Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
| Private/employee-owned | |
| Industry | Electrical equipment |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | Edmund O. Schweitzer III |
| Headquarters | Pullman, Washington |
| Products | Power system protection & control, Automation, Power meter, Telecommunication , Fault indicator, Rugged computer, Panels and Enclosures |
| Services |
Power management Protection and automation services Cybersecurity analysis |
Number of employees | More than 3,500 |
| Website | http://www.selinc.com/ |
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL) designs, manufactures, and supports products and services ranging from generator and transmission protection to distribution automation and control systems. Founded in 1982 by Edmund O. Schweitzer III, SEL shipped the world's first digital protective relay.[1] Presently, the company designs and manufactures embedded system products for protecting, monitoring, control, and metering of electric power systems. E. O. Schweitzer Manufacturing, a manufacturer of fault indicators and sensors started by Edmund O. Schweitzer, Jr. in 1949, became a division of SEL in 2005.
History
SEL was founded in Pullman, Washington in 1982 when Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer III invented and marketed the first all-digital protective relay, reducing the cost and complexity of power protection and revolutionizing the industry. Schweitzer created the relay as a Ph.D. project while at Washington State University. The company shipped its first products to Otter Tail Power Company in Fergus Falls, Minnesota in 1984, where they were first used only for their fault location and event recording functions. In 1985, SEL built its first building and employed eleven people. The company continues to grow and today provides products and services in 142 countries. In 2009, SEL became 100% employee-owned under an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP).
Role in Power Protection Industry
'As a leader in the power protection industry, SEL creates products and complete solutions that minimize blackouts and electrical system damage. Our digital protective relays respond to system faults, such as downed power lines caused by accidents or harsh weather, within milliseconds. SEL equipment serves thousands of utilities and, in turn, millions of their customers, by contributing to safer operations and minimizing outages and damage caused by faults.
Innovative SEL communications technology enables customers to use the information in SEL and other substation products to monitor, control, and automate the operation of power systems. SEL systems perform simple, inexpensive, and continuous monitoring of protection and automation information. Fault records and location, metering, status, and diagnostic equipment data are stored and reported. Information is used in substations, sent to control center applications, and made available for utility or third-party expert analysis.
SEL also designs complete modular control enclosures for substations, provides engineering services, and serves the advanced training needs of industry professionals through SEL University. Courses emphasize the practical application of power system protection theory, concepts, and technology.'[2]
Products
SEL manufactures products for communications, and protection for transmission and distribution systems and apparatus protection. They also manufacture controllers for distribution voltage regulators.
Literature
In 2010, SEL published its first textbook, Modern Solutions for Protection, Control, and Monitoring of Electric Power Systems. SEL's quarterly Journal of Reliable Power also began in 2010.
Awards
In January 2012, Fortune 100 listed Schweitzer Engineering as #97 in "The 100 Best Companies To Work For."
See also
References
- ↑ https://www.selinc.com/aboutSEL/our_roots/
- ↑ "SEL QuickFacts". https://www.selinc.com/QuickFacts/. SEL. External link in
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