WCA January 2016

From the Americas

Climate-change impacts to power generation and the electric grid loom for nearly every region of the United States US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has released a report from the Energy Department that examines threats to the domestic energy sector posed by climate change. Reviewing it for Smart Grid News , Barbara L Vergetis Lundin put the message of the report in stark terms: as weather extremes become commonplace, energy infrastructure designed to perform across a known range of historical conditions may not be able to withstand the projected changes. Dividing the USA into nine regions, the Energy Department foresees region-specific impacts ranging from severe droughts and wildfires to heavier rainfall, more powerful hurricanes and storm surge, and record heat waves. Because electricity usage rises with temperature, demand for electricity is a key concern for nearly every region, given the potential for taxing the performance and integrity of energy systems, particularly those with aging infrastructure. During a visit to California, in October, Mr Moniz said, “To address the harsh impacts of climate change and extreme weather we need innovative solutions that will make our energy sector more resilient, more flexible, and more efficient, as we build a cleaner, more climate-friendly energy system.” The Southwest section of the report details how the regional energy system, including power lines north of Los Angeles, are vulnerable to wildfires that could increase due to climate change. But the city has begun to marshal its defences. Ms Lundin cited the example of a local fire station that will soon be equipped with a backup solar energy and battery storage system. (“Tightening Up Technology: Energy Sector Vulnerabilities to Climate Change,” 9 th October) While fuel transport will be a worry in every region, diminishing supplies of water from reduced snowpack will particularly constrain upstream oil and gas operations in the Southeast, Southern Great Plains and Alaska. Limited water availability will likewise jeopardise hydropowered thermoelectric generation in most regions, but particularly in the Midwest, Great Plains and South. While the impacts will vary across regions, the general thrust of the Energy Department report is clear: climate change is already having a significant effect, with worse to come – probably sooner rather than later. Britain’s withdrawal of its solar-power subsidy is seen as ‘draconian’ by the American installer SunEdison It is of course too early to analyse the effects on the British solar energy industry of the decision by Prime Minister David Cameron’s government to cut solar subsidies by as much as 87 per cent, with implementation set for this month (January). The rationale for the cuts is that solar power in Britain no longer requires that support. The cuts will not affect solar installations already in place, but new systems will not be eligible for subsidies.

Energy Electric utilities are among the early adopters of advanced robotics technologies, notably aerial drones According to a new report from Navigant Research (Boulder, Colorado), which tracks global technology trends, the utility market for drone and robotics technologies is expected to see revenues grow from $132 million in 2015 to about $4 billion in 2024. As reported by William Pentland of FierceEnergy , to Navigant “the value proposition” is simple enough: drones and robots can enhance the reliability of the electric grid and reduce costs, even as they improve safety in the performance of line inspection and maintenance tasks. In a 2013 review by Time magazine of the most dangerous jobs in the USA, electrical power line installation and repair ranked in seventh place. Drones and robots also have the potential to reduce restoration times after a grid outage. Given these benefits, observed Mr Pentland, it is not surprising that robotics and drones have already gained a foothold in the utility industry, especially for transmission and distribution (T&D) providers. (“Utility Industry Is Ripe for Robots, Says Study,” 1 st October) For a utility company in Lenox, Massachusetts, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) developed an inspection robot, known as “Ti”, which crawls along transmission lines searching for high grass and low tree branches. Equipped with high-definition infrared cameras and ranging sensors, it provides information about the condition of specific infrastructure. A single Ti robot can perform condition-based monitoring and asset management for about 80 miles of transmission line. Another, emergency-related, EPRI initiative cited by Mr Pentland concerns distribution line damage assessment in the wake of storms, a frequent choke point in power restoration due to obstacles such as downed trees or icy conditions. Tests were conducted recently at the Flight Test Center of New Mexico State University using aerial drones equipped with high-resolution video cameras to transmit live streaming video of power lines from a height of 5,000 to 7,000 feet. EPRI (Palo Alto, California) determined that, following a major storm, unmanned aerial drones could assess damage on large areas of the electric grid more rapidly than ground-based crews.  Other robot-centred applications on the way include manhole inspection, remote-controlled repair, and measurement of outdoor lighting levels. Taken as a whole, the activity in this area does indicate a productive match-up of robotics and electric utilities. As James McCray, a senior research analyst with Navigant Research, told FierceEnergy : “The use of drones and robotics for transmission and distribution inspection and maintenance [represents] a rapidly growing revenue stream for technology and outsourced services providers.”

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Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2016