Crucial Role and Protection of Substations

Throughout the nation, local electric companies have substations positioned throughout their service areas. An electrical substation is a group of electrical equipment within an electrical network that safely delivers electricity to customers within a given area. Key components found in a substation include electrical power transformers, instrument transformers, busbars, and other components. These key components are essential for maintaining and delivering electricity to customers linked to the substation. They are easily damaged though, especially from clawing, chewing squirrels, so it is important to protect them and keep critters at bay.

Substation Design & Importance

Design

The design of most substations is similar in features, considering they all have the same importance and comparable components. With a layout of three parallel sections, the design of the substation is built for quality distribution.

In the first section, the generation portion is laid out, with outlets to the transmission grid and other substations. This section is also the largest part of the layout because of the high voltage electricity entering the substation.

The second section is designed as a sub-transmission to other substation outlets, rerouting some of the energy out of the grid when not being used. This section is designed to prevent an overload of energy and reroute the surplus.

The final section is designed to distribute energy to the customers linked to that specific substation. The distribution feeders and transformers found in this section ensure that only quality electricity is being routed to customers.

Importance

A substation must provide electricity safely to customers at any time. Quality power is the most central objective of a substation and its placement on the electrical grid. Substations must safely reduce high electrical voltage. Once the voltage has shifted, the electricity is dispersed to customers from the substation to home.

Costs of Damaged Substations

When substations are damaged due to wildlife and animal-related damages, expenses can be steep. Even minor repairs on small rural substations caused by small animals such as raccoons and squirrels climb as high as $25,000, depending on the particular piece damaged and labor required for repair. For major damages, expect the costs to extend well into six figures!

Contact Us Today!

If you are in charge of managing the substation network, supplying power to customers, but you're having a consistent problem with wildlife, contact us today. Our Line Guard and Pole Guard systems defend and maintain your substation, thereby protecting your reputation by preventing further damages and power outages.