Some events are black-tie affairs. Others are more casual when it comes to exterior coverings.
But when it comes to protecting extremely sensitive electric equipment, sometimes only a Greenjacket will do.
Greenjackets are a wildlife cover solution for electric substations. The covers are customized to protect some of the complex or intricate equipment from electrical outages caused by squirrels, birds, and other animals.
If a bird or other animal makes contact with a wire, it’s usually fine. But if a piece of equipment is energized and the animal becomes an unfortunate bridge to the ground, it can cause an electrical short that leads to customer outages.
Liberty has had an active wildlife-cover program for several years, putting durable protective coverings over equipment prone to line-to-ground animal contact points. The program benefits customers by minimizing outages while protecting wildlife from harm.
But there are pieces of equipment – particularly at substations – that require an extra layer of protection, says Kyle Carden, Liberty’s Manager of Substation Operations.
“We usually rely on pre-made, off-the-shelf wildlife guards,” Carden says. “But for things like substation switches, Greenjacket is a more effective, complete solution.”
Liberty recently deployed Greenjacket covers (which are green, naturally) at the substation near Liberty’s State Line Power Plant. Three additional substations in Joplin, Neosho, and Ozark use these custom guards, with deployment at another Joplin substation planned. .
Protecting electrical systems from wildlife is an ongoing process, says Carden. A total of 19 substations have been outfitted with wildlife guards. While they primarily make use of the standard guards, he says it’s good to have an alternative solution when needed.
“We cover up 80 to 90 percent of the vulnerable fault locations in a substation bus with pre-made guards, which are more easily accessible,” Carden says. “But with Greenjacket, every cover is made to fit exactly like a piece of a puzzle and can provide a more complete solution.”
This additional tool – or dare we say “fit” - helps to protect substation equipment, avoid costly repairs, improve reliability, and keep our furry and feathered friends out of harm’s way. We call that dressing to impress!