Electricity Today T&D Magazine

How to reduce dangers while providing preventive maintenance data

BY FINLEY LEDBETTER, Group CBS, Inc.

While most discussions about avoiding electrical hazards focus on personal protective equipment (PPE), utility workers have a number of ways to protect themselves and their gear, including specialized equipment and remote actuation and racking systems that eliminate—rather than reduce—electrical hazard dangers, while providing preventive maintenance data that can help avoid future catastrophes.

The rapid shift toward renewable energy resources (RERs) has placed significant demands on traditional power systems. To address these challenges, modern energy infrastructure is evolving into smart grids, leveraging advanced technologies like Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) to enhance grid flexibility, reliability, and efficiency. A VPP is a collection of distributed energy resources (DERs), such as renewable energy sources, battery storage, controllable loads, and electric vehicles (EVs), that operate as a unified power plant through intelligent control and communication networks. By integrating VPPs with smart grids, the energy sector can better coordinate energy generation, storage, and consumption, facilitating a more resilient...