Alabama Power has been utilizing distribution automation to improve reliability and efficiency for over 25 years. The installation of automated equipment has increased and the available technology has steadily advanced.

One of the benefits of distribution automation is time savings – ensuring that in the event of an outage, power is restored as quickly and efficiently as possible. And in some cases, distribution automation can enable location of problems before a sustained outage occurs.

As a software engineer in Power Delivery Technology, Justin Perry creates and maintains software tools that help people understand and use information recorded by power distribution systems at the company. Growing up just outside of Columbiana, Perry always enjoyed figuring out how things worked. He liked to repair vehicles, appliances and computers. In Power Delivery Technology, his job is to make tools that help others do their jobs.

Justin Perry is an Alabama Power unsung hero hard at work on software from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

“Justin once told me he has never received an unreasonable request,” said Brock Parker, team leader, Power Delivery Technology. “It just goes to show you the character he possesses, his willingness to be open-minded and his unconditional desire to help others.”

Justin Perry is an important member of the Power Delivery Technology team at Alabama Power. (Joe Allen / Alabama NewsCenter)

Perry’s role involves software development, including design, coding, deployment, testing, troubleshooting, user support, reporting and database administration. He responds to data requests from employees in many different departments. Perry is known for staying calm when problems arise and minimizing the impact to users of the software he supports.

The IDMS (Integrated Distribution Management System) used by APC Distribution generates a large amount of data. One of Perry’s responsibilities is historical reporting from this data. The primary focus is reliability – gauging past results and identifying potential impacts to reliability.

“It’s rewarding when I hear from someone using a product or tool I’ve worked on that has saved them time and effort or helped them become more effective at their job, which is always serving our customers,” said Perry. “In those cases, I truly know the work I put into it was productive and helpful.”