A flickering light during a thunderstorm may be the first time people think about their electric service.

Fortunately, that flickering light can be a sign that the energy grid is performing as designed — minimizing service disruption to families and businesses.

Few people think about electricity until an outage occurs. Fortunately, many people at your local electric cooperative and the generation and transmission cooperatives serving them are constantly planning and investing in technology to ensure that electricity flows all day, every day. When there is a mishap or outage, they work quickly to resolve the problem — many times without a service interruption to families and businesses. There are several ways that technology supports continuous service and minimal downtime during outages and emergencies.

Real-time monitoring maximizes response time

Electric cooperatives monitor service in various ways to detect issues immediately. Generation and transmission cooperatives, which manage high-voltage power lines transporting electricity from power plants, also monitor their lines and substations. They can detect issues when they occur and resolve them quickly.

Technology quickens response while ensuring minimal disruption

New technology seems to be everywhere, and that includes the energy grid. Substations, for instance, frequently have multiple transmission lines serving a site. If something unexpected happens, a changeover switch can detect the issue and switch to the alternate line, ensuring continuous service while the issue can be addressed. This can sometimes be the momentary flickering lights that people may notice.

Mobile substations provide service during outages

Generation and transmission cooperatives can dispatch mobile substations when unexpected incidents require longer repairs. These arrive on-site and provide the electrical service the substation usually offers while the site is offline for service or repairs. The mobile substations can be invaluable to quickly provide service while an emergency repair or maintenance is completed.

From parents’ morning coffeemakers to children’s nightlights, people expect their electrical devices, appliances, and systems to always work. Fortunately, countless people make it their job to ensure that the energy grid can reliably and safely deliver affordable power. They work to help power you through your day.