Energy News Network: The wooden utility pole has changed little since it was first used in the mid-19th Century to string telegraph line between cities.
At a test site in Champaign, Illinois, though, researchers are getting a glimpse at how the humble utility pole could get a reboot for the smart grid era.
Ameren is piloting sensors that connect transmission poles to the internet as part of its newly built microgrid project. The immediate aim is to trim maintenance costs and shorten response times for repairs, but it’s possible smart poles could someday help integrate distributed generation on the grid.
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