We’re using technological innovation and data to reduce costs, improve safety, and keep the lights on for our customers.
This past winter we piloted dynamic line rating (DLR)technology on two of our transmission lines. When integrated successfully into operations, this technology has the potential to delay costly investments.
We’re excited to report that our pilot was successful. Thanks to the accuracy reported by our DLR sensors,we didn’t need to build new lines or upgrade the transmission line to avoid congestion.
The use of DLR sensors on our transmission lines saved millions of dollars that can be invested into preparing for the grid of the future. It also prevents us fromhaving to do construction work.
Our company is one of the first to successfully integrate this technology into operations.
Let’s take a closer look at how it works.
The energy grid moves electricity like the roadway system moves vehicles. The grid has two main components. The transmission system (#2) acts like the highway, moving energy over long distances and across state lines. The distribution system (#4) acts like local roadways, delivering energy directly to homes and businesses.
Like traffic on the highway, the grid becomes congested when the transmission system can no longer deliver the electricity without exceeding certain limits. When this happens, just like roads need to be expanded or added, transmission owners, like us, must upgrade or build new electrical lines.
DLR sensors give real-time information on conditions that affect transmission line performance – like wind speed and line temperature. This information is used to increase the amount of electricitydelivered over existing lines and decrease congestion.
Traditionally, static line ratings are taken when the lines are initially built, and the ratings are used indefinitely to make investment decisions. So, even though the environmental factors are continually changing, the rating assumes the most conservative factors are at play. When the grid becomes congested, we may be unable to increase the amount of electricity because the initial static line rating assumes we cannot. This means we must invest in upgrading or adding transmission lines.
“The information we are collecting is helping us better balance strong resiliency while holding down costs,” said Dave Quier, vice president of Transmission and Substation. “Not having tomake upgrades to Harwood-Susquehanna saves money, avoids construction work and gives our team more flexibility to invest money where customers will see bigger reliability results.”
This is just another example of how we’re using technology, innovation and data to improve safety, reduce cost, and keep the lights on for you.
We’re committed to investing in innovative solutions to deliver safe, reliable and affordable energy services to our customers.
Here’s the latest example:
We began piloting Dynamic Line Rating technology to get real-time information on conditions that affect transmission line performance – like wind speed and line temperature. We can use this information to increase the amount of electricity that is delivered over existing lines. This helps us make the most out of our current lines and more precisely identify when lines need to be replaced, which keeps rates affordable for customers.
We recently installed sensors on our Juniata-Cumberland and Harwood-Susquehanna 230kV lines, and we’re actively working on our next installations.
“We are leading the way in our operating region with this technology, and I couldn’t be more excited about how we are using it to improve reliability and decrease cost,” said senior engineer Eric Rosenberger.
Stay tuned for updates on our use of Dynamic Line Rating technology and other innovative investments so we can continue delivering safe, reliable and cost-effective solutions for you.
Hurricanes have had names for 70 years. Now big winter storms get them. Go figure.
In the electric utility business, we’re always watching the weather, so we’re prepared to respond to any resulting power outages. Winter Storm Gail, which swept through our region in mid-December, was no exception. Our crews worked safely and quickly to get the lights back on for affected customers.
The good news is our hard work and investments in a safer, more reliable, and resilient power grid are paying off in increased reliability for you. Outages are down 30 percent since 2011. And storms, whether named Gail or otherwise, don’t cause as many service problems today compared to even a decade ago.
Here’s why. We’ve replaced older equipment, put up stronger poles and wires, and have a state-of-the-art smart grid in place to automatically detect outages and instantly reroute power to shrink outage footprints and keep the lights on for more customers. Smart grid alone has prevented more than 1 million PPL customer outages since 2015.
Couple that with using data analytics for smarter, more efficient equipment maintenance and a comprehensive tree trimming and clearing program, and you have one of the most reliable grids around.
Among our electric utility peers, we’re a national leader in reliability. That’s a good thing, but we don’t stop trying to improve your service. You rightfully expect that from us.
You can be sure we’ll continue to innovate, looking for ways to make a very reliable grid even better. No matter what Mother Nature throws our way, you can bet the power grid delivering electricity to your home or business – and the people behind it – will serve you well.
Few environmental scenes compare to the sight of majestic bald eagles flying overhead.
Just ask residents living in the Rush Township, Schuylkill County, area where a family of eagles was spotted nesting in 2020.
Those birds – and others like them – are getting special treatment thanks to some new protections we added to distribution lines near the nest.
An environmental initiative was put into motion when someone from the area spotted the eagles in the nest and notified a state lawmaker, who contacted us. That led to several discussions and collaboration to come up with a plan that needed to be executed during a time outside the birds’ nesting period.
One of our line crews put the finishing touches on this project during a frigid December morning.
The crew replaced wooden arms with fiberglass arms, switched out insulators, and added protective wire guarding on power lines near the large nest. All of those upgrades were put in place to help reduce the risk of the birds coming into contact with the power lines.
“PPL developing a way to work with the eagles rather than simply trying to make them ‘go away’ shows their commitment to bald eagles and wildlife in general,” said Pennsylvania Game Commission wildlife biologist Patti Barber. “This is an example of how people and wildlife coexist successfully and should be the goal for us all.”
Reliability means you can be confident that when you flip the switch, your lights will come on.
It means that if a storm knocks out your power, our smart grid will react to limit the size of the affected area and reroute power to get your lights back on quickly while we make repairs. Sometimes that outage will be so short you won’t even realize it happened.
We pride ourselves on the reliability of our power grid – a grid with millions of parts serving a land area larger than New Jersey. But that reliability doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s the result of constant investment, innovation, and invention.
Here’s a peek at a couple of industry leading innovations that are keeping our grid reliable for you.
We recently received patents for innovations designed to increase reliability. The purpose of our patents – to benefit our customers – is what makes us most proud.
One of our patents was for work that allowed older grid equipment to help reroute power and keep the lights on in the early days of our smart grid rollout.
We continue to replace this older equipment, and the system developed continues to boost reliability.
Another patent is for a device that increases the lifespan of our poles by allowing other attachments, like phone and cable wires, to be attached without drilling nearly as many holes in the pole. That helps poles last longer.
We’re always looking for innovative ways to improve your service at the right cost. That’s PPL value.
