered data points within the state. For years they have been mostly blind to the grid outside New York, receiving only a few readings from devices at the borders with New England, Quebec, Ontario, and a region that includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland.

But by the end of 2014, officials at the Energy Department said, they anticipate that all 1,000 phasor measurement units will be in operation and linked to one another. The next step, they said, was to figure out how to better present the flood of data to human operators in a useful way.

“The question is, How do we cue them to an event that a computer might be able to see coming?” said Mr. Bindewald of the Energy Department. Initially data will be integrated into computer displays, and later it may be used to set off automatic protective actions that would prevent or limit blackouts.

Experts argue that such a system could easily pay for itself. The 2003 blackout cost billions of dollars in lost economic output.

Corner Office: Jen Guzman of Stella & Chewy’s, on Keeping Everyone in Sync

Q. What were some important lessons for you growing up?

A. I learned one running cross-country, and part of it came from knowing my weakness, which was just pure speed. I did much better on hilly courses than flat courses, so I developed a strategy. I would stay with the pack for a lot of the race, and then, when it came to the hilly portion, I knew that’s when people tended to give up a little bit because it was the toughest part of the race.

So I would actually sprint up the hill, particularly that last 30 percent, when there was that natural reaction to just let go. And then, once I was over the hill and out of sight, I would sprint down the hill. So when someone came up over the hill behind me, they would see that I had opened up more of a lead.

Q. Does that strategy translate into other parts of life?

A. When I’m hiring someone, I think, “I want someone who’s going to sprint up the hills.” When the course gets really tough, that’s when you want someone who’s going to really rise to the challenge.

Q. Let’s talk more about hiring. What else are you looking for?

A. I try to hire the best person for what the organization needs, and who can fit into the culture, rather than just hiring the person with the strongest résumé. And there’s another sports analogy I think back on. When I was a sophomore at Harvard, and I was rowing, the coach had a system for picking what was called the “first boat.” She would line up two boats. In one would be the eight strongest rowers. In the other boat would be the ones she thought were the next eight strongest rowers.

She would race the boats, then switch two rowers at a time, race the boats again and then see what happened. She would keep doing that until she felt she had the fastest boat because everyone was in sync. And so that’s how I think about hiring, because often the eight strongest individuals don’t necessarily make the strongest team.

Q. If you could interview somebody for only five minutes and ask just three questions, what would they be?

A. Why do you want this job? Why do you think you would be good at this job? And what do you think are the five most important qualities or things that you need to be good at this job?

Q. Other broader leadership lessons?

A. In my first year at Harvard Business School, we did this exercise early on. We were thrown into groups of roughly 10 people, and we were told that we were stranded in Antarctica or something. The plane had crashed. And there were all these tools on the plane, but you could take only five of them with you. Which five would you take? And we had about 10 minutes to figure it out.

Then the experts came in and told us what we really should have chosen. The whole class was really about what happened in our group, and what were the dynamics. The key thing I learned is that you can’t let the conversation be dominated by one or two voices, which is sort of what happened in our group. The key take-away for me was that to get to the best answer, you need to seek out and pull ideas out of people. And that’s what a good leader should do.

Q. What about mentors you’ve had over the years?

A. One boss of mine really pushed people beyond their comfort zones. When people would go to him with problems, he often would not be quick to give the solution. But he would ask a lot of questions that would make that person advance their thinking, and he would say, “Well, what do you suggest?” That is something I try to do now, because by pushing people out of their comfort zones, they’re going to grow. And as a manager and as the C.E.O., you might be surprised because they might have a better solution than you were thinking of.

Q. Anything unusual about how you run meetings?

A. The typical meeting is about four people — the people who are really going to be actively participating and giving ideas, versus a much broader group. I find that for a small company that needs to be very nimble, that’s a good way to operate.

But there are other meetings where it’s more of a brainstorming session, where it can be a very large group. During one recent one, we probably had about 12 to 15 people. Basically I communicated, at a very high level, what we were trying to achieve, and not much else, because I didn’t want to sort of feed them the ideas. I wanted to hear what they had to say.

In that situation, we broke down into four different groups, with about three to four people each, and had them go into different rooms to come up with their own ideas. Then we regrouped, and had every group present, and took the best ideas from each group.

I think it’s very difficult — it can almost be unmanageable — to have a brainstorming session with 15 people and get complete ideas. This way, you’re getting everyone’s input, because by breaking them into smaller groups, you have several meaningful discussions happening. Then when everyone regroups, you have yet another meaningful discussion about the best of everything. I like to be able to follow thoughts through. When you have a large group, and you just sort of put them all on the spot, you get bursts of ideas, but you don’t get as much thought.

Q. You worked in private equity for a time. What did you notice as you were assessing C.E.O.’s?

A. I looked for people who could explain their business and how they were going to succeed in simple terms, as in: “This is my business model. This is why it works. This is what I think we’re going to achieve next year, and this is how we’re going to do it.” Someone who can boil it down to something very simple, to me, really has their arms around their business. If it’s too complex, how are their employees going to follow it?

Shortcuts: Advice for Keeping Holiday Parties and Guests Safe

LAST Thanksgiving, I learned a valuable safety tip: be careful when using a foil roasting pan. It can puncture and fat can drip in the oven, resulting in a fire.

All this caused quite some excitement because 22 people were waiting to be fed. We managed to save the turkey, though, and the oven suffered no long-term harm. But the incident reminded me that when we prepare meals and our homes for the holidays, most of us tend to concentrate on how nice everything will look and taste. We don’t really think about keeping our guests safe.

Cynthia Weber, a decorator in Ontario, remembers a similar situation.

She was at her aunt’s house for Christmas. “Boughs of pine were elegantly draped over the crystal chandelier above a stunning centerpiece of candles.” Everyone was seated at a formal dinner, complete with Waterford crystal and Limoges plates. Then, a candle lighted the pine on fire. Alarms went off and the security system started calling.

“We couldn’t swat at it because it was in midair attached to a crystal chandelier,” Ms. Weber said.

Her aunt, thinking quickly, went to get wet tea towels and smothered the flames.

“But everybody felt a little singed,” Ms. Weber said.

As the holidays approach, people start poring over decorating magazines and online sites and “get completely fixated on everything looking beautiful even if it’s completely impractical,” she said.

Most of us think first of beauty, then comfort, then safety, said David Mauldin, owner of the home repair company House Medic, based in Austin, Tex.

“That order should be reversed,” he said.

It may not be a Hallmark saying, but I strongly believe that a good holiday is one where you avoid the emergency room.

Start with the first impression your house will make. Is there adequate lighting, even in rain and fog? Is there a loose step?

As for beauty, take a hard look at your front door. Last year, my colleague Bob Tedeschi wrote a great article on how to spruce up your front door for the holidays, taking on everything from picking out a new doormat to installing new door handles and locks.

If you don’t want to do it yourself, Mr. Mauldin said his company, which is a franchise of HouseDoctors.com, can make a front door look almost like new in a few hours.

Although garlands draped over banisters can be festive, don’t forget that handrails serve an important practical function, Ms. Weber said.

“People are sometimes afraid to touch the banisters if they’re decorated,” she said. Securing a decoration to the outside of the rails allows people to still use them.

When your guests enter your house, make sure they’re not assaulted with an overload of smells. Hold back on the scented candles, Ms. Weber said, because the combination of food and perfume can become overwhelming.

We often entertain more people than usual at holidays and drag out card tables or folding chairs that we use only annually. Check to be sure that they’re in good operating order. At another Thanksgiving my family attended years ago, the beautifully laid table collapsed just as the turkey was placed on it.

And while dishes of colorful candies can be attractive, they can also be a choking hazard for toddlers, Ms. Weber said. Place them high enough so that children can reach them only with an adult’s help.

The bathroom may not be the first place you think of when entertaining, but it is a room a lot of guests will visit while in your house. Always make sure there’s a fairly full roll of toilet paper and if necessary, an extra one in easy sight. Finding the host to inquire about more toilet paper is never enjoyable.

Speaking of places to escape to, it’s not a bad idea, if possible, to set up a “quiet room” with no music or decorations for someone who needs to nurse a baby or recover from a headache, Ms. Weber said.

If you’re having houseguests stay over a night or more, the bathroom becomes even more important. Wet hair, steam and an unfamiliar shower can be a recipe for disaster.

“Most accidents happen when people are stepping from one wet surface to another,” Mr. Mauldin said. So make sure there’s a nonslip mat outside your shower.

Sometimes people want to go the extra distance to ensure their older guests’ safety in the bath and buy grab bars that stick to the walls with suction.

Shortcuts: Advice for Keeping Holiday Parties and Guests Safe

LAST Thanksgiving, I learned a valuable safety tip: be careful when using a foil roasting pan. It can puncture and fat can drip in the oven, resulting in a fire.

All this caused quite some excitement because 22 people were waiting to be fed. We managed to save the turkey, though, and the oven suffered no long-term harm. But the incident reminded me that when we prepare meals and our homes for the holidays, most of us tend to concentrate on how nice everything will look and taste. We don’t really think about keeping our guests safe.

Cynthia Weber, a decorator in Ontario, remembers a similar situation.

She was at her aunt’s house for Christmas. “Boughs of pine were elegantly draped over the crystal chandelier above a stunning centerpiece of candles.” Everyone was seated at a formal dinner, complete with Waterford crystal and Limoges plates. Then, a candle lighted the pine on fire. Alarms went off and the security system started calling.

“We couldn’t swat at it because it was in midair attached to a crystal chandelier,” Ms. Weber said.

Her aunt, thinking quickly, went to get wet tea towels and smothered the flames.

“But everybody felt a little singed,” Ms. Weber said.

As the holidays approach, people start poring over decorating magazines and online sites and “get completely fixated on everything looking beautiful even if it’s completely impractical,” she said.

Most of us think first of beauty, then comfort, then safety, said David Mauldin, owner of the home repair company House Medic, based in Austin, Tex.

“That order should be reversed,” he said.

It may not be a Hallmark saying, but I strongly believe that a good holiday is one where you avoid the emergency room.

Start with the first impression your house will make. Is there adequate lighting, even in rain and fog? Is there a loose step?

As for beauty, take a hard look at your front door. Last year, my colleague Bob Tedeschi wrote a great article on how to spruce up your front door for the holidays, taking on everything from picking out a new doormat to installing new door handles and locks.

If you don’t want to do it yourself, Mr. Mauldin said his company, which is a franchise of HouseDoctors.com, can make a front door look almost like new in a few hours.

Although garlands draped over banisters can be festive, don’t forget that handrails serve an important practical function, Ms. Weber said.

“People are sometimes afraid to touch the banisters if they’re decorated,” she said. Securing a decoration to the outside of the rails allows people to still use them.

When your guests enter your house, make sure they’re not assaulted with an overload of smells. Hold back on the scented candles, Ms. Weber said, because the combination of food and perfume can become overwhelming.

We often entertain more people than usual at holidays and drag out card tables or folding chairs that we use only annually. Check to be sure that they’re in good operating order. At another Thanksgiving my family attended years ago, the beautifully laid table collapsed just as the turkey was placed on it.

And while dishes of colorful candies can be attractive, they can also be a choking hazard for toddlers, Ms. Weber said. Place them high enough so that children can reach them only with an adult’s help.

The bathroom may not be the first place you think of when entertaining, but it is a room a lot of guests will visit while in your house. Always make sure there’s a fairly full roll of toilet paper and if necessary, an extra one in easy sight. Finding the host to inquire about more toilet paper is never enjoyable.

Speaking of places to escape to, it’s not a bad idea, if possible, to set up a “quiet room” with no music or decorations for someone who needs to nurse a baby or recover from a headache, Ms. Weber said.

If you’re having houseguests stay over a night or more, the bathroom becomes even more important. Wet hair, steam and an unfamiliar shower can be a recipe for disaster.

“Most accidents happen when people are stepping from one wet surface to another,” Mr. Mauldin said. So make sure there’s a nonslip mat outside your shower.

Sometimes people want to go the extra distance to ensure their older guests’ safety in the bath and buy grab bars that stick to the walls with suction.