Sparta Begins $7M, Five-Year Power Grid Upgrade Project
Sparta Aldermen unanimously approved the start to a $7-million infrastructure upgrade to the city’s electric grid Thursday. Mayor Jerry Lowery said the new grid should be completed over five years. Lowery said it will offer power to Sparta’s growing business and population for years to come. Lowery said he chose to decisively expedite the project […]
Tech Prof: Solar Flare Can Impact Communication Systems
Could a solar flare reported early Thursday have caused an outage that affected some 70,000 AT&T cell phone customers? Tennessee Tech Associate Physics Professor Mary Kidd said if a flare directed at Earth is strong enough, it can affect satellites and cause blackouts to communication systems and GPS. However, Kidd said it is unlikely that […]
UCEMC More Prepared For Winter Cold After Last Year’s Freeze
Lessons learned from the freeze of Christmas 2022 have made UCEMC more prepared for similar events going forward. The Christmas freeze with temperatures below zero featured rolling blackouts. UCEMC CEO Jennifer Brogdon said TVA has spent well over $120 million to upgrade facilities that did not perform well. Brogdon said she is confident that the […]
Tech’s $10M Dollar Grant Will Focus On Expanded Smart Grid Technology
A new grant will help Tennessee Tech researchers study the potential of large-scale battery backups to deal with grid issues like last Christmas’ power blackouts. The $10 million grant announced Monday is the largest in school history. Michael Aikens is Director of Tech’s Center for Rural Innovation, the organization that will manage the partnership with […]
