Penelec to install 2,000 TripSaver devices to decrease power line service interruptions
As a means of limiting the spread and length of power outages in Pennsylvania, electric company Penelec has announced plans to install about 2,000 automated TripSaver reclosing devices on power lines over the next five years.
This year alone, the company should install around 400 devices. Each two-man crew can install four or five TripSavers per day. In all, it should cost Penelec around $3.5 million this year, but it’s part of a larger Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan to improve reliability by 2024. That plan will include capital investments of up to $200 million.
TripSavers are a unique electrical device that operate essentially as deployable circuit breakers. Their advantage over traditional circuit breakers is that they also re-energize power lines within seconds, automatically. During incidents, this could keep power flowing more regularly to the company’s 585,000 customers.
“TripSavers allow us to automatically restore service to customers rather than roll a truck and crew to investigate the issue, which is especially useful in remote areas of our expansive service territory,” Nick Austin, regional president of Penelec, said. “These devices allow for safer and more efficient service restoration for both our employees and our customers.”
TripSavers are being installed on local neighborhood distribution lines that stem from each area’s main power line. While they are meant to keep power flowing, that does not mean they’ll keep pumping power during major damage. Their attachment also allows them to clamp down during serious issues, like fallen trees taking out lines. In those instances, they can isolate outages and limit the number of people affected, while notifying utility personnel as to the cause of the outage.
Penelec said the installations will have the advantage of speeding restoration efforts.
