POWERGRAMS

Water Cycle riders spin miles into clean drinking water for developing nations Sunrise on Saturday, March 23, ushered in a flurry of activity on country roads around Alabama Power's Martin Dam as cyclists descended on the hydro plant – all because "a couple of guys had an idea to do a bike ride." Sixty young men and women members of the Auburn University Chapter of Engineers Without Borders welcomed 110 riders to the third annual Water Cycle, founded to bring clean drinking water to impoverished neighborhoods in developing countries. The money raised goes for drinking water systems for families in Bolivia and Guatemala, who must store rainwater to drink. The Auburn students are working on an irrigation project in Bolivia, the continuation of a project that began in 2022. They are starting a new project in Guatemala for a water distribution network to deliver water to 135 houses that currently don't have it. With groups limited to 10 students per country, the Guatemala team will work May 6-20 and the Bolivia group will work Aug. 1-15. A PROJECT FOR AN EXCELLENT CAUSE Water Cycle is all in good fun, for an excellent cause, said Martin Hydro Dam Manager Chris Goodman. Alabama Power supports the ride by providing the host site, helping sponsor the event and supplying volunteers. Goodman and his longtime friend Christian Brodbeck are the masterminds behind the Water Cycle fundraiser. Proceeds directly contribute to vital drinking water systems for impoverished people through the construction of irrigation and water-delivery projects by the Auburn Chapter of Engineers Without Borders. Brodbeck is a faculty advisor to the chapter and the director of Research Engineering Operations at Auburn University. With registration fees, riders' donations and corporate gifts, the event raised $41,500 for Auburn's Engineers Without Borders, nearly double that of last year. Cyclists chose among a 15-, 30- or 60-mile course. Cyclists ride through Martin's old construction village on the east side of the dam, then hopped onto Overlook Drive and into the recreational area at Lake Martin Overlook Park. From there, riders went east through Tallapoosa County, heading toward Auburn and briefly veered into Lee County before returning. The Tallapoosa County Sheriff Department escorted cyclists through two intersections for safety. "We take as many dirt rides as we can find," Goodman said. Five employees from Alabama Power's Tallapoosa River group rode this year. AN EXPERIENCE THAT CHANGES COMMUNITIES The experience, and the chance to support communities abroad that are in need, makes Goodman proud to take part in the annual event. "It makes all the energy, planning, effort, helping get sponsors, and helping pull off the event – makes it all worth it, because it's all going to a really good cause and a fantastic organization like the Engineers Without Borders Chapter at Auburn," said Goodman, who graduated from the University of South Alabama with a chemical engineering degree. "They are a great group of young engineers. It makes all the work, time and energy worth it." By Donna Cope 3 "Just call him 'The Engineer's Engineer.'" That is longtime co-worker Michael Hawkins' description of John Bowen, adding that he is the "go to guy." Hawkins, retired engineering supervisor in Power Delivery Planning, said, "John is always very meticulous, detail-oriented and the best at what he does." Jim Fleming said Bowen took him under his wing in 1978, when they first worked together. "John took me to help him do a three-line drawing. As a rookie engineer, I didn't even know what that was, but he quickly taught me," said Fleming, engineer, PD Distribution Engineering Services. "He has never been afraid to pass his knowledge on to other folks." Bowen, PD Planning engineer, will celebrate his 50-year milestone on June 10. Weeks later, the 71-year-old will begin his next chapter with retirement on Aug. 1. Building a legacy in Power Delivery During the past 25 years, Bowen has become well-known as a respected subject matter expert for Alabama Power and Southern Company for the distribution planning, coordination and power quality software created and maintained by CYME International Corp. in Quebec, Canada. Bowen tests the software and trains other company engineers on how to use it. Bowen said his "greatest accomplishment" has been the founding of the North American CYME Users Group in 2001, which he still leads today. The group began with five Southeastern electric utilities and has grown to include 30 energy providers across the U.S. and Canada. Members meet annually to propose ideas and suggest software improvements "I'm very proud of the group," Bowen said. "You learn from the knowledge of others and what other utilities are doing, and it allows you to improve your company's system." In recent years, Bowen has received three Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Technical Transfer Awards – among the utility industry's most prestigious honors – which recognize leaders and innovators who have used EPRI research to help shape the future of energy. Bowen received an EPRI award earlier this year for the development of a fleet electrification tool, which can be used to quickly analyze a utility's distribution system to identify areas where it can most easily support electric vehicles. Bowen's work on ADAPT (Automated Assessment and Planning Tool) earned another EPRI award in 2023. The tool determines the feasibility of using non-wired alternatives, such as battery storage or photovoltaic systems, on the distribution system versus traditional "wired" options. Finally, EPRI honored Bowen in 2016 for the creation of the DRIVE (Distributed Resource Integration Valuation Estimation) program that determines placement capacity of photovoltaic systems on a distribution system. "To have gotten three of these awards is wonderful," Bowen said. "I'm proud that I have been able to help the industry solve problems and make distribution planning programs more efficient." A look back While attending Auburn University in 1974, Bowen got his start at Alabama Power as a co- op student. He worked in the Gadsden District, where he received on-the-job experience in engineering, his chosen field. "We rode along with the engineers and troublemen to help with simple tasks, like handling voltage complaints, outdoor light installs and transformer service upgrades," Bowen said. After graduating from Auburn in 1976, Bowen joined the company full-time as a junior engineer in Birmingham's Shades Cahaba District. During his first year, Bowen was selected to work on two projects at Alabama Power's Farley Nuclear Plant in Dothan, which was then under construction. Bowen began moving up the ranks in Power Delivery, working in Bessemer, Alabaster, Birmingham Distribution Planning Support and finally Metro Central. Since 1999, he has worked in his current role in PD Planning at Corporate Headquarters. While working at Alabama Power, Bowen continued his education, earning a JOHN BOWEN JOHN BOWEN MAKES HIS MAKES HIS MARK IN MARK IN ENGINEERING ENGINEERING FOR 50 YEARS FOR 50 YEARS Riders enjoyed the scenery around Martin Dam. Brodbeck (le) and Goodman have led the Water Cycle event for three years.

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