Solving Utility Project Problems

New tech and better services have slowly but surely changed our expectations for the grid. 

We don’t just expect more consistent energy, or the ability to run a space heater, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, a fan, a foot fan, and a food dehydrator. 

We expect fewer outages, faster uptimes, and greener, cleaner solutions. We’re asking more and more of our electric grid, and in response, utilities are looking for ways to improve the flow and capacity to meet new needs. 

Utilities are facing rising demands for renewable energy, avoiding adverse effects from harsh weather events, and staying up-to-speed on advancing technologies. It takes more and more to maintain a stable grid. 

Managing Multiple Workflows 

Take Nowhere Electric Utility, for example. 

NEU’s trying to stay on top of pole inspections, making sure they’re selecting the right samples of poles. That means grouping together jobs, deploying teams, gathering results, and processing engineering or pole replacements for poles that have failed. 

Routine maintenance and upkeep would be a lot simpler if they could access a living library with all their records, and see what work has been performed when.

Their department in charge of grid hardening has a ton of improvement initiatives they’d like to roll out. They’ve been prepping and planning a recloser project to mitigate the impact of outages. 

The distribution design team needs to identify the poles that will get reclosers, perform the engineering, send out crews, and make sure construction follows the design. 

The standards department needs to stay on top of the NERC’s (North American Electric Reliability Corporation) reliability standards for blackouts and extreme cold weather. 

As they work to update the grid according to the new specifications, it’d be great if they could collect data, perform engineering, and check up on the status of construction and PCI all in one location. 

Building a Holistic Environment for Utility Projects

NEU might be made up, but the needs of their departments are real. All teams benefit from a comprehensive view of all active distribution work with portal dashboards. 

Managing utility projects from sampling, data collection, engineering, and post-construction inspections over one platform helps improve processes with better visibility and communication with contractors.

A transformer inventory helps teams pinpoint equipment that needs upgraded.

Automated statuses and actions spur timers and cue email notifications for vendors to ensure program health and stay on top of calendar days. Data captured in the field automatically updates the platform for engineering design.  

As poles get older, new attachments come in, more hardening efforts become necessary, and routine maintenance continues, pole owners need information housed in one place, for the necessary team to access and manage their projects. 

A cohesive workflow management system provides teams with all their jobs and all information in one database. Utilities can respond to make ready engineering, plan their future updates, conduct ongoing maintenance, run equipment audits and inventories, and more. Records get hosted and updated within portals, so staff have a complete view of the grid. 

Unified platforms build better workflows by presenting one version of the truth. Full-stack solutions support teams throughout the lifecycle of their projects, whether it's for pole inspections, grid improvements, distribution upgrades, maintenance, or equipment inventories. 

Thanks for reading! Katapult Pro can serve as a workflow management system for distribution. Over one platform, you can see everything that’s going on within the grid to optimize projects and improve efficiency. Contact us at hello@katapultengineering.com to learn more!