PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the next several weeks, PECO will have dedicated crews working in Chester County to install reclosers, pole-top electronic switch devices that can reduce customer exposure to extended power outages.
Nearly 50,000 customers will benefit from the $2 million investment in these automated, computer-controlled "smart" switches. Each recloser costs between $50,000 and $65,000 for the equipment and installation and takes five days to install.
By end of the year, the company will have installed reclosers on 36 more electric distribution circuits in Chester County, which were selected based on the number of customers served by each and their recent outage history. PECO has more than 1,200 reclosers on its electric distribution system across the Greater Philadelphia region. The company estimates reclosers prevent outages for more than 100,000 customers each year.
Editor's note: Ever see these large pieces of equipment atop utility poles and wonder what they are? This explains the latest investments in technology for better electric service in Chester County. Each recloser takes more than a week to install and activate. Photos and work locations available upon request.
"We are making a concerted effort to improve electric service reliability for customers in the local area. These devices are sophisticated and proven effective, and PECO feels they will make a positive impact on service quality for the area," said Tim Shannon, PECO engineering manager for Delaware and Chester counties.
The reclosers will break up the length of the circuit and reduce the number of customers affected by problems that cause outages, such as a fallen tree, lightning strike or vehicle accident. Reclosers have built-in intelligence to sense when a circuit experiences a fault and activates automatically, most often keeping the lights on for customers and avoiding the need for a utility crew to respond for repairs. The devices improve utility performance, save operating costs, and help to satisfy customers, said Shannon.
Reclosers are being installed on circuits fed from the company's Bradford, Clay, Concord, Cochranville, Eagle, Goshen, Jennersville, Lenape, Middletown, Newlinville, Planebrook, and Tredyffrin substations, reaching out to most areas of the county.
The reclosers are supplied by Wisconsin-based Cooper Power Systems. "Today's reclosers solutions provide advanced protection and controls to maximize system reliability," said Mike Stoessl, president, Cooper Power Systems. "As the originator of the automatic circuit recloser, Cooper Power Systems is delighted to work with PECO on this important reliability improvement effort."
If anyone wonders why he or she may experience a momentary electric service interruption, it is likely because a recloser worked as designed. A recloser is like the breakers in a home's electrical circuit breaker box, which control power flow inside the house. When trouble occurs, like an overload, the breaker flips open and power shuts off. However, where a household circuit breaker would remain off until it is manually reset, a recloser automatically tries back and restores power, if the problem has been rectified. So, a momentary outage means the electronics on top of many of today's utility poles are keeping the lights on.
The name "recloser" comes from how the device operates. When an electrical fault occurs, a typical circuit breaker or fuse would instantly trip open to stop the flow of electricity and a utility troubleman or lineman would need to replace or manually close the breaker. A utility's circuit recloser automatically closes and if the fallen tree limb clears the aerial line, for example, or if whatever disturbance occurred no longer is present, the device stays closed and power flows again uninterrupted for local customers.
Based in Philadelphia, PECO is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC). PECO serves 1.6 million electric and 480,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania and employs about 2,500 people in the region. PECO delivered 78.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 39.9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2007. Founded in 1881, PECO is one of the Greater Philadelphia Region's most active corporate citizens, providing leadership, volunteer and financial support to numerous arts and culture, education, environmental, economic development and community programs and organizations. http://www.peco.com
Cooper Power Systems, Inc., with revenues of approximately $1.3 billion, is a division of Cooper Industries, Ltd. (NYSE: CBE). Cooper Power Systems is a global manufacturer of world-class power delivery and reliability solutions for the electrical and industrial markets. Through its Energy Automations Solutions group, it is also a leading provider of software, communications and integration solutions that enable customers to increase productivity, improve system reliability, and reduce costs. For more information, go to http://www.cooperpower.com.
Contact: Michael Wood
PECO
2301 Market Street, S14-1
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-841-5555
michael.wood@peco-energy.com
SOURCE PECO
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