People have become more aware of the grid and the problems that can arise. Especially, since the latest power outage in the Southwest. This widespread outage, has caused many to worry about their power when storms are coming. In order to prevent thousands of families losing power over this winter season, Governor McMaster asked for an assessment report of the South Carolina Grid and the utility companies. Those included are Duke Energy Progress, Duke Energy Carolinas, and Dominion Energy SC. Combined, these three utilities service over 61,000 miles of distribution line in the state.
The grid is always changing depending on many factors. Governor McMaster has stated that grid resiliency is “ever-evolving work in progress and we must remain vigilant”. Therefore, the assessment is a way to do just that.
The results of the assessment are generally positive. The report states that the largest utilities have methods and procedures in place for major events. This unfortunately, does not include smaller utility companies that service the remaining 11,000 miles of distribution. These smaller utilities show “lagging level of maturity in investing their resources to achieve cost-effective resilience and reliability solutions.”
New rules were passed in October by the Public Utility Commission of Texas. This required generators and transmission providers to weatherize their plants and systems ahead of winter. Following these updates, the recent inspections by the state’s grid operator deemed the system ready for winter months.
In order to guarantee that SC is as prepared as possible, the report recommends that South Carolina form a task force to consider “voluntary adoption” of these new Texas practices. Dominion spokesperson, Rhonda O’Banion stated “we welcome the sharing of best practices that will help the state become collectively more prepared to respond to the demands of customers 24/7, especially during extreme weather.”
While utility companies are increasing their practices in place to prevent families being without power for long, solar can ensure you never even have to lose it. If you are interested in going solar and the possibility of adding a battery, look no further. Give us a call today at 843-606-4512.
