Electric Shutdown Causes Confusion

BY ANDREW KERNS

            Many students at St. Paul’s School (SPS) were confused when they were unable to go into specific buildings on Thursday, July 12^th. The ability to go into such buildings as the library to study was unavailable, forcing students to find other areas to do their work.

            Students either got the notice when they tried to enter the library or by the email from faculty. They were warned that they needed to save any information on their computers or electronic devices in case the power were to shut down in their respective buildings. Many students didn’t need to flinch if they stayed in their dormitories because the electricity provider only advised SPS to shut down systems that use substantial electricity.

People were held out of these buildings because there was a shut down in power for electricity and air conditioning. St. Paul’s School participates in a Demand Response Program run by the New England electric grid operator, ISO-New England. They ask large commercial and industrial customers, who can, to voluntarily shed some of their electric load for a few hours to do so to protect the grid from automatically shutting down. St. Paul’s contributes to the program one or two times a year.

Benjamin Jorgensen, Director of Facilities Operations & Engineering at St. Paul’s, says, “We [preserve power] at SPS two ways, either we switch most of our buildings over to standby generators or we shut down non-critical large loads like central air-conditioning… These events generally occur when temperatures in New England are very high but can occasionally be triggered by a major power generating plant going off line unexpectedly.” Air conditioning was lost in the Lindsay Math and Science Center, Athletic and Fitness Center, Sheldon building, and the library last Thursday.