The consumption of electrical energy is a necessity in all areas, both residential, commercial and industrial: all technological advances and developments depend to a large extent on it.
However, in companies, all the equipment used for the means and modes of production consume electricity, therefore the industries need to be more efficient in their processes, implementing maximum energy savings, reflected in the billing of the service.
And precisely considering the economic factor, it is where the importance arises for the industry of being prepared at all times in the face of essential circumstances such as scheduled power outages at its facilities. All this in order to mitigate the impacts of possible production losses affecting the profitability of the business.
Do you want to know more about the most efficient energy solutions for companies in these cases? We address this topic below.
What is a scheduled power outage?
They are interruptions in the supply of electrical fluid that are carried out for different reasons, among which are service expansion, system improvements, replacement of obsolescent machines or equipment, and maintenance of power lines.
In cases of maintenance, repairs, expansion or modifications, the Federal Electricity Commission must notify users through a mass media, or individual notification (in the case of industrial users served in high voltage or public service providers) with a minimum of forty-eight hours prior to the start of the respective works.
Advance notification allows companies to take forecasts of the case, in order to also carry out maintenance activities in their plants or simply adapt their backup equipment and perform synchronization tests before the scheduled outage event.
The operating companies of the electrical service offer a series of facilities to customers to notify them about the affectation of the service due to scheduled works, among which stand out; notifications by mass media, email, the company's web platform and social networks.
Causes of power outages
Power outages are classified according to their origin. Below we describe what the main categories consist of:
Scheduled power outage for maintenance
They are carried out in a planned manner, generally due to preventive and predictive maintenance tasks in order to guarantee continuity in the electricity supply.
Among the maintenance activities are: replacement of transformer equipment, replacement of cables, insulators and electrical connectors.
It should be noted that in order to classify the supply cut as programmed, the distribution company must request authorization from the competent energy body at least 72 hours in advance.
Power cut scheduled for service expansion
On some occasions, it is necessary to carry out suspensions in the electricity supply to put new infrastructures into service that will facilitate the incorporation of potential users into the system. These activities generally have a maximum affectation time of 2 hours.
Cut due to unforeseen breakdowns
They happen for reasons of force majeure in electrical installations. These types of cuts are caused by problems at some point in the installation or in the electrical network and cannot be controlled. Its most frequent causes are:
· Overloads in the electrical system;
· Fires in the area of influence of electrical systems;
· Adverse weather conditions;
· Natural disasters (earthquakes, earthquakes);
· Impact of vehicles against electric poles;
· Fluctuations in electricity demand;
· Failure in some element of the distribution network;
· Fault in the transmission or electrical transport network.
Power outage due to electrical risk
They are carried out preventively in situations that put the integrity of people or facilities at risk and do not give time to notify users, some examples are:
· Unauthorized couplings to the distribution network (commonly called little devils);
· Connections or derivations (illegal intakes) that have service contracts;
· Handling of measuring equipment;
· Improper use of fireworks;
· Facilities in a dangerous condition due to acts of vandalism.
Power outage due to non-payment of the service
They arise when the user does not pay service billings on time. In general, these measures are taken when two or more payments are due and after having exhausted the conciliation channels with the user.
Impact of scheduled power outages on the industry
In industry, the impact of a power outage is greater, since it often implies a stoppage of production, which triggers significant economic losses.
The most severe impacts from scheduled power outages are:
1. Interruption in the company's communications network;
2. Affectation of production chains or process lines;
3. Damage to main equipment or complex machines that will require maintenance;
4. Loss of the lighting system that generates risk conditions for employees;
5. Loss of productive man-hours while the outage lasts;
6. Economic impact due to the loss of products that were in the production lines.
Energy solutions in the event of power outages for the industry
Failures in the supply of electrical energy in companies can cause serious havoc in their processes and cash flows if the forecasts of the case are not taken.
The best solution to prevent the effects of scheduled power outages in the industry are generators, either with a stationary emergency plant, an external backup or even solar cell systems.
It is recommended to consult the experts to select an adequate energy backup for your needs and line of business, since the alternatives can be:
· don't break
· Uninterruptible Power System (UPS)
· Solar panels
· Direct current plants (Inverters)
· Emergency plants (Generators)
However, each sector has its own demands. For example, the health and telecommunications areas demand quality energy, since they are very sensitive to voltage variations and electrical disturbances. Therefore, adequate systems are added for backup, combining some of the aforementioned systems.
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