SSEPD is looking at new ways to help customers during storms next winter. One such innovation is a free app which would allow customers to report a fault from their smart phone or tablet.
The Grid I View Reporter app is being developed in conjunction with the Energy Innovation Centre and Open Grid Systems Limited. It is designed to help fix faults swiftly and therefore minimise disruption to customers during storms.
Users of Grid I View Reporter choose from three options: report a power cut, a fallen line or damaged equipment. The user then navigates through a couple of easy to use screens to report the fault.
This will allow the electricity distribution network operator to locate the house or equipment in question and send engineers to fix the problem.
Stewart Reid, Future Networks & Innovation Manager at SSEPD, explained: “SSEPD is always looking at new and innovative ways to improve our service to customers and fix any faults on the electricity network as quickly as possible.
“The app is useful because it allows us to quickly identify a fault, reducing timescales to restore power and fix issues. For our customers this could mean shorter timescales off supply. The quicker we know that there’s a fallen line, the quicker we can make the area safe.”
Another project being developed in conjunction with the Energy Innovation Centre and Off-Grid Energy is a hybrid generator.
Small scale generators can literally be a lifeline for vulnerable customers during power outages, but they can be noisy and they do use a lot of fuel.
Stewart Reid added: “The new hybrid generator we’re developing combines the normal function of a generator with a small battery which stores energy for use later.
“They are cheaper and more convenient to use and they have a much lower carbon footprint than a standard generator. We’re excited to help this innovation get to market and we are fine-tuning the system it uses at the moment.”
The hybrid generator has also just been shortlisted for the 2014 UK Energy Innovation Awards in the Best Innovation Contributing to Customer Quality and Reliability of Supply category.