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Auditing of electrical distribution networks: essential safety and efficiency, preventing energy loss and increasing resilience with preventive actions.
Auditing electrical distribution networks is crucial to ensuring both the safety and efficiency of systems. Electricity is an essential resource in modern societies and can provide great benefits or challenges depending on how it is managed. Companies in many fields, especially those in increasingly automated industries, cannot operate without an audit. robust electrical infrastructure.
Performing periodic audits helps prevent energy losses and improves system resilience against failures. In addition, adopting such practices provides long-term benefits, often with a good return on investment. Implementing preventive measures based on audit results is vital to ensure that electrical distribution is efficient and safe, minimizing operational and financial risks.
Importance of Audits in Electric Energy
In operations that rely heavily on electricity, the loss of energy resulting from a failure in electrical equipment represents a considerable financial risk. Such a situation can cause material damage and compromise the safety of employees. With the expectation that global demand for electricity will grow by an average of 3,4% per year until 2026, according to projections by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the relevance of audits in electrical distribution systems becomes even more significant.
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Problem Identification and Implementation of Preventive Actions
These practices are essential to identify asset obsolescence – whether due to age, stress or technology (or a combination of these factors) – and to detect system vulnerabilities due to load increase over the years. They are crucial to increasing resilience and ensuring continuous energy availability. Detailed audits allow the discovery of problems that could otherwise be overlooked on a day-to-day basis. They enable preventive actions to be taken before small defects become major incidents, preventing prolonged interruptions that can impact the safety and reliability of the electrical grid, as well as affecting the production process.
Compliance with Standards and Regulations
Additionally, audits ensure that the electrical system complies with current standards and regulations, with an emphasis on the safety of operations. When performed rigorously, they review procedures, ensure that facilities meet technical requirements, and confirm that operations follow best safety practices for assets and personnel. These audits can also provide a modernization plan feasible over a three to five-year horizon, enabling investment planning based on technical criteria that define the criticality of assets associated with the risk of failure or unavailability.
Power Quality and System Optimization
Power quality is a vital aspect of any distribution network that can be verified by audits. Power quality issues are often caused by the industrial processes and equipment themselves. Identifying and recommending actions to mitigate these issues can result in reduced operating costs, extended equipment lifespan, and continuous improvement of the system as a whole. Audits also provide valuable insights into asset Management and performance optimization.
Predictive Monitoring and Energy Efficiency
By continuously monitoring these assets, combined with analytical software that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning, it is possible to predict the time of equipment failure. This approach transforms the maintenance process, making it more assertive and based on the condition of the asset, which implies cost reduction and optimization of internal resources. Careful management of the electrical distribution network, combined with a technical documentation adequate – including updated single-line diagrams and studies such as short circuit, protection selectivity and incident energy – and regular training for staff, ensures that the company is well prepared.
Adaptation and Sustainability in the Electrical System
With the constant risk of power outages, especially in energy-dependent sectors such as hospitals, data centers and the process industry, improving performance is not just a matter of efficiency, but of survival. Audits are crucial to the sustainability of the electrical system, identifying opportunities to integrate renewable energy sources and ensuring that existing infrastructure supports new technologies without compromising grid stability. By promoting energy efficiency and reducing losses, these practices directly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, aligning the electricity sector with global sustainability goals.
Ultimately, electrical distribution audits go beyond a simple check: they are essential to ensuring the safety, efficiency and sustainability of the electrical system. Identifying vulnerabilities, ensuring compliance, optimizing operations and fostering sustainability should be pillars of every company to promote safety and efficiency. Investing in accurate and reliable audits is investing in the resilience of the electrical system, preparing it for challenges and transforming risks into opportunities for improvement.
Source: © SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC Press
