Xcel Monitoring Tips

Probably the most likely time to be listening to Xcel is when the power has gone off (assuming, of course, you have a portable and the batteries are charged, hint hint....)    You can usually end up hearing the Lineman get dispatched to your area and even when they are about to turn the power back on.  If you listen closely you can even time it just right so when you say "Let there be light", the juice comes back on.  (Pretty nifty in a geeky sort of way).

A little preparation is needed beforehand so that you will know what to listen for.

#1 Check this site to see if you are East or West Metro and what utilities Xcel is responsible for in your area (electricity, natural gas, propane, water, etc)

    Xcel Energy Service Area TC Metro

#2 Determine which substation services your area.  The sub's aren't hard to miss, they have one or two sets of high voltage lines coming in, usually on the really big erector-set style pylons.  The name of the substation should be printed on a sign on the front gate.  Sometimes it's the name of the street it's on other times it might be the name of the city.

#3 Determine which feeder line goes to your neighborhood and house.  Probably your best bet is to start at home and follow the electric lines out from your house.  If you're in the city then most likely the lines will be on poles and you can follow them back to the feeder a few blocks away.  In the suburbs they're probably buried, so you'll need to hunt around a little more.  

What your looking for is a Load Center or Isolator point (see below).  Printed on the pole or on the box should be the abbreviated name of the Substation and the Feeder number. 

Format:

AAAXX = (AAA=3 letter Substation abbreviation, usually the first 3 letters of the name) (XX = Feeder number)

Example

SOU65 = Southtown substation (44th St & Hiawatha, Mpls), Feeder number 65.

WIL62 = Wilson substation (79th St & Lyndale, Bloomington), Feeder number 62.

Additionally there might be a number before the Substation, this indicates that there are Load Centers or Isolators before this one on the way back to the Substation.  The number starts at 0 at the Substation.

Example

4AIR72 = 4th Isolator, Airport Substation, Feeder number 72.

Click for a map of Twin Cities area substations.

#4 When you have identified the Substation and the Feeder for your area you should be set.  Listen for the Lineman to get dispatched on the East or West channels.   Listen for your Substation and Feeder number.

The process for checking on a power outage is pretty similar to what you would do in your own house if a fuse blew, except on a much larger scale.  The Substation has circuit breakers on each Feeder Line going out.  If a lightning bolt hits a line it will cause a surge and trip the breaker - no more power.  If the surge wasn't too heavy, and if the circuit breaker is automatic, then your power may come back up in a few seconds.  If the surge caused a line to go down or if cause of the surge was somebody crashing into a pole, then the power may come on for a few seconds (after the circuit resets) but then go back out again (when it trips back).   If the power outage is reported as a general outage, and not due to a specific cause, then the lineman will go and try opening up an Isolator or Load Center to cut the effected Feeder in half, then they'll radio dispatch to try re-energizing the line.  If the power stays on, then they can start tracking ahead to find the problem.  If the Feeder has multiple Isolators or Load Centers, they may work there way along, opening one fuse farther down and closing the other one until they either find the problem (a downed line for example) or can at least isolate the a portion or Branch line.

Buried lines are less likely to be damaged by wind, squirrels or drunk drivers, however they can be just as susceptible to lightning strikes.  They also have a much shorter life span, the constant flow of electricity generates heat, this heat eventually damages the lines and the insulation.  Above ground lines are cooled by the air and last much longer.   Worn-out underground feeder lines can be a common cause of summer time power outages, especially when it's hot and everybody has their A/C on.

From Source to House sequence

(Hope to add some pictures to this at some point)

A - Generating Plant - Coal, natural gas, nuclear.  See list below.

B - High voltage transmission lines - The lines on the really big pylons.  Usually 345kV or 115kV.

C - Substation - Steps the voltage down and provides breakers in case of surge from lightning.

D - Circuit Breakers and secondary transformers - Interfaces between Sub and Feeder line.  Similar to the circuit breaker in a house, will trip if too much amperage is being drawn.   Will reset automatically within a few seconds when they cool down, others can be switched on and off remotely from NSP's Control Center.   If you entire neighborhood goes dark, usually after a lightning strike, the circuit breaker probably tripped at the Sub.

E - Feeder Lines - Usually leaves the Sub underground but will pop up in the serving neighborhood.  Usually in groups of 3 at the very top of the electric poles.  Usually 13.2kV or 7.6kV.

F - Load Centers & Isolators - Located at points where two Feeder Lines come together or on long stretches through a neighborhood.  Load Centers are the big green boxes, Isolators are attached onto poles and have a lock on them.  Both allow a Lineman to turn off electric flow down the line so they can isolate a problem.  Note that Load Centers are different from pad-mounted transformers, transformers change the voltage and amperage of the electricity on the line.  Transformers have large ribs sticking out for cooling.  Load Centers are just plain boxes.

G - Tap Points - Where the Feeder Line connects to the Branch Line.  Branch lines are usually a single wire at the top of the pole, still 13.2kV or 7.6kV.  Look for a long fuse with a hinge at the end, this provides some overflow protection on the line and also allows the Lineman to shut off power on a Branch Line if the line is down at some point, after pulling the fuse and isolating that part of the circuit, they could re-energize the rest of the Feeder circuit.

H - Branch Line - Above ground on the pole or buried.

I - Service Transformer - The 3 foot high, large gray can mounted on the electric pole or a small green box.  Usually one transformer for every 4-6 houses.  Changes the voltage to 120 volts for residential service.

J - Service lines - Runs on the pole in groups of 2 (plus a neutral), located in the middle of the pole - below the Branch line at the top, but above the telephone and cable TV lines.   Or buried underground.

K - Service tap - Where the power comes in to your house and then runs to your circuit breaker or fuse box.

For power outages on the East Metro

For power outages on the West Metro

Gas emergencies (mostly East Metro coverage)

Other interesting stuff

Generating Facilities in Metro Area

From: http://www.xcelenergy.com/aboutUs/GenFacilitiesMN.asp

Allen S. King - single unit coal, 594 MW (Bayport)
Black Dog  - coal/gas, approx 600MW (Burnsville)
High Bridge  - 4 unit coal, 282 MW (St Paul)
Monticello  - 1 unit nuclear, 553 MW (Monticello)
Prairie Island  - 2 unit nuclear, 1060 MW (Welch)
Red Wing  - 2 unit refuse-derived fuel, 22 MW (Red Wing)
Riverside - 2 unit coal, 512 MW (Minneapolis)
Sherco - 3 unit coal, 2455 MW (Becker)

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