In 2016 alone, utilities reported 3,456 outages caused by squirrels, which cut off power to more than 193,873 customers, according to the American Public Power Association.
The City of Gastonia in North Carolina recently safeguarded two of its new substations with wildlife protection products from TE Connectivity. For the full story, look for an article called, "Squirrels and Substations: How to Keep the Power On" in the November issue of T&D World magazine.
Check out this photo gallery to see how the utility was able to reduce squirrel-caused outages and keep the power on in Gastonia, North Carolina.