New equipment detects trouble on power lines

Aug 10 - Steve Tarter Journal Star, Peoria, Ill.

 

Changes are coming in the way electric power is delivered in central Illinois.

"The delivery system on how electricity is fed into homes hasn't changed a lot for decades," said Craig Gilson, senior director for operations across much of the state for Ameren Illinois.

But changes are coming now as Ameren embarks on a $625-million upgrade across its Illinois territory.

Some of the upgrades in the building of the smart grid include the installation of devices such as the IntelliRupter. Once installed on select telephone poles in the area, the high-tech equipment can detect trouble on the line and automatically adjust power flow. The result is that fewer customers may be without electricity when trouble strikes.

"The goal is to minimize outages. Storms still roll through. You're still going to have strong winds that get into equipment," said Gilson.

But the IntelliRupter with its built-in microprocessor can turn a big power outage into a small one, he said.

The new equipment also is a safety advance. The IntelliRupter cuts off power to damaged or malfunctioning sections of lines, helping Ameren crews find problems more readily, said Gilson.

Ameren is seeing the benefits of the smart equipment. "The upgrades are working. Outage time was 20 percent less in 2013 than the previous year," he said.

Six of the devices have been deployed in northwest Peoria while three will be installed in Metamora, said Chad Cloninger, director of division one for Ameren Illinois.

But the IntelliRupter's not the only piece of high-tech hardware being deployed to improve electrical service.

Bryan Fink, Ameren's superintendent of electrical training, said the Viper is also taking its place on area poles. This is a device, technically a substation recloser, that can send information to the company's dispatch office.

Five of the Vipers are to be installed in Peoria, said Fink, adding that both new devices being installed are manufactured in Illinois. "That's creating a lot of jobs for contractors and manufacturers in Illinois," said Fink.

Some other improvements include a new $2-million substation in Goodfield and the replacement of power lines in the area of Washington hit by last year's tornado. "Where we can, we're going underground with lines," said Cloninger.

Ameren is spending $6.6 million on initial infrastructure improvements in the Tri-County Area, part of a plan to spend $625 million on upgrades statewide.

The smart grid will not only save money in the long run but power, according to the Chicago-based Citizens Utility Board, the state's consumer watchdog agency on energy and telecommunications issues.

- "Experts estimate that less than 50 percent of power generated actually reaches consumers," said CUB spokesman Jim Chilsen. "A smarter power grid would use sensors to detect inefficiencies in the system, reducing line loss."

All the improvements come at a cost. Earlier this year, Ameren Illinois filed for a $206 million rate increase to help pay for the power grid. The proposed rate would increase monthly utility bills by $6.50 to $9.50 per month, beginning in 2015. The Illinois Commerce Commission will rule on the rate increase later this year.

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