Environmental Risk & Assurance to NGET’s assets
Previsico provides flood forecast and sensor data for NGETs primary substation locations to support climate risk analysis and the categorising of the risk of extreme weather events.
I watched the EA gauges for the Trent at Drakelow climb to the highest they have ever been, but being able to access the Previsico gauge data which showed there was not an issue on the lowest part of the specific substation site meant I was able to quickly understand the situation in a fraction of the time it would have taken to get someone to site and confirm all was well.
Electricity Transmission assets such as towers and substations have been designed to withstand a variety of environmental conditions.
However, the increasing frequency of extreme weather events means measures need to be in place to make sure its network and processes remain robust into the future. At present all risk notifications are manually reviewed by National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET)’s control room. Weather notifications are received in the form of heatmaps from the Met Office that require experienced human interpretation based on knowledge of the geographical area. Once reviewed the severity of the notification is graded and categorised to allow for the appropriate action and mitigation response to be initiated before any environmental threats impact the network. This process is time consuming and resource intensive.
Previsico provides flood forecast and sensor data for NGETs primary substation locations to support climate risk analysis and the categorising of the risk of extreme weather events including flood (fluvial and surface water) and erosion (fluvial and hillslope) to NGET assets.
Previsico’s technologies include a flood forecast that are generated through live hydrodynamic modelling continuously at 25m resolution and are produced using the best available weather nowcasts and forecasts, satellite imagery, ground sensors, LiDAR elevation data, land cover, drainage and geology. In addition to this Previsico’s on-site radar-based sensors are easy-fit connected level sensors that are uniquely designed for real-time monitoring of different hazards including rapid-onset events occurring above or below ground. These combined technologies provide NGET with an understanding of climate risks on an asset level basis that they previously didn’t monitor.
Collaborations like this are helping us unlock the new capabilities we will need to manage our assets in the face of the increasing impacts of climate change. The project will harness data more effectively to ensure our network infrastructure remains resilient against extreme weather events in the future.
- Asset level real-time monitoring to provide actionable insights to climate perils that aren’t currently monitored on this scale.
- By proactively managing hazards to infrastructure and assets, allows NGET to ensure reliability of supply to the customer.
- Minimises the likelihood of hazards going undetected and identifies long-term/short-term environmental risks to assets.
- Improved regulation of substations through reduced need for flood response measures e.g. heating and pumping water.
- The data will be used in the NGET control room as a method of monitoring and forecasting weather and environmental hazards around transmission assets, streamlining operations and maximising efficiency.