New SAIC software predicts grid failures weeks, months in advance
Engineering firm Scientific Applications International (SAIC), a company that has been playing at the edges of the emerging Smart Grid space, is putting the finishing touches on software that could predict and pinpoint the causes of electricity outages up to months in advance. Dubbed the Distribution Monitoring System, the software will be released soon, reports Smart Grid Today.
The system combines years’ worth of previously recorded data, with knowledge about how certain pieces of equipment work, their failure rates, and their likely reasons for failure. One of the key pieces of information is maximum voltage limits for transformers, substations and other milestones along the electricity supply chain. If voltage exceeds these limits, the equipment will fry and fail.
By continuously running all of this data side by side, the company claims its software can determine which equipment is most likely to fail in the next several days. Then, by connecting failure rates to their causes, it can make suggestions for how to avert future outages. It has even licensed Google Earth to indicate exactly where the failure-prone equipment is located. This could help utilities send out maintenance crews before costly outages or disruptions occur.
Preventing grid failure is one of the major goals of the cleaner, more efficient electrical grid slowly being built out in the U.S. and abroad. Utilities now have systems at their disposal to rebalance energy loads when peak demand is exceeded, to reroute electricity around hazards like fallen trees and felled power lines, and to identify where failures and break-points have occurred. SAIC’s Distribution Monitoring System, which sends alerts up the chain of command at utilities, could be the future of advanced outage prevention.
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About the Author, Camille Ricketts
Camille is the lead writer for GreenBeat. She came to VentureBeat from Google where she worked on its traditional platforms team, particularly in TV. Before that, she was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in New York and London. Follow her on Twitter at @camillericketts, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.
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