C & L Electric Cooperative edition
What is grid resiliency? disruptions that could result in outages. A resilient grid is also flexible and adaptable by allowing different types of generation – such as wind, solar, coal and hydro – to seamlessly work together to provide you with safe and reliable power. The way our systems react to advancements in technology – from demand response investments to serving the needs of electric vehicles – all factor into the resilience of our grid. Resiliency is a 24/7, 365-days-a-year task. Whether it’s the power lines, substations or generation facilities on our grid, it takes proactive maintenance and investment to keep them running smoothly. With thousands of consumers without power for months, the lack of resiliency in Puerto Rico’s power grid wasn’t solely caused by hurricane damage; it was the result of years of neglect in taking care of its system and preparing for a worst-case scenario. In a similar way to how we maintain our vehicles with regular oil changes, inspections and tire rotations, a grid must also be properly maintained. Throughout the year, we regularly conduct pole and line inspections. Our goal is to find a problem before it becomes one. For example, if we find a weak pole that has damage from termites, we replace that pole. Doing so ensures that pole is as strong – or as resilient – as it can be. We also have a strong program to manage the CHRIS WALLEY growth of vegetation along power lines to prevent as much damage as possible during storms. Living in Arkansas, we know that significant power Resiliency is many things – it’s reliability in your electric outages can occur, especially as we enter spring and summer service, it’s our ability to efficiently restore your power, it’s storm season. Whether we’re at the mercy of tornadoes or ice being able to meet the demands of new technology, and it’s storms, we have confidence in the resiliency of our system to how we serve you with various generation sources without recover from the situation with as little disruption as possible. skipping a beat. Ultimately, resilience is how we deliver on In the dictionary, resilience is defined as “the ability to our promise to improve the quality of life for our memberbounce back, recover quickly and go back into shape or owners. position after being stretched.” When it comes to providing When it comes to having a resilient electric grid, it begins our member-owners with resilient service, this is what we with a system that is designed and built to withstand high work toward – day in and day out! winds, powerful storms, cybersecurity attacks and other Resiliency of the grid is one of the most popular concepts being talked about in the electric industry today. This concept recently made headlines in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which caused extraordinary damage to Puerto Rico’s electric grid resulting in the longest sustained outage in U.S. history. Lack of resilience became the go-to phrase to describe Puerto Rico’s grid. Here in Arkansas, what does grid resiliency mean for you?
The offices of C & L Electric Cooperative will be closed Wednesday, July 4, 2018, in observance of Independence Day.
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Have a safe and happy holiday!
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Holiday closing
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Beat the Peak And Lower Your Energy Bills!
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The price your cooperative pays for power can vary greatly! Power is most expensive during the hot summer months between the “Peak” hours of 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. By limiting the amount of power purchased during these “Peak” high-priced energy periods, we can reduce our total power costs and provide significant savings for our members.
What Can You Do? • Delay the use of major appliances like washing machines, dishwashers and clothes dryers. • Set your thermostat a few degrees higher. • Limit the use of hot water. • Turn off lights, appliances, and electronic equipment when not in use.
• Visit www.SmartEnergyTips.org for more ideas.
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