After a lightning strike caused damage to equipment at Hopkinsville Electric System’s Network Operating Center (NOC), Puckett Engineering studied the NOC’s electrical system to determine why the damage happened and how to prevent future damage. Puckett Engineering evaluated the Center’s emergency generator system, UPS system, grounding, surge protection, and other systems. The primary cause of the lightning damage appeared to be lightning-induced voltage transients into the low-voltage circuit conductors between the outdoor generator and the NOC. Puckett Engineering recommended additional grounding and bonding, surge protection, and other enhancements to improve the reliability of their NOC’s critical electrical infrastructure. PDF Case Study

Hopkinsville Electric Network Operations Center