Submitted by Mitch Gross, Eversource.
Investments in a smart, self-healing grid are reducing the number of outages
BERLIN, Conn. (February 3, 2020) – Eversource’s commitment to enhancing system reliability is significantly reducing the number of power outages for customers, with outages in Connecticut down by more than 13 percent in 2019 compared to 2018. This improvement stems from the energy company’s investments in strengthening and modernizing its electric system, including a program to install hundreds of smart fuses to the system throughout the state. These smart fuses can automatically restore power to customers when a tree limb temporarily contacts wires and help to protect the
electric system when a problem is detected, such as a current surge or overload.
“Our continued investments in developing a smarter, more resilient, and more flexible grid are delivering direct reliability benefits to our customers and allowing us to reliably and seamlessly connect more clean energy resources onto our system,” said Eversource President of Regional Electric Operations in Connecticut and Massachusetts Craig Hallstrom. “Additionally, our commitment to enhancing the electric system throughout the state will help us to reach our goal of being carbon neutral by 2030 and support continued economic growth across the region.”
Eversource has invested more than $5.5 million to install more than 500 smart fuses on its electric system throughout Connecticut since 2018. The energy company plans to expand the program in 2020 by installing more than 100 devices in all areas of the state. In addition to its smart fuse program, Eversource will continue to install smart switches, devices that enable system operators to remotely reroute power to customers from a backup source in minutes. The energy company has installed more than 300 devices as part of its smart switch program over the last five years and continues to work throughout the state to replace utility poles with more durable structures, install hundreds of miles of covered wire, and conduct robust tree-trimming programs to ensure the reliable delivery of energy to customers.
Eversource customers across Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire all experienced a significant improvement in reliability in 2019. January through December of last year represented the system’s strongest reliability performance across Eversource’s entire service territory since 2013 – the first full year following the merger in 2012 between Northeast Utilities and NSTAR Electric & Gas.
