Met-Ed Installing New Automated TripSaver Devices to Help Reduce Frequency and Duration of Power Outages
Metropolitan Edison Company (Met-Ed), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., plans to complete installation of more than 160 automated "TripSaver" reclosing devices on power lines across its service area in 2020 to help limit the frequency, duration and scope of service interruptions.
The electrical devices work like a circuit breaker in a home with the added benefit of automatically re-energizing a power line within seconds to keep power safely flowing to customers. Met-Ed crews and contractors are scheduled to install TripSavers in Boyertown, Easton, Hanover, Lebanon, Reading, Stroudsburg and York in 2020.
The $1.4 million project is part of Met-Ed`s Long-Term Infrastructure Improvement Plan (LTIIP II), a $153 million initiative to accelerate capital investments through 2024 to help ensure continued electric service reliability for the company`s approximately 570,000 customers.
Utility crews install TripSavers on local neighborhood distribution lines that branch from the main power line serving an area. When there is a temporary problem with the line, such as a tree limb contacting the line, the TripSaver can sense when the branch is gone and automatically re-energize the line to prevent an extended outage in the neighborhood - all in a matter of seconds.
If the TripSaver senses a more serious issue, such as a fallen tree on the power line, it will isolate the outage to that area and limit the total number of affected customers. The device`s smart technology pinpoints the location of the electrical fault and helps utility personnel better understand the cause of the outage to help speed restoration.
"TripSavers allow us to automatically restore service to customers rather than send a truck and a line crew to investigate the issue, which is especially useful in more remote areas of our widespread service territory," said Linda Moss, regional president of Met-Ed. "These devices allow for safer and more efficient service restoration for both our employees and our customers."
Reliability engineers review outage information to identify the best locations for the devices, typically outage-prone distribution lines with large customer counts. A two-man crew can install four or five TripSavers per day.
Met-Ed serves approximately 570,000 customers within 3,300 square miles of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania.
Source: FirstEnergy Corp. | PRNewswire
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