Of The Approximately 1 Msll1gn Transformers used by U.S. electric utilities, only about 2 percent are currently monitored. As the grid becomes smarter and the ability to access and monitor information from networks of distribution transformers and overhead lines develops, utilities will be able to realize savings, improve efficiency and reliability, and avoid large unnecessary capital costs. For example, with accurate real-time, low-cost monitoring, utilities could reduce reserve margins from as much as 20 percent to as little as 10 percent, which on a nationwide basis, could avoid almost $100 billion of capital expenditure of the next 20 years.
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