Animals, power systems, and reliability in a deregulated enviroment

Squirrels, squirrels everywhere... and all the lights are out again. Does that sound familiar? Sensitive electronic equipment and computers, not to mention deregulation and retail wheeling, have made power quality and reliability major issues. Today's customers are increasingly critical of any service interruption. To irate customers, prolonged or repeated outages or frequent recloser operations all represent poor service. This paper describes the interaction of animals, power systems and reliability in a deregulated environment.