Penn Power installing automated devices to reduce duration of power outages

The Pennsylvania Power Company (Penn Power) said Tuesday that is installing 120 new “TripSaver” automated reclosing devices on power lines in Crawford, Lawrence and Mercer counties to reduce the frequency and duration of outages.

The company will install TripSavers on local neighborhood power lines that branch from the main power line serving an area.

When a temporary issue occurs on a neighborhood line, such as a tree limb blowing into a line, the TripSaver isolates the resulting outage from the main power line to avoid outages to customers across a larger area. Once it senses that the branch is out of the way, it automatically re-energizes the line to prevent an extended outage from occurring.

If a sensor detects a more serious issue, such as a tree falling onto a power line, it will isolate the outage to that area to minimize the number of affected customers. The device pinpoints the location of the fault to help utility personnel understand the cause of the outage and speed restoration.

“TripSavers allow us to automatically restore service to customers rather than sending a crew to investigate, which is especially helpful in rural areas,” Ed Shuttleworth, regional president of Ohio Edison and Penn Power, said. “This automated technology is safer and saves time and money.”

To determine the best locations for the TripSavers, utility personnel reviewed outage patterns across the company’s service area and identified outage-prone areas that would benefit from a TripSaver.

The company expects that it will complete all 120 installations by late fall of this year.