Any power outage – no matter how long it lasts – is at best an inconvenience. Here are five ways BGE has reduced average outage lengths by nearly one hour since 2009.
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2019 was a strong year for electric reliability – BGE’s customers experienced the second fewest average number of interruptions and also the second fastest restoration rate of power when outages did occur.
This wasn’t luck – since 2009, the number of electric outages has decreased 32 percent and outage length has been reduced by 40 percent. Electric system upgrades, innovative technologies, and dedicated lineworkers have combined to reduce the average length of a service interruption by 58 minutes in the last 10 years.
Here are five ways (of many!) that BGE has increased electric reliability for customers:
- Using drones for faster, safer and more thorough equipment inspections. These remote-controlled aerial vehicles can safely inspect normally hard-to-reach equipment. The faster issues are identified, the sooner BGE can repair or replace equipment.
A service operator puts the finishing touches on a new nest platform for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Stream restoration and building homes for ospreys. You read that right – whether it’s restoring a creek to prevent erosion near transmission equipment or moving an osprey nest from a utility pole to a platform – sometimes a situation calls for action beyond what might be expected from a utility.
- Disconnect switches on power lines, also called shark fins due to their triangle shape and color. This technology de-energizes part of a damaged power line allowing some customers to have their service restored while repairs can proceed. This can greatly reduce the duration of power outages.
- Momentary outages by design – if you notice your lights blinking on and off, it could be because of specialized equipment that can automatically restore service or isolate damage. The short interruption often prevents a longer outage that requires a crew to repair.
- A fully deployed smart grid in BGE’s service area allows quick detection of problems and remote restoration of power around damaged equipment. Smart substations, smart switches, and smart meters contribute to improved reliability, better service and greater customer control over electricity use.