Modernising power line marking – OLKKU gets it done, even in challenging conditions

THE CHALLENGE

The maintenance of power lines is made difficult by hard-to-access geography (water bodies, bogs, fells, steep cliffs and mountains). The natural phenomena connected to seasonal variation poses even more challenges to power lines.

In winter, frost and packed snow accumulates on power lines, creating extra weight and coil distension. Power line distension leads to interruptions in electricity delivery. The snow that accumulates on trees can fell trees on top of the lines and otherwise damage the power lines.

In summer, heat causes power lines to distend and hang. Storms and winds can fell trees on power lines and damage their cabling.

THE SOLUTION

Thanks to IoT sensors, instead of on-site inspections conducted from the ground, the operator can monitor the conditions throughout their entire power line network remotely in real time via a terminal. When a snow load is accumulating on a section of the line, the information is immediately shown as an alert detailing the problem’s location and severity. Thanks to this, the issue can often be addressed before any damage is done.

Real-time data helps to reduce redundant work, enables damage prevention, and ensures an uninterrupted service.

THE ADDED VALUE

We can install IoT packed snow sensor and warning reflectors on power lines quickly and regardless of geographical features thanks to our in-house developed OLKKU device. Our packed snow sensors provide immediate notifications and locational data of any issues. The sensors track the situation constantly and send data out to a remote control system, allowing the operator to anticipate any problems before they occur and to prevent damage to their power lines.

The service life of a packed snow sensor can be up to 15 years, after which the unit can be easily replaced with a new one. Thanks to our OLKKU device, the replacing of units is also easy and safe.