Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District hears battery and UPS failures; staff to present formal replacement proposal
Summary
Technician Peyton reported many UPS units at TV sites are aging and provide far less runtime than designed; the board asked for a formal replacement proposal weighing lithium UPS and turnkey power systems.
Technical staff reported widespread battery and UPS degradation across multiple transmitter sites, and recommended the board consider replacing aging lead-acid UPS units with modern lithium (LiFePO4) systems or larger turnkey power systems. Peyton said on several sites the UPS runtime had fallen from expected hours to minutes and that the fiber hut and some UPSs were running at reduced capacity.
Peyton provided rough cost benchmarks: typical standalone lithium UPS units with battery extensions are about $3,000–$6,000 installed; turnkey ZPM-style battery/inverter systems (similar to installations done for NDOT) were discussed at roughly $70,000 for fully installed systems, with engineered alternatives possibly near $40,000. Peyton said a formal proposal and engineered options will be prepared for the next meeting. "Typical LIFO would be 3,000 ish for the UPS," he said when discussing unit pricing.
The board discussed establishing a regular replacement schedule for battery assets so the district can budget for cyclical replacements rather than responding to failures. The board asked staff to return with a written proposal showing costs, options and maintenance implications.
