The electrical utilities market has been slow to adopt the use of satellite-based tracking and monitoring technology due to the perceived high cost and complexity of the systems. But the sector is undertaking several initiatives to improve the reliability and capacity of energy delivery and reduce green house gases. New initiatives like the Smart Grid, automated metering infrastructure, work force automation, transmission modernization and demand response can all benefit substantially from investments in remote asset management, condition monitoring and metering.

Remote asset management can enable utilities to locate and track mobile equipment in real time with positive effects on asset utilization, operational coordination and efficiency. Remote monitoring of fixed equipment, particularly equipment residing at very remote locations, can provide early problem detection and can eliminate costly travel to assess equipment condition and utilization.

Using SkyBitz services, utilities operators in electrical generation, transmission and distribution can optimally address, at low cost, the following types of applications:

• Fleet Dispatch Optimization

  By improving crew and equipment dispatching operations, SkyBitz helps reduce capital expenses for repair equipment purchase, reduces staffing costs through more efficient crew utilization, and improves response to emergencies through improved workforce coordination, and allocation and tracking of equipment during mutual aid scenarios in far-away territories.

• Remote Monitoring & Control

  By centrally monitoring remotely-located equipment involved in transmission and distribution, SkyBitz can help utilities deploy low-cost automated meter reading to save travel costs and introduce new metering-based services, and monitor the condition of transmission assets scattered over broad geographies to reduce travel costs and respond to incidents more quickly and accurately.

• Safety & Security

  The location of high-value equipment like capacitor banks and transformers can be known at all times while being delivered, stored and put in place, and crew safety during emergency operations can be enhanced through the use of remote monitoring and alerting via satellite as a backup system to existing land/mobile radio.

Remote asset management offers a wide range of powerful, low-cost tools to assist electrical utilities in accomplishing daunting challenges. SkyBitz solutions can immediately help utilities to improve the dispatch efficiency of mobile teams and improve the safety of personnel working in hazardous situations. It addition, SkyBitz can help with protection of valuable heavy equipment, cut dramatically the costs associated with remote meter reads and equipment monitoring and play an essential role in the introduction of new services to improve energy delivery efficiency and cut greenhouse gas emissions.