Penn Power Expedites Outage Restoration - spr.ly
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Electric Utility Operations
Penn Power Expedites
Outage Restoration
Line workers install TripSaver devices across
the utility’s service territory.
By Jeff Doran and Lauren Siburkis, Penn Power
T
he Pennsylvania Power Co. (Penn Power), one of 10 more than 1,100 miles of electric lines across its service area.
electric company subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp., To further prevent outages, Penn Power’s reliability engi-
serves more than 160,000 customers across western neers explored the latest technology and equipment in the in-
Pennsylvania, and many of those customers live in ru- dustry. Beyond its proactive vegetation management program,
ral or tree-filled areas that are more likely to experience out- the utility also opted to invest in a new automated recloser de-
ages caused by tree and animal contacts. vice called the TripSaver II from S&C Electric Co. to address
To minimize the leading cause of service interruptions — some of the reliability challenges experienced across the ser-
tree branches interfering with power lines — Penn Power is vice area.
investing in its tree trimming program to maintain its electric “TripSavers allow us to automatically restore service to cus-
system and enhance service reliability. Case in point: In 2019, tomers rather than sending a crew to investigate, which is es-
Penn Power will spend nearly $9 million to trim trees along pecially helpful in rural areas,” said Ed Shuttleworth, regional
Penn Power line workers install a new TripSaver device on a neighborhood power line in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. The automated de-
vices are installed on local neighborhood power lines that branch from the main power line serving an area.
40D T&D World | August 2019
Electric Utility Operations
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Booth#4141
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Called a TripSaver, the electrical device works like a circuit breaker in
a home with the added benefit of automatically reenergizing a power
line within seconds to keep the lights on for customers. TLL-1300
president of Ohio Edison and Penn Power. “This automated
Insulated Crane Attachment used to
technology is safer and saves time and money.”
support up to 3 energized lines.
Installing the Devices Multiple options and conngurations available.
To determine the best locations for these devices, Penn
Power’s personnel reviewed outage patterns across its service
area and identified outage-prone areas that would benefit from
a TripSaver.
In April, line workers began installing 120 TripSavers on lo-
cal neighborhood power lines branching from the main power
line serving an area. The TripSaver devices are currently be-
ing installed on single-phase laterals that will benefit from en-
hanced upstream protection in three counties in rural western
Pennsylvania.
The installation process is similar to installing any other
type of electric equipment on a pole because it can be done
using a three-person line crew and a bucket truck. To ensure
that the devices were installed safely and correctly, an S&C
Electric Co. representative visited each of the Penn Power ser-
vice centers to provide hands-on training with the line workers
and utility personnel. The training session included walking
the line workers through several trouble scenarios they might
experience in the field with a TripSaver device. 254 -757-1177
www.line-wise.com
Minimizing Outages
When there is a temporary issue on the neighborhood
line, such as a tree limb blowing into the line, the TripSaver
August 2019 | T&D World 48E
Electric Utility Operations
vania to limit the number and
length of power outages due
to animal or tree contacts. Its
other sister utility, Jersey Cen-
tral Power & Light (JCP&L),
has plans to install around
1,700 TripSavers on nearly 310
circuits across its New Jersey
service area by the end of 2020.
This work is part of JCP&L’s
$97 million “JCP&L Reliability
Plus” plan, which includes tar-
geted investments above and
beyond its regular annual in-
vestments to enhance service
reliability and resiliency.
The special focus of this
program is to limit damage
during severe weather events.
“JCP&L Reliability Plus” was
created following a detailed
analysis of JCP&L’s distribu-
tion system, as well as lessons
To determine the best locations for these devices, utility personnel reviewed outage patterns across Penn learned from the restoration
Power’s service area and identified outage-prone areas in Western Pennsylvania that would benefit from efforts following recent severe
a TripSaver.
weather events, such as the
responds in seconds. The device can sense when the branch back-to-back nor’easters in March 2018.
is gone and automatically reenergize the line to prevent an ex- The enhancements implemented through this program will
tended outage in the neighborhood. It also safely isolates the help reduce the frequency of power outages, address tree dam-
outage from the main power line, helping to avoid outages to age during severe weather events, provide more flexibility for
customers across a larger area. operating the system and help modernize the electric grid for
Because the TripSaver works like a residential circuit break- JCP&L’s more than one million customers.
er, customers will experience fewer and shorter outages. In In the future, FirstEnergy plans to continue to look for op-
addition, the device has the added benefit of automatically re- portunities to use the TripSaver technology across its entire
energizing a power line within seconds to keep power safely six-state footprint to best determine the locations to add these
flowing to customers. devices.
If the TripSaver senses a more serious issue, like a fallen By investing in these devices, FirstEnergy is not only reduc-
tree on the power line, it will isolate the outage to that area ing the frequency and duration of power outages, but also en-
and limit the total number of affected customers. The device’s hancing electric service reliability for its customers and helping
smart technology will quickly pinpoint the location of the fault to build a smarter and stronger grid.
and help utility personnel better understand the cause of the
outage to help speed restoration. Editor’s Note: To view a YouTube video of utility personnel
FirstEnergy employees pride themselves on finding new explaining and installing a TripSaver device, visit http://bit.ly/
ways to enhance electric service reliability so they can safely PP-TripSaver.
provide the power customers depend on each day.
Jeff Doran (jdoran@firstenergycorp.com) is the operations manager
Looking Ahead at Penn Power.
Penn Power, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., is one of 10
of the company’s electric companies in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Lauren Siburkis (lsiburkis@firstenergycorp.com) is the external com-
New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia. Penn Power plans to munications representative at FirstEnergy.
install all 120 of its devices by late fall of this year.
A few other FirstEnergy companies also have installed—and
secured plans to install—TripSaver devices across their service
For more information:
FirstEnergy Corporation | www.firstenergycorp.com
territories. Penn Power | www.pennpower.com
This year, Penn Power’s sister utility, West Penn Power, has S&C Electric Co. | www.sandc.com
installed nearly a dozen TripSaver devices in central Pennsyl-
40F T&D World | August 2019
Electric Utility Operations August 2019 | T&D World 43
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