Summary:
Traditional thermal inspections only provide a momentary snapshot of asset health. In today’s complex and aging grid, that’s no longer enough. This blog explores why utilities are moving toward continuous monitoring to reduce operational risk, improve reliability, and enable proactive maintenance.
Utility infrastructure has evolved rapidly over the past decade, but many inspection practices haven’t kept pace. Most utilities still rely on scheduled thermal inspections, often once or twice a year, to evaluate the condition of critical substation components like transformers, breakers, and bus connections.
These manual, snapshot-style inspections were once sufficient. But in today’s high-risk, high-demand environment, they now represent a dangerous blind spot.
This blog outlines why traditional inspection models are failing to protect modern grid assets, and how continuous monitoring is helping utilities gain control, reduce failures, and prepare for predictive operations.
The Snapshot Problem
Scheduled inspections offer just that: a single data point. A thermal scan taken in April can’t predict an overheating connection in July when loads surge under extreme temperatures. Worse, many asset failures emerge subtly over time, escaping detection until they reach critical thresholds.
Manual inspections introduce several structural limitations:
- Delayed detection: Emerging problems may not align with inspection cycles.
- Load variability: Hotspots may only appear under specific loading conditions.
- Human error: Scans may be incomplete or incorrectly interpreted.
- Resource strain: Crews must physically access each site, often in remote areas.
In other words, inspection schedules don’t follow failure patterns, but assets do.
A Shifting Landscape for Utilities
The risks of relying solely on manual inspections are increasing:
- Aging infrastructure: Much of the grid is 40+ years old, with growing failure rates.
- Rising demand: Climate-driven peaks and electrification are straining capacity.
- Field crew shortages: Retirements and hiring gaps are shrinking skilled labor.
- Replacement delays: Lead times for key components (like transformers) can exceed 60 weeks.
Utilities can’t afford to wait for failure. They need early indicators, continuous awareness, and scalable insight.
Continuous Monitoring: A Proactive Alternative
Continuous monitoring systems replace episodic inspections with always-on asset intelligence. Thermal and visual sensors are installed on critical components to stream condition data 24/7.
These sensors detect:
- Thermal anomalies in bushings, breakers, and cables
- Visual obstructions like wildlife interference or physical damage
- Environmental conditions such as ice, leakage, smoke, or flooding
Instead of hoping issues align with a future inspection, operators are alerted in real time, with supporting images, asset data, and fault history included.
Southern Company: A Case in Point
Southern Company, one of the largest energy providers in the U.S., transitioned to continuous monitoring to address the limitations of manual inspections.
The result?
- Multiple faults were detected before failure
- Flashovers were prevented on high-voltage equipment
- Maintenance tickets were automated, with thermal imagery and GPS data attached
They moved from reactive responses to condition-based maintenance, all without increasing field crew demand.
Why Momentary Snapshots Fall Short
An annual thermal scan might suggest everything looks fine, but the grid doesn’t operate in snapshots. It runs 24/7, under constantly changing load, weather, and operational conditions. A single missed issue can escalate into:
- Catastrophic equipment failure
- Forced outages
- Safety incidents
- Expensive emergency repairs
Continuous monitoring closes the gap. With real-time visibility, utilities can catch changes as they happen, not months later.
Enabling Predictive Maintenance
The benefits of continuous monitoring extend beyond short-term fault detection. It establishes the data foundation for predictive operations:
- Trend analysis reveals slow deterioration over time
- Automated alerts reduce human oversight requirements
- Integration with CMMS enables proactive work orders
- Data aggregation supports digital twins and AI modeling
It’s not just about seeing what’s happening now. It’s about anticipating what will happen next.
Getting Started: Crawl, Walk, Run
For utilities looking to modernize, the move to continuous monitoring doesn’t have to be all at once. The white paper outlines a phased approach:
- Crawl: Start with thermal monitoring on high-priority assets.
- Walk: Add visual cameras and cloud-based dashboards.
- Run: Enable predictive analytics, digital twins, and automation.
Each phase builds capability while delivering ROI. Utilities can begin with one substation or asset class, demonstrate value, and expand systematically.
A Smarter, Safer Grid Starts with Better Visibility
Manual inspections aren’t going away entirely, but they can no longer be the foundation of utility asset management. As the stakes rise, the industry must shift from scheduled snapshots to continuous, contextual insight.
Touchless™ Monitoring from Systems With Intelligence delivers the visibility needed to:
- Reduce operational risk
- Cut O&M costs
- Improve asset reliability
- Enable data-driven decision-making
Want to see how utilities are deploying continuous monitoring today, and achieving real savings? Download our white paper: "Beyond Manual Inspections: How Continuous Monitoring Systems Enable Proactive Grid Management" to explore Southern Company’s implementation, key metrics, and a scalable roadmap you can use.