Texas Utility Installing 100 Weather Monitoring Stations

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Texas-based CenterPoint Energy is planning to deploy a network of 100 weather monitoring stations across its service territory to enhance storm response.  The stations will collect real-time data to provide an early read on approaching weather systems, dramatically enhancing the utility’s overall emergency preparedness processes.

Details of CenterPoint’s Weather Monitoring Stations

The weather-station network will help fortify emergency preparedness across the utility’s Greater Houston area electric service territory.   In addition to Texas, CenterPoint also serves customers in Indiana, Minnesota, and Ohio.  However, the weather-station deployment will focus exclusively on its Texas service territory, marking the first deployment of its kind in Texas for an investor-owned utility (IOU).

The weather stations, which will be strategically located near existing infrastructure, will collect a plethora of relevant data at least every 5 minutes, including readings on humidity, wind speeds, temperature, and precipitation levels.

This will enable the utility to prepare extremely precise weather forecasting models, which will accelerate the proactive decision-making process and improve the efficacy of resource allocations.   The information will also be shared with local and state government agencies, first responders, and other key community stakeholders to promote a holistic response approach.

The weather monitoring station strategy is a component of CenterPoint’s Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI), which encompasses a list of initiatives the utility launched to boost reliability.  Examples of other completed GHRI initiatives include:

• The installation of 25,000 storm- and wind-resilient utility poles.
• The deployment of 4,850 automated ‘self-healing’ reliability devices.
• Enhancing the vegetation management process and clearing over 4,000 miles of lines.
• Undergrounding 400 miles of power lines.

Personally, I love what CenterPoint is doing to improve reliability.  The utility learned from horrific experiences around Hurricane Beryl and used the experience to develop and execute a plan to prevent a similar impact in the future.  Whether it’s the installation of a network of weather monitoring stations, undergrounding, or system hardening tactics, CenterPoint is clearly on the right track!