Predicting Power Outages

Researchers develop model to predict and prevent power outages using big data
Texas A&M Engineering News   by Shraddha Sankhe

Researchers at Texas A&M University have devised a predictive risk analysis framework that can forecast a potential vulnerability to utility assets and map out the location and time of a possible outage. The researchers say this feature enables the trees in the most critical areas with the highest risk to be felled first. "Dealing with aging infrastructure assets adds another layer of complexity that utility companies face," says Texas A&M professor Mladen Kezunovic. "Any kind of environmental data that has some relevance to the power system can be fed into this prediction framework." The model's applications can be tailored by feeding it data such as a utility company's operational records, weather forecasts, altitude, and foliage around the power systems. The team says they use the goals of the power system to select a large volume of input data from multiple sources and conduct a risk analysis, adding to the reliability of the system and its operations. ... "