Hurricane Beryl’s impact on Houston’s power grid and the subsequent vulnerabilities highlighted in the aftermath have prompted a closer look at the need for underground power lines. The reliance on overhead power lines has left the city susceptible to extensive damage, leaving millions without power and tragic consequences for some due to heat exposure.
The U.S. Department of Energy has allocated $34 million to the ARPA-E Program called GOPHURRS, which aims to strengthen and modernize America’s power grid by promoting the development of cost-effective and safe undergrounding technologies. One of the selected projects, led by the University of Houston and Hawaii-based Oceanit, focuses on developing a state-of-the-art subsurface sensing system using AI and unmanned aerial vehicles to guide safe and efficient underground power line installation.
The team, consisting of researchers from the University of Houston, is working on creating a real-time, high-resolution look-ahead sensing system to detect underground obstacles during installation, ultimately reducing costs and enhancing the grid’s resilience against natural hazards.
If successful, this technology could significantly reduce the costs of installing underground utilities and promote environmental advantages over traditional trenching methods. By promoting the undergrounding of power lines, the project aims to enhance the power grid’s resilience and modernize America’s aging infrastructure for a clean energy future.
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