Smart enhancements leave Western Pennsylvania electric grid stronger, officials say
An expansion of the smart grid in Mercer County has provided western Pennsylvania residents with a stronger, more resilient electric grid, Penn Power said Monday.
The FirstEnergy Corp subsidiary said it had completed smart grid expansions to reinforce the power system and help prevent service disruptions, especially during severe weather. The company said it had installed new, automated equipment and technology in distribution substations and along neighborhood power lines serving customers in Sharon, Sharpsville, Hermitage, Transfer, Greenville, West Middlesex and other areas.
The expansion is part of Penn Power’s Long Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan to enhance service. Customer minutes of interruption due to outages has fallen 74 percent since installing smart grid technology, the company said.
“Penn Power has made significant investments in smart grid technologies in recent years, helping enhance our reliability performance and piloting new devices that our sister utilities have since begun to implement successfully within their own service areas,” Scott Wyman, president of FirstEnergy’s Pennsylvania operations, said. “The completion of this work ahead of winter is a win-win because it strengthens our electric system and keeps the lights on for customers when they depend on it the most to stay warm and comfortable.”
Penn Power said it installed more than a dozen automated reclosing devices in substations and along neighborhood power lines that will act like a circuit breaker to shut off power when trouble occurs, while automatically reenergizing a substation or power line within seconds for certain types of outages to keep power flowing. The lines, the company said, will help limit the frequency, duration and scope of service interruptions.
The company said it also installed automated voltage regulators to ensure safe, constant voltage levels on power lines during extremely hot or cold days when demand is high.
