U.S. Department of Energy Funds to Help Strengthen APS Smart Grid With New Technology
APS selected for
“The APS energy grid spans more than 38,000 miles of power lines throughout
Two
1. Strengthening Arizona’s Wildfire Mitigation Efforts – $50
APS fire mitigation experts, meteorologists and field crews work year-round to protect communities, first responders and electrical infrastructure from Arizona’s growing fire risk and dry, hot summers. This grant will help fund new projects that expand APS’s industry-leading wildfire mitigation program.
Project benefits include:
- Enhancing energy grid safety by installing thousands of upgraded electrical fuses and devices to help smart grid operators make calculated, real-time adjustments to electricity distribution and perform targeted safety shutoffs. Select wooden poles in high-risk fire areas will be upgraded to fire-resistant steel poles. These measures will increase safety in communities and minimize service impacts to customers.
- Improving data-based decisions by expanding the APS network of weather stations and fire-monitoring cameras on electrical equipment, adding hundreds of devices across Arizona’s high fire risk areas and integrating more fire modeling software to enhance predictions about wildfire probability.
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Increasing reliable energy for vulnerable communities by building microgrids in two high fire risk
Arizona communities. The microgrids will provide a local backup power supply during outages caused by fires and other extreme weather. - Driving positive community impact and seeking to contract projects with diverse and underrepresented suppliers, businesses and union-represented contract employees.
This project will boost APS’s current efforts to reduce wildfire risk, which include removing hazardous brush from about 40,000 power poles each year, shielding equipment with fire-resistant mesh to protect against fire damage and collaborating with local fire agencies across
2. Enhancing Arizona’s Smart, Resilient Grid – $20
APS is building smarter energy infrastructure to increase resilience against extreme weather, address growing customer demand and integrate more clean energy resources. This grant will help fund the construction of new smart grid technology projects to increase APS’s ability to efficiently and safely reroute electricity during outage situations to improve restoration times.
Project benefits include:
- Strengthening reliability and resilience in primarily rural and tribal communities through upgrades in energy grid technology. This will bring significant savings in repair costs and over 20 years, avoid an estimated 1.2 million unplanned service interruptions.
- Increasing up to 15% more power delivered to APS customers through new equipment installed on specific transmission lines. This additional capacity will improve reliability, efficiency and connect more clean energy technologies to the smart grid.
- Utilizing advanced data analysis and information gathered from new technologies and smart grid devices by APS engineers and operators to track energy patterns over time and plan for future project needs.
- Seeking to create full-time jobs targeting union-represented and underrepresented contractors. APS will also dedicate funding to its Crisis Bill Assistance program and its scholarship and workforce development initiatives.
APS serves approximately 1.4 million homes and businesses in 11 of Arizona’s 15 counties, and is a leader in delivering reliable, affordable and clean energy in the Southwest. The company is committed to serving customers with 100% clean power by 2050. As owner and operator of
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