In this article:
The demand for energy is not just a matter of the number of people flipping a switch at any given time. It's a dynamic interplay among climate, environmental, household, and business needs. In addition to its mission to provide a steady energy supply, the utility sector is undergoing a profound transformation driven by the imperatives of decarbonization, decentralization, and digitization.
The responsibility of electric cooperatives and utilities to provide a reliable energy supply has expanded beyond pure supply and demand. Today, they are the architects of a brighter, cleaner, and more connected future.
This shift requires not only meeting energy demands but doing so with a lower environmental impact. At the heart of this change lies the optimization of infrastructure management, with a particular focus on inspection processes.
Let’s explore a pioneering approach that uses advanced digital technology, and shed light on its potential to lower the carbon footprint of inspections.
T&D inspection methods have long been the standard in the energy industry. However, they are a hidden contributor to environmental pollution and carbon emissions, significantly affecting the carbon footprint of the energy sector.
Recent analysis conducted by Accenture in collaboration with the World Economic Forum underscores the immense potential of digital technology in curbing emissions.
According to the analysis, the energy sector, responsible for 34% of global emissions in 2020, represents one of the largest opportunities for decarbonization.1,2
Understanding the environmental implications of traditional inspection methods requires an examination into the specific carbon costs incurred during these operations. Two critical factors significantly contribute to these costs: the extensive travel necessary for inspections and inefficient resource allocation.
Traditional inspections travel from pole to pole, to remote asset locations, and to hard-to-reach locations. This all contributes to the carbon cost in various ways:
Inefficient resource allocation during electric utility inspections can significantly contribute to the carbon cost, making a strong case for the adoption of advanced digital inspection methods:
Welcome to the age of digital inspections—a game-changing transformation that holds the key to significantly reducing our industry's environmental impact. At Zeitview, we've harnessed the power of advanced digital solutions, including drones, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and cutting-edge data analytics, to make our operations more efficient and reduce our reliance on wasteful resource use.
In line with the International Energy Agency's (IEA) net-zero emissions goals outlined to meet the Paris Agreement, implementing these digital solutions across our industry can contribute up to 20% of the reductions needed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.3
How?
Well, drones, which outperform traditional methods in terms of both efficiency and environmental friendliness, not only cut down on emissions but also improve inspection accuracy, reducing the need for re-work and the associated carbon footprint.
When you add AI and ML into the mix, digital inspections become even more robust, enabling predictive maintenance that fosters proactive and eco-friendly actions, all while providing valuable insights that guide sustainable decision-making.
In a world striving for sustainability, the path forward for electric cooperatives is clear — adopting greener practices is a necessity. The traditional inspection process, burdened by its heavy carbon footprint, is ripe for a transformative revolution. As an industry, it is time we rethink our conventional methods and embrace the change towards a more sustainable, tech-driven future.
References: