The Grid’s Check Engine Light: Predicting Problems Before They Happen

Early warnings have been in use in most aspects of our lives for a long time. Each year, we go to the doctor for checkups where we have our blood taken to monitor for any early warnings of something going wrong with our bodies. In fact, I just walked out of one of my preventive screenings today, having felt relieved for checking that box feeling fortunate to have access to regular preventive care.

We have early warning systems for cars too. A few weeks ago, my daughter’s check engine light started flashing, and before the engine could be permanently damaged due to a leaking gasket seal (among other things), we were able to get the car into the shop and soon she was on the road back to college.

The grid has also had fault detection and location technologies for many years, but these have traditionally only identified problems after a fault had already occurred. In those cases, some damage may have been avoided through faster response, but the fault itself was not predicted in advance.

With the advent of machine learning, and more advanced artificial intelligence, which rely on collecting and interpreting vast amounts of operational data, we are seeing amazing potential for all kinds of applications for the grid. In our cover story written by Field Editor Amy Fischbach, we learn about Edison Award winner Southern California Edison’s AWARE system.

What’s new with tools like AWARE (Advanced Waveform Anomaly Recognition) or other AI-driven waveform anomaly detection is that they’re moving closer to pre-fault detection, essentially recognizing subtle waveform distortions or anomalies that may indicate equipment stress before an outright failure happens.

SCE started on this initiative just two years ago. The grid operations team had a vision to be able to shift from reactive response to predictive intelligence, thinking this would help them catch issues sooner and ultimately enable better forecasting and reduce restoration times, which is the essence of resilience. And that is how AWARE came about. Now SCE is actively using the system and working to improve it.

There has been some confusion in the industry about the nature of AI and how it can be used. T&D World Technical Editor Gene Wolf has done a great job of explaining and keeping up to date on the technology; just check out his monthly "Charging Ahead" section in each issue. His take on SCE’s new system in comparing it to standard protective relays: “AI looks at patterns of events. It doesn't operate faster than a relay, and it doesn't need to. AWARE is not replacing the relay; it's identifying potential issues that may cause the line to trip before the line trips. AI knows where that event is located, and a crew can be dispatched to fix the issue before it's an outage. The relay looks for a current spike and AI looks at overall operations. AWARE is going to help SCE and other utilities. AI needs to be used to learn.”

A Favorite Fall Activity

As the weather cools down here in Kansas City and pumpkins appear everywhere, the T&D World staff and the International Lineman’s Rodeo Association are putting the finishing touches on rodeo preparations. I shared in my "Global Viewpoint" last year some of my favorite memories over the years of this event, as it really has been a tradition with our staff and my family.

If you ever get the chance to see it, don’t pass it up! It really is a celebration and tribute to our lineworkers. T&D World has been honored to partner with IRLA for so many years on this. Watch for our coverage in next month’s issues and online; we cover everything we can about it from the competition (of course), the tools, the families, and the awards.

Appreciation for Service

Speaking of memories, we have had two major retirements at T&D World this year, and I couldn’t resist sending these two individuals a thank you and best wishes. Our art director of more than 30 years, Susan Lakin, retired at the beginning of the year. Susie was one of those few media designers who had a passion for the electricity industry. She read every article that she designed (which, believe it or not is rare), and even pointed out a few typos to us grammar nerds. Her appreciation of the beauty of transmission lines and substations shined through in the pages of T&D World magazine for many years. When you get a chance, check out our 75th Anniversary print/digital edition from last November where you will see one of her most heart-felt designs.

This August, long-time advertising sales representative Steve Lach retired. He had been with the magazine for 36 years, creating enduring relationships with the product and service providers for T&D World. From the time I joined T&D World as an intern in the 90s, Steve made me feel like part of the family. He was a big part of growing the magazine and media brand but was always giving credit and praise to everyone else.

We have been blessed to have such an amazing tradition of dedicated team members bringing T&D World forward, and our current family will continue to serve you with the same dedication and passion for this industry.