Greg Wolfe
President & CEO
Fischer Block, Inc
Executive View
How AI Can Improve Performance and Reduce Downtime in Utilities and Power Generators
CEO of Fischer Block Explains How AI and Proactive Monitoring of Power Systems in Utilities Can Improve Performance and Reduce Downtime
About:
Mr. Greg Wolfe, the President & CEO of Fischer Block, Inc., is responsible for the vision and strategic direction of the company and the execution of its business operations.
Below is an excerpt of Certrec Sentinel’s recent interview with Mr. Wolfe.
To read the full interview, click here.
Certrec Sentinel Question: Greg, as a co-founder of Fischer Block Inc., please tell us what led you to set up Fischer Block? How can Fischer Block improve the reliability and efficiency of energy?
Answer: As you mentioned, my background in electrical power systems afforded me a thorough understanding of the importance of tests and measurements of each electrical component as required for reliable and safe power generation. In previous capacities, I led organizations which designed and sold portable test and measurement equipment to the electrical power industry. Portable equipment is primarily used in a reactive mode, i.e., for scheduled maintenance and/or diagnostic purposes (after an unplanned outage). However, to keep power generation running smoothly, I saw a great opportunity to provide insights into the existing health of their systems with continuous high-resolution monitoring of their critical assets/circuits. This paradigm shift for utilities, from reactive to proactive monitoring, provides new insights which can significantly improve the reliability and efficiency of their operations with an “early-warning” system.
Certrec Sentinel Question: Please provide a tip to aspiring professionals in the field of power system management and analytics solutions.
We believe this is an exciting time for the electrical power industry. New technologies are now available which perform very high-resolution monitoring of power system signals and, when fed into predictive analytics engines, provide new insights into the inner-workings and health of the critical assets involved. This insight goes well beyond what traditional SCADA (usage monitoring) systems provide and, therefore, to any aspiring professional in this regard, I would recommend they “think outside the SCADA box” and seek out platforms which provide these new data flows and early warning systems, reducing risk and improving the overall efficiency of their operations.
Expert View
Your Power Generators Must be Weatherized if You Want to Avoid Brownouts
Allan Glass
Senior Compliance
Analyst at Certrec
Our expert recommends: “When determining your local winter temperature extreme, do not forget to include the most recent extreme cold weather event temperatures, even if they are outside the recent five-year historical period.”
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