Power U: As Utility Power Outages Rise, 3 Universities Keep Emergency Backup Costs Down
May 2019:
As centers of both education and community life, colleges and universities are challenged with meeting the needs of a diverse range of people and activities. From student housing and dining to classrooms and administrative offices, sports arenas and arts venues, medical facilities, and research labs, assuring reliable backup power in the event of an emergency or outage is of paramount concern. The challenge becomes even greater when considering aging infrastructure, the rise of traditional and non-traditional students, and the emergence of extreme weather patterns that have led to an increase in power outages across the U.S.
Guaranteeing uninterruptible backup power by installing a permanent generator and ATS, which are required for certain mission-critical applications and life-safety systems, requires costly, ongoing, special testing and maintenance. This is why many engineers specify provisions for quick connection of a load-bank testing unit and/or portable generator. The goal is to ensure standby systems are always ready and comply with regulatory testing requirements.
When making a decision about the best type of backup-power system for non-critical applications, where instantaneous power restoration isn’t required, the high cost and space requirements of a permanent generator often make portable power generation the best choice. Read the full case study on why 3 Universities selected ESL emergency backup equipment.
