VALDOSTA, Ga. (WALB) – With all of the new technology the world has to offer, Georgia Power thinks it’s time they step it up a notch.
Georgia Power said they are investing in the future of energy by making the grids smarter, stronger and more resilient. The new smart circuit will cater to about 2,500 people in the community.
The new smart technology grids will be in Valdosta. Georgia Power said they’ve already tested this out in other places, and some have already seen a 40% improvement in their service.
Georgia Power said there are multiple reasons why they decided to make this type of investment. They say it will make their energy grid stronger and more resilient.
“Installing some smart equipment on one of our underperforming circuits here. And when I say underperforming, in the past it’s had some reliability issues with weather and wildlife, squirrels and things like that,” Joe Brownlee, region director of Georgia Power, said.
Georgia Power said they are installing this new smart technology all over the state of Georgia and that they are ready to work out any bugs.
Georgia Power said that the 2,500 people this grid will cater to aren’t just residents. It’ll serve an elementary and middle school, a backup generator for South Georgia Medical Center, a hospice center, along with the residents in the area.
“We think the reliability that we add to this circuit is going to do great things. We know that in some areas where we’ve done this work we’ve increased reliability up to 40%. And we just want you to know, we’re working for the future of your energy. And this is one piece of it, here in Valdosta,” Brownlee said.
Some people who live on Park Avenue — where this new technology is — said they are excited about the installation and change.
“I just recently moved to Georgia, so I haven’t been through a power outage yet. Let’s hope that we don’t, but not yet. It sounds like a good thing because I mean people won’t have to wait to get power when outages come for days at a time. So, it sounds like a good thing,” CorDarius North, a resident in the community, said.
Georgia Power said the note grid is interconnected. So, improving one section helps with the overall flow of energy.
“This is part of what we’re going to call the future of energy. Whether it’s from our plants to our transmission lines, to our substations, then down to the distribution lines that feed your home, this is the smart technology that will improve the reliability, the resiliency, and the overall quality of the power going to your home,” Brownlee said.
Some people in the neighborhood said they’re fairly new, so they couldn’t speak on the history of their service. But they are interested to see the changes because of this new smart technology.
“We recognize that, and we’re going to install this smart equipment which will see faults. Sometimes it will repair faults with no one having to roll a truck out here. A lot of times, it will restore the power to as many people as possible and really lower the number of outages,” Brownlee said.
Georgia Power said this new circuit will do great things in this area of town.
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