Electricity has become one of the most essential aspects of our day to day lives and it is often taken for granted. We often not think about electricity when it is on but when it is not available that is when we think about it.
The blackout otherwise known as power outages can affect our lives in terms of business, cooking and even seeing at night. The global power grid is designed to withstand all the physical elements and human shortcomings that may possibly shut down the system. The power grid is present in areas that are densely populated and mostly it is efficient but sometimes the system may fail leading to a power outage.
Power outages occur when the electrical power network is unavailable. They do not necessarily affect a single home or business. In such cases where a home has electricity when the neighborhood is out, then the main issue could be a circuit breaker problem.
Table of contents
Causes of power outages
Power outages are caused by many factors which may include damage to electric transmission lines, substations or other parts of the distribution system, faults at power stations, short circuits, cascading failure, fuse or circuit breaker operation. Guy wires can be used in order to add stability and secure connections on the utility poles. These causes are classified into three categories which include:
- Natural causes which may include storms, trees falling from high winds, earthquakes, animals and lightning. All these may affect the power lines and hence cause the power outages.
- Human error may be caused by improper installations of the pole line hardware, excavation digging, and accidents involving vehicles may cause the power outages.
- Overload of the transmission lines may be caused by factors such as high power demand which may lead to overburdened electric cables, transformers and other electrical equipment.
Type of power outages
Each power outage has different causes and they are handled differently. There are four main types of power outages which include blackouts, brownouts, long-lasting faults and rolling blackouts. The ability of the guy wire to stretch and withstand high tension is perfect to be able to resist violent wind storms which can cause power outages. These are further discussed below.
- Blackout – this is the complete loss of power in a whole area. It is the most severe as it affects large number of people and sometimes unbelievably large areas. The mostly result from major damage to electrical generation amenities such as violent storms and lightning strikes and are difficult to fix quickly as they can even last for weeks.
- Permanent fault – this is the abrupt loss of power typically caused by a power line fault but they are simple to deal with. Once the faulty part is removed and repaired, the power is automatically restored. This type of power outage is caused by problems in the supply mechanism which are often easy and simple to fix. Guy wires are also used in telecommunication and broadcasting systems to offer stability to the utility poles. They mainly affect a small area as compared to other types of power outage.
- Brownout – they typically occur if there is a drop in electrical current or a drop in the overall electrical power supply. They do not cause a complete loss of power but they can cause poor apparatus performance and some devices such as hair dryers or electric ovens, hence the name for the type of power outage.
- Rolling blackouts – these are much different from the other types as they are the planned power outages. They are usually applied in areas with unstable grids or groundwork that cannot handle the population it serves. They can also be caused if there is not enough fuel to run power at full aptitude, whether for long or short term.
Power line hardware protection
Many measures have been put in place by the local transmission and distribution suppliers on how to maintain or cope with these power outages before they are fixed. However, it is not always as fast as we sometimes expect for power to be restored. This may affect out livelihoods and the way we do things.
- Utility pole band are ideally categorized according to their applications. The most common are the telephone pole bands, utility pole bands and cable pole bands. The utility pole band is used to wrap around on the pole. It is used to fasten the pole so as to support the pole line connection.
- Armor rods are developed to protect the cable against bending, compression, abrasion and flash-over. They are also used to restore damaged conductors and restore their mechanical strength and conductivity. They are made from aluminum alloy or galvanized steel to help them to withstand the different harsh weather conditions.
- Guy wire is a tensioned cable that is designed to add stability to a high standing structure. It is mostly applicable in telecommunications, power systems and broadcasting, and utility industries. They mostly have characteristics that make them preferable to use. They have the ability to stretch, have good design, and be safe to install, withstand high tension, resist harsh weather conditions and offer selection of quality raw materials.
- Overhead line link fittings are essential in reducing the swinging of the overhead line components which reduce the damage that may be caused. Demand must be reconnected at the same jump that generation is restored in order to maintain supply occurrences. This may require close synchronization between power stations, transmission and distribution organizations.
In order to ensure the sustainability and blackout predictability, there are some measures to be taken into consideration. Electricity supply affects the way we do things in terms of working, cooking, studying and even how we see at night. It presence is often ignored or assumed but its absence can cause great havoc. The sustainability of the power will be greatly influenced by these factors below.
Power transmission and distribution
The power generation and electrical demand must be very close to different every second to avoid overloading of the network apparatus which can cause plain damages. The overloads are detected by protective relays and fuses which also disconnect circuits at the risk of damage. Overhead line link fittings may also be used with other accessories such as ADSS accessories in order to make the connections safe and secure. This ensures that there is less maintenance and replacement of the overhead line devices. Power failure normally initiates from a segment failure of a network to a large area failure in the network system.
The modern power systems are intended to be resistant to this sort of growing failure but sometimes it may be unavoidable. Researchers have said that there is tendency to corrode the resilience of the network over time, which is only corrected after a major failure occurs. This shows that there is no short term economic benefit to preventing occasional large scale failures. It has also been said that reducing the possibility of short outages only lead to risks of larger ones.
In the case that the electric grid is damaged, there needs to be back up plans set in place to curb this. Threats to the electric grids include cyberattacks, solar storms and severe weather. Overhead line link fittings are used in these cases to ensure the conductors and insulators are protected from these harsh weather conditions.
Data and communications
Computer systems store the most vital data and this data may be prone to loss in the case of computers that have logic circuitry if sudden power outage happens. Such equipment includes data networking equipment, video projectors, alarm systems and computers. The use of the uninterruptible power supply may reduce the risk of these damages to computers.
The ADSS cable accessories provide continuous flow of electricity if a primary power supply becomes unavailable. A special device called the surge protector is used to protect against surges which can damage hardware when power is restored. The power surge takes in extra voltage to protect against damages. Overhead line link fittings are important in the installation and connection of such devices on the overhead lines.
Self-organized criticality
Since a long time, it has been said that the computer modeling that power the grids are self-organized dire systems. These systems showcase inevitable disturbances of all sizes, up to the size of the entire system. The systems have managed to reduce the blackout occurrence by operating further from its critical point. This has proven to not be economically feasible, thus causing providers to increase the average load over time. Utility pole bands are used to attach the secondary racks to the poles which are then used to support other pole line fittings and cables.
A system past the critical point under goes too many blackouts leading to a system-wide advancement moving them back below the critical point. The critical point is the point where a system undergoes a chapter transition from a stable reliable grid to a very unreliable grid with common failures.
The failures become more common close to the critical point. The habit of operating these systems much closer to their maximum capacity leads to magnified effects of random, unavoidable circumstance due to aging, weather and human interactions. The density of most power grids makes the initial cause of blackout hard to identify. The use of smart grid features such as power control devices can help to coordinate the grid thus making it easy to identify the potential blackouts. Utility pole bands are also known as pole fasteners or fastening clamps and are essential in making sure there is safe and secure connections in the poles.
Power outage frequency mitigation
The OPA (ORNL-PSERC-Alaska) model is a cascading failure model that was materially compared with a complex network model of cascading failure. It is involved with the behavior of the electrical distribution system.
These methods have been tested using the OPA blackout model. The utility pole bands are made in different sizes, designs and diameter so that one can be able to choose the best according to the intended use of the pole band. They include:
- Increase individual power line max load increase the occurrence of smaller blackouts and decrease of large blackouts.
- Combination of increasing critical number and max load of lines has no significant effect on either size of the blackout.
- Increasing the excess power to the grid has shown to decrease the occurrence of smaller blackouts but increase large ones.
- Increasing critical number of failures causing cascading blackouts show to decrease the occurrence of smaller blackouts but increase that of larger blackouts.
Wide area power outage restoration
The wide area power restoration may be a difficult task as power stations need to be brought back online. The small outage is fixed by bringing power from the rest of the grid. However, in the case of lack of grid power, a black start needs to be performed to reboot the power grid into operation. This means that it will greatly depend on limited circumstances and operational policies.
When there is no power in your home, it could be that there is a power outage of just your property that doesn’t have power. In the case where your neighbors still have power, it is recommended to reset your breakers to get the power back. Electrical armor rods barely need replacement or maintenance as they are made from materials that help them to resist all the weather conditions which give them a longer life.
The safety measures when doing this include: use no tools during the resetting as it is easily accessible by hand, do not touch the electric meter and do not stand in water or moisture surfaces when turning the breakers on or off. There is however a guide to help you do this step by step.
- Find the breaker panel in your home and turn off every breaker one by one.
- Reset the main breaker by flipping the switch off and on two times and leave it on the on position.
- Return to the breaker panel and turn each breaker back on one by one.
Economic impacts of power outage
Power outages can be harmful to the businesses in a region. They greatly affect the business and there are measures to be taken against these risks. The main impacts of power outage to businesses are as discussed below:
Budget overruns
Most businesses in the entire world rely heavily on the supply of electricity for most areas of their operations. Most companies are forced to get back up power such as generator and batteries to keep their operations running in case of power outage. This may cause financial anxieties which also affect their budgets. Electrical armor rods are highly used in the overhead lines in order to protect the conductors and insulators from disturbances in the environment.
Loss of productivity
Companies that rely heavily on electricity are greatly affected by power outages because it means employees may not be able to commence the tasks which results in the loss of productivity. The loss of productivity leads to fewer inventories and thus a loss in revenue. In order to compensate for the time lost and complete the tasks, the employees may require to be paid extra which could lead to a budget overrun.
Loss of revenue
When companies are affected by the power outages, sites especially for manufacturing companies may go down and businesses may not be able to distribute the services and products it normally provides. When customers are not able to get the services and products they normally get, they tend to turn to other suppliers of the products and this result in fewer sales which lead to a loss in revenue. Electrical armor rods are mainly made from materials that are compatible with the conductors such as aluminum wire, galvanized steel wire and aluminum clad steel wire to avoid corrosion between the two materials.
Damaged equipment and inventory
The sudden power outage causes a lot of damages to the electrical apparatus especially the ones not protected against electrical surges. The costs accrued when replacing or repairing the electrical equipment can sometimes be considerably high. For other small businesses such as groceries, pharmacies and restaurants, power outages may lead to a loss in inventory.
How to prepare for power outages
Power outages apart from rolling blackouts happen abruptly and can cause a lot of inconveniences. Regardless of the type of power outage, utility pole cross arms can help in protecting the conductors and insulators to help in preventing power outages in an area. There are a number of ways that people can prepare for outage cases, these include:
- Have an evacuation plan – it is suggested to stay at home during the power outages and wait for the fixing. In some situations such as hurricanes, it is advisable to leave your homes quickly. Creating an evacuation plan is necessary for such cases such as keeping all important documents in one place which makes it easy to grab them on the way out. Ensure that everything is turned off and make sure no gas driven equipment is running.
- First aid kit – this should already be standard at your home. However, an extra supply of hygiene products is recommended in case of an emergency. The utility pole cross arms are essential to hold the wires up on the pole and help balance the amount of electricity is on the system.
- Water – long blackouts may cause water to be contaminated and may also cause water outage too. It is recommended to store drinking water in place for sustainability during such cases.
- Flashlights – flashlights should be kept at all easily reachable places around the house which makes them easy to grab. They should be fully powered and have extra batteries in place for durability for such cases.
- Radio – this can often times be forgotten as a necessity as it is highly required in the case where phones are out of service. This helps because government may pass down more necessary information through the radio.
