News
OCT 2024
Welcome Greg Darnell
A very warm welcome to Greg Darnell who joins us as US Business Development Manager, based In Tulsa, Oklahoma. Greg has 29 years of experience as a Manufacturer's Representative selling into the electric utility space. He has worked with many manufacturers over the years and has a diverse knowledge of equipment including but not limited to SCADA, HV breakers, reclosers, protective relays, metering, large power transformers and various test equipment.
In Greg’s words:
"I look forward to engaging with new customers and being very honest, straightforward and intuitive to their needs."
Greg can be reached at
gdarnell@erlphase.com.
MAY 2024
Welcome Rojelio (Roy) Moreno
Based in Texas, Roy Moreno joins ERLPhase as a Sales Engineer for the Southern region. Mr. Moreno is experienced working with power system customers, troubleshooting and providing equipment advice. He comes to ERL from Electrical Reliability Services where he was a Services Sales Engineer, and has also spent time as a Service Sales Engineer at Eaton Corporation and as a Protection and Control Technician at American Electric Power. Mr. Moreno is looking forward to using his in-depth understanding of power systems, machine reassembly, electrical components, computer hardware/software to help ERLPhase customers during all stages of specifying, installing and working with our protection products. He can be reached at
rmoreno@erlphase.com.
MARCH 2024
Welcome Carmine Vigilante
ERLPhase is pleased to welcome our new Regional Sales Manager for Canada, Carmine Vigilante!
Carmine comes to ERLPhase with 14 years of technical sales and business development experience with a business portfolio which included power systems products and solutions. He has established many strong relationships over the years and has a proven track record of collaborating with his team and his clients. He always aims to use his technical knowledge to find solutions to his client’s current challenges and always tailors his approach for each client for the best client experience possible. With his exceptional customer support, people skills, strong understanding of protective relay products, and insights about the power protection market, we know our Canadian Clients are in good hands!
Carmine looks forward to engaging with our Canadian clients and helping them find solutions for their current and future projects!
For those new and existing clients in Canada who need his assistance, he can be reached at
cvigilante@erlphase.com or 289-404-6670.
FEBRUARY 2024
Welcome Vicente Sanchez Catamo
Mr. Sanchez Catamo joins our Technical Services group as a Technical Services Engineer. He is a SCADA and Control Systems Engineer with a master's degree in Public Management. Mr. Sanchez Catamo has over 15 years of applications engineering experience with customers in the areas of system integration, installation, troubleshooting and commissioning SCADA and Control Systems Automation systems. Customers have included utilities, oil & gas companies, and industrial users (including HV/MV substations, large data centers, oil extraction processes, pumping stations, control operations center, industrial, large hospitals) in North America and in Latin America.
May 2023
Georgia Tech Protective Relaying Conference 2023
This month we attended the
Georgia Tech Protective Relaying Conference held in Atlanta, GA. Tomás Yebra Vega, from our Applications team, presented
"Using a Disturbance Monitoring IED when in Transition to a Fully Digital Protection System". Our team enjoyed seeing our colleagues, friends and customers at the conference and are already looking forward to next year!
FEBRUARY 2023
Welcome Dan Leonard, Eastern Regional Sales Manager
Dan Leonard has over 25 years of experience in managing customer relationships and selling technology-based solutions. He has worked with several high technology-based manufacturers selling switchgear, controls and related products including software. Dan has sold competitive products such as digital fault recorders and protective relays. He brings a sincere, straightforward, and target-oriented approach to business and to life in general. He has sold products to the utility T&D, power generation, and industrial markets and is excited to work with the customers in the Eastern US again.
Dan plans on creating, developing, and maintaining customer relationships, reaching out to existing and potential customers to perform analysis of their needs, including costs/benefits. He will help them achieve desired targets and outcomes within schedule, keeping abreast of best practices and services. Dan holds an MSEE in Digital Systems and an MS in Mathematics and resides in a suburb of Cleveland called Solon, Ohio.
Dan may be reached at
dleonard@erlphase.com and looks forward to working with you and your team to provide costs effective solutions for your protection and fault recording needs.
NOVEMBER 2022
Minnesota Power Systems Conference
Thanks to everyone who came to see us at last week's vendor showcase at MIPSYCON which took place in Saint Paul.
OCTOBER 2022
Electricity Transformation Canada
Dev Namboodiri (Sales Manager for Canada) and Tomás Yebra Vega (Technical Services Engineer) enjoyed last week's Electricity Transformation Canada conference which took place in Toronto. This conference brings together experts in wind energy, solar energy and energy storage to network and discuss the future of the power industry. Thanks to CANREA for hosting this conference and to our partner
KA Factor Group for your support of us and our customers during this event.
OCTOBER 2022
Energy Association of PA's Electric Operations 2022 Fall Event
There was a great turnout at last week's meetings in Pennsylvania. We enjoyed our discussions with customers there. Anderson Oliveira (Technical Services Manager at ERLPhase) and Adam Gernhard (Substations Maintenance Planning Engineer at Duquesne Light Company) did an outstanding job presenting
Using a Disturbance Monitoring IED when in Transition to a Fully Digital Protection System. Thanks to everyone at
ENSALES for their support at this conference and their continued excellence in representing us in the East region.
OCTOBER 2022
Our Crew at WPRC 2022!
Thanks to everyone who came by our booth to chat about protection relays and our new TESLA 4000 DFR models (4000-A and 4000-SV) at this week's Western Protective Relay Conference which took place Oct 10-13 in Spokane. We enjoyed meeting with our customers and attending the wide range of conference sessions.
OCTOBER 2022
RETIE Certification in Colombia
Technical Regulation of Electrical Installations is a certification of electrical systems, aiming to guarantee the safety of people and the conservation of the environment by preventing, minimizing or eliminating electrically originated risks. Earlier this year, ERLPhase protection relays achieved this certification, which is important for our relay customers in Colombia. View this certificate, and an overview of other
ERLPhase certifications.
SEPTEMBER 2022
Training for EGAT Thailand
Power engineers from EGAT Thailand visited our Winnipeg headquarters this week to receive training on the TESLA Power System Recorder. Training is available by request and experienced ERL trainers are available for training sessions, via web conference or on-site with your team.
SEPTEMBER 2022
Welcome John Marion, Technical Services Engineer
John comes to this role with over 10 years of experience in Protection and Control. In this time John has commissioned facilities, provided troubleshooting support, created new and retrofit P&C designs, and provided P&C testing and operations training for technicians and engineers. John Marion has an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Colorado.
SEPTEMBER 2022
CUEE 2022 in Toronto
We've enjoyed speaking with customers at this week's Canadian Engineering and Equipment tradeshow in Toronto. Thanks to everyone who came by and we look forward to connecting with many others at conferences later this autumn.
AUGUST 2022
Welcome Cascadia McLaren
We're pleased to announce that Cascadia McLaren. is now representing ERLPhase power system products in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and in the state of Washington. Cascadia McLaren is a merger between Cascadia Representatives and McLaren Inc, each with a strong history of dedication to customers in the power industry. Cascadia McLaren emphasizes the education and training of both customers and employees, which enhances their ability to support customers, consultants, and system integrators with solid technical assistance. You'll see Cascadia McLaren participating actively in industry organizations, ‘hands-on' seminars, conferences and trade shows, including the Western Protective Relay Conference and Alaska Electric Utility conference coming up this autumn.
Contact Cascadia McLaren at:
As always, visit the ERLPhase website to find updated
Sales Contacts for your area.
AUGUST 2022
RVP-IEEE Conference
It's been a pleasure to take part of the RVP-IEEE 2022 show held in Acapulco, Mexico this week! We thank all our friends, customers and potential clients who visited us on our booth throughout these last 4 days. We look forward to seeing you again next year!
JULY 2022
Welcome KA Factor Group
We'd like to extend a warm welcome to our newest Sales Partners, KA Factor Group, who now represent ERLPhase in Ontario Canada. KA Factor Group is a full service utility agency with over 30 years of market experience. They have a depth of experience in the application of electrical equipment, with a focus on innovative and cost efficient solutions.
JULY 2022
Enlit Africa
Our Sales Manager for Europe and UK, Bharath Ramaswami was interviewed by ESI Africa during his participation at
Enlit Africa last month. He speaks about the challenges that organizations face while integrating renewable energy into their systems and how ERLPhase products address those challenges.
MAY 2022
GA Tech Conference
ERLPhase has enjoyed a great week at the GA Tech Conference in Atlanta. Our team at the show has enjoyed being back in person this year, including discussions with many of our customers at the conference.
Learn more about:
JANUARY 2022
Welcome Tomás Yebra Vega
Tomás Yebra Vega has joined ERLPhase Power Technologies as Technical Services Engineer and member of the Technical Services Group. Based in our Winnipeg head office, Tomás will provide technical services in North America and globally.
“I am looking forward to working with ERLPhase Power Technologies and its clients building safer and more reliable power systems. There are many challenges in the utility and manufacturing sectors, such as automation and cybersecurity, that require complex relay protection solutions. I am ready to support our clients and make a positive impact towards solving the problems they face.“
Tomás Yebra Vega is a professional engineer registered in Manitoba, Canada. He has more than ten years of experience in different fields of electric engineering, and has worked with several types of organizations such as utilities, high voltage test labs, consulting companies and universities. He holds a Ph. D degree in Power Systems from Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain. His topics of interest included relay protection, digital recorders, automation, cybersecurity and power system studies.
JANUARY 2022
Welcome Power Grid Products
We're pleased to announce that Power Grid Products, Inc. is now representing ERLPhase power system products in the Midwest USA in Wisconsin and in the northern sections of Michigan, Indiana and Illinois. Founded in 2014, Power Grid Products provide professional and knowledgeable representation with superior customer service and technical support for customers in this region, including electric utilities, industrial customers, and engineering firms.
Contact Power Grid Products at:
773-248‐5085
sales@powergridproducts.com
http://powergridproducts.com
As always, visit the ERLPhase website to find updated
Sales Contacts for your area.
JANUARY 2022
Welcome ENSALES, Inc.
We're pleased to announce that Ensales Inc is now representing ERLPhase in the Mid-Atlantic US area. Since 1994, the Ensales team has provided experienced technical support and superior customer service to its customers in the electric utility industry. They will be covering NC, SC, VA, MD, DC, DE, NJ and eastern PA.
Ensales Inc staff include Barry Jones, Jim Amiss, Fred Murray, Robert Wilson, Kurt Yingling, Bob Hutchinson, Tyler Burns and Roberto Benevides. Joyce Dail and Michelle Jones provide inside sales support for the sales team.
For more information on the ENSALES, Inc:
Website: http://www.ensales.com
ENSALES, Inc.
140B East Park Drive
Beulaville NC 28518
Phone: 910-298-3305
Fax: 866-589-2099
As always, visit the
ERLPhase website to find updated Sales Contacts for your area.
OCTOBER 2021
Welcome AMASCO
We're pleased to announce that AMASCO is now representing ERLPhase power system products in the California area. AMASCO began in 1974 represents premier products for test and measurement and for OEM applications.
For more information about AMASCO:
Website: https://www.amasco.com
AMASCO
(408) 360-1300
sales@amasco.com
As always, visit the ERLPhase website to find updated
Sales Contacts for your area.
AUGUST 2021
Welcome Timm Davis as Western Region Sales Manager
ERL is pleased to announce that Timm Davis has joined us as Western Region Sales Manager. Timm will be responsible for managing all sales and customer activities on the West coast south to the Mexican border and including Hawaii and Guam; east from Washington to Montana, and south to Colorado and Utah including Northern Nevada.
“I was attracted to ERL because of their longstanding reputation for reliable and intuitive protection relays and disturbance fault recorders. ERL is a high tech company providing solutions to the Utility and Industrial industry,” said Mr. Davis.
Timm's experience includes consulting, Level 1 through Level 5 field commissioning for Mission Critical Industries, Level 1 Thermography, and script writing. He was also the owner of Davis Technological Solutions, a sales representative firm for the electrical power industry. With an ongoing focus on customer satisfaction, he has executed sales and training for all roles from technician to engineer, and from purchasing agents to C-suite executives.
“Timm is an accomplished professional with extensive knowledge of energy and power quality in the data center, industrial, utility, and commercial industries,” said Conrad Garrett, the North American Sales Manager for Recording Products at ERL.
“He brings fresh and innovative solutions, along with a unique perspective that will benefit our clients.”
Timm has a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University, and is the current President of the Arizona Power Quality Association. Timm is based out of Phoenix, Arizona.
Reach Timm at
tdavis@erlphase.com.
JUNE 2021
Welcome Metrowest Electric Sales Inc.
We're pleased to announce that Metrowest is now representing ERLPhase in the New York and New England area. Metrowest was started in 1986 and now has over 30 years in experience serving the industrial, utility, commercial, military, and transit electrical markets. They specialize in technical sales that are specification driven. Their sales team has a combined 125+ years in the electrical industry supporting over 1000 clients in their territory.
For more information on the Metrowest Electric Sales, Inc:
Website: http://www.metrowestelectric.com
Metrowest Electric Sales, Inc.
18 Lyman Street, Suite 299
Westborough, Massachusetts
(508) 366-8346
As always, visit the ERLPhase website to find updated
Sales Contacts for your area.
MAY 2021
Successful ISO 9001:2015 Re-Certification 
Intertek Total Quality Assurance has performed an audit of the ERLPhase quality system and has awarded a renewal of our ISO 9001:2015 certification. This certification covers the major processes that ensure quality for our customers, including design, assembly, test, receiving inspection, equipment calibration, supplier selection and supplier review. The auditor noted that our company's strengths include adoption to market requirements, customer service, employee knowledge, employee tenure, and operations controls including inspection and testing. All employees at ERLPhase are committed to our
Quality standards, a vital part of the system enabling us to provide excellent service to our customers.
MAY 2021
Welcome Van & Smith Company
We're pleased to announce that Van & Smith Company is now representing ERLPhase in the state of Florida. For over 70 years their sales team has provided sales & service to the utility, institutional and commercial markets. Their focus has been on providing engineered products, quality and service to their customers. We look forward to them continuing this focus with ERLPhase products.
The Van & Smith Company sales leaders are Christy Vicari, Randy Rowan and Charlie Booth. Inside sales support is headed by Shannon Fitzpatrick.
For more information on the Van & Smith Company:
http://vansmithcompany.com
6718 N. Himes Avenue
Suite A
Tampa, Florida 33614
(813) 871-9466
As always, visit the ERLPhase website to find updated Sales Contacts for your area.
AUGUST 2020
ISO 9001:2015 Recertification
Last week ERLPhase completed an external ISO 9001:2015 audit, including several reviews by video conference due to Covid-19 precautions. Feedback was helpful to keep our commitment to a mature continual improvement in our systems and processes. In this audit, we achieved the highest level of the maturity level for Operational Control: Outstanding - Level 5.
APRIL 2020
Introducing ERLPhase.com in Spanish
In response to the significant growth that ERLPhase has had in the Latin American market, we are pleased to announce that our clients can now access the Spanish version of our website. Documents such as Data Sheets and Order Templates are also available for ease of reference.
We will continue to add more features over time.
MARCH 2020
Online Training Sessions During COVID-19
During these unprecedented times as the world deals with COVID-19, we are aware that our customers needs for support, customer service and training do not stop. As we all practice social distancing, we are pleased to offer online courses for our current and prospective customers. Stay tuned and feel free to send your team's specific requests our way.
FEBRUARY 2020
TESLA 4000 Disturbance Recorder Training Session at Aguascalientes, Mexico
Kitagawa México and Zettra Tech personnel attended the TESLA 4000 Disturbance Recorder Training session given by Arturo Lopez from ERLPhase Power Technologies at Aguascalientes, Mexico on February 6 and 7, 2020. Thank you for the hospitality and enthusiasm of the attendees.
NOVEMBER 2019
Introducing TESLA 4000 Portable Power System Monitoring Recorder
The TESLA Portable 4000 is a multi-time frame power system monitoring recorder within a portable metal enclosure. Featuring a robust 19" 3U rack-mount enclosure, TESLA Portable is suitable for temporary installation or short-term monitoring applications. Available in 2 models, customers may choose between "36 analog/64 digital inputs/8 digital outputs" or "18 analog/32 digital inputs/4 digital outputs". TESLA Portable can accommodate current modules, voltage modules, dc isolation modules or split core CTs, which can mount up to 1200 meters from the recorder chassis. Lightweight and robust, TESLA Portable wheels easily, includes shock absorbent padding and meets airline carry on regulations.
SEPTEMBER 2018
Welcome Hartigan Power Equipment
We're pleased to announce that Hartigan Power Equipment has joined us as our Manufacturer Representative, covering Colorado, Wyoming, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
Hartigan Power Equipment is well known in the Industry as a premier Manufacture Representative, with many years of experience providing sales and engineering support for power equipment in the electrical energy industry.
Contact Hartigan at:
http://www.hpe-co.com
amie@hpe-co.com
303-498-0028
The Hartigan team includes:
Kristin Lee (Business Manager, Inside Sales), Matt Oliver (Account Manager, Project Sales Engineer), Amie Lobben (Inside Sales, Marketing Coordinator) and Cathy Hartigan (Principal, Project Sales Engineer).
As always, visit the ERLPhase website to find updated Sales Contacts for your area.
MAY 2017
Corporate Social Responsibility
ERLPhase is committed to responsible purchasing practices to mitigate and eliminate the risk of sourcing materials which may contain conflict minerals, and we are pleased to assist our vendors to achieve the same level of commitment. Read about our company's
social responsibility practices.
JANUARY 2017
Harnessing Solar Energy In Hawaii
At this newly commissioned installation on the west side of Oahu in Hawaii, TESLA Lite monitors power output from a solar farm and monitors the operation of invertors. We look forward to supporting any future recording requirements as additional solar farms are designed and constructed in Hawaii.
OCTOBER 2016
Successful ISO 9001:2008 Re-Certification Audit
ERLPhase Power Technologies is pleased to announce we have been awarded a renewal of ISO 9001:2008 certification. This certification covers the major processes ERLPhase has developed to ensure quality for our customers, including assembly, test, receiving inspection, equipment calibration, supplier selection and supplier review. The auditor was especially impressed with the high level of confidence and competence that staff showed in their respective areas, use of electronic tools to monitor processes effectively, and thorough analysis of data. Quality for our customers is a cornerstone of our company culture, and is considered a personal responsibility of all employees.
JUNE 2016
Krish Narendra receives PSRC Bronze Service Award
Congratulations Krish Narendra, Ph.D (CTO of ERL's Power Automation & Smart Grid division) who was recently recognized from the IEEE PSRC for significant contribution over the past 15 years to various working groups in power system protection, control and automation. Specifically the award recognizes the importance of his role in the technical report “User of Synchrophasor Measurements in Protective Relaying Applications” which was submitted to the IEEE PSRC last year.
JUNE 2016
News Coverage of CEB Meeting in Sri Lanka
Krish Narendra, Ph.D (CTO of ERL's Power Automation & Smart Grid division) recently appeared on Sri Lankan television, coverage of his meetings with the head of Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) about TESLA Power System Recorders. CEB is the largest electricity company in Sri Lanka, which manages all major functions of electricity generation, transmission, distribution and retailing in Sri Lanka.
MAY 2016
Lunch Seminar at IEEE PES Phoenix
On May 19th, 2016 ERLPhase Director of Technical Support Rene Midence provided a sub-harmonics presentation to the IEEE PES Phoenix Chapter, at a Lunch and Learn in Phoenix, AZ.
The IEEE PES Phoenix Chapter provides a platform for open discussion and knowledge transfer in the electric power industry around the greater Maricopa County area. This chapter hosts monthly technical luncheons, encourages local non-profit community workshops, recognizes outstanding students and professionals, creates online resources, and supports electric engineering programs at local universities. Members and participants include those from local utilities, engineering firms, contractors, distributors, manufacturers, as well as engineering students and academic faculty.
Monthly luncheons allow the IEEE a forum to introduce new technologies, products and have open discussions about industry practices and standards. IEEE PES Phoenix pursues industry leaders on national and global levels to come in and talk with its members.
The May 19th presentation included discussion of:
- What are sub-harmonics?
- What are the typical causes of sub-harmonics?
- What are the system conditions that may be susceptible to introducing sub-harmonics?
- What studies should be considered to determine if the power system may be at risk for sub-synchronous resonance (SSR)?
- How to mitigate the detrimental effects of sub-harmonics
- ERLPhase solution to protect against sub-harmonics
The presentation was attended by 30 members of the IEEE PES Phoenix Chapter, representing companies such as Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project, Southwestern Power Group, Eaton, Transco Energy, WESCO, Gen-Tech, and Arizona State University.
The presentation was well received, brought out many questions from participants, and prompted several invitations for future company lunch and learns. Thank you to Gorman Company for involvement in setting up this presentation and organization of further high quality presentations at future events.
JANUARY 2016
Introducing ERL I/O Expansion IED for standalone digital input/output expansion
ERLPhase introduces the ERL I/O Expansion IED, a stand-alone digital input/output expansion IED that supports 128 physical digital inputs (DIs), 15 output contacts, 128 subscription virtual channels for record triggering and 15 subscription virtual channels for output contact controls. The ERL I/O Expansion IED uses IEC 61850 GOOSE (Generic Object Oriented Substation Event) station bus (8-1) enabled protocol to publish and subscribe the binary input/output messages with ERL Devices and other IEDs supporting IEC 61850 GOOSE subscriptions.
Digital input statuses are communicated to multiple IED's in the network and to SCADA, which expands access to such information without costs to add additional IED's, and reduces the problems associated with having multiple IED's communicate with each other. In the event of a loss in the GPS time source, the I/O Expansion IED generates and provides 1pps unmodulated IRIG-B signal across up to 5 connected IED's, thereby ensuring time synchronization across these IED's.
TESLA 4000 power system recorder has provision for up to 256 virtual inputs to receive and record the time and status of events contained in IEC 61850 GOOSE messages. Connect two ERL I/O IED's with one TESLA 4000 to get 256 additional status inputs. Learn more at our website
ERL I/O Expansion IED product page.
DECEMBER 2015
CE Certification for TESLA 4000 Power System Recorder
We are pleased to announce that the TESLA 4000 Power System Recorder is now CE certified. The CE certification enables TESLA supply to those markets that require the product to meet the environmental, safety and other technical requirements as per the CE regulations for its category.
John Swindlehurst, President of ERL America's, comments,
"The TESLA is the second in our product family to undergo the stringent safety requirements required for CE certification, following certification of our S-PRO Sub-Harmonic Protection relay earlier in 2015. We look forward to announcing certification of additional products later this year."
SEPTEMBER 2015
Welcome Keivan Bahari
We are delighted to welcome Keivan Bahari as a Technical Services Engineer, part of the experienced team of engineers supporting ERLPhase customers. Keivan is a Professional Engineer, and has a Project Management Professional designation with over 15 years of experience in power generation, transmission and distribution systems in multi-disciplinary environments. Keivan's experience includes work with ABB in various positions. He has also published and presented several papers at industry seminars and conferences and holds a Masters in Electrical Power Engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology. Keivan is based in Toronto and may be reached at
kbahari@erlphase.com.
JUNE 2015
ElectraNet (Australia) Approves S-PRO Relay
Based on a system study carried out by the ERLPhase Product Development team (Winnipeg) in collaboration with Electranix Corporation (Winnipeg), ElectraNet (Australia) has chosen the S-PRO Sub-Harmonic Protection Relay. The S-PRO will be used to protect a series compensated transmission line against SSR (Sub Synchronous Resonance) and SSCI (Sub Synchronous Controller Instability) conditions caused by wind farms.
DECEMBER 2014
ERL Receives Best Paper Award at CEPSI in South Korea
CEPSI (Conference of the Electric Power Supply Industry) is a key power industry event serving East Asia and the Western Pacific region. Congratulations to ERL authors of "Microprocessor Based Advanced Protection Scheme using IEC 61850 Process Bus (9-2) Sampled Values", who received a best paper award at this conference in October. The first author of the paper, Dr. Krish Narendra (Chief Technology Officer ERL) and the co-author Abhijit Dasgupta (President of ERL Marketing International) proudly travelled to Jeju to present the paper and to accept the award.
Thank you to all other co-authors of the paper and to everyone at ERL who was involved!
NOVEMBER 2014
Congratulations Andy Perreault!
Mr. Perreault has taken on the role of Production Manager. He has over 20 years of development and supervisory experience in a variety of engineering and design environments, with a particular focus on product development for volume manufacturing. His career includes 10+ years of development management, including 5 years of project management as part of the ERLPhase product development team. During his career, Mr. Perreault has been involved in multiple aspects of business operation, including quotations, regulatory approvals and contract manufacturing. His perspective and knowledge will help him carry forward the ERLPhase commitment to deliver high-quality products to market, with a sustained effort towards continuous product and process improvement. Prior to joining the team in 2010, Mr. Perreault served in department and project management roles with Parker Hannifin Electronic Controls (Vansco Electronics) and Kraus Global. Mr. Perreault has a diploma in Electronic Engineering Technology from Red River College, as well as a variety of courses through the University of Manitoba.
OCTOBER 2014
Scottish Power Transmission S-PRO
S-PRO 4000 relay chosen for detection of subsynchronous oscillation
Awarded in SEPTEMBER 2014 and slated for delivery next spring, the project includes 16 S-PRO Sub Harmonic Protection Relays, to be installed in substations where wind generation connects to the transmission network in Northern Scotland. The commissioning of the innovative technology on SSO detection provided by the S-PRO relay is part of a multi-layered Sub Synchronous Resonance (SSR) risk mitigation strategy envisioned by Scottish Power to enhance network capacity, involving the installation of series compensation on 400kV interconnections. This proactive approach enables growth of renewable energy sources and provides for consistency with EU targets.
OCTOBER 2013
Introducing the B-PRO 4000 Multi-Busbar Protection System
The B-PRO 4000 Multi-Busbar system provides protection for any bus bar configuration with 3 differential zones and a check zone. Its scalable architecture allows flexibility to use the most cost effective hardware combinations, based on the actual number of zones and number of current inputs in the bus system. For example, protection for 23 feeders plus one bus tie breaker can be provided using four B-PRO 4000 relays communicating with each other.
The B-PRO 4000 Multi-Busbar system provides current differential bus protection, circuit breaker failure protection, end fault protection, backup over current protection, independent check zone, open CT and advanced saturation detection for EHV bus-bars. It provides control, automation, metering, monitoring, fault oscillography, event logging, and dynamic swing recording, with advanced communications in a flexible cost effective package.
- Easy to use, intuitive setting and analysis software
- Dynamic Bus Replica
- Integrated Breaker Fail Protection with single phase initiation, End Zone Protection and Over Current Protection for each input current
- Isolator and CB status monitoring and alarming
- Delta Phase and Rate of Change of Differential (ROCOD) algorithms provide enhanced security during external faults with heavy CT saturation
- Use 1 x B-PRO 4000 relay for every 6 x 3-phase CT inputs configured for the bus differential element
- High quality fault recording and event log
OCTOBER 2013
ERLPhase Announces IEC 61850 Certification for B-PRO 4000 Bus Protection Relay
ERLPhase Power Technologies, a provider of easy-to-use protection relays and digital fault recorders, today announced IEC 61850 protocol certification of its B-PRO 4000 Bus Protection Relay. Issued by the Central Power Research Institute of India, this independent assessment is based on the UCA International Users Group Device Test Procedures.
IEC 61850 Station Bus protocol (8-1) is offered as a standard feature on all 4000 Series relays and recorders.
About IEC 61850:
In response to growing proprietary protocols, the IEC 61850 standard was developed to ensure interoperability of substation automation devices. Beginning in 1995, an IEC project group of about 60 members from different countries worked in 3 IEC working groups to create a single protocol which would: define basic services required to transfer data in the future, promote interoperability between vendor systems, standardize on a common format for data storage, and define testing requirements for conformance to the standard.
OCTOBER 2013
Transition to 4000 Series Protection Relays
ERLPhase is pleased to announce to our relay customers that our 4000 series of protection products is now complete, including the addition of the F-PRO 4000 and the advanced B-PRO 4000 Multibus Protection Relay. Customers used to purchasing our older generation protection relays will experience a seamless transition and increased functionality with the purchase of 4000 series relays.
FEBRUARY 2013
Welcome our Newest Applications Engineer Anderson Oliveira
ERLPhase is pleased to welcome Anderson Oliveira as a Field Applications Engineer in our Technical Services Group. Mr. Oliveira has over 10 years experience in power transmission and distribution systems. He is a well rounded engineer with experience in power systems studies, design and commissioning of Protection & Control systems, as well as detailed design of power plants and substations. Mr. Oliveira also has experience implementing training; technical communication with ERLPhase customers, both in North America and Latin America, will be a significant part of his role.
Prior to joining ERLPhase Power Technologies, Mr. Oliveira was a Design Engineer for Genivar in Toronto where he was involved in the design of generating stations, transformer stations and distributed generator in accordance to the technical interconnection requirements of the owner of the power grid. He has also worked as an Electrical Engineer for CHESF, one of the largest utilities in Brazil, coordinating and supervising implementation of maintenance programs for substation equipment. Anderson is a Professional Engineer, registered in the Province of Ontario. He holds a B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pernambuco, Brazil and he is working on his M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. Anderson is fluent in both English and Portuguese and can converse in Spanish as well.
Mr. Oliveira enjoys working in partnership with customers on technical planning to choose appropriate power systems equipment. He looks forward to meeting you all!
OCTOBER 2012
ERLPhase Announces Windows 7 Operating System Support
ERLPhase is pleased to announce the release of software updates for all products, adding support for the 32 bit Windows 7 Professional operating system. This release maintains all backwards compatibility features. It means that ERLPhase software will now work with both Windows 7 32 bit operating systems as well XP Service Pack 3 operating systems.
As always, all ERLPhase Control Panel software can be downloaded from the
Software page of our website.
Note that installation of a new ERLPhase USB driver will be necessary as described by the
USB driver Installation Guide. Also note that, due to Windows 7 restrictions, the location of the Records folder for new installations has changed to "C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\ERLPhase\RecordBase Server\data-base" for Windows 7 and "C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Shared Documents\ERLPhase\RecordBase Server\database" for Windows XP. Existing databases are not affected.
For further questions anytime, please contact our customer service team at
support@erlphase.com or 204-477-0591. We look forward to speaking with you.
Also stay tuned for future releases of 64 bit Windows 7 compatible software!
SEPTEMBER 2012
ERLPhase Acquired PICS Certification
ERLPhase is pleased to have acquired certification from PICS, which performs supplier prequalification, with a focus on safety. PICS's prequalification and auditing services are used by some customers in the oil and gas industry, in power, and in manufacturing. Founded in 2003 as an organization dedicated to safety, PICS is headquartered in Irvine, California (
http://www.picsauditing.com).
AUGUST 2012
ERLPhase Earns LAPEM Certification for TESLA 4000
LAPEM is the Quality division of CFE (The Federal Commission of Electricity of Mexico) and approves organizations, such as ERLPhase Power Technologies to supply products and services to CFE. Suppliers are evaluated and audited in accordance with ISO Quality Standards.
JUNE 14, 2012
ERLPhase Successfully Passed ISO 9001:2008 Recertification Audit
We are honored to announce that in May ERLPhase successfully passed an ISO 9001:2008 Recertification Audit, valid for another 3 year term. An independent certification body confirmed that ERLPhase meets all quality system management requirements under ISO 9001:2008. The audit included a review of processes throughout the business from management responsibility, to purchasing/subcontractor control, to inspection and testing.
The management system was found to be fully effective (no nonconformities issued). Auditors were especially impressed with implementation of the Balanced Score Card system for evaluation and self-evaluation of individual job performance. They also were pleased to see that QMS documents actively reviewed and revised as processes evolved. Auditors mentioned some opportunities for improvement, which will be followed up on actively, in keeping the culture of continuous improvement at ERLPhase.
"ERLPhase is an organization with very competent people and highly skilled staff," commented Bien Lalo, Quality Assurance Specialist at ERLPhase.
"I am proud of the way our team came together to demonstrate the quality processes that we uphold every day. The fact that this re-certification audit resulted in no findings is a solid testament to everyone's commitment. Let us continually support and improve our QMS as we grow and be a leader in the industry."
ERLPhase Quality System Strengths: (as identified by auditors)
- Customer focus
- Commitment to compliance to the documented QMS
- Commitment to continual improvement of the effectiveness of the QMS
- Implementation of the second party audits of contract manufacturers
- Effective implementation of the ESD control program
MARCH 20, 2012
TESLA Power System Recorders
Our TESLA 4000 recorders have now been in production and shipping to customers for over two years. This new hardware platform has proved to be reliable and has been embraced by many existing and new users for its new features and increased processing resources. As a result of the increased volume and success, our recorder inventory and production emphasis has shifted to this newer TESLA recorder.
Over the next few months, ERLPhase will be transitioning production away from the existing TESLA 3000 with the primary emphasis being support of existing installed base and accommodation of our market leading 10 year warranty. Easy customer transition to the TESLA 4000 is designed into this newer product, with full fit, form, and functionality of previous models. The TESLA 4000 is the same size, has identical terminations, and utilizes the same input modules as the TESLA 2000 and 3000 recorders. Also, the latest release of TESLA Control Panel Software is backward compatible with all previous TESLA recorders.
We truly appreciate your continued business and look forward to supporting your seamless transition to the newer recorder products.
OCTOBER 27, 2011
ERLPhase Welcomes Rafael Chaparro as Director of Sales for Latin America
ERLPhase is pleased to welcome Rafael Chaparro to lead sales in the Latin American region.
Mr. Chaparro's experience includes over 25 years in the power utility industry, including 8 years in communications and relaying with RFL Electronics and 10 years in metering systems with Schlumberger.
Mr. Chaparro will work very closely with Hugo Davila, who has been with the company for many years and is the Technical Manager for Latin America.
"Rafael Chaparro is a very high caliber professional, whose communications experience in relaying and metering applications will be invaluable to ERLPhase and to our customers," said John Swindlehurst, VP Sales and Marketing at ERLPhase.
"His experience with Latin American power utilities will help shape our strategies in that region, which will represent a growing part of our business in years to come."
Mr. Chaparro has an Electrical Engineering degree from Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia, and a Masters of Science in Telecommunications from George Mason University in Virginia, USA. He is an IEEE Power Engineering Society member and is active in Power Systems Relaying Committee working groups.
"I am excited about ERL's new generation of product and am pleased to be part of a dynamic organization with international vision," commented Mr. Chaparro.
"ERLPhase is certainly ready with all the features demanded by clients in Latin America and I look forward to bringing these innovative solutions to the market. These products, along with ERL's tradition of excellent support and ease of use, will open new doors."
Mr. Chaparro is based in the Washington DC area and can be reached at
rchaparro@erlphase.com or (703) 716-4507.
Link to
high resolution photo.
SEPTEMBER 2011
Krish Narendra Appointed as Adjunct Professor
ERLPhase Power Technologies is pleased to announce that the University of Manitoba has appointed Krish Narendra (Ph.D.) as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. This 3 year term includes providing thesis topic advice to graduate students, evaluating graduate students theses, shaping graduate studies policies, and maintaining his high level of scholarship and research in the University community.
Dr. Narendra is the Vice President of Technology and Quality at ERLPhase Power Technologies. He obtained his B.E. (Electrical Engineering) in 1986 from University Visweswaraiah College of Engineering (UVCE), and Msc (E.E), Ph.D. (E.E) with a specialisation in High Voltage Engineering from Indian Institute of Science, India in 1989 and 1993 respectively. He joined the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Concordia University, Montreal as a Research Scholar in 1995. From 1996, he worked in software development with APT Technologies and then NxtPhase T&D Corporation, heading Software Development for the Relay and Recorder division since 2006.
Dr. Narendra has over 18 years of software development expertise, as well as over 25 publications and 4 patents (pending) to his credit. He is actively participating in the IEEE PRSC (Power System Relaying Standards Committee), IEEE – IEC joint working groups and is a member of the PRTT of NASPI (North American Synchrophasor Initiative). His areas of interest include Power Systems Disturbance Analysis, Protection, HVDC Controls, Neural Networks, Fuzzy Logic, Wavelets, Phasor Technology (PMUs), and IEC 61850 application to protection and control.
APRIL 2011
Interview with Apps Engineer, Mark Peterson at IEEE Power Systems Conference
Mark Peterson gave an overview of ERLPhase products at the recent IEEE Power Systems Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.
Mark gave a high level overview of why customers are choosing ERLPhase protection relays and power system recorders.
He was interviewed by Canadian Electronics for the article
IEEE Conference addresses the smarts in the smart grid.
Presented recently at Winnipeg's IEEE Power & Energy Society meeting...
An Insight into IEC 61850 Protocol Implementation
Dr. Krish Narendra, PhD
On January 25, 2011, Dr. Krish Narendra presented at a luncheon meeting for the Winnipeg section of the IEEE Power & Energy Society.
Many publications and free online tutorials describe the IEC 61850 standard protocol, but very few implementation details have been published. This presentation included implementation details of the IEC 61850 protocol (both station bus 8-1, and process bus 9-2) with ERLPhase new generation relay and recording systems. It covered a brief introduction to the 61850 standards, logical node descriptions, GOOSE and Sampled Value publishing and subscriptions. An update on work being done to transmit Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) data using the 61850 protocol was also discussed.
JANUARY 25, 2011
ERLPhase Power Technologies Announces S-PRO Sub-Harmonic Protection Relay
Winnipeg, Canada, Jan 25, 2011 – ERLPhase Power Technologies, a provider of easy-to-use protection relays and digital fault recorders, today announced the S-PRO Sub-Harmonic Protection Relay. Solutions, like the S-PRO, that help control harmonic oscillations are especially valuable in wind farm applications.
"The S-PRO was installed at a wind farm substation in Trimont, Minnesota to detect subharmonic oscillations occurring at adjacent wind farms connected to the series compensated line," said Pratap Mysore, Consulting Engineer at Xcel Energy. "In tests so far, the unit has performed well and the relay has been designed well to detect and protect against sustained harmonics from the wind turbines."
Since wind farms are generally located far away from load centers, power flow is increased using series capacitors to compensate for transmission line reactance. Unfortunately series capacitors can interact with the wind system, creating undamped sub-harmonic current oscillations that can cause serious damage to wind turbine controllers and also to conventional generators. The wind turbine's own mechanical system interactions (tower-to-blade) can also generate sub-harmonics, which are detrimental to induction generators, transformers, and may cause resonance at the point of common coupling in the electrical grid. By isolating the healthy grid from sub-harmonic generation sources, damage to the electrical interconnection can be prevented.
The S-PRO 4000 relay provides real-time processing of voltage and current signals with sub-harmonic monitoring at 1 Hz intervals between 5 and 25 Hz (5 Hz, 6 Hz, 7 Hz… 23 Hz, 24 Hz and 25 Hz). It protects the grid from sub-harmonic oscillations at the point-of-common-coupling every 1 second, with additional user-configurable delays. Like all ERLPhase relays, the S-PRO is easy-to-use with intuitive settings and analysis software. The S-PRO has already been installed with a lead customer and will begin full production shipment in Q1 2011.
"Our sub-harmonic protection relay (S-PRO) is the first advanced microprocessor-based relay with 10 second high speed recording capability. It can also be used for detecting Sub Synchronous Resonance (SSR) frequencies," commented Krish Narendra, Vice President of Technology and Quality at ERLPhase.
ERLPhase has a history of pioneering innovative protection and monitoring solutions including transformer loss-of-life monitoring in the T-PRO Transformer Protection Relay, dynamic swing recording in the L-PRO Transmission Line Protection Relay, the use of low impedance current inputs in the B-PRO Bus Protection Relay, and dynamic swing record capture with cross triggering in the TESLA Power System Recorder. All these innovations now find wide spread industry application.
Link to
full press release.
Link to
S-PRO 4000 product info.
DECEMBER 20, 2010
ERLPhase Power Technologies Announces Availability of L-PRO 4000 Transmission Line Protection Relay
Winnipeg, Canada, Dec 20, 2010 – ERLPhase Power Technologies, a provider of easy-to-use protection relays and digital fault recorders, today announced the L-PRO 4000 Transmission Line Protection Relay is available for ordering immediately. The IEC 61850 station bus embedded L-PRO 4000 provides comprehensive distance-based line protection, best-in-class DFR quality fault oscillography, standard ring bus capability, swing recording, event logging, SCADA control and metering.
"Our customers have been eagerly anticipating availability of our next generation series of protection relays," said René Midence, Business Unit Manager for Protection Products at ERLPhase. "We are very pleased to be shipping this product and open to requests from new customers to evaluate the L-PRO 4000 in their own system."
The L-PRO 4000, a member of the 4000 series of protection relays, is a digital, microprocessor-based line distance protection system, which provides protection for medium to extra-high-voltage transmission lines. The L-PRO 4000 is a state-of-the-art, cost-effective product, providing control, automation, metering, monitoring and communications in one flexible and easy-to-use package. Apply the L-PRO 4000 system for high-speed distance and directional protection and complete control in multi-breaker applications typically found in ring or breaker-and-a-half substation arrangements. In addition, the L-PRO 4000 also offers:
- 4 shot recloser with sync check
- Single pole trip and reclose
- IEC 61850 station bus on a dedicated optical/copper Ethernet port
- User-friendly, Windows™-based relay setting and record analysis software
- ProLogic® – 24 control logic statements
Link to
full press release.
Link to
L-PRO 4000 product info.
JULY 20, 2010
ERLPhase Announces IEC 61850 Certification for L-PRO Transmission Line Protection Relay
ERLPhase Power Technologies, a provider of easy-to-use protection relays and digital fault recorders, today announced IEC 61850 protocol certification of its L-PRO 4000 Transmission Line Protection Relay. Issued by the Central Power Research Institute of India, this independent assessment is based on the UCA International Users Group Device Test Procedures.
ERLPhase will offer the IEC 61850 Station Bus protocol (8-1) as a standard feature on its 4000 Series relays and recorders, being released later this year.
"We're very proud of this certification and of the standards-compliant approach we've always followed in our platform design," said René Midence, Business Unit Manager for Protection Products at ERLPhase. "As we look forward to a new generation of Substation Automation IEDs, commitment to certifications like IEC 61850 is essential for the benefit of our industry as a whole."
In response to growing proprietary protocols, the IEC 61850 standard was developed to ensure interoperability of substation automation devices. Beginning in 1995, an IEC project group of about 60 members from different countries worked in 3 IEC working groups to create a single protocol which would: define basic services required to transfer data in the future, promote interoperability between vendor systems, standardize on a common format for data storage, and define testing requirements for conformance to the standard.
Link to
full press release.
JUNE 21, 2010
ERLPhase Expands ISO 9001:2008 Certification
ERLPhase Power Technologies is pleased to announce we have been awarded a renewal of ISO 9001:2008 certification, including an expansion of scope to include Manufacturing processes. This certification covers the major processes ERLPhase has developed to ensure quality for our customers, including assembly, test, receiving inspection, equipment calibration, supplier selection and supplier review. Based on an external ISO audit by Intertek, the auditor found no non-conformities and noted a team environment that embraces our Quality System. Quality for our customers is a cornerstone of our company culture, and is considered a personal responsibility of all employees.
ERLPhase Quality Management Principles:
- Customer focus
- Leadership
- Involvement of people
- Process approach
- System approach to management
- Continual improvement
- Factual approach to decision making
- Mutually beneficial supplier relationship
JUNE 17, 2010
ESAM's Smart Grid Conference A Success
ERLPhase Power Technologies is a proud member of ESAM, and part of an organizing committee for the recent "Smart Grid: From Concept to Reality" conference. On behalf of everyone at the ESAM member companies, we wish to thank the many delegates, sponsors, exhibitors, and world-class speakers who made this first-ever conference such a success. By all accounts, it was a thought-provoking day packed with insights from a diverse range of speakers.
MAY 2010
Welcome René Midence, Business Manager - Protection Products
For over 25 years, Mr. Midence has been involved in the design and commissioning of power substations and power plants including Protection and Control, SCADA, Substation Automation and Substation LAN systems. His well-rounded experience covers the fields of consulting and engineering, construction and commissioning, manufacturing and training.
Most recently, Mr. Midence was the VP of Marketing at RuggedCom Inc. Prior to that he worked for GE Multilin for 10 years in progressive positions in Sales, Service, Marketing, and New Product Introduction. Mr. Midence also worked at Klohn Crippen Consulting as Senior Electrical Designer responsible for the design and commissioning of several power plants in Canada and overseas, including the expansion of the largest Hydroelectric Plant in Thailand. In the manufacturing business, he has worked in the design and testing of medium and high voltage substations as well as metalclad switchgear, and protection and control panels.
Prior to immigrating to Canada in 1988, Mr. Midence worked for the national utility of Honduras as an Electrical Engineer where he played an important role in the design, construction and commissioning of the El Cajon, the country's largest hydroelectric plant. Mr. Midence was the founder of CENCAP, the training center of the national telecommunications company of Honduras. He also worked for the University of Honduras where he taught in the faculties of Mathematical Science, Electrical and Civil Engineering.
Mr. Midence is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), member of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) TC57 WG10, and member of the UCA International Users Group where he has contributed in the marketing of the IEC61850 Users Community. He serves on the Advisory Committee for DistribuTECH and the Utility Products Conference and Exhibition. Mr. Midence has written and presented papers at several trade shows including IEEE Concapan and Mexico, DistribuTECH, Substation Automation in India, TechAdvantage, Smart Grid Road Show, T&D Europe, and UTC Telecom. Mr. Midence graduated from the University of Honduras with a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Electrical and Industrial Engineering.
Based in Ontario, Canada, Mr. Midence can be reached at
rmidence@erlphase.com.
FEBRUARY 2010
iSIS Solid Insulated Switchgear Wins Best Product Award at Elecrama 2010
Elecrama, in Mumbai, India, is among the world's largest exhibitions of T&D equipment. This year's show was no exception and we at ERLPhase were excited that a partner company won best product of the year for their iSIS Solid Insulated Switchgear. The innovative iSIS was developed by Switchcraft Europe in Germany, which is a subsidiary of Easun Reyrolle.
JULY 2009
First shipment of 4000 series Relays
ERLPhase took the next step on its journey of continuous innovation with the first shipment of the 4000 series Relays on 31st July 2009. These B-PRO 4000 Relays were built on the new hardware platform at the Winnipeg, Canada facility.
JULY 2009
ERLPhase Power Technologies is now an ISO 9001:2008 QMS Certified Organization
ERLPhase's quality management system has been assessed and registered by Intertek Testing Services NA as conforming to ISO 9001:2008 QMS requirements for design, distribution and service of relays and recorders for the power industry.
MAY 2009
Introducing the 4000 series of Protective Relays and Recorders
ERLPhase Power Technologies Ltd has been known for its innovative user friendly products right from its origins as APT and later as the Relay and Recorder division of NxtPhase Corporation. Electrical Utilities in the Americas have found our TESLA DFR and Protective Relays extremely easy to set and use, and the intuitive software easy to understand.
We have pioneered innovative solutions such as transformer loss of life monitoring in our T-PRO transformer protection relay, dynamic swing recording in our L-PRO transmission line protection relay, and using low impedance current inputs in our B-PRO Bus protection relays. All these innovations now find wide spread application in the protective relays industry.
In our TESLA DFR we have pioneered the use of dynamic swing record capture with cross triggering and are a leader in the development of PMU and CDR for Power System Monitoring.
Now, as a part of a global manufacturing and marketing organization, we are introducing the 4000 series of products which are:
- built on a contemporary new fully type tested substation hardened hardware platform
- powered by a new processor
- embedded with IEC 61850 station bus communication protocol
- with enhanced user configurable DNP mapping list
With this we have taken another step towards our mission of "using the best in class technology to relentlessly provide Smart Solutions for our customers' power system protection, monitoring and control needs"
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