Budget cuts and operating at lower costs are not options for utilities; they are a necessity, according to Danny Bates, equipment test supervisor for Southern Co. Transmission. As a result, utilities are looking for new technologies that enable them to achieve reliability at lower costs.

Infrared camera surveys are one of those ways. Bates will present “Optimizing Infrared Camera Surveys in Substations” at the Finepoint Circuit Breaker Test and Maintenance Training Conference on Thursday, Oct. 8, in Atlanta, Georgia. Bates brings 37 years of experience to this topic, having been the equipment test team leader at Southern Co. Transmission since 1985.

“This technology provides continuous monitoring of substations using infrared to identify heating components without sending a technician out to perform a scan,” Bates said.

Southern Co. is installing an infrared camera with real-time output to its control center, and the session will cover how the system works and how Southern Co. plans to use it as part of its Smart Grid program.

Southern Co. has responsibility for $6.2 billion in transmission assets including more than 27,000 miles of transmission lines, 3700 substations, and 300,000 acres of right of way. The transmission system meets North American Electric Reliability Corp. standards and provides a safe and reliable grid. Over the past three years, (2006 -2008), Southern Co. invested $1.6 billion in transmission assets (lines and substations) and distribution substations, which is managed in conjunction with Transmission at Southern Co.

Bates said that the Finepoint conference is a good venue to present the infrared camera topic because the conference has expanded into a well-recognized forum for “utility folks” who are interested in all aspects of substation maintenance.