Outage-Avoidance Technology Showing Promising Results for 80 U.S. Utilities

Dec. 22, 2008
After 18 months in the field, a new technology for preventing power outages is showing remarkable results at more than 80 utilities across North America

After 18 months in the field, a new technology for preventing power outages is showing remarkable results at more than 80 utilities across North America.

“Working in conjunction with our 80 utility customers, we’ve surveyed more than 50,000 miles of overhead line, uncovered more than 10,000 pieces of failing equipment, and after physical investigation, a remarkable 97.8% of the equipment we identified was indeed in fail condition,” states John Lauletta, CEO of Exacter, Inc.

Exacter identifies overhead line equipment in fail condition — allowing utilities to see the specific component, on the specific pole where power outages are imminent.

“What’s remarkable is that almost all of the 80 utilities have deployed our technology in just the last 12 months,” adds Lauletta. “When a new technology is accepted this quickly, it’s clear we’re addressing a significant issue in the industry.”

Exacter technology is usually deployed as a turnkey service that begins with multiple drive-through surveys of designated circuits. Exacter filters out false readings and identifies specific electrical failure signatures on overhead lines. Using proprietary analytics, the system then creates maps and GPS coordinates of failing equipment. Field teams then go to these locations to pinpoint specific poles and components emitting failure signals. The utility is presented a report with maps, pole numbers, and photographs of the failing components for pre-emptive action.

“What’s significant about the development and refinement of our technology is that what utilities previously considered to be unavoidable outages (equipment failures), are now avoidable,” notes Lauletta. “And at $500–$7000 per outage, that can be a lot of money saved for utilities.”

“This technology gives CEOs the opportunity to show Public Utility Commissions actual field data that demonstrates they are pre-empting power outages and improving reliability,” concludes Lauletta. “The final deliverable from Exacter is fewer outages, reduced SAIFI numbers, fewer customer complaints, and finally, some good news for an aging distribution system.”

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