QubeScan was watching my power in Gulfport while evacuated — twice!
The last couple of months have seen two massive hurricanes rip through my neighborhood in Florida. I would like to acknowledge Duke Energy and the brave linemen for their tireless efforts to restore power. I monitored their work through my Power Quality device, even while I was evacuated during the height of the storms.
Power quality trend monitoring via PQube3 during Hurricane Helene
Power quality trend monitoring via PQube3 during Hurricane Milton
All things considered, having power out for a couple of days during each event was impressive, given the level of destruction.
To put this in perspective, Gulfport, located just south of St. Petersburg was first impacted by passing Helene’s storm surge, flooding many local properties and wiping out many of the beachfront properties. Milton did not bring the same storm surge but passed much closer bringing high wind damage and a different type of Power challenge adding to the first Hurricane’s destruction. In both cases, mandatory evacuation was required, however we left our PQube3 connected and could monitor activity remotely via QubeScan while the power was on.
Whether you are a Power Quality Engineer, a storm chaser, or part of the community, having eyes on the storm from a safe distance can be quite awakening. Witnessing the impact once the event is over can also be a shock to the system.
After Helene…
A few things to note about my device and what is being measured:
The PQube3, when not out with me at conferences, measures a simple single-phase outlet supply to an AC unit and monitors a small DC input from a small PV source. It also has a single environmental probe that monitors temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, and acceleration.
Nevertheless, the information you can pull and customize can tell you a lot about what is going on.
Looking at barometric pressure as both hurricanes hit — you can see the path of Milton was much, much closer! Voltage transients leading up to each outage also tell a story…
Barometric pressure and voltage transients trends during Hurricane Helene
Barometric pressure and voltage transients trends during Hurricane Milton
Indeed, power supply behaviors at the storm’s peak can also deliver some spooky trends like Flicker increase.
Power supply behaviors at the storm’s peak
What is exciting also about QubeScan is that custom graphs can be pulled to show just what is of interest. In this case, the environmental data was key in telling the storm development, temperature, and humidity conditions at my home and of course the state of my power. Others may want to monitor the Voltage transients, flicker, or harmonic distortion. It’s all there, you just need to configure your dashboard!
Interestingly, even though power is restored and the cleanup is well underway, you can still see the lingering effects and the daily work of our power companies.
Over a week later, minor split-second outages can still be observed, along with the reclosers working rapidly to bring us back online.
You would barely notice these disturbances but for the diligent monitoring of a high-performance Power Quality device on the network.
Power quality events and trends during Hurricane Milton
Are everyday appliances and systems experiencing damage due to these disturbances? Certainly! Can you identify the cause? Only if you have the appropriate device.
Perhaps more attention should be paid to what’s happening behind the meter with a similar device connected to our powerful cloud-based platform. Staying informed is especially important when you rely on critical assets before, during, or after the next major event.
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QubeScan Premium isn’t just another PQ tool — it’s a comprehensive solution that brings clarity, efficiency and control to facility management. Its unmatched customization capabilities, user-friendly interface and automated reporting are designed to make your job easier while keeping tabs on the power that drives your enterprise.
