The Power of Condition-Based Maintenance in Electric Utilities

4-minute read

In this article:

• Explore the inefficiencies and resource allocation issues of traditional utility maintenance.
• Learn how condition-based maintenance (CBM) is an industry-changing strategy.
• Discover how Constellation Clearsight’s digital solutions aid in a shift to CBM.

We all understand the importance of maintenance in providing peak performance and durability of our infrastructure. While traditional maintenance methods have proven reliable and effective, they have the potential to be associated with substantial costs, resource demands, and time.

This is where a condition-based maintenance strategy comes into play, representing a more efficient and budget-friendly strategy in the management of utilities.

The Price of Tradition

In traditional maintenance, utilities often follow a scheduled approach that requires routine check-ups and repairs of equipment, regardless of the actual condition. This approach is based on a “just in case” principle, where components are replaced or repaired based on predetermined schedules. 

While this approach has its benefits, such as avoiding sudden equipment failure, it also comes with significant downsides.

According to the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), traditional maintenance practices often result in needless maintenance of equipment that is already in good working order, as well as the substantial allocation of labor and capital resources towards routine checks. This ultimately leads to inefficient use of technical resources.

Overall, more time is spent inspecting the equipment than making actual repairs, potentially leading to serious failures from missed minor issues. This inefficiency reflects on operational costs and employee safety, both of which have a massive impact on overall business efficiency and profitability.

Enter Condition-Based Maintenance

Condition-based maintenance (CBM), on the other hand, involves monitoring the actual condition of the equipment and scheduling maintenance based on performance data rather than fixed timelines. 

This shift can help to improve reliability, enhance worker safety, and provide a more effective allocation of resources.

With CBM, maintenance activities are performed only when they are truly needed, effectively reducing downtime and unnecessary interventions, which, in turn, can significantly reduce costs.

So, how can utilities make this shift? By leveraging an advanced digital inspection solution company like Constellation Clearsight.

Transitioning to CBM with Clearsight

Clearsight offers advanced digital inspection solutions that gather crucial data to guide the shift from scheduled to condition-based maintenance. Here’s how:

1. Utilize Advanced Sensing Technologies

Clearsight uses sensors and monitoring technologies during their inspections that can capture early signs of potential issues, allowing for preemptive action, thereby reducing unexpected failures and improving reliability.

For instance, Clearsight utilizes cutting-edge LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors in our inspections of electrical infrastructure. These LiDAR sensors emit laser pulses to create detailed 3D maps of electrical components and their surroundings. 

This level of precision allows maintenance teams to not only detect but also visualize even the subtlest irregularities in electrical equipment operation. Whether it’s identifying minute electrical hotspots or pinpointing anomalies in transmission lines, LiDAR sensors provide unparalleled accuracy in fault detection.

2. Leverage AI for Maintenance & Tracking

Data collected from sensors is only as useful as the insights derived from it. 

Clearsight’s customer portal uses artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, coupled with industry subject matter experts, to analyze this data, provide actionable insights to guide your maintenance decisions, and create a historical record for tracking environmental factors and equipment specifics

These AI algorithms aid utilities in optimizing their maintenance schedules, streamlining spare parts inventory management, and receive performance improvement forecasts through prioritized issue rankings.

3. Prioritize Worker Safety

By using remote sensing and AI-powered predictive analysis, Clearsight minimizes the need for workers to be in potentially hazardous environments for routine checks. This not only improves worker safety but also allows for the strategic allocation of your technical resources.

For example, drones equipped with specialized sensors and cameras can provide a detailed and real-time view of electrical infrastructure, such as power lines, substations, and transformers. These drones meticulously inspect equipment, capturing high-resolution images and data from a safe distance. 

Our safety-first approach keeps workers out of harm’s way and helps your maintenance team can focus on critical tasks without compromising their well-being, ultimately contributing to the safe and reliable delivery of electricity to customers.

Related Reading: Drones Can Boost Efficiency & Improve Safety in Utility Pole Aerial Inspections

4. Streamline Resources

With Clearsight’s solutions, you’ll be able to allocate your resources more effectively. Rather than having teams spread thin across routine checks, they can be strategically deployed based on insights from data.

Leveraging historical data and strategic analysis, utilities can pinpoint equipment that requires more frequent attention and allocate resources accordingly. This strategic shift in resource allocation not only leads to substantial operational efficiencies but also has the potential to improve cost savings and equipment uptime. 

It allows your maintenance teams to channel their expertise to the most critical areas, establishing a routine so that vital assets receive the attention and care they demand for the reliable delivery of electricity to your customers.

Bottom Line

Shifting from traditional, scheduled maintenance to a more insightful, condition-based maintenance strategy offers substantial benefits. This includes cost savings, enhanced reliability, improved worker safety, and optimized resource allocation.

With AI analysis and strategic resource allocation, your utility operations can be proactive instead of reactive.

Through Clearsight’s advanced digital inspection solutions, your transition to CBM becomes an achievable reality.