Types of Power Outages Affecting Power Supply

· Grid failure is the loss of power in the network of the electrical transmission lines preventing the supply of electricity to the consumers.

· They are caused by different factors that may involve the weather, animals, cars crashing, computer problems and human error.

· The types of grid failures are categorized according to the cause of the outage and they are discussed in detail below.

· The grid failures can be prevented by adding more investments into the grid to increase resilience, hardening the transmission and distribution equipment and incorporating the use of microgrids.

Grid failure is defined as the collapse of transmission lines due to over or under frequency. It can also be defined as the sudden outage of power to an end user. This is caused by many factors that will be discussed below. The grid on the other hand, is a network of electrical transmission lines connecting a number of generating stations to load over a wide area.

A pin insulator is s type of insulator that is used in power distribution systems to protect the conductors from conducting excess voltage in the lines. They are made from materials that help them not to allow excess current to pass through. They can be placed on the cross arm of the supporting power for voltages up to 33KV. The pin insulators are mainly made from porcelain and have a galvanized finish that helps them to have a longer serviceable life.

A power grid failure could also mean a total loss of power on the network caused by a fault significant enough to lead to high frequency. The main areas to experience grid failures include countries like Nigeria, California, Pakistan, India and Texas. The grid failures can be rectified by the suppliers which sometimes may take a week or longer than if the fault was strong. The use of microgrids can help to reduce the effects of grid failures and power outages.

Types of grid failures

The grid failure can be caused by many external and internal factors that may be necessary or unnecessary to the grid. The pin insulators are installed close to the conductors to protect them from excess current and all other damages attacking them. The various types of grid failures are as discussed below.

1. Distribution failures

These are the most common type of grid failure but they usually affect a small restricted area. The distribution failures can be caused by factors such as stormy weather, a squirrel on the power lines, car crashing into a pole or a metallic balloon touching the power line. These power outages can be rectified after a small period of time but the ones caused by weather my last a bit longer.

2. Transmission failures

The transmission failures are much uncommon than the distribution failures but they have enormous consequences when they happen. They are caused by weather, equipment failure, computer problems and human error. The transmission failures can spread to a wide area since they are connected to different states and countries. Pin insulators are used on the transmission lines with at least a voltage of 33KV.

3. Supply shortages

These types of failures are rare since they happen when there is basically not enough electricity to meet the high demand. These are fixed by enacting the rolling blackouts where the grid operator chooses to turn off power only to a restricted number of customers. This reduces the demand and allows manageability of the power.

4. Planned outages

These outages may be transmission or distribution outages but they are intentional to provide public safety. The grid operator may turn off power in some areas of the network in order to perform routine maintenance. These routine shutoff helps to prevent the devices from starting a fire caused by the suddena increase in voltages. Pin insulators are either made from porcelain or glass to enhance their resistance to electric current.

How to prevent grid failure?

Power outages often have multiple causes but we live in a world where electricity is a necessity for our daily lives including our offices, industries, hospitals, households and even the military. We therefore have to work towards securing the grid stability to avoid the failures that cause us disruptions. Pin insulators can also be galvanized to help them cope with all the different weather conditions to avoid corrosion and rust. The following are some of the ways we can help to prevent power outages and grid failures.

· We should make investments to increase grid resilience and prevent power outages from happening.

· We should take measures to harden transmission and distribution infrastructure to reduce the risk of these failures.

· We should also incorporate the use of microgrids to reduce the dependence on the transmission lines and distribution systems.