Description of need
Planning engineers at distribution utilities want accurate, trustworthy data for the ampacity ratings of all the lines on their network. Right now, rating numbers are available, but they aren’t always accurate. As the power system starts pushing power lines to their limit, it’ll become increasingly problematic to get it wrong.
The goal, then, is to map out the ampacity rating (in kVa) of all the power lines on the network.
This is a classification exercise. There are roughly a dozen possibilities for conductor type. If it’s an uncoated conductor, the diameter and metal type is all you need. If it’s coated, it’s a bit more complex but not much more.
The utility’s GIS system has a map of all the lines, but it doesn’t know where individual line segments end (sometimes a tree falls, ruptures a line, and a lineman in splices a new section of line with a different ampacity rating).
Problem severity (1-10)
8
Who has this need
Planning engineers at distribution utilities like Benjamin Grace
Total addressable market (TAM)
M
Solutions today, and their shortcomings
Taking available data, hoping it’s correct, or sometimes sending an operations crew to have a look in person
Potentially relevant capabilities
- Drones
- Satellite images
- Self-driving cars with high-resolution cameras