Consumers Energy's investment in smart technology for Michigan's electric grid is paying off, keeping the lights on for over 72,000 customers who would have otherwise lost power at some point this year.
Devices known as automatic transfer reclosers, or ATRs, have provided this benefit to customers. They're an example of a leading-edge technology that detects a power outage remotely and, like traffic lights, automatically limits the extent of a power outage.
Ultimately, fewer customers are affected when things go wrong. So far in 2024, Consumers Energy projects those 72,000-plus customers would have lost power for a total of over 350,000 hours.
"Consumers Energy is building a stronger grid with our Reliability Roadmap, and it's also a smarter one that will keep more people from losing power in the first place," said Greg Salisbury, Consumers Energy's vice president of electric distribution engineering. "The results that we're seeing from our ATRs and other technological tools show us that we're on the right path to better serving our friends and neighbors 24/7/365."
WATCH: How Consumers Energy's "traffic light" contains a power outage
Consumers Energy is installing over 100 ATRs across Michigan this year – it has almost 550 at work across the state now -- and plans to continue adding more in the future as part of the Reliability Roadmap. The company is trying to reach two long-term goals – ensuring no more than 100,000 customers lose power, even after the worst storms, and always restoring power in 24 hours or less.
Other tactics in the Reliability Roadmap include increased line clearing, infrared cameras, more durable iron poles, burying power lines and even a robotic dog.
