News > We Work for You – Substation Crew

We Work for You – Substation Crew

June 2025

At Stearns Electric Association, our mission is member focused. In everything we do, a team of dedicated employees is behind the scenes working on behalf of our member-consumers. 

Delivering reliable electricity to our member-consumers is more than just our mission; it’s an expectation for the people we serve. As a local distribution cooperative, Stearns Electric does not generate electricity. Instead, we purchase electricity from our wholesale power provider, Great River Energy, and distribute it throughout our service territory. How do we accomplish this? Through our 33 local substations. 

Substation operations and technology are crucial components of our electrical distribution system. We have three full-time employees who work daily to ensure our substation equipment is in good working order and responding properly to system conditions. Our substation crew works on behalf of our membership to safely deliver dependable electricity to our members 24/7/365. 

SUBSTATION 101
Substations are fundamental to our nation’s power grid. A substation is comprised of many pieces of equipment – including transformers, voltage regulators, reclosers and more – that safely and efficiently step-down, or reduce, voltage from high-voltage transmission power lines. Once voltage is stepped down at Stearns Electric’s substation from 34,500+ to 7,200 volts, it can then be distributed along our local distribution power lines. 

“Electrical substations are the heart of our distribution system. Without strong, well-maintained substations and equipment, we would be unable to keep the lights on for our members.” 

ANNUAL INSPECTIONS
Substation crews conduct various inspections year-round to ensure full system operation, and to catch potential problems and fix them before they fail. Inspections include: 

• Monthly substation inspections 
• Quarterly in-depth substation inspections 
• Quarterly line regulator inspections 
• Bi-annual capacitor bank inspections 
• Annual infrared inspections 
• Occasional Current Transformer (CT) and/or Potential Transformer (PT) metered service inspections 

“We put a lot of effort into our distribution system by completing inspections, upgrades and maintenance, all of which keep our system reliable and keep our members’ lights on. We strive to keep our members satisfied and have a great group of employes putting in the effort. When the lights do go out, know that we are working hard to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible.”

TYPICAL DAY
Outside of inspections, a typical day varies for the substation crews, depending on the needs of the distribution system or the season. Nearly all substation work is done in-house, a testament to the knowledgeable employees who are part of the crew. 

In summer, our substation crew stays busy upgrading and expanding substations with better equipment and communication features. In winter months, the substation crew services oil circuit reclosers (OCRs) in the shop and prepares for future projects. 

CONSTANT UPGRADES
Substation technology continues to improve. Learn more about some of the substation technology Stearns Electric utilizes:

SCADA
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) is a system used to monitor, control and automate the operation of electrical equipment within substations. This technology makes it more efficient and safer to operate our substations. 

• Automates fault detection 
• Gathers data to ensure proper operation (voltage, current, status of equipment, etc.) 
• Strengthens cybersecurity, ensuring integrity and reliability of the power grid 

RTACs
Substation crews are currently working to upgrade substations with enhanced real time automation controllers (RTACs) to improve remote monitoring and control. Fourteen substations have already been updated, and five additional substations are planned for this year. 

• Collects real-time data from each substation 
• Allows for remote operation 
• Provides continuous monitoring of critical components and instantly detects when equipment may not be functioning properly 

“The most rewarding part of my job is programming our devices and writing programs for our substation RTACs for SCADA purposes. It boosts my pride when I can make things work.”