Digital wildfire prevention technology supports grid resilience
Hitachi Energy’s new Wireless SPU Indicator helps utilities to keep important assets available by enabling remote monitoring and improved maintenance.
Image source: Hitachi Energy
Switzerland, Zurich: Hitachi Energy’s new Wireless SPU Indicator helps utilities to keep important assets available by enabling remote monitoring and improved maintenance.
As climate change continues to cause temperatures to rise at a steady rate, longer periods of hot, dry weather play a significant role in intensifying the risk, frequency and severity of wildfires. The increasing risk of wildfires brings a number of potential consequences including severe damage to electricity infrastructure. Investigations into the causes of wildfires have highlighted the same electrical infrastructure has been found among the top potential sources of the initial spark. In particular, thermally overloaded surge arresters installed on power lines in dry areas are an area of concern for utilities.
The new digitally enabled Wireless SPU Indicator automates visual inspection rounds to detect asset replacement by providing real-time status of an SPU, allowing utilities to perform remote monitoring and enable a strategic approach for asset maintenance and replacement planning.
“Our innovation is driving grid resiliency by safeguarding the network’s key assets,” said Markus Heimbach, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s High Voltage Products business. “By mitigating the risk of wildfires ignited by power lines, we are protecting communities, wildlife and the environment.”
Source: Hitachi Energy
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