Electric Power Distribution System Performance in Carolina Hurricanes

Abstract

This paper describes a quantitative investigation of the performance of electric power distribution systems in North and South Carolina in recent hurricanes. The study is based on large databases of outages in five recent hurricanes. The databases were compiled from Carolina Power and Light and Duke Power, two major electric power companies that together serve most of the Carolinas. The study specifically explores hurricane disruption in terms of number of outages and customers affected; geographic distribution, duration, and causes of outages; and types of equipment affected (for example, transformers, reclosers, fuses). It also examines the relationships between disruption and maximum gust wind speed, rainfall, and land cover type.