My family once owned a red 1954 Nash Statesman. Back then, we had a routine — every four years, we’d trade in our current car for another used one, also four years old. I still remember the day we went to trade in the Nash. For that short ride, my job (as a kid) was to hold the passenger door shut. It had a habit of flying open during right turns.
That old car broke down often. It overheated, the speedometer hadn’t worked for months, and the front end felt loose. It was only eight years old. Today, a used 2017 car costs around $30,000, according to Kelley Blue Book, and can last another ten years with good care. The reason today’s eight-year-old car still has value has everything to do with reliability. Not so with the old Nash.
Tailfins to Transformation
Cars today are a different story. We expect them to work — even when they’re eight years old. The same is true for the electric grid. We expect it to work every time we flip a switch.
The car industry has come a long way. We have electric vehicles, self-driving features, and built-in safety systems. I still cringe at the memory of almost falling out of the Nash on a sharp turn — no seatbelt, just me holding that door.
Cars have changed because of technology. The same kind of change is happening to the grid, and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is a big part of that transformation.
Like that old Nash, parts of our grid are aging and unreliable. Here are some key challenges:
- Age: About 70% of U.S. transmission lines are more than 25 years old. Power transformers average over 40 years.
- Congestion: The grid can’t always move power where it’s needed. That raises costs for everyone.
- Fragmentation: The U.S. grid is actually three grids — East, West, and Texas — with extremely limited connections between them.
- Climate: Since the old days of the Nash, severe weather events have increased dramatically.
- Demand: The grid is under pressure from electric vehicles, AI data centers, and the push for clean energy.
The Three Pillars of Grid Reliability
Grid reliability hinges on three critical limits:
- Thermal – Lines can’t carry too much electricity without overheating.
- Voltage – Voltage must stay close to normal, or it can damage equipment.
- Stability – The system must recover quickly after something goes wrong, like a fault or power loss.
Think of them like key systems in a car — temperature, battery voltage, and steering control. The Nash often ran hot. It lost power. And like the songs of the fifties, it shook, rattled, and rolled. That car hit all three limits regularly.
GIS: The Grid’s Onboard Diagnostics
GIS is the grid’s equivalent of a car’s onboard diagnostics system. Here’s how it addresses each of the three reliability pillars:
1. Thermal Limits
GIS provides detailed spatial data on transmission lines, including their capacity and current load. Utilities can monitor line temperatures and predict potential overheating scenarios by integrating real-time data. This proactive approach allows timely interventions like load redistribution or infrastructure upgrades. With FERC’s recent order 881, transmission owners must implement Ambient Adjusted Ratings to be followed up by dynamic ratings where additional information such as wind speed, air quality, and smoke from nearby fires can be sensed. The sensors’ location is key, and data analysis is what GIS does best. GIS helps utilities comply with NERC FAC-008, which relates to equipment ratings.
2. Voltage Limits
Voltage fluctuations can be visualized geographically using GIS. This spatial awareness helps identify areas prone to overvoltage or undervoltage conditions. Utilities can implement targeted solutions, like capacitor installations or voltage regulation equipment, by analyzing these patterns to maintain optimal voltage levels.
3. Stability Limits
By the early 1960’s, utilities began interconnecting their grids. However, the 1965 Northeast Blackout uncovered the phenomena of grid instability. Today, stability is the foundation of reliability studies. By modeling potential faults or load changes, GIS aids in developing strategies to enhance grid stability, ensuring a swift return to normal operations after disruptions.
The Road Ahead
The evolution of cars offers valuable insights into grid reliability:
- New cars tell us when something is wrong. GIS does that for the grid.
- Cars give info on everything from fuel to tire pressure. GIS does the same for grid health.
- Just like cars have forward collision, lane departure, and blind spot warning, GIS helps spot risks and prevents problems.
The grid’s complexity will only grow as we continue to integrate renewable energy sources and face increasing demand. Embracing GIS is not just about adopting new technology; it’s about reimagining how we manage and maintain our electric infrastructure.
We’ve come to expect our cars to be smart, efficient, and reliable, unlike our family’s old 1954 Nash. So, should we expect the same from our grid? With GIS, grid owners and operators get support in achieving that vision.
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