Eye in the Sky… no longer pie in the sky
How satellite imagery could save money and drive safety
A satellite Eye in the Sky could soon be the next weapon in the constantly evolving drive to ensure a safe and resilient energy supply to the UK’s homes and businesses.
Space might not be the final frontier it once seemed thanks to an innovation project that’s harnessing space technology to safeguard our electricity network infrastructure.
In the not-too-distant future, satellite imagery could be used to complement traditional foot patrols, helicopter and drone monitoring of pylons and overhead lines on your fields.
The Eye in the Sky’s primary aim is to help boost the resilience of networks against the impacts of climate change. Imagery and data analytics could allow specialist engineers to monitor the network’s condition and any changes to the surrounding environment, around the clock.
Imagery will allow engineers to spot any problems before they happen
Monitoring changes
Changes to infrastructure and the environment caused by geographic anomalies, extreme weather or human interference would be identified. That would mean real-time risk or damage assessment, rapid deployment of maintenance or repair teams and potentially fewer outages.
The project, led by National Grid and funded by Ofgem and Innovate UK’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), could be especially useful in more remote parts of the network, enhancing reliability and emergency response capability.
The project, still in its infancy, has the backing of the European Space Agency, Cranfield University, satellite data specialist Spottitt and risk management and quality assurance firm DNV.
A satellite image taken in October and December 2022 shows how rows of pig sheds have been moved, using analytics.
Sean Coleman, Innovation Manager at National Grid, says: “This makes real the exciting prospect of using satellites to monitor Grid infrastructure and the surrounding area, helping us understand how and why networks are being affected.
“If a change is detected, the technology could inform an engineer on the ground who can analyse the data to make a more informed decision on how to respond. It could further streamline our processes and bring benefits to consumers both in terms of cost and Grid resilience.”
Satellite imagery could also be used to spot previously unidentified issues on grantors’ land by creating predictive modelling for future events associated with climate change.
So although line patrols, helicopter fly-bys and drone monitoring will always be essential for close-up inspection of equipment, the technology could support business-as-usual maintenance in detecting overgrown vegetation or objects posing a risk to infrastructure.
“We’re in the alpha phase of the project, but the more localised benefits will come into play further down the line and could help reduce emissions through aerial or ground patrols being scheduled more efficiently.”
Sean Coleman, Innovation Manager, National Grid
Localised issues affecting pylons, overhead lines and farms will soon be visible from above the clouds.
Improving resilience
The innovation could deliver up to £22 million in cost savings over a decade, with other advantages to the public such as faster emergency response, quicker system recovery and better Grid reliability.
The Eye in the Sky has completed its initial ‘discovery’ phase that trialled the approach on more than 1,700 miles of energy network. That led to extra funding through SIF to further develop its concept into the ‘alpha’ phase, which started last August.
Rafiek Versmissen, Head of the Energy Strategy Advisory at DNV, said: “This imaginative project will use comprehensive data collection to improve the visibility and contribute to increasing the resilience of our network infrastructure.
“The use of satellites to monitor the Grid is a radical innovation and we are delighted to be a partner in this project.”
