State Grid Zhenjiang Power Supply Company prevents power outages with 'electricity USB'

The Xinba Residential Community in Yangzhong, Zhenjiang city in Jiangsu province, received a "quiet" power upgrade on March 17. During the process of replacing transformers in the community, electricity workers from the State Grid Zhenjiang Power Supply Company completed the power switch within 3 minutes. Such effort ensured that more than 100 households received uninterrupted power supply with minimal disruption. This was made possible through a technology known as the "electricity USB", which has ensured an end to power outages during power maintenance.

In the past, power maintenance often required half a day or even longer power outages, impacting both residents' daily lives and business operations. With the increasing demand for electricity in urban and rural areas, reducing the impact of power outages has become crucial.

Since the beginning of this year, the State Grid Zhenjiang Power Supply Company has applied standardized interface devices in key locations such as distribution rooms and transformers in the community.

During maintenance, staff members connect emergency power generation equipment to the standardized interface device, similar to charging a mobile phone with a power bank. This allows for power switching in 1 to 3 minutes, ensuring almost zero interruption to residents' power supply. This technology, aptly named the "electricity USB", has prevented power disruptions in more than 800 households in the area since early this year, saving more than 2 million yuan ($276,644) for some 30 businesses.

"Previously, changing transformers would result in a power outage for most of the day, and impacted our daily lives greatly. Now, while the staff members are at work, we can use electricity without any interruption," said a resident of the community.

Fan Junyao, the on-site project leader, said the technology has transformed power maintenance from unnecessary interruption to a seamless process, and provided residents and businesses with greater convenience. The company plans to install an additional 350 sets of "electricity USB" devices in the local power grid this year, ensuring reliable electricity supply around the clock.