What if there were a substation alternative to copper that was faster, cheaper and less likely to be stolen? A team at Entergy thinks fiber optic cable might be the answer.For the past several months, a team of Entergy's transmission engineers has been evaluating the use of fiber in the company's substations. (Their work is an assessment of the International Electrotechnical Commission's 61850 industry standard.)"Our team has been working closely with other U.S. utilities, research institutes, vendors and consultants to study the possibilities of enhancing our substations by replacing most copper wires with fiber optic cable," said Dr. Chan Wong, a senior engineer working in Kenner, La. "This technology is already being used in Europe, and a small number of American utilities are beginning to adopt it."This use of fiber has been tested extensively in the lab, with excellent results. Next year, Entergy will begin a field pilot at the Joliet substation near New Orleans, La., installing several test panels and then monitoring and tracking their performance.