At Trico our employees are focused on ensuring we have adequate power supply, a reliable, well-maintained system, and five-star service that goes above and beyond our Members’ expectations. That requires a lot of daily, monthly, and yearly tasks performed by our expert staff. While these tasks are vital, it is also important that we keep an eye on the horizon and think about the future.
When Trico was formed 80 years ago, its founders had the insight to foresee the development of our community and the important role that electricity would play. They may not have known exactly how Trico would grow, but they built a strong foundation that prepared Trico for healthy progress. This month I want to share exciting news about a project approved by Trico’s Board that will lay the groundwork for Trico to build a smarter, more resilient grid capable of supporting technological solutions that will benefit our Members for decades to come.
Trico is proud to announce it has started the process of designing a fiber optic communication backbone that will provide fast, reliable communication between Trico’s substations. Here are a few of the benefits of the fiber backbone:
Immediate Benefits
- Improved Reliability: Better coordination and communication between Trico’s facilities will reduce outage times and the number of outages that occur.
- Secure Data Transfer: A private fiber network will help secure Trico’s data and make the system more resilient to physical and cyber threats.
The Next Few Years (the future is coming fast)
- SmartGrid Solutions: The fiber backbone will help connect system management devices (think relays, reclosers, sensors, regulators, and weather stations) to streamline and automate fault detection and response.
- Load and System Management: A smarter grid will allow Trico to better manage our load, more efficiently use our existing facilities, and develop programs to better serve our Members.
Our staff and consultants will be designing the fiber communication backbone over the next few months, and we aim to start construction in November. We have developed a plan to complete the construction of the fiber backbone in less than 12 months.
Since Trico was founded, we have been innovating to better serve our Members. In upcoming columns, I will share more details on how Trico’s fiber communication backbone will benefit Members now and in the future. As always, thank you for being a valued Trico Member!
