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Memorial Tributes Volume 24 (2022) / Chapter Skim
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RALPH S. GENS
Pages 122-127

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From page 123...
... TAYLOR RALPH SAMUEL GENS, who led the Bonneville Power ­ dministration's development of the Pacific Northwest 500 A kV transmission grid with California interties and the intro duction of high-voltage direct current in the United States with the P­ acific Northwest–Pacific Southwest DC intertie, died at age 94 on January 3, 2019, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. His many contributions to the advancement of electric transmission ­technology -- sound, progressive engineering and innovations and ­refinements -- had a profound effect on the industry on a national and international scale.
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From page 124...
... Eventually he guided the world's first threephase 1100 kV transmission line for test and demonstration purposes. Other innovations that came about under his direction included improved switching surge controls, insulation levels, series capacitors, large braking resistors, high-speed circuit breakers, staged system tests, advanced system computer programs, computer-aided design, and greatly reduced electrical losses on transmission lines.
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From page 125...
... . Ralph's own expertise enabled him to evaluate technical proposals for the facilities required for the Pacific Northwest–Pacific Southwest DC Intertie from the Columbia River to Los Angeles, and then solidify the negotiations between government agencies, electric utilities, and manufacturers to create a most successful pioneer longdistance project.
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From page 126...
... He was the National Science Foundation project advisor for an electrical energy project in Yugoslavia, and served in an official US delegation to the People's Republic of China assisting that country in developing hydroelectric resources and transmission facilities. His many honors included recognition as a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (1969)
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From page 127...
... He followed world affairs, played bridge, tended the yard, and engineered his solar array. This solar energy project required him to get his professional engineering license from the state of Hawaii.
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  • puter programs

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  • portland ralph
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  • yonki dam
  • ing hydroelectric
  • research advisory
  • marilyn gens
  • management paths


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