co-op news
Fighting lightning
T
he average electric distribution system in the United States sees 10% to 20% of their outages caused by lightning. Both direct and indirect lightning strikes can cause major problems for utilities for both overhead and underground facilities. According to data gathered by the National Lightning Detection Network from 2008 to 2017, HCREMC’s service territory covers an area considered to have a medium-to-high frequency of lightning. This information will surprise nobody that lives in this area, but what that equates to is up to 20 lightning strikes per square mile per year within our service territory. That frequency brings a great potential for damage. Over the last 18 months, HCREMC has found lightning to be the confirmed cause of only 5.4% of outages within the service territory. That number places us ahead of the curve nationally, but we continue to keep our eye to the sky and are constantly looking for better ways to mitigate lightning-caused outages in the future.
As we rebuild infrastructure, lightning arrestors are being placed with more frequency than in previous decades. These installations are being coupled with improvements in grounding schemes. We can accomplish this due to advancements in technology, more reasonably priced equipment, and the increasing demand for reliability from our membership. Individually, property owners can also ensure they are protecting their own equipment from lightning strikes by inspecting their own electrical facilities inside of their home, farm or business. Having a qualified electrician review the power,
telephone, and television connection in your building can be a great place to start. Improved grounding, proper surge protection and checking connections can be an easy and relatively inexpensive way to avoid future headaches. As always, when the weather gets rough, please monitor HCREMC’s live outage map (hcremc.com) during outages for immediate updates on the status of our restoration efforts. When the lightning is causing problems with electric service, rest assured our crews are working diligently to see us all through the storm.
UNP L A N N E D OU TA GE HOURS BY C A U S E 49% trees 40% transmission outage 7% unknown 2% design/equipment failure 2% public
Keep mylar balloons secure to prevent power outages. 6
JULY 2019