Chances are you've lost power during a storm at some time in your life. It's an inconvenience that Duke Energy, the states largest serving utility company, is trying to prevent.
"One of the ways we do that is through self-healing technology. It automatically detects power outages. It reroutes power to restore power to customers in the event of an outage," McKenzie Barbknecht said.
Duke Energy Spokesperson, Barbknecht, says the company is adding "self-healing" technology to different parts of the state. Upgrades are currently being made to power grids in Noblesville.
If the lights go out, the system will automatically detect that and re-route the power through a different line.
"It works very similar to how a GPS in your car works. It identifies an accident ahead and re-routes. Self-healing works the same way. If a tree takes out a power line, instead of knocking out power for thousands of customers, it isolates the outage to mid-area," Barbknecht said.
According to Barbknecht, only 11% of customers are protected by this high technology. Plans are in place to upgrade the grids for 65% of Duke Energy customers over the next six years.
"Last year, our self-healing technology helped avoid nearly 45,000 outages across the state, which saved 80,000 hours of outage time. Those are significant numbers. When you couple that with some other upgrades we are making to our system, like swapping out wooden poles for steel poles, all of that goes a long way in making sure the lights stay on," she said.
AES serves the Indianapolis area. It's also using self-healing technology.
Plans are in place over the next 7 years to significantly strengthen its grids.
-
Pacers' Haliburton appears to aggravate lower leg injury in Game 5 of NBA Finals
Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton briefly left Game 5 of the NBA Finals for treatment after apparently aggravating an injury to his lower right leg, grabbing at it in obvious discomfort more than once.
A tale of two farms: Indiana's 2025 strawberry season
Strawberries are tiny berries, but a lot of hard work goes into producing them in Indiana. Hail can destroy berries quickly, and too much rain can destroy a crop.
Indiana School for the Deaf forced to cut 26 staff members
The Indiana Association of the Deaf states this budget crisis is forcing 26 staff members to be cut, including teachers, nurses and more.
Hudnut legacy shines as Pacers reach NBA Finals
The Pacers continued success not only celebrates the team's dedication but also honors William Hudnut's enduring legacy in the Indianapolis community.
