top of page
Katapult Engineering

Making Smart Grids a Reality

So much of our world depends on the uninterrupted flow of power, to the point where outages bring normal life to a halt for most of us. Plus, periods of power failure open the door to cybersecurity threats and can have life-threatening consequences. Protecting the uninterrupted flow of electricity has led to a greater push towards smart technology and smart grids. 


Smart grids make renewable energy initiatives far more feasible. They help us meet the rising demands and consumption, and reduce the likelihood of blackouts and power surges. 


To build that kind of grid, we need tools that help us actually implement smart technology. And those tools need to help us find the right locations for deployment. 


Location, Location, Location

The impact of smart technology is relative to where technology is deployed. Outages cut off everyone downstream from that outage, but we can’t install smart switches for every customer. When choosing locations for smart grid tech, planning teams have to balance the cost and complications of deployment with the number of customers affected. The ideal locations benefit the most number of customers without exorbitant costs to deploy. 


Locations are chosen based on the utility’s disqualifying and ideal characteristics. Disqualifying information could be based on: 

  1. Access limitations: Without easy access, crews can’t bring in trucks to install or maintain smart devices.  

  2. Structural concerns: Stretches of old poles or those in need of replacement may not safely support more equipment. 

  3. Areas with high interference: Powerful radio transmitters and industrial equipment can disrupt communication signals that smart tech relies on. 

  4. Geographical threats: Places with flood risks, wind, lightning strikes, or other vulnerabilities would jeopardize technology. 


On the flip side, there are also ideal conditions, such as: 

  1. Central poles: Poles that connect multiple power lines and can monitor larger sections of the grid. 

  2. Clear line of sight: The fewer obstructions, the stronger the mesh networking/communication between smart grid devices.

  3. Regular maintenance access: Easily accessible locations let crews bring in bucket trucks and other equipment to address any potential issues. 

  4. High-demand communities: Neighborhoods with historically high usage and demand, or areas with essential services like hospitals, cost more in outages and so present greater ROI. 

  5. Strong signal: This is actually more of a requirement. The stronger the coverage, the more reliable the transmission from smart switches and other tech. 


Using Katapult Pro to Facilitate Smart Grid Steps

While these are just examples, it’s crucial to understand utilities’ real disqualifiers and optimal characteristics when supporting smart grid deployment. Once we know the standards, we need to assess each candidate location to answer questions like: 

  • What’s the structural analysis of the pole? 

  • How are the site conditions? 

  • Is there enough space for new equipment? 

  • What is the signal strength at this area? 

  • How far is it from other smart tech? 


Katapult Pro is already well-designed to answer these questions, and we’re working on a smart grid workflow to help teams assess and determine the best smart tech spots. This is a 10,000-foot view of how to use Katapult Pro to suggest the best locations while minimizing field exposure and reducing calendar days. 


With our integrated street view, back office teams can assess potential locations based on disqualifying conditions. Are there radio towers in the surrounding areas? Will it be hard to reach those poles? Does double wood exist? Where do those locations show up on cell coverage maps? 



From there, staff can pre-design routes for field crews to collect data on locations that haven’t been ruled out. While in the field, crews can use field workflows to gather both validation data AND engineering data, saving them a trip to the field later should a location be chosen for deployment. 



Using photo documentation, teams can present the best locations to utilities, design engineering plans, and create construction packages based on selected candidates. 


A healthy smart grid deployment program should be able to select good candidates in a timely manner and reduce the number of site visits. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this overview and talk more about smart grid workflows in Katapult Pro.


Get in touch with our team today! 




 
 
 
bottom of page