Links Technology Solutions, Inc. is pleased to announce the immediate availability of PowerShark EQR Release 1.4.1. This software release is freely available to existing customers at no additional cost.

This is a FERC compliance release to align PowerShark EQR with updated Balancing Authorities posted by FERC at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/eqr/allowable-entries.xls on March 31, 2016. Starting with Q1 2016 EQRs, the following Balancing Authority is valid:

• CEN: Centro Nacional de Control de Energia

Enterprise customers…

• If you are already running Release 1.4, you need only run the PowerShark EQR Database Installer to upgrade your current PowerShark EQR database.
• If you are running Release 1.3.x or prior, log into the PowerShark EQR website and consult the upgrade guides.

Hosted customers…

• If you are already running Release 1.4, you don’t need to do anything. Links Technology will take care of upgrading your PowerShark EQR database.
• If you are running Release 1.3.x or prior, the upgrade includes an updated desktop client application. Please contact PowerShark EQR Support to initiate the upgrade process.

If you have any questions or need assistance upgrading, contact Links Technology’s helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly PowerShark EQR Support team.

PowerShark EQR Release 1.4 Available Now

Links Technology Solutions, Inc. is pleased to announce the immediate availability of PowerShark EQR Release 1.4. This software update is provided largely for FERC compliance reasons (to synchronize PowerShark EQR with FERC EQR Schema version 3.3). The release is freely available to existing customers at no additional cost. Upgrade today to gain all of these benefits.

FERC Compliance

• Transaction Group Ref is treated as a required field in accordance with FERC’s XML structure schema version 3.3.
• Contact Street Address 1, Street Address 2, and Street Address 3 were expanded to hold 55 characters in accordance with FERC’s XML structure schema version 3.3.
• CSV data downloaded from FERC’s website sometimes contains a seller_history_name column (the 3rd column in the Contracts CSV). A new Contracts and Contract Products import Data Map, named “FERC Data Download with seller_history_name”, was added to accommodate.
• The Balancing Authority and Hub List provided on FERC’s website at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/eqr/balancing.xls was updated in late September 2015. Starting with Q4 2015 EQRs, the following Balancing Authorities are no longer valid: INDN, KCPL, LAFA, LEPA, MPS, SPRM.

Other Changes

• The Copy Data dialog is more clear about copying terminated Contracts forward from one EQR period to the next.
• Data validations were added and improved.
• All PowerShark EQR release 1.4 components are certified to run on Windows 10.
• Some bugs were squashed and other improvements made.

Since its initial release in August 2013, PowerShark EQR has been adopted by many utilities who were looking for a simple yet powerful and affordable FERC EQR solution. Today, many companies across the country are running PowerShark EQR as an Enterprise solution or as a Hosted solution in our SSAE 16 SOC II certified data center.

If you haven’t seen PowerShark EQR in action or it’s been a while since you last saw a demo, then maybe it’s time you took another look at our product and see what many are saying is the most complete and affordable EQR solution available!  Please contact Bob VanValkenburg at sales@powersharkeqr.com or call 847-252-7286 to schedule a demo or free trial of PowerShark EQR today!

Links Technology Solutions, Inc. is pleased to announce the immediate availability of PowerShark EQR Release 1.3.2. This software release is freely available to existing customers at no additional cost.

This is a FERC compliance release to align PowerShark EQR with updated Balancing Authorities posted by FERC at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/eqr/balancing.xls on July 1, 2015. Starting with Q2 2015 EQRs, the following Balancing Authority is valid:

• EMBA: Entergy Mississippi, Inc.

Enterprise customers…

• If you are already running Release 1.3 or Release 1.3.1, you need only run the PowerShark EQR Database Installer to upgrade your current PowerShark EQR database.
• If you are running Release 1.2 or prior, log into the PowerShark EQR website and consult the upgrade guides.

Hosted customers…

• If you are already running Release 1.3 or Release 1.3.1, you don’t need to do anything. Links Technology will take care of upgrading your PowerShark EQR database.
• If you are running Release 1.2 or prior, the upgrade includes an updated desktop client application. Please contact PowerShark EQR Support to initiate the upgrade process.

If you have any questions or need assistance upgrading, contact Links Technology’s helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly PowerShark EQR Support team.

Links Technology Solutions, Inc. is pleased to announce the immediate availability of PowerShark EQR Release 1.3.1. This software release is freely available to existing customers at no additional cost.

This is a FERC compliance release to align PowerShark EQR with updated Balancing Authorities posted by FERC at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/eqr/balancing.xls on April 1, 2015. Starting with Q2 2015 EQRs, the following Balancing Authorities are no longer valid:

• AEWC: AESC, LLC – Wheatland CIN
• BBA: Batesville Balancing Authority
• BCTC: British Columbia Transmission Corporation
• BRAZ: CECD, LLC
• BUBA: Constellation Energy Control and Dispatch – City of Benton, Arkansas
• CFEN: Comision Federal de Electricidad
• CNWY: Constellation Energy Control and Dispatch – Conway, Arkansas
• CSTO: CECD, LLC
• CSWS: Central and Southwest
• DENL: Constellation Energy Control and Dispatch – North Little Rock, AK
• DERS: Constellation Energy Control and Dispatch – City of Ruston, LA
• EDE: Empire District Electric Co., The
• EKPC: East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc.
• FE: American Transmission Systems, Inc.
• GA: GridAmerica
• GRDA: Grand River Dam Authority
• IPRV: Illinois Power Co.
• LES: Lincoln Electric System
• MOWR: Westar Energy – MoPEP Cities
• NPPD: Nebraska Public Power District
• OKGE: Oklahoma Gas and Electric
• OMLP: Constellation Energy Control and Dispatch – Osceola Municipal Light an
• PLUM: Constellation Energy Control and Dispatch – Plum Point
• PUPP: Constellation Energy Control and Dispatch – Arkansas
• RC: Reedy Creek Improvement District
• SMUD: Sacramento Municipal Utility District
• SPPC: Sierra Pacific Power Co. – Transmission
• SPS: Southwestern Public Service Company
• TLKN: TRANSLink Management Company
• WMUC: Constellation Energy Control and Dispatch – West Memphis, Arkansas
• WPEC: Aquila Networks – West Plains Dispatch
• WPEK: Aquila Networks – Kansas
• WR: Western Resources dba Westar Energy

Enterprise customers…

• If you are already running Release 1.3, you need only run the PowerShark EQR Database Installer to upgrade your current PowerShark EQR database.
• If you are running Release 1.2 or prior, log into the PowerShark EQR website and consult the upgrade guides.

Hosted customers…

• If you are already running Release 1.3, you don’t need to do anything. Links Technology will take care of upgrading your PowerShark EQR database well in advance of the Q2 2015 EQR filing deadline.
• If you are running Release 1.2 or prior, a PowerShark EQR Support team member will reach out to you to initiate the upgrade process.

If you have any questions or need assistance upgrading, contact Links Technology’s helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly PowerShark EQR Support team.