Teal was born and raised in Oahu, Hawaii, and graduated from Henry J. Kaiser High School. She is currently enrolled as a sophomore at Kapiolani Community College where she spends most of her time at the STEM center to study, as well as working as a peer mentor in math, chemistry, and physics. She plans to transfer to UH Manoa to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. In some shape or form, she wants to give back to her community through education and learning about sustainable solutions. She enjoys going to the gym, having adventures, being in nature, and talking about math-related subjects.
Home Island: Oahu
High School: Henry J. Kaiser High School.
Institution when accepted: Kapiolani Community College
Project Site: Hawai‘i Electric Light Company: HELCO, Hilo HI
Mentor: Leanne King
Project Title: Designing a Motor Operated Switch for a HECO Substation
Project Abstract:
Hawaiian Electric (HECO) is a utility company that generates, transmits, and distributes power on Oahu, Maui County, and Hawaii island. In order to facilitate the reliability of providing power, HECO has an asset management program that tracks aging equipment and proactively replaces them as needed. This project aims to design the replacement of a motor-operated switch (MOS) located in Punaluu. These switches will be used for the flexibility of line crews to isolate and de-energize portions of transmission lines and substations so that they can work on them safely. Due to wildfire concerns, the current switch at Punaluu was considered a higher priority than other switches that may need replacement on Hawaii Island. Knowledge gained from previous MOS designs were incorporated into a new drawing that was marked up by hand. These drawings were then sent to the drafting department to be organized using Microstation. After conducting site visits, talking to crews and other engineers, and multiple iterations and reviews, the final design was completed. Elevation, elementary, wiring, and communication drawings were included in the final design. This design is now a set of shelf-ready drawings that HECO can use to be installed the new MOS when the project execution time arrives.