LiDAR tech to manage weather event response

South Australia's sole electricity distributor, SA Power Networks, has employed new technology to assess network damage and risk in extreme weather events. Partnering with infrastructure software platform Neara, the provider was able to inform, manage and accelerate its response to the recent River Murray flood event, through the use of digital flood impact monitoring.

It’s the first time the electricity distributor has used LiDAR-related technology when responding to an extreme weather-related event. LiDAR (light detection and ranging) is a technology that uses laser beams to measure distances and create 3D maps of the Earth’s surface or objects. The data collected can then be used to create sophisticated modelling.

By utilising Neara’s AI-powered modelling capabilities, SA Power Networks completed a report in 15 minutes analysing 21,000 powerline spans within the 341 GL/day flood area. This process would have taken many months to complete through manual business systems and resources.

Neara’s 3D modelling allowed SA Power Networks to model impacts on electricity distribution network assets at various flood levels, predicting where and when powerlines may breach clearances or be inundated, requiring electricity disconnection. As river levels have returned to normal, the modelling has been used to assist in planning reconnection of supply along the river.

“These digital insights allowed SA Power Networks to optimise our response and remediation efforts to restore power to impacted areas faster than using more traditional methods,” said SA Power Networks Strategic Initiative Manager Paul Topping.

“This innovative approach, based on digital insights, allowed for the re-energisation of powerlines within five days compared with the originally anticipated three-week time frame.

“The data also was an essential part of ensuring safety for the community and our people through the flood event. We are particularly proud of the fact that despite the very real risks associated with hundreds of kilometres of powerline and electricity infrastructure standing in floodwaters, we did not have one report of electric shock throughout the extended flood period,” Topping said.

“As the state’s main electricity provider, our role in this recent flooding disaster was to act quickly and efficiently to ensure residents remained safe and connected. We did this by adopting a unified approach to conduct network damage analysis, utilising Neara’s data insights to change the way our flood response efforts were actioned.

“With Neara we refined the flood modelling process to conduct network damage analysis and reporting in the midst of what was a major environmental emergency. Visually simulating how our assets were behaving under flood conditions helped rapidly accelerate our re-energisation plan and stabilise the network to the benefit of thousands of residents,” he said.

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