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Device will help spot problems on power grid
A new device being developed at the University of Texas at Austin could help spot problems on the power grid before they lead to outages or even wildfires.
AUSTIN, Texas - A new device being developed at the University of Texas at Austin could help spot problems on the power grid before they lead to outages or even wildfires.
Researchers say the technology could also help utilities manage growing demands on the grid as more data centers turn up.
The driving force behind the project started with a simple goal: to provide rural utility operators with a better means of monitoring their large utility grid.
What they're saying:
"These regional co-ops cover quite a large geographical area and end up with distribution lines that are quite long. And most of our monitoring today goes at the ends of those lines and doesn't really have the ability to help those utility operators home in on where a problem may reside," said Shannon Strank, Deputy Director For The Center Of Electromechanics, University of Texas at Austin.
UT’s Center for Electromechanics has been working on the project for more than five years, combining edge computing, telecommunications, power harvesting and machine learning through field and laboratory tests to improve grid resilience.
The sensor that’s designed to live directly on the power line alerts employees to potential problems in real time.
Shannon Strank, deputy director for the Center of Electromechanics at UT, says it detects things like tree branches starting to interact with power lines, high winds, or even equipment that's starting to fail, which can prevent outages.
Credit: UT Austin
The technology could also help prevent wildfires.
The historic Texas Panhandle wildfires in 2024 burned across more than 1.2 million acres, killing two people, and thousands of livestock. During the waiting time for that power pole to be maintained, windy conditions led to the start of the main fire.
"These sensors living on the power line are talking to each other to say where the signal's coming from to really help the utility operator minimize cost in their investigation of the grid to find the problem, minimize the time it takes them to respond. So, it could cause a power outage, but they can respond sooner and get your power back on sooner," said Strank.
It can also track large energy loads like data centers that strain the grid.
"It mostly serves as a monitoring system so that they can understand what the long-term effects might be as these data centers are increasingly deployed," said Strank.
Strank says in the future it could do even more.
Credit: UT Austin
"They may serve to actively feed data to their control system so that they can take proactive measures and real-time measures to be able to mitigate any impacts that they're detecting in real time within the grid," said Strank.
The development comes as data centers face more obstacles operating in Texas.
Last week, the Public Utility Commission and ERCOT shared new regulations. Among those, data centers must pay for transmission infrastructure built for them and a screening process to prevent developments from putting too much pressure on the electric grid.
The new rule also requires the data centers to quickly reduce their power consumption when ERCOT orders them to do so.
During one month of testing, the sensor recorded 34 events compared to only 3 with the current monitoring system.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Jenna King