Accident under control
Times of frequent and lengthy power supply disruption are gone. However, nowadays thunder storms, hurricanes and other natural disasters may still cause blackout at homes and in the streets, as well as bring services and production to a halt. Every such downtime generates cost! It is, however, possible to mitigate it. You just need to use an appropriate technology.
Smart Grid is an example of the desired solution. It is based on equipment and systems added to the grid to track causes, assess them and eliminate problems in case of an accident.
Energa-Operator has been installing 1180 overhead line disconnectors and 1148 switches. These components, combined with a computer-based control system, form a comprehensive solution capable of dealing with virtually any accident.
The system checks the grid to pinpoint the accident and switch power supply off only in a limited area where it is necessary. Today, we need to send engineers to detect the failure and eliminate its cause. This takes time and necessitates the switching off of power supply in a larger area.
-
- Tomasz Korda, Project Coordinator
-
- Energa-Operator is fitting overhead power line fuses and switchboards
-
- System is going to monitor the grid and detect the exact location of an accident
Quick reaction The solutions implemented as part of Smart Grid allow for quick automatic reconfiguration of the network in case of a failure - thus significantly reducing the time of interruption in the energy supply to customers.
‘Our previous pilot R&D projects showed that it is worth implementing new solutions in the entire company. The Smart Grid will help us to integrate all processes, from power generation, to its distribution, to supply to end users. Traditional procedures that are performed today will soon be expedited,’ says Tomasz Karda, the project coordinator.
Project: Upgrading to Smart Grid standards by fitting smart meters and the automation of the grid with the aim to involve users in energy effi ciency and eff ective power system management to enhance the security of power supply. The baseline implementation in Energa-Operator SA Project cost: approx. PLN 240 million, including PLN 166 million from the European Regional Development Fund, Infrastructure and Environment Programme