Grid Modernization and Resilience: A Case Study of Habersham EMC

Habersham EMC (HEMC), chartered in 1938 as a nonprofit cooperative, provides reliable, clean and affordable energy across more than 3,800 miles of line in six counties across northeast Georgia: Habersham, Hall, Lumpkin, Rabun, Stephens and White. As part of the co-op’s commitment to providing its more than 28,000 members with the most reliable and efficient service possible, Habersham EMC proactively undertook a grid modernization program in 2020 that invested in some grid-enhancing solutions from S&C Electric Co.

As a result of this innovative program, in 2024, we saw an overall 14.6% average reduction in outage duration compared with the preceding three years. Individual members experienced a 38% decrease in the minutes they were out of power.

The newly deployed technologies — IntelliRupter PulseCloser Fault Interrupters, TripSaver II Cutout-Mounted Reclosers, and IntelliTeam FMS Feeder Management Systems — enable real-time monitoring and automated fault detection, isolation and restoration.

This program has helped us deliver on our commitment to continually provide our members with clean, reliable affordable energy. By investing in grid modernization and focusing on resilience, we were able to improve the reliability of our electricity delivery to our members.

The Challenge

The HEMC distribution system is built through heavily forested and mountainous terrain. The challenges we face as a utility are far different from those faced in other areas of the country and even within the state of Georgia. Access is difficult to many areas where our lines are built, and outages caused by animals and trees falling are constant. Therefore, innovative application of automation technologies is instrumental to helping us improve the resilience and reliability of our grid.

As a utility with mountainous terrain covered by large tracts of national forest, we face a continuous battle to improve reliability. HEMC has taken this challenge head on with a goal to offer some of the best reliability within the state.

Getting Started

HEMC’s grid modernization and resilience plan started in 2020 after the arrival of our new CEO, Bryan Ferguson. With an extensive background in the utility industry, he began the hiring and placement of personnel to achieve his goals in safety, member satisfaction, and reliability.

Ferguson then hired a new vice president of engineering and operations, a new director of engineering and a new manager of engineering and the plan to fully deploy an automated and effective grid modernization system began to become reality. The goal of the initiative was to improve service reliability for all members.

The Goals

HEMC started our grid modernization journey by identifying the top 10 worst-performing circuits on our system. Specifically, we looked at reducing the number of sustained outages (measured using SAIFI and SAIDI). Then, HEMC developed a plan to deploy automation with these key goals:

• Improved reliability and resilience: Advanced protective devices will allow power to be automatically restored following a fault.
• Reduced downtime and maintenance: Because advanced protective devices are automatically resettable, we avoid the need for frequent site visits to replace fuses.
• Enhanced safety: Advanced protective devices allow for more precise and faster responses to faults, minimizing the risk of electrical fires.
• Integration of smart grid technologies: This project includes real-time monitoring, communication capabilities, and data analytics, providing HEMC with more control and insight into our distribution networks.
• Advanced fault detection: This is achieved through the incorporation of advanced fault detection technologies, including ground fault protection and arc fault detection.

The Solution

Once our goals were established, it was time to create a plan. HEMC chose to collaborate with S&C Electric Co. to implement grid-enhancing technologies to make these goals a reality.

“We are dedicated to staying at the forefront of grid modernization to better serve our members,” said our CEO, Bryan Ferguson. “Our close collaboration with S&C has been instrumental in enhancing the resilience and reliability of our system. We are proud to be a leader in adopting advanced technologies that improve the overall efficiency and sustainability of our operations.”

The HEMC plan was simple:

• Replace every oil-filled recloser on our lateral lines with a new S&C TripSaver II recloser. These modern reclosers automatically restore power after temporary faults, preventing outages and unnecessary truck rolls or site visits.
• Break up our feeders into smaller sections by installing S&C IntelliRupter fault interrupters at key feeder locations.

The S&C automation solution included equipment for feeders and laterals. The fault interrupter incorporates PulseClosing technology, which uses 95% less energy than conventional reclosers when testing for faults.

Once our fault interrupter and fault detectors were installed, these devices were connected to our system wide fiber network and to SCADA. This provided complete visibility and real-time access from our control center at our headquarters office to all this equipment throughout our territory. With real-time notifications and full control of our circuits, we can immediately identify fault locations when they occur.

HEMC has been able to set up automated restoration loops using the new fault interrupters and the feeder management system. When a fault is detected, the devices begin to communicate between each other to identify, isolate, and switch as necessary to keep the power on for as many of our members as possible. By deploying this equipment as HEMC did, the utility implemented automation schemes that allow sectionalization and rerouting of power in seconds.

HEMC did not only focus on automation. Our plan also included a focus on right-of-way trimming, upgrades to overloaded circuits and building more ties so that a loss of power in one area could immediately be fed from another circuit.

The Results

Since deploying S&C technology, Habersham EMC has achieved a 14.6% average reduction in outage duration compared to the previous three years.

Additionally, individual members experienced a 38% decrease in the minutes they were out of power. This reduction in outage duration means fewer disruptions and more reliable power for the homes and businesses that depend on electricity for everything from mobile phones and personal computers to transportation and home health care.

HEMC uses industry standard metrics for recordkeeping and for tracking reliability. This includes SAIDI, SAIFI, and CAIDI. By deploying automation equipment in the field, HEMC has seen an overall downward trend in SAIDI, SAIFI and CAIDI metrics. In fact, our CAIDI metrics are below the national average standing at 77.53 for 2024.

These service improvements have led to increased member satisfaction. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Habersham EMC was recognized by Touchstone Energy as a member cooperative that received one of the top five American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) scores for energy utility services among all cooperatives participating in measurement for Touchstone Energy.

We received an ACSI score of 89 on a 100-point scale. HEMC’s score is higher when compared to publicly measured cooperative utility scores reported in the syndicated 2024 ACSI Energy Utility Study and places HEMC 15 points higher than the average investor-owned utility score of 74, 14 points higher than the average municipal utility score of 75, and 11 points higher than the average cooperative utility score of 78.

To improve our system’s performance further, we recently installed new Compact IntelliRupters at one of our stations. This version retains the core functionality of the IntelliRupter in a more compact form factor. It is designed for specific applications where space is limited, such as overhead lines and underground distribution systems. HEMC is the first co-op in the state and second in the nation to implement this version. We know this will add to the successes we are seeing in automation and reliability.

The Future

Looking ahead, HEMC will continue to collaborate with S&C, and deploy IntelliRupter fault interrupters, TripSaver reclosers, and other advanced solutions across our system to quickly isolate outages and improve the level of service we deliver to our members.

We will continue to build a modern grid that delivers on our promise to provide clean, reliable, affordable energy for our members.