When I started working with Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative in 2001, we had not implemented much technology to help improve our efficiency or reliability, or to speed our outage response and restoration. In spite of the technological advances that had taken place in other industries, the work of our linemen had not changed much since the Cooperative was founded. But there was technology on the horizon.
As an example, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems were around in those days, but they were not the systems that we have today. Users could operate certain devices, adjust settings, and retrieve data, but that was about it.
The SCADA system that we have deployed on our distribution network today can fully control nearly every device. In addition to the basic functions mentioned above, the system can notify us when the status of devices changes, it can proactively adjust settings to optimize network performance, and it can even “self-heal” our distribution system so that we can restore service to consumers almost instantly. This latter function we have not yet implemented. It unfortunately requires a lot of work and fine-tuning and can’t be used in every instance, but the system has the capability.
SCADA is just 1 recent example of technology we’ve implemented. Another is our fiber optic network. We built the network to reach every electric consumer on our system, no matter how far off the beaten path they may be. We did this so that every member could take advantage of the fastest, most reliable internet service available anywhere. But that’s not the only reason.
Another reason we built our superfast and ultra-reliable fiber network was so that we could speed communications to each of our substations and devices out on the lines. This communications network supports our SCADA functions and greatly improves the speed at which we can retrieve information from our meters. It also allows us to improve security at our substations as well as provide us with disaster recovery sites.
From capturing and storing consumer billing and metering data to servers powering all the different systems that keep our business operating, we have to not only have the primary systems that we use every day, but we also must have backup systems in case of failures. Like redundant systems that help keep airplanes in the air, we have redundant computer systems that help us make sure we can continue to operate through the most challenging of situations.
We maintain backup systems both at our office in a secure, hardened facility as well as at alternative sites away from our office. The onsite systems allow us to recover quickly in the event of a hardware failure or software glitch. The offsite systems provide the capability to continue functioning as a business in the event that our office facility is no longer usable, such as with a catastrophic fire or tornado strike.
The implementation of technology is helping your cooperative work more efficiently and more effectively. It is improving the reliability of not only your electric service but also the data we must collect and store to ensure the accuracy of our records. We are doing this to ensure we provide you with the most reliable service possible at affordable rates.
We thank you for the opportunity to provide you with electric, propane, and broadband services. We look forward to seeing you on September 20 at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame Fox Sports 1 Dome for our 86th Annual Meeting.