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Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2016
From the Americas
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,” 1st 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.”
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,” 9th 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.
BigStockPhoto.com Photographer: Aispl