Chances are you've lost power during a storm at some time in your life. It's an inconvenience that Duke Energy, the states largest serving utility company, is trying to prevent.
"One of the ways we do that is through self-healing technology. It automatically detects power outages. It reroutes power to restore power to customers in the event of an outage," McKenzie Barbknecht said.
Duke Energy Spokesperson, Barbknecht, says the company is adding "self-healing" technology to different parts of the state. Upgrades are currently being made to power grids in Noblesville.
If the lights go out, the system will automatically detect that and re-route the power through a different line.
"It works very similar to how a GPS in your car works. It identifies an accident ahead and re-routes. Self-healing works the same way. If a tree takes out a power line, instead of knocking out power for thousands of customers, it isolates the outage to mid-area," Barbknecht said.
According to Barbknecht, only 11% of customers are protected by this high technology. Plans are in place to upgrade the grids for 65% of Duke Energy customers over the next six years.
"Last year, our self-healing technology helped avoid nearly 45,000 outages across the state, which saved 80,000 hours of outage time. Those are significant numbers. When you couple that with some other upgrades we are making to our system, like swapping out wooden poles for steel poles, all of that goes a long way in making sure the lights stay on," she said.
AES serves the Indianapolis area. It's also using self-healing technology.
Plans are in place over the next 7 years to significantly strengthen its grids.
-
Hoosier cancer survivors urge Congress to protect NIH funding
Hoosier cancer survivors traveled to Washington this week to urge lawmakers to maintain and increase federal funding for cancer research.
Cumberland leaders warn SEA 1 will strain services despite bigger 2026 budget
Cumberland’s newly proposed 2026 budget grows spending by more than 12% over this year’s plan. Town leaders say state tax changes will limit their ability to maintain and grow services.
Vote Center proposal dies in Hamilton County
The Hamilton County Election Board failed to get a unanimous vote it needed to move the county to a countywide Vote Center model.
Indianapolis youth explore careers in public safety and service
Indianapolis youth got to explore meaningful career paths, connect with mentors and engage in interactive demonstrations.
