Power outage preparedness (Jonathon Monken)

1. PJM©2017
Power Outage Preparedness
Jonathon Monken
Senior Director, System Resilience
and Strategic Coordination
www.pjm.com

2. PJM©20172
The Distribution of Power
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3. PJM©20173
Traditional Outages
• 95% of outages
last less than 4
hours
• Most people only
experience 1 or
2 per year
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4. PJM©20174
Industry Paradigm Shift
Changes in
customer
expectations
Alternative
technologies
Intermittent
renewables
Distributed energy
resources
Storage
technologies
Unprecedented number of changes in the power industry
Fuel Swap

5. PJM©20175
Who Else Is Connected?
• In Short:
Everyone!
• All major
infrastructure
systems rely on
electricity
Source: EPRI

6. PJM©20176
First Things First
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7. PJM©20177
Things to Know
Water
• Single most important thing to have
• Nearly 8% of all electricity usage is
for water
• Water systems are generally
backed up, but…
• Big drop-off after 48-72 hours
• Can’t “flip the switch” like electricity
• Don’t forget about wastewater!
• The real driver behind evacuations
• Food spoils quickly
• Refrigeration is very power-
intensive
• Consider your food prep method
(electric vs. gas)
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Food

8. PJM©20178
Things to Know
Communications
• Cell towers back-up last for 8-10
hours on average
• The longer the outage, the bigger
the problem
• You’re “land-line” is not!
• Stick to texting and essentials for
bandwidth
• Know your system
• Your furnace may be gas but your
thermostat isn’t!
• Hydration is key either way
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Heating/Cooling

9. PJM©20179
Generators: BEWARE!
• Proper ventilation is essential
• Adequate fuel (with stabilizer)
• Proper “load matching”
• Only the most important things first
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10. PJM©2017
Questions?
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