WASHINGTON, Jun 27, 2006

 

An Iowa State University research team is working to develop a network of wireless sensors that could monitor the country's electricity transmission system, according to a press release published by the university on Monday.

The researchers are making good progress on developing a prototype system, the release said.

The sensors, housed in black boxes just a few inches across, could pick up suspicious activity at power poles and be especially useful at quickly locating any breakdowns.

The sensors could allow power companies to react in time to prevent power disruptions from cascading into blackouts, and the monitoring system could also help power companies quickly locate problems when severe weather breaks power lines.

With networks of sensors, "Power companies would have additional abilities to view their systems and that would assist in disaster recovery," said lead researcher Arun Somani.

The project is supported by a 400,000 U.S. dollars grant from the National Science Foundation and 150,000 dollars from Iowa State's Information Infrastructure Institute.

The research team is starting to talk to power companies about the possibility of testing the system on the electrical grid, according to Somani.

 

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