Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) will deploy a new autonomous robot later this month to help check electrical equipment in Keith, Scotland.
The robot, named EXTRM MK4.1, was developed by tech company Ross Robotics and will be deployed at SSEN Transmission’s Blackhillock high-voltage direct current (HVDC) switching station.
EXTRM MK4.1’s deployment follows a successful two-week trial at SSEN Transmission’s Noss Head Switching Station in Wick in 2023, which saw the robot surpass several tests and programmes.
The robot is part of SSEN Transmission’s Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) AIM High project, which is focused in the north of Scotland and aims to ensure a safe and efficient transmission network.
The role of the new robot is meant to help eliminate the need for scheduled planned outages which allow engineers to carry out close inspections of the electrical components, as well as prevent possible unplanned outages.
These outages are currently necessary because HVDC converter stations function at too high a voltage level of electricity for service personnel to be able to access the key electrical components when they are operating.
Ross Robotics’ EXTRM MK4.1, however, is built to withstand extreme high-voltage electricity systems and is fitted with a series of cameras and sensors, including visual imaging, thermal imaging and acoustic imaging.
This technology collates the pertinent data and means the asset operators can make informed decisions in relation to any future maintenance. Once the robot has completed its pre-programmed route of the search area, the robot returns to its charging port in the hall.
Fellow SSEN ventures
SSEN has introduced many different projects over the past few years in order to adapt to the ever-diversifying renewable energy field.
One such venture was the release of the firm’s Near Real-time Data Access (NeRDA) portal and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for widescale use in October 2023 after the company noted that electricity demand is expected to increase by at least 50% by 2035.
The NeRDA portal, specifically, aims to help manage the effective operation and implementation of projects that use grid flexibility measures, such as electric vehicle (EV) chargers.
Moreover, in September 2023, the company contracted 202MW of flexible energy in its latest procurement round, which marked a 140% increase in available options a year compared to previous rounds.
The contracts were procured in 16 of SSEN’s central southern England license areas as part of SSEN’s ambition to develop its flexibility service portfolio.
