When the power goes out, customers and utility companies want it to be restored as quickly as possible. Before adopting the PI System, DTE Energy – the 12th-largest utility in the United States, serving over 2.2 million customers in Michigan – faced challenges in promptly identifying and triaging issues. Now, team members receive notifications when things go wrong and can respond more quickly and efficiently to common issues like trees falling on power lines or routine equipment failures as soon as they arise. The smart fault utility project is the latest iteration in DTE’s long history with the PI System, which dates back to 1997.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about this Internet of Things. This is a good example of that ... putting out these low-cost sensors, incorporating them into the PI System.”
Cameron Sherding,
Senior Software and Controls Engineer,
DTE Energy
Challenge
- Shorten delays and inefficiencies associated with restoring power after an outage
Solution
- The PI System takes in sensor data and notifies employees about potential issues
Results
- Visualization of sensor data in real time has shortened outage times by approximately 500,000 outage minutes per year. This increases customer's satisfaction, and it also reduces and in some case eliminates proactive patrols by DTE.
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