Extreme weather, integrating renewable energy sources and keeping up with regulations and technology is demanding more from utilities. According to industry experts, utilities will have to take a data-driven approach. Data collection started with smart meters but in recent years more avenues have opened to make better use of that data.
Last week, state regulators announced that Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) will pay $45 million in penalties for its role in the Dixie Fire that started after a tree fell and hit the company’s equipment in 2021. This wildfire was the second-largest in California’s history, burning 963,309 acres and 1,300 structures. The $40 million, taken from shareholder funding, will go toward improving “the timeliness of inspections and preventive maintenance,” the California Public Utilities Commission said in a news release.
Could better data collection and analysis predict and prevent such tragedies? When you consider the miles of transmission lines, poles, substations and vegetation, the sheer volume of utility assets that must be inspected and maintained is vast and the data from these assets is unending. How are utilities facing the challenge of sorting, analyzing, and applying adjustments from the information gathered? Companies like Otter Tail Power and Xcel are turning to a Software-as-a-Service provider for help with this daunting task.
“The model of break-fix work cycles is no longer scaling to the needs of the US energy network. As a result, we have more things broken than we can fix, and without a condition baseline to assess work prioritization the Utilities are feeling enormous pressure to modernize without adequate budgets. Aging infrastructure is a real risk in both wildfire and storm response cases that are demanding change of an industry often slow to adopt new technology. These pressures make modernization a top priority in a way our industry has not seen since the early days of electrification,” said Josh Riedy, CEO, and co-founder of Thread, the only ‘Data Workflow Workspace ready for utilities.’
Inspecting our infrastructure has long been a dangerous and time-consuming responsibility for linemen and pilots. Drones have reduced the risk but proper tech support and collaboration are still needed for accurate real-time data analysis. Utilities need partnerships to make the transformation. Xcel was an early development partner and is using Thread to consolidate inspection practices with this condition-based approach. Otter Tail Power owns and operates 206 wind turbines and partnered with Thread for its automated asset inspection software and comprehensive training.
“The reality is that operational budgets are shrinking on a per-asset basis with the modernization of the grid, and the workforce is aging and retiring. Combined with institutional knowledge that is siloed and highly specialized, Utilities are the last holdout in some ways of modernization. This is a perfect storm for disruption through technology to solve many efficiency issues that won’t be solved any other way,” Riedy said.
Unfortunately, we can’t see how many wildfires are prevented every day from all the hard work done, but we can see the progressive preventive measures and the technological advancements that make it easier for utilities to embrace a new approach.
