Noticed anything? No, probably not. And that’s because nothing’s happened. We’re talking about power cuts. But now wonder what it takes to keep bringing power and the internet to us when it’s over 40 degrees outside.
In the Nanjing of old, power outages in the summer months were a common occurrence. The surge in demand for air conditioning coupled with parts of the electric grid quite literally melting meant many went without power on what was to be quite a few very sweaty evenings each year.
That’s all changed, thanks to technology and a highly-skilled team working in Nanjing’s Uninterrupted Power Operation Centres. As demand for power soars, the team can see which lines are going to need more electricity and are able to switch out transformers without cutting off the supply.
Problem is that means getting up close and personal with ultra-high voltage electricity. And for that, the workers need some serious protection.
It was 08:30 on 19 July along Hongyu Lu in Nanjing’s Jiangbei New Area when the crane’s insulated bucket arm rose slowly from the ground. In it, four operators dressed in thick, yellow, insulating overalls.
“If the power is cut off, [the operation to change the transformer] will take 6 or 7 hours”, said Gong Yanping, Deputy Director of Yuanneng Uninterrupted Power Operation Centre. “If air conditioners and refrigerators are off for 6 or 7 hours on any given day, people’s lives will be greatly affected.”
The four technicians set to work to increase the capacity of a 630 kVA distribution transformer. And if you think the fine medical professionals conducting nucleic-acid tests in Nanjing the past 2 days were hot in their PPE, spare a thought for these guys.
All that separated them from 10,000 volts of electricity were thick insulated gloves, sealed airtight at the wrist. As the hours passed, in the 40-plus degrees of Nanjing’s summer, the workers’ sweat built up. Eventually, they were working with live electricity, and lots of it, with their hands immersed in water. Those gloves had better be good.
After 2 hours’ labour, the four of them came down from the bucket arm. Soaked through as if just fished out of water, they took off their gloves and fell to the ground with their mouths open. Sweat from the gloves spilled all over the place.
The irony of course is, the hotter it is, the more often guys like this have to go out to do such work. Thanks to them, you are reading this article now:)
