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Optimizing Unplanned Power Outage Management for a Brighter Future

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Rebecca Day Author
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4 min Reading time
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13 Aug 2024 Published
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“Accessible, standardized power outage data can improve response times and save lives when combined with other emergency response systems.” Victor Hoerst

Unplanned Power Outage Management

As the frequency of severe weather events and other causes of power outages continues to rise, various governmental programs are being established worldwide. In the United States, the Outage Data Initiative Nationwide (ODIN) is a prime example, advocating for real-time, standardized, and transparent voluntary sharing of power outage data. This underscores the crucial role of Outage Management details in our infrastructure and daily lives. Outages can occur at all levels of the power grid, whether planned or unplanned, including distribution, transmission, and supply. Let’s delve into the challenges with unplanned outages and how powerful outage management software can significantly improve response times, thereby minimizing the impact of outages and ensuring the safety and well-being of all involved.

Stresses of Unplanned Outages

Power outages cause disruptions in communities and can even lead to loss of revenue and, in extreme cases, loss of life. To get a sense of that cost, according to ITIC, Information Technology Intelligence Consulting reports:

  • Hourly downtime costs continue to rise for all businesses, with 86% of firms stating that one hour of downtime costs $300,000 or more.
  • One-third of organizations report that the cost of a single hour of downtime can reach $1 million to over $5 million.
  • Downtime can be equally devastating to small and mid-sized businesses, potentially leading to significant monetary losses, damage to reputation, and litigation.
  • 85% of corporations now require a minimum of “four nines” of uptime (99.99%) for mission-critical hardware, operating systems, and main line of business applications.
  • High reliability, availability, and strong security are imperative for conducting business in today’s interconnected networks.

This type of data can keep power system stakeholders up at night. While these statistics are taken from the business sector, not the utility sector, it is easy to see how revenue loss is just one example of why having a reliable and efficient system to manage outages is crucial to power utilities. Customer satisfaction is a key performance indicator.  Many power companies have implemented various outage management systems to respond quickly and effectively to power outages.

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Management of Unplanned Outages with Legacy Systems

While critical and time-tested for any city or region, if the current systems are manual power restoration processes such as spreadsheets and a phone list hanging on the wall, there will be significant disruptions in operations and severe consequences. This inefficient process can break down when the team usually in charge has a vital team member on vacation. There are many other ways manual processes can break down; this article will delve into these issues, highlighting the need for prompt maintenance plans and proactive measures to mitigate such risks.

Advantages of Automated Processes in Outage Management

With the increasing complexity of today’s grid, manual outage management processes still need to be improved to meet organizations’ needs. Automated approval processes have become essential to streamline decision-making and response times during an outage. Automating approval workflows eliminates specific redundant tasks, reduces the time required to review and approve outage-related requests, and facilitates seamless stakeholder communication. In this context, the benefits of automated approval processes are significant, and they can provide cost reductions to organizations that use them efficiently.  Benefits of automated processes include:

  • Time Reduction
    • Automated approval processes reduce downtime during an outage by streamlining decision-making and response times
    • Expedite decision-making by automatically routing outage-related requests for approval
    • Ensure critical actions, such as procuring replacement parts and authorizing emergency repairs, are initiated promptly
    • Eliminate redundant tasks and manual interventions, reducing the time required to review and approve outage-related requests
    • Enable faster issue resolution and quicker power restoration to affected areas
  • Streamlined Communication
    • Facilitate seamless communication between stakeholders involved in outage management
    • Real-time notification and status updates keep all parties informed about the progress of outage response efforts
    • Enable coordinated actions and faster problem resolution
  • Enforcement of Compliance
    • Enforce compliance with outage management protocols and regulatory requirements
    • Reduce the risk of non-compliance-related delays by obtaining all necessary approvals before implementing changes or taking corrective actions
  • Data for Improvement
    • Capture valuable data and metrics for outage response times, approval cycles, and resource utilization
    • Analysis of data provides insights into areas for improvement
    • Enable organizations to refine their outage management procedures and optimize response strategies for future incidents
  • Fault clearance process tools
    • – Streamline fault detection, diagnosis, and resolution processes
    • – Enable early detection of outages
    • – Facilitate rapid diagnosis of issues
    • – Automate certain aspects of outage management
    • – Provide valuable data insights for improvement
    • – Optimize workflows for more efficient outage management
    • – Contribute to continuous improvement in outage management

Reduction of Resource Pressure with IPS®OMS

The IPS®OMS Unplanned Outage Management is not just another solution for power companies to manage outages. Its unique design sets it apart, empowering operators to swiftly pinpoint the root cause of an outage, dispatch maintenance crews, and restore power to affected customers with unmatched speed. Real-time data collection gives operators a holistic view of the outage. Its automated processes streamline outage requests, maintenance crew dispatch, and repair progress tracking, instilling confidence in the system’s efficiency.

The IPS®OMS Unplanned Outage Management module is effective for managing unplanned outages. However, the transmission company must address redundancy, maintenance, and protection issues to prevent transmission failures, improve reliability, and reduce the frequency and duration of outages.

The IPS®OMS is a solution-designed tool to report, manage, and track unplanned outages. The system’s automated processes help operators manage outage requests, dispatch maintenance crews, and track repair progress. Additionally, the system’s fault clearance process tools and forced outage reporting features help maintenance crews identify and manage the outage’s root cause, ensuring the system is restored safely and efficiently.

Want to experience the optimized and brighter future with IPS®OMS Unplanned Outage tools?

Schedule a Demo Today!