Buffalo researchers use nano-sensors to locate power outages

Winter’s storms are coming, and with them come electrical black-outs that, in places such as upstate New York, may leave consumers without power for days on end. Not that local utilities do not want to reinititiate service as soon as possible after a blizzard, but this often requires street by street searches looking for the damaged line or power box causing the problem. Researchers at the University of Buffalo Energy Systems Institute are trying to short circuit the problem with wireless, storm-sensing sensors that provide real-time measurements of power systems. The nanotechnology monitors the quality and condition of the electrical grid, alerting utility companies to both the existence and location of a power failure. “There’s not a lot of downsides (to the new sensors),” said professor Albert Titus.

Still in the development phase, UB’s sensors are approximently two to three inches long and can be used for on-contact wireless monitoring of any electrical system that runs on 120 volts of power — including refrigerators, freezers, home theatre systems, and even home medical systems. University researchers are actively seeking funding for further research — as much as $5-6 million annually over the next five years.

-read more in Melanie Pellegrino’s Spectrum report