Substation component covers tend to fall under a utility’s limited operations and maintenance budget, but custom wildlife-mitigation systems are different. While replacing individual covers is considered general maintenance, a full wildlife-mitigation solution can be classified as a protective system, making it an eligible capital improvement. With this classification, utilities can now make larger-scale improvements that can significantly improve reliability metrics.
What does a project need to qualify as a capital improvement?
- Quantifiable reliability improvement
- Reduced system maintenance costs
- Extended service life for assets
How wildlife-mitigation systems qualify as capital improvements
When utilities install only a few new equipment covers each year, it can be difficult to link an uptick in reliability to that protection. But installing an entire system of covers has been proven to significantly increase reliability metrics, offering utilities a clear, quantifiable improvement.
Wildlife-mitigation systems also help utilities lower overall maintenance costs by minimizing bird- and animal-related damage to substation assets. When equipment is properly covered, power providers can reduce the number of contact risk points for wildlife. Fewer contact areas mean fewer repairs and product replacements. This, in turn, extends the expected service life of substation assets that are protected by a wildlife-mitigation system.
How are wildlife-mitigation systems different from individual equipment covers?
- Covers are custom designed or configured to achieve a precise fit
- Site-specific solutions consider voltages, outage history, and criticality of components
- Full system installation is proven to noticeably increase reliability metrics
Using capital improvement funds for wildlife-mitigation systems offers significant advantages to both utilities and their customers. For utilities, amortizing the cost of a full, custom solution, like Greenjacket®, over its service life means reduced impact to the bottom line since it protects tight operations and maintenance budgets. With capital improvement funding, utilities can make immediate large-scale improvements. In doing so, everyone wins; utilities implement full system protection sooner, wildlife is better protected, and customers receive more reliable service.
Want to learn more? Click here to see how Greenjacket Wildlife-Mitigation Solutions help utilities improve system reliability and protect wildlife or download the Why Greenjacket can be Capitalized flyer.
