Smart inspection devices enhance power supply in mountainous areas

The State Grid Lin'an Power Supply Co in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has recently launched its first batch of smart grid inspection devices to ensure stable power transmission, marking its latest attempt to leverage artificial intelligence to empower energy supply in mountainous cities and rural areas.

Equipped with three cameras, these smart inspection devices collect images, videos, and temperature data to automatically monitor and identify potential hazards with timely alerts, enabling real-time visual monitoring of the substations managed by Lin'an Power Supply Co.

The company said the deployment of smart inspection technology significantly enhances power transmission safety, particularly in mountainous and remote rural areas with extensive overhead lines. It also greatly improves the efficiency of inspection personnel.

"Previously, it took about 10 minutes just to drive from the substation to Minwu, a local village, to conduct grid inspection. Visiting other locations such as Yangqiao village and Duishi village requires at least half a day, making the process relatively inefficient. Now, with a simple click on the screen of the smart inspection device, we can grasp the real-time status of the five most vulnerable locations within a minute," said Chen Kai, a team leader of high-voltage at the Lin'an Power Supply Co.

Xu Lixin, an operation and maintenance department worker at Lin'an Power Supply Co, said, "In a mountainous city such as Lin'an, with extensive overhead lines, large projects that use construction machinery such as road relocations can easily lead to external damage to the grid."

"To ensure the safety of power lines, we have installed five smart inspection devices on five lines prone to external damage. These devices provide 24-hour automated monitoring and can detect various hazards such as those from construction machinery, objects on wires, and sparks. When a hazard is detected, the device triggers an alarm and sends an SMS notification to maintenance personnel for prompt action," Xu added.

Transitioning from traditional manual inspections and fault repairs to smart inspections and proactive defenses, these devices provide new insights for the high-quality development of the power transmission network, the company said.

Looking ahead, the company said it will further integrate smart inspection devices, visual monitoring tools, and ground markers to achieve coordinated online monitoring, offline patrols, and equipment maintenance management for the power distribution network.