Power Access, Reliability, and Resiliency – Above Green

Required

Intent

To provide safe, secured, reliable, resilient and equitable access to power.

Requirements

Power system must meet the following requirements. Cities with multiple utilities or service providers must aggregate the data from the respective utility to demonstrate compliance.

Access

100% coverage of all buildings by power supply.

Reliability and Resiliency

Protect the power system from common external threats that may cause equipment damage, malfunctioning or service interruption by meeting all requirements as applicable to the project.

Option 1. External Damage Prevention

Identify risks and avoid infrastructure damage and / or service interruption from external risks such as tree contact, animal / bird contact, vehicle traffic or human interference, fire / hazardous area and weather.

AND / OR

Option 2. Power System Hardening

Have in place the following design considerations and/or infrastructure to harden power systems against flooding, storms, and other extreme events.

Flooding avoidance
- Prevent damage to electrical equipment and assets (e.g., substations, diesel generator sets, transformers, OH cables) and ancillary equipment (e.g., pumps, compressors), by having a permanent storm water drainage system to protect critical power assets from inundation based on a 100-year flood mark or flood map. Protect stored fuel to meet or exceed the requirements set by the authority having jurisdiction.
- Existing infrastructure can meet this infrastructure requirement by installing a standalone pump (operable in the absence of power supply) to pump water from low-lying areas around the electrical systems or permanently relocate the assets or increase the height of critical power assets in the flood-prone area as described in American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) - Chapter 7, 24 or equivalent.
Storm protection – Outdoor equipment should withstand three-second wind gusts up to 140 mph or equivalent.
Seismic protection – Have in place seismic restraint–certified equipment for critical electrical systems and/or install a seismic restraint structural support for critical electrical systems, based on the seismic zone.

AND / OR

Option 3. Undergrounding

Bury a minimum of 10% of the total electric cable length underground or protect them in conduits or underground tunnels.

AND Power Surety and Resiliency Identify cities’ or communities’ critical loads or emergency facilities and essential services that require backup power during widespread outages or disasters. Determine minimum daily runtime requirements for all the emergency facilities and essential services. Demonstrate that the city, utility or service provider can supply power to all emergency facilities and essential services for at least duration greater than the minimum daily runtime for one week or longer. Off-grid developments or micro-grids are eligible if they independently meet the above requirements and are supported by the city development plans or policies.

References: PEER v2 RR Credit: Damage and Exposure Prevention PEER v2 RR Credit: Power Surety and Resiliency