Innovative Avian Solutions
Designed and Developed by Eco Electrical Systems
How many momentary, unexplained, outages occur on your power system?
You patrol the circuit. Nothing noticeably wrong. Are you looking on the ground? Probably not.
These momentary outages continue to happen. You start looking closer and then you see a flashover mark on the structure.
These momentary trips just might be caused by a bird, squirrel, or other wildlife.
The Problem
Transmission circuits and the energized conductors typically have sufficient clearances phase to phase and phase to ground to prevent avian related issues. The exception; when a large bird such as a raptor or other bird with a large wingspan bridges the air gap between the energized conductor and ground. How does this happen? When a bird spreads its wings to land or take off and shorts the distance in the air a flashover will occur through the bird to ground resulting in a dead bird, a momentary outage, and potentially a fire.
The Solution
Insulate the grounded side of the circuit.
An example picture of the steel tower; double circuit 115 kV.
Show a diagram/drawing of a bird with its wings spread open between the wire and the tower.
The wings don’t have to touch anything…
The Problem
Adequate clearance until a bird decides to perch below the energized conductor on a steel pole, steel arm, solid ground. The result; a dead bird and a momentary outage on this 60 kV circuit.
The Solution
Insulate the grounded side of the circuit.
Show the picture of the Salt River Project pole.
Show the picture of the cover.
The Problem
The static wire on transmission structures, towers, and steel poles, can carry a lethal induced voltage. Birds have perched on the goat peaks of these grounded structures, contacted the static wire, and have been killed.
The Solution
Insulate the static wire, or insulate the grounded side of the circuit.
These are just a few examples of Transmission bird-related issues that Eco Electrical Systems has been involved with in the last 20 years. We are former utility employees and we feel like it’s our job to work together with utilities and come up with solutions for these issues. We have been designing bird guards for power distribution, transmission, and substation related equipment to solve these avian issues for 20 years.
Let’s work together to make our power systems environmentally friendly, reduce momentary and permanent outages, reduce the risk of fires from wildlife being electrocuted and comply with Federal and State Laws such as the Golden and Bald Eagle Protection Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
