Navigating Storm Challenges - Turning Insights into Strategies for Strengthening Structural Resilience

Wednesday, May 22, 2024 | 11:30 - 12:30 p.m. EDT

Our webinars are eligible for IEEE PDH credit. To qualify, you must attend the webinar live and complete the IEEE evaluation we will provide following the event.

The frequency and severity of disruptive weather events continue to rise and so does the pressure on utilities to harden their grid infrastructure. While system resiliency has jumped to the top of the strategic priority list for electric and telecommunications companies, one of the foundational components of grid infrastructure, wood pole Structural Resiliency, is often overlooked.

When wood poles fail during a weather event (extreme or sporadic), more outages occur, and it takes longer and costs more to restore service. Retaining or upgrading structural resiliency reduces pole failures in major weather events which lowers the time and cost of service restoration. Ensuring structural resiliency requires ongoing vigilance, and this discussion introduces the targeted approaches enabled by data that allow utilities are taking to tackle the challenge efficiently.

Join us for a presentation of approaches utilities are adopting to harden overhead lines using available and newly collected data in the field to improve structural resiliency. We will discuss the latest proven approaches for proactively hardening your grid infrastructure including innovative modeling methods and technology, methods for strengthening existing structures, and strategic ways to replace key structures with new, stronger structures. You'll learn how a number of utilities are managing resiliency as an ongoing process rather than a reactive event.

Takeaways:

• Understand your structural risk – How is your utility currently addressing structural risk to extreme weather or events? You'll Learn about efficient and reliable methods using data, to better understand your structural risk.

• Define your resiliency goals – What events are you designing to withstand? Find out what other utilities are using as the design criteria for their resiliency construction standards.

• Develop a plan to achieve your resiliency goals - What can be implemented to be successful both short and long term? Learn current short-term and long-term strategies currently being implemented.

Presenter:

Chad Newton - Sr Director - Wood Infrastructure Portfolio

He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, both from Georgia Institute of Technology. In his current role, he oversees the design, development, and implementation of Osmose’s industry-leading wood pole restoration products and services.