Substation updates improve resiliency

Just like a car that requires maintenance to operate reliably, the Merom Generating Station gets preventative maintenance during scheduled outages. Often occurring in the spring when energy demand is low, generation on a single unit is halted. Boiler tubes and duct work are inspected and repaired — along with about 1,400 other tasks that must be completed in a meticulously calculated order.

When you hear it, it is a distinct buzzing sound. It is a little louder than a bee buzzing nearby. If you look up, you might find it – a drone flying overhead. This equipment is no longer just for hobbyists             , it has become an intricate tool used by electric utilities to increase safety and grid resiliency. Hoosier Energy is using this equipment for monitoring rights-of-way and powerlines that can transmit up to 345kV of energy. This improves safety, reduces response time and saves money.

The storage of digital data is big business. The data center market in the U.S. is expected to grow to more than $69 billion by 2024, according to a report compiled by market data and trends analyst Arizton.

Two cooperatives – one electric and the other telephone – have joined forces to ensure that Perry and Spencer county cooperative members have access to broadband internet service.

The energy industry is evolving and Hoosier Energy is evolving along with it. A new initiative was introduced by the Hoosier Energy Emerging Energy Resources (EER) team to help members focus on the changing needs and habits of member-consumers.

The response to the pandemic has led to new ways of doing things. For co-ops, they have changed how they meet – especially for annual meetings that often draw hundreds of members.

When asked to use a No. 2 pencil, fill circles completely and make no stray marks on the form, these instructions are likely to bring back memories of school years when scantron technology was used for testing. Merom Generating Station’s Job Safety Observation Team is utilizing scantron technology in a new way.

When an outage occurs, operations crews focus on getting the power back on safely. While they’re doing that, co-op communicators work to keep member-consumers updated with timely information. This requires a collaboration between the communications and operations teams – a relationship Henry County REMC’s Lara Sullivan has been building for several years.