Power Outages
Campus power outages have become more frequent in recent years. Outages are typically caused by a disruption somewhere along the public utility lines that bring electricity from a local power station to campus. These disruptions can take a variety of forms—a fallen tree or limb, a squirrel, a lightning strike, a car accident—and may or may not be related to a declared weather emergency.
Power Sources
Bowdoin’s main campus operates on two major power loops (north and south) that serve distinct buildings on campus (see the Power Loop Circuits page). The north loop is part of the network that is fed by a substation in Topsham and runs into Brunswick across the hydroelectric dam behind Fort Andross. The south loop is fed from a power station located in West Brunswick. A number of buildings along Federal Street, Maine Street, Bath Road, Station Avenue, and other locations like the Schiller Coastal Studies Center have individual services connected to street utility poles. Due to the various sources of electricity and varying age and configuration of buildings across campus, power outages can affect just a handful of buildings or the entire campus depending on the nature of the disruption.
Three high-voltage switches, one each near Druckenmiller Hall, Coffin Street, and Watson Arena, protect the north and south loops from external surges and may require a manual reset if tripped by a surge. Due to the specialty equipment and training required, the College relies on contracted electricians to reset these switches, which can prolong restoration times.
Generators
Many College buildings are supported by standby generators that are programmed to start up when power is lost. In addition, facilities staff deploy several portable generators when the forecast calls for a storm with high winds. Residence halls are prioritized in the allocation of the College’s limited number of portable generators. In most cases, the standby and portable generators provide power sufficient to produce heat and hot water and operate fire alarm systems, sensitive academic equipment, and card readers. In several residence halls, emergency exit lighting is not connected to the generator circuit. In an extended outage, facilities staff monitor and replace batteries as needed. The Heating Plant, Ladd House, Morrell Gymnasium, Rhodes Hall, Sargent Gymnasium, the Schiller Living and Learning Center and labs, Smith Union, and Thorne Hall are the only buildings with full-service generator power that can remain in full operation during an outage. For more details on which buildings are connected to which power circuit, and which buildings are supported by a generator, please visit the Power Loop Circuits page.
Communication
When power to campus is lost for more than fifteen minutes, facilities staff communicate directly with representatives at Central Maine Power (CMP) to determine the cause and expected duration of the outage, though in some situations CMP is unable to provide an estimated restoration time. Security issues alert messages to campus via email to share information on the scope of outages, anticipated restoration (if available), any closings and cancellations, and when power to buildings has been restored. A select list of faculty and staff responsible for facilities and sensitive equipment will also receive a text alert.
Given the imprecise nature of power restoration, the Bowdoin community can expect situations where power is restored earlier than anticipated and, as a result, schedule changes or cancellations were unnecessary in hindsight, or vice versa. Continued monitoring of Bowdoin email is important during an outage.