The Role of Power Management in Critical Infrastructure

Critical infrastructure is a catch-all term for the systems that a business or society as a whole needs to function. This can include hospitals, water supplies, emergency response systems, and more. 

When disaster strikes, this infrastructure is needed more than ever. Problems such as power outages cannot interfere with the functioning of these systems. For that reason, power management is crucial when overseeing vital infrastructure.

If you are responsible for vital infrastructure as part of your job, here is what power management means for your responsibilities.

Prepare Backup Power Sources in Case of Emergencies

The most important aspect of power management is to ensure continuous electricity for critical infrastructure. In an emergency such as an extreme weather event, municipal power supplies get cut off. A loss of power may have disastrous consequences. Imagine a hospital where people are connected to life-saving respirators losing electricity. 

Securing backup power sources is one of the most important things you need to do when managing critical infrastructure. One option is using a generator. Powerful Caterpillar generators are one of the best choices for backup power sources. They can power entire buildings for hundreds, if not thousands of hours. 

Another option for providing backup power is an Uninterruptible Power Supply. A UPS is a large battery that provides electricity if regular power supplies are shut off. However, these batteries last for a much shorter time than generators and should never be your only backup power option.

Whatever backup power source you use, make sure that it is ready for use in case of an emergency. Batteries need to be charged and generators need to have fuel ready. Most use diesel or natural gas. Test your backup power systems periodically to make sure that they work.

Be Proactive in Response to Threats

To protect critical infrastructure, it’s not enough to react to threats that affect your ability to do your job. You also need to anticipate potential problems that could affect the functionality of critical infrastructure and take steps to prevent them. 

One area where you need to anticipate threats is digital security. More and more critical infrastructure is now online. Cyber threats can endanger important infrastructure or stop it from functioning entirely. Threat detection and cybersecurity precautions are now an important part of critical infrastructure management. 

Cybersecurity goes hand in hand with power management because many power companies have switched to digital systems to manage their supply. Attacks have targeted critical infrastructure before, so cybersecurity is vital in ensuring that you stay online.

Maintaining Consistent Power Quality 

Just securing electrical power is not enough to ensure that critical infrastructure functions the way that it should. You also need to maintain the right power quality.

Power quality refers to the strength and consistency of the electrical power that goes into a building. This refers to the voltage quality and the current quality, depending on the setting.

The quality of the power supply is important to critical infrastructure because voltage or current disruptions can cause loss of service. Machines begin to malfunction and can even break down in the long term. Equipment that has sensitive electrical sensors is particularly vulnerable to damage if there are power surges or disruptions. 

There are a few steps that you can take to maintain power quality while managing critical infrastructure. Power quality management is the first. Set up systems to continuously monitor the voltage of your power supply and alert you to changes. Identifying fluctuations allows you to react before disruptions occur and to pinpoint sources of inconsistent power quality.

Prevent Electromagnetic Interference

Infrastructure that relies on electricity is highly sensitive to any disruption. One form of potential disruption is electromagnetic interference (EMI). 

EMI can come in many different forms. Natural forms of EMI such as lightning strikes cause strong power surges that send large amounts of electricity circulating through a system. This can cause valuable equipment to overheat and stop working.

The prevalence of different systems that rely on electricity can also cause interference. Wireless communication transmitters, power cables, and other appliances often coexist in the same space, and their signals conflict with each other. This form of EMI is less severe since the power emitted is less strong than a lightning strike. It can still cause disruptions, such as loss of communication connectivity, which are disruptive if they occur at the wrong time.

Organizing your power supply can help prevent potential interference. Creating boundaries between different electrical systems by separating their channels and using filtration methods reduces most man-made EMI. 

In preparation for any kind of power surge, including lightning strikes and EMI, you should make sure that all electrical systems are grounded. This allows excess electrical energy to safely redirect into the ground, protecting your critical infrastructure.

Ensure That Your Power Supplier Is Taking Adequate Precautions

Individual facilities can take precautions to prevent power disruptions to critical infrastructure and ensure that they keep running in case of an emergency. However, the responsibility doesn’t just lie with individual infrastructure managers or facilities. Municipal governments should be doing what they can to make infrastructure emergency-proof.

Government providers such as power companies should also be investing in cybersecurity protections, grounding systems, and regular maintenance. They should prioritize power supply to critical infrastructure such as factories and hospitals in emergencies. These steps can minimize disruptions to all power company customers.

Ask power company representatives about what steps they are taking to maintain electrical supply in case of disruption. While you cannot impact their decision alone, if you represent an important customer, they should take your advice on board. You can also lobby your municipal government to take necessary precautions for emergency preparedness.

Protecting Critical Infrastructure In Emergencies

Critical infrastructure facilities do not have the luxury of going offline if power supplies are disrupted. Infrastructure managers need to take all the precautions at their disposal to keep machines running even when local power supplies fail. 

These precautions include installing grounding systems, monitoring the power supply for quality fluctuations, and connecting with your power company to check in on their emergency preparations.

By far the most important step to take in power management is to secure a backup power supply, usually a generator. This ensures that you can keep working no matter what happens.