LineVision, Inc., a provider of non-contact overhead power line sensor solutions to monitor, optimize, and protect critical energy delivery infrastructure, recently announced the launch of a new advanced line rating offering to help utilities comply with rules proposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
LineVision's LineRate AAR+ provides utilities with a scalable, turnkey solution for FERC compliance while enhancing grid reliability by reducing the times when traditional Ambient Adjusted Rating (AAR) methods would inaccurately overestimate line ratings, risking public safety and damage to conductors.
The FERC has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) intended to improve the accuracy and transparency of transmission line ratings, which identify the maximum power a transmission line can transmit safely. Until recently, utilities predominantly determined line ratings based on conservative assumptions about the worst-case weather conditions. However, the NOPR would require utilities to implement, at a minimum, AAR while instructing RTOs and ISOs to prepare to operationalize Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) technologies.
DLR, and, to a lesser extent, AAR can increase line ratings, reduce grid congestion, and enable the integration of new sources of renewable power generation. LineVision's LineRate AAR+ and LineRate DLR solutions deliver superior accuracy to weather-only solutions by directly monitoring the sag and temperature of the conductors. These non-contact monitoring systems are powered by Velodyne LiDAR sensors, the same sensor technology used in autonomous vehicles, and can be easily installed without requiring outages or live line work.
"Multiple studies have shown that advanced line ratings can unlock upwards of 40% additional capacity on our congested grid and the FERC has recognized the need to update rating practices," said Jonathan Marmillo, LineVision's VP of products. "However, AAR often overestimates capacity — risking reliability, safety, and damage to conductors. So, with input from our utility partners, we developed LineRate AAR+ as a turnkey solution to achieve compliance with proposed FERC rules and overcome the deficiencies of AAR."
The FERC's NOPR acknowledges that "under DLR approaches, the use of additional data (beyond the ambient temperature data used in AAR approaches) can allow DLRs to even more accurately reflect transfer capability" and LineRate AAR+ helps utilities safely operate under AAR guidelines in the interim as the industry continues to move toward the adoption of full DLR.
