Tanner Research, Inc. — Department of Homeland Security SBIR Phase I: H-SB014.2-005

Description

Severe weather, aging infrastructure, deferred maintenance, and other reasons contribute to calamitous events with regard to uninterrupted power supply to heavily populated urban areas. Not only are power interruptions considered a sign of poor utility infrastructure, but the events can be extremely deadly in consequence to citizens living in proximity. A majority of all power outages happen to occur on the utility and distribution sub-systems, where people live and work. Moreover, the variety of safety hazards from downed powerlines creates an equally serious threat for those working to recover from the damages of a line failure event. Many downed powerlines are first come across by first responders and not power utility maintenance crews, so it is very important to be able to warn them on-site of the imminent danger. Tanner Research proposes to assist in power restoration and recovery efforts in multiple fashions: First, to alert immediately alert proximal citizenry to apparent dangers and cue first responders. Second, to identify when and where a failure is occurring able to isolate the danger and repair it to contain and reduce the potential number of lives affected. Furthermore, with the current global warming weather patterns leading to drought and high fire danger in brush and forest zones, the ability to warn of a downed powerline will reduce potential causes of accidental brush fires. Our proposed concept will not only warn people who are in close proximity, but wirelessly alert the utility company of the specific location and time of the powerline abnormality.