DTE Energy is building the grid of the future to help meet the power challenges of today and those that lie ahead. DTE’s commitment to customers is to lower outages by 30% and cut outage duration times in half by 2029.
How will DTE reduce outages and outage duration?
One way is by upgrading existing infrastructure. While extreme weather can damage electrical equipment, DTE is maintaining and upgrading the 47,000 miles of power lines, poles and other infrastructure that deliver power to make the grid more resilient to these weather events:
- Fixing Equipment:
Crews thoroughly inspect more than a thousand miles of lines every year. If anything is broken, it gets replaced. They also look to replacing older equipment along these lines that are not broken, to help prevent problems from happening in the future.
- Stronger Materials:
Crews are replacing and upgrading with more modern equipment, made of new and better materials. This helps power equipment last longer and handle extreme weather better.
What else is DTE doing?
- Smart Grid:
DTE is making the grid smarter. This means installing new, high-tech equipment that can quickly reroute power when there’s a problem, so more people stay connected. It makes for a safer grid and helps DTE crews quickly identify the problem area so that power can be restored faster and repairs can be completed.
- Rebuilding sections of the grid:
Some areas of the grid are getting a total rebuild. That means new substations, all new lines and equipment and even upgrading to a higher voltage. Where this work is completed, DTE customers on these circuits will see a 90% increase in reliability.
- Trimming Trees:
Trees and branches falling on power lines and other electrical equipment are responsible for half the time customers spend without power. That’s why DTE is trimming and maintaining thousands of miles of trees yearly to keep the lines clear and the power on.
DTE is working hard to provide the reliable power customers deserve. If you want to see what DTE is doing in your area, check out the new Power Improvements Map at www.dteenergy.com/powermap.
About Post Author
