CASE STUDY
LAFAYETTE UTILITIES SYSTEM
INTRODUCTION
For Lafayette Utilities System (LUS), situational awareness is essential to managing the electrical grid. Operators need to understand what is happening across the system during everyday operations, and that visibility becomes even more important during outages, severe weather, or other major events.
For years, LUS relied on a static map board to help operators visualize activity across the electrical grid. The system served its purpose, but as technology and LUS’s operational needs evolved, the limitations of a fixed physical display became increasingly apparent.
LUS began looking for a more flexible approach that could give operators greater control over the information in front of them without making the technology more difficult to use.
That search ultimately led to Link Integration Group and the beginning of a technology partnership that would grow well beyond the original control room project.
Challenge
Moving Beyond a Static View of the Electrical Grid
Inside the LUS operations center, pieces of tape represented portions of the electrical grid on a physical map board, while LED lights positioned behind it illuminated to indicate different issues or conditions.
The system provided useful information, but operators had little ability to change what they could see or how it was presented. That became particularly limiting during outages, storms, and other events when operators needed a clear understanding of conditions across the electrical system.
Tyler Delcambre has been with LUS for approximately 11 years and now serves as Operations Center Supervisor. When he stepped into the role, modernizing the control room became one of his goals.
LUS visited other utility systems around the country to see how their operations centers were using technology and better understand what was possible. The team wanted more than a replacement map board. It needed a turnkey av solution that was user-friendly, supported by training, and practical for a public utility responsible for using public funds carefully.
Link Integration’s availability through an existing state contract also helped streamline the purchasing process. After meeting with the Link team and discussing the operations center's needs, LUS moved forward with the project.
Solution
Building a More Flexible Operations Center
Link Integration helped LUS replace the physical map board with large, configurable displays that allow operators to present different information based on current operating conditions.
The integrated environment also incorporates audio and alarms, giving operators additional ways to recognize important conditions across the electrical system.
Instead of being tied to one predetermined view, LUS can now configure the technology around what operators need to see, whether during routine operations or a major event.
Link Integration’s role continued after installation. LUS maintains an
ongoing service contract with Link, which can provide assistance remotely or onsite when needed. Delcambre emphasized the team’s responsiveness and the quality of service LUS has received.
Result
Greater Situational Awareness When It Matters Most
The new control room technology gives LUS operators a clearer view of conditions across the electrical grid and becomes especially valuable when severe weather affects Lafayette.
During a major storm, information and communication from across the organization flow into the operations center. Delcambre described the control center during those events as essentially the “brains” of communication for LUS.
Configurable displays, audio, and alarms help operators understand changing conditions and communicate as a situation develops. Delcambre also noted that having better information gives employees greater confidence in what they are seeing and supports more informed decision-making.
Those improvements can ultimately affect LUS customers as well. When an outage occurs, better situational awareness helps operators identify problems, coordinate a response, and work toward restoring service.
FROM ONE CONTROL ROOM TO A BROADER TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP
The control room project became the beginning of a larger relationship between LUS and Link Integration.
LUS has since brought Link into additional areas throughout the organization, including the dispatch room, training center, conference spaces, and customer service center.
What started as one control room modernization project has grown into an
ongoing technology partnership across LUS.
KEY OUTCOMES
- Modernized the control room: Replaced the aging physical map board with configurable visual displays.
- Improved situational awareness: Gave operators a clearer view of information across the electrical grid.
- Better supported major events: Created an environment that can adjust to the information operators need during outages, storms, and routine operations.
- Added multiple ways to recognize conditions: Integrated visual information with audio and alarms.
- Established ongoing support: Link provides remote and on-site assistance through an ongoing service relationship.
- Expanded the partnership: The initial control room project led to additional technology work throughout LUS.
For LUS, the project's success went beyond modernizing one control room. It established a relationship with Link Integration that has continued to grow as technology needs have expanded across the organization.
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