Using Mobile Edge-Computing Sensors to Avoid Power Outage Impacts on the Economy

The resiliency of the nation’s electric grid is under continuous stress. Impacts of weather, wear and tear, and the age of the grid all contribute to a decline in reliability and an increase in power outages. Power outages result in annual economic impact to energy consumers and present a security impact to critical infrastructure and the general public. Aged and deteriorated overhead electrical equipment produce characteristic radio frequency (RF) emissions. Fixed sensors to monitor the condition of all grid equipment would be expensive and create an enormous data-handling problem. Mobile Edge Computing Sensors (MECS) that can discriminate and locate the equipment that produce pre-failure RF emission failure signatures enable equipment replacement before catastrophic failure causes an outage. Rebuilding or replacing the 5 million miles of the U.S. transmission and distribution grid to reduce power outages is not an economical alternative. Maintaining the grid through a strategy of predictive, conditions-based maintenance results in improved grid performance, fewer outages, and addresses a worldwide problem. This paper discusses the technical challenges to design autonomous, low-power MECS for fleet deployment. The technology, and the results of a pilot project in a 65 square-mile Midwest city are presented.