An intelligent weather-based system to support optimal routing of power transmission lines

The recent increase in demand for power and the proliferation of remotely located renewable energy sources, have put pressure on electric power utilities to upgrade and expand their existing transmission infrastructure. Unfortunately, the construction of new power transmission lines is a costly and time consuming endeavour. In order to maximize the return on investment in the construction of new power transmission lines, this process should be supported by information on the climatological conditions in the planned area, and their effect on the power line operating conditions and ageing. This paper presents an intelligent system that supports the optimization of the line routing process using high-resolution meteorological data. The proposed system selects waypoint coordinates for the transmission line using an algorithm that attempts to minimize the line temperature by avoiding locations that are prone to cause temperature hot-spots. This, in turn, provides gains in additional transmission capacity when coupled with Dynamic Thermal Rating technology, allowing utility companies to increase the return on investment even further.

I. Introduction

Power transmission line planning is a complex task that must satisfy a number of different, often conflicting, constraints [1], stemming from technical and economical con-sideration. In addition, the locations for construction of new power transmission lines must be selected such that they minimize the impact on the environment, avoid disturbing protected parks and wildlife reserves, and address the concerns of neighbouring communities. At the same time, the industry has to ensure that a given expansion project falls within budget restrictions. Unfortunately, current planning procedures often do not take into consideration other aspects that play a critical role in the operability of power transmission networks. One of the most significant factors often neglected or not fully incorporated into the construction planning of new lines is the climatological variation that occurs across the different geographical regions through which a new power line would potentially pass through. As a result, the potentially significant impact that weather phenomena has on the line operating characteristics is not taken into account.