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Power Pylon Monitoring to Predict Ice Formation in the Scottish Highlands By Martin Maly (for OTT HydroMet)
Winter can get grim in the heights of Scotland.
To make power supply more reliable, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) wanted to understand more about ice formation on its power lines. A tailored solution by OTT HydroMet monitors the microclimate surrounding the power pylons and automatically sends alerts when the lines are about to freeze. Now, it faces its second winter season. Overhead transmission lines are the cheapest and most common way to provide electric energy from one place to another. Being exposed to wind and weather, the metal conductors are prone to elongation © NatureVolve digital magazine. All rights reserved.
causing the lines to sag. Low hanging lines can be a significant safety risk, especially if they span roads. Power suppliers have to ensure they reduce the power capacity or even shut down power transmission when the lines hang too low. The critical variable is the right time to not waste power capacity whilst keeping transmission safe.
The grim Scottish winter can drag conductor lines down Typically, line sags occur on hot summer days, when the sun heats up the conductor lines, leading to expansion of the line material (in most cases p14
