Going Off Grid to Replace Switchgear

Microchip Technology, a chip manufacturer in Gresham, Oregon, recently completed a scheduled plant shutdown of their facility to replace switchgear that had been installed when the plant was first constructed back in the 1990s. To begin the shutdown, Microchip needed to disconnect from utility power and run the whole facility on generator power only, so they turned to Peterson Power Rental.

Peterson Power’s unique capabilities as a full-service provider of standby and portable generators, compressed air systems, and mobile heating and cooling units allowed us to provide the power Microchip needed during this shutdown.

Cliff Kinnaman, Rental Sales Representative, explains, “Microchip’s electrical engineer contacted us in January concerning this planned plant shutdown. George Schalk, Rental General Manager, and I did a walkthrough of the facility to prepare a proposal and to understand the scope of the project. Since the shutdown was to last for 90 hours and power had to be provided to the facility 24 hours a day during that time, Microchip Technologies needed a turnkey package with 24-hour technician support. We provided this support by staffing the project with two technicians who each worked 12-hour shifts to provide the full coverage this project required.”

Cliff continued, “We also provided fuel support for the project. A fuel truck visited the facility twice a day to refill the tanks and keep the generators running continuously. In all, the generators and other equipment on-site consumed 15,000 gallons of diesel in the 90-hour shift.”

The equipment provided to Microchip Technologies for the shutdown included:

  • Four XQ1000 1 Megawatt generators in parallel

  • Three XQ2000 2 Megawatt generators (each running at half capacity)

  • Ten small generators

  • Ten light towers

  • 25,000 feet of cable

Cliff continued, “One of the key facts of the project was the closed transition switchover we conducted to begin powering the facility off generator-produced electricity. A closed transition switchover occurs in a period of time so short a light bulb would not visibly flicker. Executing this switchover successfully is crucial to preventing damage to electrical equipment at the facility as well as our own equipment. The Peterson Power team did a fantastic job with this whole project and the successful, safe switchover was just a piece of the evidence of their commitment to Excellence!”