Reinforcing the T&D infrastructure to prevent or reduce the damage from extreme weather events.
Right selection of poles, towers, and wires:
- Dual OHGW to reduce the potage caused by lightning.
- OPGW to provide the communication path across the grid, enhancing the cybersecurity and improving reliability.
- New Insulator design and materials provide greater reliability.
- Higher Capacity, steel reinforced conductor allows for more efficient power flow and reduce electrical losses.
- Greater clearances between electrical lines reduces outages caused by animal and provides safer working conditions for line crews.
- Sturdier steel poles/concrete poles improve resiliency during storms, provide longer lifeexpectancy and lower maintenance costs.
- Improved grounding provides better lightning performance and safer operation of T&D system.
Flooding can create tremendous issues for transmission substations
- Identify the substations which are vulnerable to flooding.
- Plan for temporary and permanent hardening measures.
- For permanent solutions, install sheet piles flood walls that are constructed of composite materials to resist decay and rust.
- Raise substation equipment above flood level.
- Install flood monitor sensor to alert rising water level.
- Substation control houses can be designed for withstand a direct hit from EF3 tornado with back-up control houses available on short
Fire Prevention and Detection:Severe drought conditions coupled with high winds and other factors, have resulted in an increased number and severity of wildfires that can devastate natural habitats and communities.
- Implement wildfire mitigation plan to monitor weather and equipment.
- Enhance inspections process of all overhead power lines in high fire risk areas and apply preventive maintenance to reduce risks of ignition.
- Use fire-resistant poles, composite cross-arms, and covered conductors in high fire risk areas.
- Install current limiting fuses that interrupt current more quickly to boost reliability by segmenting circuits to isolate problems.
- Install HD camera that enable fire agencies to observe potential fire activity.
- Install weather stations with multiple sensors to provide real time weather data.
- Evaluate the ability to install new access roads and increase line ROW.
- As a last resort, cut power to high fire areas when winds reach above a certain predetermined threshold
