Power outages are never welcome, no matter when they occur. But at the University of Utah, a campus that includes biomedical research facilities, a Level 1 trauma center and a cancer research hospital, power outages caused by aging infrastructure were more than an inconvenience. They also have been happening more frequently since the mid-2000s.
Established in its current location in the foothills East of Salt Lake City in 1900, the U of U campus now covers nearly 1,600 acres and includes 130 separate buildings, with 10 more under construction or slated to start in the next five years, adding to the demands of an aging infrastructure.