The best power outage is one that never happens. Thanks to PPL Electric Utilities’ (PPL’s) smart grid technology, more than 1 million PPL customers have avoided power outages since 2015.

PPL’s smart grid automated power restoration network instantly reroutes power in the event of a problem, like a thunderstorm, keeping the outage area contained to the smallest possible footprint and the fewest number of customers. The electric company estimates the technology has helped customers avoid 100 million minutes in the dark over the past five years.

“This is a milestone born of innovation and imagination,” said PPL President Greg Dudkin. “It represents our commitment to using technology to benefit our customers and to providing superior reliability.

The smart grid network – a combination of state-of-the-art sensors and switches, coupled with advanced software systems – is part of a significant investment made by PPL in the energy grid over the past decade.

During that time, PPL also has rebuilt aging power lines and has added more storm-resistant wires and poles, instituted innovative data-driven equipment maintenance and replacement programs, and more. Other initiatives, such as a comprehensive tree trimming and removal program, have helped improve grid reliability and resilience.

PPL’s collective reliability efforts, bolstered by its smart grid investments, have reduced the average frequency of outages across its grid by nearly a third since 2011. The company continues to look for new ways to improve reliability, as it did with its battery project completed in Harrisburg, Pa., last year.

“Hitting a million avoided outages is a great achievement, but just as significant is our commitment to deliver for our customers every day, around the clock,” Dudkin said. “We don’t advance without that purpose as our foundation.”

To learn more about PPL’s smart grid, visit pplelectric.com/smartgrid. Visit pplelectric.com/reliability to learn more about what PPL does to keep the lights on for the customers and communities it serves.

Tags : The Energy Grid, Customer Solutions, All