PPL Electric Utilities wins two Achievement Awards
Allentown, Pennsylvania-based PPL Electric Utilities was awarded two Achievement Awards from the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC) on Oct. 6 at the association’s annual meeting in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The awards recognized PPL’s innovation in its wood utility pole inspection process, and its use of an automation tool for distribution settings.
“Becoming one of the top utilities in the country doesn’t happen overnight,” PPL Electric Utilities President Steph Raymond said. “It takes innovation and a questioning mindset. That’s what allows us to continue to find new ways of doing things and breakthroughs in processes in non-traditional places. These awards are perfect examples of our continuous drive to innovate on behalf of our customers.”
PPL received the AEIC President’s Award, the association’s highest honor, for its research and implementation of innovations in pole inspections. PPL Electric ran three pilot programs to test resistance drill-based wood pole technology. The pilot programs mapped pole conditions for external decay. PPL Electric then developed and tested a new drill bit design, and made software improvements, that could automatically calculate decay on the outside and inside of the pole.
The inspection process improved detection of pole failures and decay, as well as reduced inspection costs and duration. The company said that an inspection process that used to take a five-person crew a week to complete can now be done with a two-person crew in just two days. The process, that is unique to PPL Electric, has helped the company be more responsive to emerging needs and achieve annual inspection goals faster and more cost effectively, with greater accuracy.
PPL Electric also received an AEIC Achievement Award for its implementation of an adaptive Distribution Protection Analysis Toolkit (DPAT) that automated some processes, the company said. PPL Electric used Electric Power Research Institute’s (EPRI) DPAT to create a system that develops and checks settings on its distribution network automatically, which allows the system to work safely and more efficiently while avoiding service disruptions.
“AEIC is proud to recognize PPL Electric Utilities with two awards this year for projects that significantly improve utility operations in key areas,” Steve Hauser, AEIC CEO, said. “Their unique approach to pole inspection leadership and innovation in power system analysis is improving operational efficiency exponentially.”
