Columbus, OH, July 17, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- You cannot stop a hurricane or major storm, but Exacter, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio is busy in July and August helping utilities minimize the impact of major storms by identifying points of weakness on overhead grids that are most susceptible to damage and causing a power outage. “When major weather events blow through, loose hardware, deteriorating equipment, or overhead assets that were damaged in the last storm are the most likely to fail,” states John Lauletta, CEO of Exacter, Inc. “This summer we are helping utilities minimize the impact of storms by identifying points of weakness, -- giving utilities an opportunity to repair them and enhance grid resiliency before hurricane season this fall.”
Department of Energy studies back this up, citing that after a major weather event, utilities will experience 2-3 years of increased power outages because of unseen damage to the system.
“By hardening the grid, utilities will minimize damage and storm impact,” continued Lauletta. “We will typically discover one point of weakness for every 5-8 miles. The potential of eliminating 100-200 post-storm repairs across 1000 miles of line during the intense storm recovery period can significantly impact the speed of power restoration and alleviate a lot of pressure on maintenance crews.”
Exacter’s patented technology delivers unprecedented predictive insights into the pre-storm health of the grid by identifying characteristic RF emissions from overhead assets that are telltale announcements of weakened equipment. Exacter’s actionable data includes GPS location, pole number and field-verified photograph of the equipment emitting the partial discharge, pre-failure signature.
Exacter believes utilities can make significantly more impact on grid resiliency by taking preventive measures before the storm. “One of the key aspects for utilities in the pre-storm predictive hardening process is the shoring up of utility lightning arrester defense shields – especially in where high lightning activity is prevalent,” continued Lauletta. “It is almost impossible to visually identify failed or failing lightning arresters. Our technology is unique in its ability to identify and locate them. If a lightning arrester system is fully functioning, it will not only prevent a lot of outages, but will preserve equipment and reduce the post-storm recovery time for the utility.”
Exacter, Inc. is a provider of patented grid health assessment technology and predictive analytics that help electric utilities reduce power outages and improve overall system reliability. http://www.exacterinc.com