As the grid implications of intense weather events become more obvious, an electric utility in Ohio has announced the completion of a smart grid automation project, which aims to strengthen the grid in the face of severe weather.
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FirstEnergy Corp. electric companies Ohio Edison and The Illuminating Company are completing smart grid upgrades across Ashtabula County, Ohio, to help prevent or minimise the length of service disruptions, particularly during severe weather.
The work includes installation of new, automated equipment and technology in substations and along power lines serving nearly 18,000 customers in parts of Ashtabula, Austinburg, Andover, Geneva and nearby areas.
Utility personnel are finalising electrical equipment upgrades in four substations in the greater Ashtabula area and modernising power lines that deliver electric service to customers from those facilities.
“Every project is customised and designed to address the particular reliability needs of each community,” stated Ed Shuttleworth, president of FirstEnergy’s Ohio operations.
“These upgrades will allow us to restore service to our customers faster following severe weather events as well as pave the way for a more robust power system to support different types of energy sources in the years to come.”
Project breakdown
Thousands of homes and businesses in the area will see installation of 52 new automated reclosing devices in the substations and along power lines to help limit the frequency, duration and scope of service interruptions.
The electrical devices work like a circuit breaker in a home that shuts off power when trouble occurs.
The substation or power line will be automatically reenergised within seconds for certain types of outages to keep power safely flowing to customers.
If the device senses a more serious issue, like a fallen tree on electrical equipment, it will isolate the outage to that area and limit the total number of affected customers.
The device’s smart technology will pinpoint the location of the fault and help utility personnel better understand the cause of the outage to help speed restoration.
According to FirstEnergy Corp., the technology is safer and more efficient because it often allows utility personnel to automatically restore service to customers in lieu of sending a crew to investigate.
Location selection
Locations for the automated devices were determined based on a review of historical outage patterns across greater Ashtabula to identify the areas that could benefit most from new technology.
Additional power lines that tie together existing circuits are also being constructed to provide more flexibility in restoring service following outages.
The new power lines will help reduce the length of power outages and the overall number of customers impacted by switching them to a backup line for faster service restoration.
50 capacitor banks were installed to regulate voltage, helping provide energy savings by reducing the amount of electricity that must be generated and evenly distributing electricity to allow all customers served by a single power line to receive the same flow of safe, reliable power.
FirstEnergy plans
Upgrades began in 2020 under the company’s initial three-year portfolio of grid modernisation work.
Additionally, Ohio Edison and The Illuminating Company recently filed a plan with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) that would expand smart grid technology investments.
The filing, known as Ohio Grid Mod II, proposes a four-year, $626 million investment plan that builds upon system upgrades completed since the PUCO approved the utilities’ Grid Mod I plan in 2019.
FirstEnergy‘s Grid Mod II Plan is subject to PUCO approval.
