Storm hardening plan
Do You Have a Storm Hardening Plan?
Louis Gordon, Director of Content & Branding
In its 2017 Energy Infrastructure Report Card, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the US energy system another D+. Relying on an aging transmission and distribution (T&D) lines that have exceeded their 50-year life expectancy and an electrical grid operating at capacity, the steady supply of electricity in the lower 48 states cannot be taken for granted.
Coupled with the addition of severe weather events, attacks and vandalism, it is no surprise that in 2015 Americans experienced 3,571 total outages. Although the average duration of these outages was 49 minutes, many outages lasted 8 hours or more. In addition, weather-related power outages cost the economy between $18 -$33 billion each year.
The American Society of Civil Engineers recommends the design of a national “storm hardening” plan that considers investment in T&D, refinery and electrical generation systems that withstand storms or that enable the rapid restoration of power after storm events.
A utility backup power solution like the GenCell G5rx can form an important part of a utility’s “storm hardening” plan. By extending the duration of substation battery rooms from 8 to 40 hours, the GenCell G5rx keeps circuit breaker auto reclosers operational until the grid recovers.
The GenCell G5rx utility power solution overcomes the significant weaknesses of the most common legacy alternatives: the high cost of multiple battery rooms and the odor, noise and lengthy startup time of diesel generators. Fueled by hydrogen, the clean energy of the future, the GenCell G5rx solution produces no emissions, noise or vibrations and includes a shelter that is resistant to high-voltage interference and EMPs. In addition, the GenCell G5rx is also the first backup energy solution to receive IEEE 693 seismic compliance for use within the utility sector.
To see a video of the GenCell G5rx seismic compliance test, click here or learn more about fuel cells by downloading the white paper, The Big Deal With Fuel Cells.
