DURHAM, N.C. — Duke Energy on Tuesday demonstrated some of the new technologies that the company will use should Hurricane Ian knock out power to its customers. Leaders from Durham, Orange, Chatham and Lee counties got to see how the utility will work smarter and faster to address outages.
Duke highlighted what is called "self-healing technology" that is being installed around the state. Automation in the power grid will detect surges, downed power lines or outages and quickly re-route power from another source to keep customers connected.
The technology is relatively new, but Duke says that "smart, self-healing technology" installed in the grid in Durham has prevented more than 10,000 customer outages already this year.
A fleet of drones will survey damage from above, allowing Duke to check on properties that could be hard to get to if roads flood.
Jackson Rollins is the drone guy. He is Duke Energy director of unmanned aerial systems. "There’s a lot that you can see from the ground, but if you’re 200 feet in the air, there’s a lot more you can see – where is the damage? How extensive is the damage," he said.
Beyond technology, Duke Energy is preparing for Ian with manpower. The company is ready to call on retirees to help fill some of the need as well as contractors in other states if that is necessary.
The event was planned before Hurricane Ian spun up, but the timing was helpful.
Sarah Pickhardt, Orange County director of emergency management, said, "During large-scale events, we’re communicating with Duke as much as we can. They’re communicating back with us. If we’ve got an outage at a critical facility, we’re able to let them know and help that restoration happen a little quicker like if it’s a hospital."
