U.S. Department of Energy officials recently visited PPL Electric Utilities’ Allentown facility to discuss work supported by the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program.
The program provides federal support for projects that strengthen and modernize the electric grid. A grant awarded through the program supports PPL Electric’s Grid of the Future projects, hardware and software solutions designed to prevent and shorten outages, improve grid visibility and support reliable service as customer needs change.
“A stronger, smarter grid starts with giving our people the right tools and information to serve customers safely and reliably,” Christine Martin, PPL Electric Utilities President, said at the event. “Our work with the Department of Energy is helping us move promising technology into real-world operations, where it can help us identify problems sooner, limit the impact of outages and support faster restoration for the communities we serve.”
A portion of the event was open to the public and included remarks from Martin and Katie Jereza, Office of Electricity assistant secretary, along with demonstrations of three grid technologies intended to improve reliability, safety and operation.
The event was held at PPL Electric’s Walbert Training Center.
PPL Electric Utilities delivers electricity to approximately 1.5 million homes and businesses in eastern and central Pennsylvania.